At The Table With America's Black Corporate Directors

The challenge of diversifying the boardroom—and ceo seats— can be found in the pipeline. Our special report shows how some members of the be registry of corporate directors address this vexing issue

Roughly 25 top professionals—a group that included leading corporate executives, major tech financiers, and one former high-ranking official from the Obama administration, among others—gathered at Deloitte University, an expansive complex in bucolic Westlake, Texas. Across a stretch of three hot, humid days in late June, they participated in the firm’s Board Leadership Forum, where Antoinette “Tonie” Leather berry, a principal of Deloitte’s Risk and Financial Advisory Practice and Board Relations Leader, maintained that the invitees would gain “insights from current chief executive officers, corporate directors, and global thought leaders who will explore what it takes to ascend to leadership on corporate boards.”

Hosted jointly with the Executive Leadership Council’s Next Generation CEO Academy under the theme, “Moving The Boardroom Diversity Needle,” the event provided the group with topflight networking and a series of intensive, candid sessions featuring topics such as board leadership positioning, overseeing cyber risk, tough boardroom conversations, and one focused on being “unapologetically black.” Moreover, attendees had the opportunity to receive valuable lessons on how to navigate corporate America at the highest levels through insider chats with Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise; Marvin Ellison, the recently installed CEO of home improvement retailer Lowe’s Corp., and Lisa Wardell, president and CEO of Adtalem Global Education and the only black female chief executive among the honchos of the 1,000 largest publicly traded corporations.