Omnicare appointed Sam R. Leno, retired Boston Scientific chief operations officer, to the board of directors and its audit committee. Martha Stewart is succeeding Charles Koppelman as chairman of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia board of directors. Gregory W. Hunt, former Yankee Candle CFO, joined the Apollo Investment Corporation as CFO.

Lockheed Martin CEO and Chairman Robert J. Stevens, who announced he will be retiring as CEO at the end of 2012, looks back on the experiences of executives and directors who transitioned "From Battlefield to Boardroom" at a recent NACD boardroom development program.

Although the calls for greater boardroom diversity are almost universal, there is a lack of consensus on a process for achieving this goal.

When directors begin to engage with the company outside of the boardroom, they’re able to contribute greater value at board meetings. But that’s not the only advantage they gain. Those directors have also automatically found another point of entry (or several) for delivering value. By reaching outside the boardroom to gain perspective, they’re allowing more people from the company to benefit from their experiences and expertise.

NACD's Board Confidence Index rose to 60.6 in the first quarter of 2012, up 13 points from its lowest point in the third quarter of 2011. This surge in confidence was largely buoyed by directors’ improved perception of economic progress made in both the short and long term.

While NACD supports the PCAOB's initiative to improve audit quality, NACD has issued a comment letter to outline why a term-limit system may be the wrong approach.

Audit committee members' top concerns for 2012 are governance processes, controls and risk management.

A bevy of action items for nominating/governance committees: listen, question, and be prepared for more regulation.

The role of the board is different for small-cap companies, where the line separating governance from management issues isn’t so bright.

Roundup: Executive Bonuses Scrutinized; Losing Face on Diversity; Hacker Exposes Boardroom Vulnerability

The annual What Society Thinks Survey reveals a divergence of opinion about boards and business.

Directors must work to increase communication with critical stakeholder groups to stay aware of potential risks.

A number of recent NACD chapter programs highlighted the importance of the Global Reporting Initiative to help serve investor's sustainability interests.

Increasingly detailed disclosures are an essential factor in continuing shareholder approval of company policies.

An excerpt from Richard M. Steinberg's Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance: It Can’t Happen to Us—Avoiding Corporate Disaster While Driving Success.

A volatile business environment and increased regulations create specific challenges for which boards must prepare.

An analysis of the coming proxy season reveals a dozen “dirty” issues directors should expect.

General (Ret.) Hugh Shelton on his transition from battlefield to boardroom service, and his candid assessment of the war in Iraq, Guantanamo, Iran and American leadership.

A study from NACD and Pearl Meyer and Partners finds that over 80 percent of directors are confident or very confident with how well the board aligns CEO pay with performance.

As lead directors' influence grows, the requirements for success in the position must be considered.