Like the boards of directors we strive to serve, NACD Directorship balances continuity and change. A major and welcome source of both in our pages is the contributions of Directorship founder Jeff Cunningham. In addition to his regular commentary on the last page of this magazine informed by his years as a publisher of Forbes and numerous board tenures, Jeff conducts many of the director-centric interviews featured in each issue, including our cover story on Hugh Shelton. General Shelton’s ascent from ROTC grunt to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff throughout the past five decades mirrors the rise of the U.S. military from the darkest days of Vietnam to today’s world-renowned fighting forces. That Shelton now takes his considerable leadership experience into the boardroom is a tale well worth reading regardless of whether you have ever been in battle in or out of the boardroom.
Judy Warner (photo by David Nicholas/Longview)
Jeff also contributes an opinion piece on the new book written by former Forbes editor Stewart Pinkerton, The Fall of the House of Forbes. He again brings considerable firsthand experience to his reading, and assessment, of Pinkerton’s story and the Forbes saga—as only he can.
Launching new programs and features is part of our charge as we work to help elevate the role of the director, while providing a blend of informative, interesting and one-of-a-kind stories to our NACD member readership. Nowhere else will you find the nuances of committee work explored in such rich and regular detail. See, for instance, the excerpt from the proceedings of our Advisory Council on Audit Committees, and take a look at who was there—I think you’ll agree that the assemblage is a testament to the strength of NACD’s convening power.
Since this is the first issue of the new year, there are some forward-looking perspectives as well. In her annual State of Corporate Governance address, NACD Chairman Barbara Hackman Franklin flags key issues for boards in 2012. We also hear from Nasdaq CEO Bob Greifeld about what’s happening with the ever-dynamic stock exchange, and ISS’s Patrick S. McGurn provides a spirited, comprehensive preview to this year’s proxy season.
We hope you read and take something away from each and every story, and, as always, I welcome your feedback.
Judy Warner is managing editor of Directorship.com and NACD Directorship.