Preparing for Board Leadership
The OnBoard Accelerator program gets women closer to their goal of serving on a for-profit board. With a focus on raising your visibility as a board candidate, we help you develop the tools to ensure that you clearly articulate the value you bring to the board room.
The program helps you:
- Understand the value you bring to the boardroom
- Convey your value in a compelling way
- Expand your network
- Prepare for board-level interviews
- Focus your plan and take action
Benefits of OnBoard Accelerator:
Support
Take advantage of support and learning in a confidential environment to develop your personal brand and prepare for targeted board interview opportunities
Value
Make your personal value known by obtaining clarity and a greater ability to articulate what you bring to the table. Receive clear, relevant feedback about development needs from our OnBoard Development Committee.
Connect
Increase the size of your personal network to connect for greater visibility and opportunity.
Plan
Take action by creating an attention-grabbing bio and developing a personalized plan to raise visibility.
How OnBoard Accelerator Works
Each cohort for the OnBoard Accelerator class will include up to ten women. Senior executive-level women are encouraged to apply but also those with a significant span of control and influence, regardless of title, can be considered. The selection process includes a written application and interview. All applicants interviewed will receive feedback and suggestions for further development whether they are accepted or not.
The next program starts in fall 2023 and will meet once a month for six months. All sessions will be virtual and will be held on Mondays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Participants should plan to spend on average, 3-4 hours in between sessions to complete homework assignments.
Participants must be or become a member of OnBoard at the Advocate level. The non-refundable fee of $3,200 is due in full within 10 days of acceptance or by the first session and includes an Advocate level membership. If you are already an Advocate, the fee for the class is $2,900.
The application period for the fall 2023 + spring 2024 OnBoard Accelerator class is now open!
OnBoard Accelerator Leadership Committee
Celeste Bottorff – Retired as Vice President at The Coca-Cola Company where she led corporate reputation and strategic growth initiatives. Celeste has served on both public and private corporate boards as well as boards of several not for profit groups.
Lynne Homrich – Lynne Fair Homrich is a change management expert with deep experience as both a corporate executive and entrepreneur. Widely recognized for more than 25 years as a thought leader and advocate for advancing women and girls as leaders, she has founded, led, and been deeply involved in a number of organizations working to achieve gender parity in the C-suite, boardroom and government. Lynne currently serves on the Board of Oak Dental Partners, one of the fastest growing dental service organizations in the country.
Mary Madden – Former President & Executive Director of Atlanta Chapter of National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and Former Co-chair and CO-Founder of Women Corporate Directors (WCD-Atlanta). Previously Mary was a serial entrepreneur and served on the public boards of Information America and Synavant as well as the boards of several private companies and nonprofits, such as Atlanta Chapter of the NACD (former), and Books for Keeps (current).
Mary McCoy – Retired VP at Hewlett Packard Enterprise where she led worldwide product management for a $4B product line and was successful at driving multiple growth initiatives in technology services. Currently Mary runs her own business as an Executive Coach where she drives growth of individual executives into the C-suite and onto Boards. She is an active participant of the Board at OnBoard.
Rona Wells – Former P&L corporate executive with private board experience, as well as a background in governance issues and board dynamics. Rona, a past president of OnBoard, was a leader in founding a national organization to advance women to the boardroom (InterOrganization Network). Rona has previous experience on a private company for-profit board.
OnBoard Racial Equity Accelerator scholarships are made possible in part by:
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award, started in 2003, is awarded to the woman board member who has served as an outstanding role model for advancing the mission of increasing the number of women in executive leadership and on corporate boards.
Nominees must currently serve on a Georgia for-profit company board (public or private) or be a Georgia resident serving on an out-of-state for-profit company board. Further qualifications are an overall commitment to professional excellence, attainment of excellence in her business profession or in community leadership, supporting women in realizing their full potential, and advocating to increase diversity on corporate boards. Presented by OnBoard’s premier partner KPMG, the award is celebrated annually with our flagship November event.
The award is named in honor of Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, one of the first women to serve as a director of a major American corporation. In 1934 she was appointed to the board of directors of The Coca-Cola Company, a position she held for nearly 20 years.
2022 Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award Dinner
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate OnBoard’s 30th Anniversary and honor 2022 Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award recipient Kathy Waller! Click Here to see the event details and photos of the evening.
2022 Award Winner
Kathy Waller
Past Award Winners
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
OnBoard Excellence Award
The OnBoard Excellence Awards are given annually to three female leaders who highlight OnBoard’s mission to increase the number of
women in executive leadership and on corporate boards.
A nominee must be a Georgia-based woman who is a leader within the C-Suite of her company. She is a role model of career achievement and serves on a corporate board, or is building the credentials that place her in the pipeline for corporate board membership. Further qualifications are excellence in her profession as recognized by colleagues and active advocacy and mentoring for other women to build their potential.
2023 Honorees
Sarah Butterfass
Nicole Keaton Hart
Wendy Thomas
Past Honorees
2022
Erica Hoholick
Laurel M. Hurd
Jolie L. Weber
2021
Vicki Lostetter
Lily Prost
Annette Rollins
2020
Kali Wilson Beyah
Jill Campbell
Dr. Maureen Schumacher
2019
Crystal Hanlon
Brandi Thomas
Susan Gambardella
2018
Lauren Childers
Katharine Mobley
Juliette Pryor
2017
Ceree Eberly
Sloane Perras
Terry Vacheron
2016
Jane M. Elliott
Jackie Parker
Elizabeth (Betsy) Peck
2015
Danielle Lisenbey
Joanne McInnerney
Maureen Morrison
2014
Terri Jondahl
Suzanne Patterson
Michele Sarkisian
2013
Rhona Applebaum
Angie Chattin
Beth Gibbs
2012
Ann-Marie Campbell
Ann Daiss
Penny McIntyre
2011
Debra Kuper
Ann Stallard
Robin Sangston
2010
Phyllis R. Austin
Terrie Jones
Loretta Young Walker
2009
Molly B. Burke
Patricia M. (Trish) Jones
Kathy N. Waller
2008
Barbara Blackford
Peggy McCormick
Sarah O’Brien
Leslie Pearce
Leslie Sibert
2007
Becky Blalock
Kathy Harris
Tasia Katapodis
Amy Whitley
Get On Board! Networking l Connecting Women and Boards
Get On Board! is one of the ways OnBoard is expanding its role as a catalyst to getting more women on for-profit corporate boards. Get OnBoard! is an invitation-only, premier event designed to connect board-ready women to those companies who are looking for female representation on their boards.
How it Works:
CEO’s and board selection influencers of for-profit companies are invited to attend Get On Board!. Board ready women known to OnBoard are also invited. The executives and influencers come to meet qualified women to consider for their own boards or boards they know that need candidates. The agenda for the evening includes both networking time and one-on-one interviews between the candidates and the board influencers.
In addition to introducing board candidates at the event, Get On Board! provides CEOs or board representatives with detailed profiles of these businesswomen who are ready to serve on public boards. The atmosphere at Get On Board! is professional, but is also conducive for getting to know board candidates in a more relaxed setting. The reception is limited to less than 30 candidates and a corresponding number of CEOs and board members to facilitate making connections.
Since its inception, OnBoard has been the leading authority and advocate for the advancement of women in public boardrooms and executive suites. Finding candidates is said to be one of the major barriers companies face in increasing representation of women on their boards. OnBoard addresses that issue with this invitation-only Get On Board! event by connecting qualified women with opportunities and helping them raise their visibility for board and leadership positions.
Thanks to our Racial Equity Initiative Sponsor
OnBoard exists to increase gender parity on corporate boards and to advocate for professional women at all stages of their careers. While the corporate world has made great strides in growing the representation of women in leadership roles, profound racial inequities remain. As it stands, only 3.4% of total board seats in Georgia are occupied by a Woman of Color leader. As such, OnBoard is committed to advocating for racial equity by developing avenues of success for BIWOC professionals both internally and externally.
After a challenging year of compounding crises that spotlighted workplace inequities and drove millions of women from the workplace, OnBoard stands ready to rebuild our female workforce. Founded in 1994 with the mission to increase the number of women on corporate boards and in leadership roles, we are positioned to lead the effort to equalize the corporate environment for professional women in Georgia and beyond.
Led by the Board of Directors, OnBoard develops programs that will further equitable representation on boards across Georgia and the nation through the following initiatives:
- The Accelerator gives women the tools to market themselves for service on a for-profit board. A cohort comprises ten women, and two spaces are reserved for fellowships for Black Women.
- Next OnBoard provides motivated, early- and mid-career professionals with opportunities to connect with senior executive women and men interested in OnBoard’s mission, learn about board governance, and expand their professional networks. Thanks to Southern Company’s support, we offer ten young Black Women memberships to Next OnBoard.
- We will continue to deliver relevant programming such as the Women of Color on Corporate Boards: How Do We Move the Needle? - a fireside chat with Mayor Shirley Franklin and Maria Saporta. We have a lot of listening to do, and as a board will consider new programs and ways of working with our corporate partners.
To recommend a woman for the fellowships noted above, please contact Lisa Robinson, OnBoard CEO, at lisa.robinson@onboardnow.org.
Stepping Stones to the C-Suite
OnBoard’s newest initiative, OnBoard Ignite, is designed for Director and VP-level women seeking to advance to the next level of their careers. The ideal candidate is 10-15 years away from the C-Suite and corporate board-level work.
How It Works:
With guided instruction participants will explore topics including:
- Vision planning and story crafting to level up your career.
- Strengthening your executive presence.
- Developing skills for networking and negotiation.
Participants earn a certificate upon completion.
The program includes a one-hour, 1:1 coaching session with an instructor.
These powerhouse executives shared their own journeys to the C-Suite such as during the inaugural session:
Dr. Maureen Schumacher
Hala Moddelmog
Susan O'Farrell
J. Noble
Mary Donovan
J. Daniel Cole
Irma Shrivastava
Mary McCoy
Schedule:
Stay tuned for the dates of our next Ignite session
Virtual meetings are held on Wednesday evenings
+ One in-person networking event
+ 1:1 coaching session scheduled with an Ignite instructor
Cost:
$2,000
Participants:
Open to OnBoard Members and Advocates. Limited to 10 participants who are 10-15 years away from the C-Suite and corporate board level work.
To apply:
Contact OnBoard Ignite Chair and Facilitator Jo Ann Herold, joannherold1107@gmail.com, to request an informational call.
