Our Team

Management Team

• 
  Tracy Gee
  Chief People Officer
  

  Tracy D. Gee is the Chief People Officer at NACD. She is responsible for developing and executing all aspects of NACD's people strategies and human resources activities, including talent acquisition, talent management, diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, and compensation and benefits. She joined NACD from Raytheon Company, where she was responsible for leading all human resources and global security operations for the company's Global Business Development function.

  In 2019, Savoy Magazine named Gee as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Women in Corporate America." Over her 25+ year career, Gee has held human resources positions in a variety of industries: Aerospace and Defense, Investment Management, Insurance, and Commercial Banking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College. She also has an advanced certificate in organization development and HR management from Columbia University.

• 
  Peter Gleason
  President and Chief Executive Officer
  

  Peter Gleason has been the CEO of NACD since 2017. He has served in a variety of roles during his tenure at NACD, including President, CFO, COO, Managing Director, and VP of Research and Development. Gleason is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance. He serves as a member of NACD's national faculty, is regularly quoted in the media, and is a frequent presenter on the subjects of corporate governance, executive and director compensation, risk, strategic planning, and board/shareowner relations. Gleason has served as a commissioner on every NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report since joining NACD in 2000 and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

  He currently serves on the NACD board, the advisory board of NuraHealth, Inc., and the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), based in London. He is the immediate past chair of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI) and the former chair of the International Professional Practices Framework Oversight Council of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He has served on a number of other non-profit boards.

  Before joining NACD, Gleason was a management consultant with both Ernst & Young and Pritchett & Associates. He also served as vice president and director of US Research for Institutional Shareholder Services.

  Gleason is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MBA, with concentrations in both Finance and Marketing, from Virginia Tech.

• 
  Beth Merin
  Vice President, Marketing
  

  Beth Merin is NACD's vice president of marketing and member communications. She is responsible for the development and execution of NACD's marketing & branding strategy around membership, education, thought leadership, and credentials. Merin has over 20 years of experience in building brand value for a spectrum of organizations, including the International Franchise Association, AARP, and Discovery Communications, Inc. Merin holds a BBA in Marketing from Marshall University and an MLIS from Drexel University. She also holds a Specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation from the University of Virginia.

• 
  Stephanie Mullette
  Senior Vice President, Membership
  

  Stephanie Mullette is NACD's senior vice president of membership, responsible for building increased awareness of NACD's mission to elevate board performance through membership, marketing, and strategic partnerships. Most recently Stephanie led the launch of NACD's Accelerate program, creating a pathway for a strong, diverse, and highly qualified pipeline of executives to serve as tomorrow's directors. Through this program and other initiatives, Stephanie works to promote NACD's goal of increased boardroom diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  Stephanie has more than fifteen years of experience working with general counsel and other C-level executives, shareholders, and boards of directors on corporate governance best practices, public company preparedness and compliance, and shareholder activism, including roles at CEB, Institutional Shareholder Services, and White & Case LLP. She holds a BA from Cornell University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.

• 
  Alex Obuchowski
  Chief Financial Officer
  

  Alex Obuchowski is the chief financial officer for NACD. His duties include overseeing all financial aspects of the organization, including budgeting and financial statements. Obuchowski previously worked for the Renewable Fuels Association, Veris Consulting Inc., and Johnson Lambert LLP. He graduated from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

• 
  Susan Paley
  Vice President, Chapter Network
  

  Susan Paley is NACD's vice president of chapter network. She and her team partner with NACD chapter boards to deliver world-class programs to directors in more than 35 cities. Before joining NACD, Susan was a television producer and scriptwriter, working for the BBC, Discovery Networks Europe, C-SPAN, and the World Bank. Susan holds a B.A. from Tufts University in international relations and communications.

• 
  Kimberly Simpson
  Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
  

  As Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Kimberly Simpson is responsible for ensuring that NACD's operations meet its strategic objectives. She has specific oversight responsibility for director programs, education, and research, NACD Directorship Certification, the NACD Chapter Network in 35 cities, NACD Board Search by accelhrate, the legal and information technology functions, and the support for two boards of directors (NACD and the NACD Corporate Directors Institute). Kimberly frequently speaks and writes on governance matters.

  Prior to joining NACD, Kimberly held a number of executive leadership roles. She served as executive vice president at Sanford Health, the largest rural, not-for-profit health care system in the nation with locations in 126 communities in nine states and in countries such as Ghana, Africa. She also was the inaugural president of the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to advance breast cancer research and treatment.

  Formerly the chief operating officer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Kimberly led the network of more than 120 Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates across the United States and had responsibility for the organization's legal, human resources, information technology, and internal communications functions. Additionally, she was the secretary to the board of directors and was a board member of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance, Komen's Washington, D.C.-based policy organization. Prior to joining Komen, Kimberly was vice president and general counsel at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, the top pediatric orthopedic hospital in the country.

  Kimberly received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, and is admitted to practice law in California, Virginia (as in-house counsel), and Texas (inactive). She has a Master of Arts in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish summa cum laude from The University of Alabama. Kimberly was a U.S. Marshall Memorial Fellow to Europe in 2005.

• 
  Friso van der Oord
  Senior Vice President, Content
  

  Friso van der Oord is senior vice president of content at NACD, and is responsible for overseeing all NACD content development. He is an experienced governance advisor and business line manager, who has worked over the last 15 years with Fortune 500 and global executives on major risk, compliance, and integrity challenges, including serving in leadership roles at CEB and LRN. He holds an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University's SAIS Program.

• 
  Donna Vaught
  Vice President, Content & Event Experience
  

  Donna Vaught is NACD's vice president of content and event experience; she provides strategic direction in the planning and execution of all meetings and events. Vaught has more than 20 years of experience in the convention and event management industry. Previously, she worked at the International Society for Performance Improvement, the International Downtown Association, and the Federal Reserve Bank. Vaught holds a bachelor's degree in business, and has attained the CMP certification.

Management Team

• 
  Marcel Bucsescu
  Director, Credentialing & Strategic Content
  

  Marcel Bucsescu is the director of credentialing and strategic content for NACD, leading the NACD Directorship Certification program, NACD Fellowship, NACD's Fortune 500 Advisory Councils, and providing strategic oversight of select content offerings for NACD members. Before joining NACD, Bucsescu served as co-program director of The Conference Board's Chief Legal Officers Council for 12 years. He has also served as executive director of the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School. For the last decade, his work has addressed environmental, social, and governance issues; risk management; cybersecurity; shareholder activism; and corporate governance with boards and members of the C-suite.

• 
  Chris Clark
  Senior Director, Partner Relations
  

  Christopher Y. Clark is NACD's senior director of partner relations and publisher of NACD Directorship magazine and Directorship.com. Previously, Clark held a variety of roles at Forbes Inc., including vice president of sales and vice president and general manager of the Forbes Management Conference Group. He is a member of the Broadridge Virtual Shareholder Meeting Best Practices Working Group and a contributing member of NACD's flag and general officer advisory council.

• 
  Brandy Lanham-Fennell
  Director, Information Technology
  

  Brandy Lanham-Fennell is NACD's Director of Information Technology. She is responsible for managing and enhancing NACD's technical operations. Her team manages the implementation and maintenance of software applications and the development of NACD digital properties. Prior to NACD, she worked at Euclid Technology, National Apartment Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Association of Government Accountants in membership management, technical support, and training.

• 
  Wanda Parker-Smith
  Director, Human Resources
  

  Wanda Parker-Smith is NACD's director of human resources. She has primary responsibility for leading and managing the human resources programs. Parker-Smith has more than 20 years of experience in the human resources industry. Before NACD, she worked at the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). Parker-Smith holds a master's degree in human resources from John Hopkins University. She has also attained the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the SHRM Professional (SHRM-CP) certifications.

• 
  Julie Pitts
  Senior Regional Director
  

  Julie Pitts is NACD's senior regional director of chapter network. She provides strategic support to the NACD regional directors and NACD's 21 chapters to enhance member value through world-class chapter-led programs and peer-to-peer engagement. Julie currently serves the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Regional Board, and Houston Tutorial Association, and is a former board member of the Mission of Yahweh Homeless Shelter. She holds a BBA in International Business and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma.

• 
  Patricia Smith
  Art Director
  

  Patricia Smith is the art director at NACD. She is responsible for developing creative guidelines and directing creative work for NACD's publications, its website, and NACD Directorship magazine. Smith has 25 years of experience in publication design and has held creative roles at PC Magazine, Chief Executive magazine, and with the Insurance Information Institute. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in studio art and design from William Paterson University.

• 
  Tim Vandish
  Director, Data Analytics and Operations
  

  Tim Vandish is NACD's director of analytics and data operations. Tim has primary responsibility for leading the data management, data governance, and analytics teams. He has over 25 years of experience in database analytics and database management and has led analytics teams at Spectrum, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a French Studies diploma from the University of Grenoble CUEF. He spends his free time volunteering for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

• 
  Judy Warner
  Editor in Chief
  

  Judy Warner is editor in chief of NACD Directorship magazine. A journalist for more than 30 years, Warner joined the Directorship team as managing editor from ComAve LLC, an independent content-management firm which she co-founded and operated. Previously, Warner was New England bureau chief of Adweek magazine. She began her journalism career with the Boston Globe as an editorial assistant. Warner holds a BS in journalism from Northeastern University.