NACD Fellowship

NACD Fellowship

NACD Board Leadership Fellowship

NACD Fellowship is a recognized credential by investors, regulators, and the director community. Your path to NACD Fellowship begins with NACD Master Class. After attending the Master Class, candidates demonstrate their commitment to continuous learning by earning credits to achieve Fellowship. NACD's wide variety of director-education programs and events, both in-person and online, award credits toward your Fellowship status. Once you have earned your credits, maintain your credential by earning credits annually. Become a Fellow, enjoy the benefits, and join your peers at the vanguard of directorship.

Becoming a Board Leadership Fellow

The NACD Board Leadership Fellowship empowers experienced board leaders with a pathway of continuous insights, boardroom intelligence, and leading boardroom practices.

Board Leadership Fellowship Badge
 
  • Step 1: Attend NACD Master Class – offered virtually in 2020.
  • Step 2: Complete six (6) Skill and four (4) Collaborative Fellowship credits within one year of attending Master Class.
  • Step 3: Maintain six (6) Skill and four (4) Collaborative Fellowship credits annually.

Review your Fellowship transcript for a history of your completed NACD courses and current status of your credential or maintaining your credential. View the latest 2020 NACD Event Calendar.

Please note: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all 2020 NACD Fellowship cycle dates have been pushed back to December 31, 2020. Check your Fellowship portal or contact Fellowship@NACDonline.org with any questions.

NACD Governance Fellowship

For more than a decade, NACD Governance Fellows have demonstrated their commitment in the boardroom through a continuous program of study that empowers them with the latest boardroom insights, intelligence, and practices—equipping them to lead their boards with confidence.

NACD is no longer granting new Governance Fellowships, and beginning January 2022, the NACD Governance Fellowship will no longer be an active NACD credential. The program will sunset on December 31, 2020, but the credential will be recognized through the end of 2021.

If you took Director Professionalism® (in person or virtual) in 2019 intending to become an NACD Governance Fellow, you must complete your four (4) credits by the end of 2020 to become a Governance Fellow for calendar year 2021. 

Members who are active Governance Fellows are encouraged to participate in NACD Directorship Certification or qualify and apply for the Board Leadership Fellowship to maintain a valid director credential after 2021.

NACD Directorship Certification™

NACD Directorship Certification is our new director credential, which serves as a framework for continuous learning. Becoming NACD Directorship Certified is a distinguished and tangible mark of your commitment to your professional growth and the elevation of directorship as a profession. To become certified, individuals must be members of NACD, meet the course prerequisite or exception, and take and pass the certification exam. 

Along with your NACD Fellowship credential, becoming NACD Directorship Certified is a comprehensive way to highlight your commitment to staying current on the latest boardroom insights, intelligence, and practices that will put you at the vanguard of boardroom leadership.