CHICAGO, June 29, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) today announced the election of Joan E. Steel as chair of the organization.
Steel is founder and CEO of Alpha Wealth Advisors, LLC, a financial consulting firm advising family offices, private foundations and endowments in the U.S. and South America. She has served NACD's Chicago Chapter as vice chair and chair of the nomination and governance committee since 2019.
"I'm excited to continue my journey with NACD Chicago as chapter chair," Steel said. "I look forward to engaging our 1,900 members with thoughtful programming and networking opportunities that reinforce our mission of advancing excellence in the boardroom. We have an outstanding board of directors and active sponsors who support the important work we do in stewarding board leadership, elevating board performance and instilling governance best practices."
Steel will succeed Paul Williams, who has served as chair of NACD Chicago for the past four years.
"It's been an honor and a privilege to serve as NACD Chicago's chair," Williams said. "I'm incredibly proud of what we've been able to accomplish as a chapter and grateful to the dedicated individuals who have served alongside me, including Joan Steel. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience from her years of service on corporate and NACD Chicago boards, and I look forward to NACD Chicago's continued success with Joan as the new chair."
For decades, Steel has served as an independent corporate board director and a trustee on nonprofit boards. She is currently an independent director of the Mercer Funds, a family of institutional mutual funds, and serves as a trustee of Rush University Medical Center, and a director and the treasurer of the Cuneo Foundation. Steel is a former independent director of the Hershey Trust Company, controlling shareholder of The Hershey Company; and former trustee of Loyola University Chicago, where she chaired the University's Endowment.
NACD Chicago also is pleased to announce the election of Jeffery S. Perry, founder and CEO of Lead Mandates LLC, to its board of directors. Perry, a strategic business advisor, is a retired global client service partner at Ernst & Young LLP and has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, integrations, divestitures and business transformations, and consumer products. Perry is an independent corporate board director at Fortune Brands, chairman of the board of trustees at Babson College, chairman of the board of directors at Chicago Children's Museum, and a member of the board of directors of the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association. In addition, he was recently included in Financial Times Agenda Diversity 100, a curated list of board-ready individuals historically underrepresented in the boardroom.
About the National Association of Corporate Directors
The National Association of Corporate Directors empowers more than 21,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that today's directors are well prepared for tomorrow's challenges. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for responsible board leadership for 40 years. To learn more about NACD or to apply for membership visit NACDonline.org or call 571-357-3822.
About the NACD Chicago Chapter
The Chicago Chapter, one of the largest chapters within NACD, provides programs that bring awareness, education, and networking to director members in the greater Chicago area and neighboring states. NACD Chicago serves more than 1,900 members locally. For more information, visit Chicago.NACDonline.org or contact Kathy Hendrickson at 630-527-9579.
Media Contact
Kathy Hendrickson, NACD Chicago Chapter, +1 (630) 527-9579, [email protected]
SOURCE NACD Chicago Chapter
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