Myths and Truths About the Board Journey

Overview 

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Panelists

Ann Deters Board Director and Executive

Ann Deters has served as Board Chair, Committee Chair, Board Member, and/or CEO over the past 35 years. She has a breadth of experience in the healthcare, logistics, technology, and financial services industries, including a proven track record for leading businesses through strategic partnering, re-engineering, succession planning/implementation and process improvement. She combines her strong financial skills, technology expertise, business operations and entrepreneurial acumen, with her quest to achieve high growth and profitability. 

As a fifth-generation entrepreneur, Ann has started three highly successful companies in the healthcare sector, with the flagship entity being Vantage Technology, a medical service company she founded in 1990.

Currently, Ann serves on the boards of ABARTA Coca Cola Bottling, Bemis Manufacturing (global plastic products), Vantage Technology (healthcare) and Illinois Chamber of Commerce. She has served on family-owned businesses & privately held businesses, including Midland States Bancorp, which is now a publicly held company (MSBI). Ann received her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business and BS in Accounting from Southern Methodist University. She & her husband, Dennis, have five children and five grandchildren.

Chelsea Grayson Board Director and Executive

Chelsea Grayson is the former CEO and a Board Member of American Apparel (NYSE: APP), True Religion and Spark Networks (NASDAQ: LOV). Chelsea currently sits on the Board of Directors of Xponential Fitness (NYSE: XPOF) and Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND). She was previously a board member at Sugarfina, Inc., Morphe Cosmetics (Forma Brands), Lapmaster (Precision Surfacing Solutions), Delta Dental, Goodness Growth (CSE: GDNS) (formerly Vireo Health) and Loudpack. 

She was also an Executive-in-Residence with Wunderkind (formerly BounceX). Chelsea is a Board Leadership Fellow and a Corporate Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), is a recipient of the In-House Impact Award from The Recorder (The American Lawyer) and the 40 Under 40 Recognition Award from the M&A Advisor and was named one of “L.A.’s Top 40 Dealmakers” in the Los Angeles Business Journal “Who’s Who in L.A. Law”.

Michele Ashby Board Director and Executive

Michele Ashby is a seasoned professional with a diverse background spanning 30 years as a gold specialist/analyst, financial expert, independent corporate director, and successful entrepreneur. She was recently recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in Colorado and Top 100 Women in Mining globally, for her work in training 1,000 women to get on corporate boards. As a subject matter expert on Board Governance, Finance, Diversity & Inclusion, and Strategy, she's a sought-after speaker on topics ranging from women's leadership to healing our country. Michele is also the author of three books and a former ultra-athlete, having rowed 211,036 meters in 24 hours.

Ms. Ashby has extensive board experience as an independent director with collective corporate board experience of 20 years on eight corporate boards, as well as 40 years of non-profit and trade association board experience. She founded Dani’s Foundation, a non-profit organization, in memory of her daughter, Dani Stell, which contributed over $1 million for Ewing’s Sarcoma cancer research over 15 years.

Moderator

Ryan Lahti, Ph.D. Managing Principal OrgLeader

Dr. Ryan Lahti is the Founder and Managing Principal of OrgLeader. As a strategic advisor to STEM organizations, executives and board members, Ryan specializes in helping leaders around the globe succeed in high-risk, complex situations.

Ryan combines business experience serving Fortune 500, middle market, and emerging companies in 20 industries with a background in leadership and organizational effectiveness spanning three decades. This includes Apple, Beckman Coulter, Bank of America, IBM, United Healthcare, Carrier, insightsoftware and Novo Nordisk. Prior to founding OrgLeader in 2006, he worked for global consulting firms including Ernst & Young and Hay Group. He also held corporate positions overseeing leadership and organizational development.

As a thought leader, Ryan is the author of The Finesse Factor: How to Build Exceptional Leaders in STEM Organizations. He is a frequent speaker on risk and uncertainty as well as a contributor to Forbes on leadership and organizational effectiveness topics. Ryan has been featured on NBC TV, Inside Forbes Councils and in publications such as Fast Company and CIO.

Ryan serves as the Co-Chair of the National Board Director Opportunities Committee (BDOC) and Chair of the Southern California BDOC for PDA. Find more information about Ryan and OrgLeader at OrgLeader.com.

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