Finding Your Fit: Preparing for Your First (or Next) Board Seat

EVENT SPONSOR

Speakers

Suzanne M. Burns is a trusted advisor to numerous public and private company CEOs and Board Nominating & Governance Committees, where she shares her knowledge of board best shares her knowledge of board best practices, CEO succession planning, insights on deliberate organizational and cultural alignment, and perspective on how to successfully attract and develop diverse talent to drive shareholder value. Ms. Burns is known for elevating strategies and developing winning, executable courses of action. She intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together in a cohesive design and helps others broaden their thinking in the process.

As a Senior Partner with Spencer Stuart, Ms. Burns is a member of the firm’s Board, CEO, Industrial, Digital Transformation and Private Equity practices. She devotes her time to advising global clients on Board and C-suite talent selection, cultural transformation, and board effectiveness to increase diversity and competitiveness.

Ms. Burns currently sits on the Board of Directors for Benco Dental Supply Company, a leading dental equipment distributor, and chairs its Growth & Diversification and CEO Evaluation Committees and Palmer-Donavin. She also serves as the President of the Private Directors Association’s (PDA) Chicago Chapter and on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Botanic Garden Board where she chairs the Human Capital & Compensation and Succession Committees. As Chair of the Women Corporate Directors Chicago Chapter and prior Vice Chair of the Nominating Committee of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital Foundation Board, she is committed to improving equity for women and children. She is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Network, and The Chicago Club and previously served on the boards of Communities In Schools of Chicago, Leadership Greater Chicago, and as Spencer Stuart’s board representative with the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) for six years. She holds the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Director Certification® and through her various organizations and Board & CEO Practice work at Spencer Stuart stays abreast of the latest trends in corporate governance. Ms. Burns holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University.

President of Diversity in Boardrooms, Cindy Burrell contributes over 20 years of executive search expertise with a special focus in recruiting and referring diverse Director Candidates who enhance a company’s growth and profitability. In addition, she creates new and innovative ADVISORY Boards for private and public companies.

Since 2014, she is one of the original Founders of the Private Directors Association (PDA) which now has more than 20 Chapters and 4,000 Members nationwide. She was honored after serving on the PDA National Board for ten years and Co-Chairing National Sponsorship for five years. From 2016-2024, Cindy served as an Advisory Board Member for Skytop Strategies, a worldwide conference company based in New York.

Her academic achievements include a Master’s degree from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree from DePauw University.

Panelists

Shawna Lecuyer is a consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group and a trusted advisor to private companies navigating governance, leadership, and family dynamics. With nearly 30 years of experience working alongside multi-generational families in complex business settings, Shawna brings deep expertise in building structures that support business continuity and effective leadership. Recognized for her strategic insight and calm command of high-stakes situations, Shawna is known for designing practical tools and frameworks that build trust, enhance performance, and equip leaders to steward their enterprises across generations.

A part-time faculty member at Loyola University Chicago, Shawna supports the Family Business Center’s mission to educate and strengthen family enterprises. She is also a frequent speaker on topics such as governance, succession planning, building teams, and leading through conflict. Her recent recognition as a 2025 “Director to Watch” by Private Company Director Magazine reflects her leadership in advancing effective governance practices across the private company landscape.

Shawna’s passion for family enterprise is grounded in real-world operational leadership. As a senior executive in a fifth generation, family-held business, she led in-house legal, HR, and risk functions and helped establish sustainable governance systems with an emphasis on next-generation preparation and board effectiveness.

She currently serves on the boards of PrimeCare Health and Family Office Exchange, where she chairs the Human Capital Committee. Her forthcoming book, Leveraging Your Legacy, explores how operationalizing family and business values can create meaningful connections with talent, customers, and the next generation.

Adela Cepeda is an independent corporate director of BMO Financial Corp, of the Mercer and Pathway Funds, and chairs the UBS Funds.

Adela is chair of Angeles Investors, an angel investing group she co-founded in 2020, which now has approximately 500 members throughout the United States. She is co-general partner of Angeles Ventures Fund I.

Adela has been recognized with the Leadership Greater Chicago Distinguished Fellow Award, the Silicon Valley Lifetime Leadership Award, and the Latina Trailblazer Award by Latino Justice.  She was included among the 100 Most Influential Latinos by Bloomberg Linea and included among the 50 Most Powerful Latinas by ALPFA.  She has been named to the NACD Directorship 100, a recognition given to the most influential leaders in corporate governance.
 
Adela completed her MBA at the University of Chicago and her AB  from Harvard College. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from Metropolitan College of New York and Dominican University.

Martha recently completed her term as Board Director for TAB Bank, a family-owned, commercially oriented firm, where she was Chair of the Directors Loan Committee and a Compensation Committee member.  Previously, she served for nine years as Executive Vice President of the Lease Finance and Large Corporate portfolios for a private, family-owned bank, where she was responsible for strategic planning, origination, credit and documentation functions for two major divisions, always achieving or surpassing business objectives.  Throughout her banking career, Martha managed teams of professionals for multinational, regional and local banks, acquiring an extensive background in capital markets and corporate finance.

Martha is a Founding Member of the Private Directors Association (PDA), which was established in 2014.  In addition, she has 20-plus years of major nonprofit board experience, often as Board President.  Currently, she is on the Chicago Advisory Council for the Salvation Army and the Smithsonian Institution Regional Council.  

Martha earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management/Northwestern University and a BBA from Southern Methodist University.

Racquel Harris is a board director and senior executive with over 25 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies. She has global experience spanning marketing, strategy, P&L management and retail buying. Ms. Harris served as VP Merchandising for the $1B Adult Beverage Business and SVP Marketing at Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart. Ms. Harris also spent 15 years leading the marketing portfolio for several grocery brands at Kraft Foods, where she was VP Marketing for the flagship $1.5B Kraft Cheese franchise. She held international leadership roles in Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Ms. Harris currently serves as an independent board director at Bader Rutter, an employee-owned advertising agency, and Carl Buddig & Company, a family-owned food manufacturing company. Ms. Harris also serves on the Board of Steppenwolf Theatre. She graduated from Duke University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Mr. Grady is a partner in the land use development and real estate practice groups at the law firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP. Mr. Grady has received the 
the law firm of Taft, Stettinius &Hollister, LLP. Mr. Grady has received the highest rating by Chambers.

Mr. Grady is a director of The Pepper Companies which includes the Pepper Construction Company with revenues in excess of $1 billion in the last fiscal year. Mr. Grady’s other compensated boards include Lloyd A. Fry Foundation as well as prior service on American Bar Association Retirement Funds board, and Housing Authority Risk Retention Group board (nka HAI Group).

Mr. Grady’s professional board service includes Chicago Architecture Center, Counselors of Real Estate, and World Business Chicago. Mr. Grady’s civic board service includes Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, Smithsonian Institute National Postal Museum, and WTTW/WFMT public broadcasting stations. Mr. Grady is a member of Commercial Club of Chicago, Economic Club of Chicago, and Urban Land Institute.

Mr. Grady is a native of Chicago. He earned his law degree from Northwestern University with honors, and undergraduate degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he was elected as student member of the Board of Trustees in his senior year.

Brian is a Partner and member of the Knowledge and Learning Solutions team at The Vistria Group. He brings over 19 years of private equity experience to bear in leading investments for the firm. Currently, Brian sits on the board of Really Great Reading, LLC. Prior to Vistria, Brian was a Managing Director at Avathon Capital where he joined the founding team to establish was a Managing Director at Avathon Capital where he joined the founding team to establish was a Managing Director at Avathon Capital where he joined the founding team to establish and grow the investment platform which focuses on buyout and growth equity investing in the and grow the investment platform which focuses on buyout and growth equity investing in the Education and Workforce sectors. While at Avathon, Brian led numerous investments and served as a board director for Summit Professional Education LLC, Big Blue Marble Academy LLC, Reading Plus LLC, Academic Programs International LLC, Magical Beginnings LLC and was a board observer for Panopto Inc. and The National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA). Prior to Avathon, Brian served as a Vice President at Huron Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm, where he was responsible for investments in the Business Services, Healthcare and Consumer sectors. Prior to Huron, Brian served as an Associate at LaSalle Capital Group and he began his career at RCP Advisors. Brian received a BBA with distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and an MBA with honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Brian serves as a frequent participant in The University of Chicago Booth School of Business mentorship and guest lecturer programs.

Ayal Sharvit is Partner at Bridgepoint Capital, a boutique investment firm focused on value creation from early-stage through the middle market. He brings deep operating and investing experience across the specialty automotive, retail, manufacturing, distribution, and software-enabled services sectors, with leadership roles including Founder, CEO, and board member. Ayal currently serves on private company boards as well as the Board of Scouting America’s Northeast Illinois Council, where he contributes a pragmatic, growth-oriented perspective to Northeast Illinois Council, where he contributes a pragmatic, growth-oriented perspective to governance. His board approach is grounded in hands-on leadership and strategic insight, governance. His board approach is grounded in hands-on leadership and strategic insight, particularly in scaling operations, professionalizing management teams, and driving sustainable value creation.

Moderator

Harriet Harty has been in the Human Resource space for over 30 years. She has been a Chief Human Resource Officer for over ten years, at both Allstate Insurance and Sompo International, and was recently the Chief Administrative Officer at ADT Security. 

Currently, she is the Founder & CEO of Harriet Harty Executive Solutions where she focuses on Human Resources Consulting and Executive Coaching for C-Suite Executives and High Potential Women striving for the C-Suite. 

She lives in Park Ridge, Illinois and Boca Raton, Florida. She is married and has a 22-year-old daughter.