Private Company CEOs on Recruiting Board Talent 

Overview

Being recruited as a board member to a private company board can sometimes feel like a black box. Join the Private Directors Association DC Chapter for an in-person event, to hear from our panel of private company CEOs on their board recruiting practices, what they look for in a board member, and how to best position yourself to successfully make it through the recruiting process.  

$25  Member Registration Fee
$ 0   Guest of Members (PDA members, please use promo code MemberGuest)
$35  Non-Member Registration Fee

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Panelists

Rich Brady, CEO, American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC). ASMC is a global organization representing more than 14,000 finance and accounting professionals in the public and private sectors of the defense/aerospace industry. Rich joined ASMC after serving 32 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a Colonel in 2021.   

In his time in the Marine Corps, Rich served in a variety of command and staff positions throughout the United States and overseas, including a combat tour in Iraq, multiple tours in the Pentagon, and as an accredited diplomat in the country of Georgia. As a financial management officer, he served as the Commander/Director of the Marine Corps Financial Management School and as the G8/CFO of Marine Corps Installations Command.   

Rich serves on a variety of external boards, including the Global Board of Directors of the Institute of Management Accountants, the Board of Governors of the Stuart Cameron McLeod Society, a founding member of the DC Metro Chapter of the PDA, and the Board of Advisors of ACERTD Media, an early-stage start-up in the gig economy.      

Rich holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Saint Louis University, a Master of Science in Finance from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Science in Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.  His military awards and decorations include two Defense Superior Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, three Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Joint Service Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit and service medals and ribbons. 

Mary launched Significance, her firm, in 2014 after owning, starting, and growing a successful government consulting company in the DC area. Prior to that, she worked in sales and consulting in the technology sector, helping both commercial and public sector companies solve business problems and accomplish organizational goals through enterprise software and consulting with a deliverable solution. She builds trusted relationships and recruiting and retaining experts in their fields, which has been a hallmark of her career. 

Mary is passionate about making sure her employees and clients feel they have “significance” by building a culture that reflects a focus on meaningful relationships, integrity, and collaboration. This makes working for and with Significance a positive experience and a lot of fun! 

Mary is a graduate of the University of Maryland and lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her three children and spends her free time working out, boating, spending time with friends, and improving her newly developing pickleball skills. 

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R.J. Blake, President & CEO, Blake Willson Group, LLC (BWG), a CPA firm dedicated to serving clients in the federal government, including both Civilian agencies as well as DoD and Intelligence Community agencies. As the founder of BWG, he helps federal agencies address audit readiness and financial management-related challenges, which now include data analysis and analytics, software development, and cybersecurity. BWG currently holds contracts with USDA, HHS, the Department of Interior, the Navy, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.  

Mr. Blake was a Scout Team Leader for the United States Army where he led counter-insurgency efforts during deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (VI and VII).  

Mr. Blake graduated at the top of his class from the University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business, where he obtained a degree in Accounting. He is Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Maryland and Virginia and also holds the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designations, with previous experience in two of the Big 4 accounting firm's audit and advisory practices.  

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