Getting on the Board: A Practical Guide for Lawyers—and a Look at the Rise of Women in the Boardroom

Joe Hurd | The Katama Group, LLC

Joe Hurd is a public company board director and early-stage investor. Currently, he is a NonExecutive Director of Trustpilot, Hays, and Lloyd’s of London. He is also the Operating Partner at SOSV, a $1.6B early-stage venture fund, where he leads strategy and business development efforts for the fund’s climate tech and deep tech portfolio companies.

Joe built his business career leading global business development and sales teams for Facebook, Gannett, and AOL/TimeWarner. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a senior political appointee in the U.S. Commerce Department during President Obama’s first term.

Active in his community, he is on the Board of Trustees for Menlo College and the Computer History Museum and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the National Association of Corporate Directors, and the Private Directors Association.

Joe graduated from Harvard Law School, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and Harvard College. He lives in Los Altos, California, and is married with one daughter, two sons and one Cavachon. In his spare time, Joe enjoys running, traveling, and reading historical biographies.

Michelle Kallen | Steptoe LLP

Michelle Kallen, the former Solicitor General of Virginia, co-chairs Steptoe’s Appeals and Advocacy practice. Building on her deep administrative law knowledge and her experience in both state and federal government, Michelle helps clients navigate complex matters before federal and state appellate courts. Leading companies in technology, aerospace and defense, and transportation industries benefit from Michelle’s unique insight into multistate and constitutional litigation matters, and award-winning appellate work.

Michelle regularly litigates matters in the US Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Eastern District of Virginia, and other state and federal courts. Michelle also served as lead counsel in the Commonwealth’s election matters and in litigation to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution.

Michelle’s past public service includes serving as Special Litigation Counsel in the US House of Representatives, where she successfully defended the House, House committees, and individual members in high-profile matters involving separation of powers and the scope of Congressional subpoenas.

Clients benefit from Michelle’s deep understanding of regulatory proceedings, knowledge of the inner workings of government and administrative agencies, and experience both defending and challenging regulatory actions. She uses this skillset to assist clients in strategically navigating litigation crises and controversial challenges at the intersection of law, law enforcement, and government regulation.

Michelle speaks regularly on a wide variety of topics including constitutional law, state and federal regulations, appellate cases, crypto currency, and equal rights. She maintains active pro bono practice and is committed to serving her community. Michelle serves as a mentor for The Appellate Project and has litigated pro bono cases on behalf of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She is also a founding member of the Ad Idem Corporate Counsel Network, the Washington Area Women Trial Attorneys, and the Women Lawyers on Guard.

Kelly McNamara Corley | The Red Bee Group

Kelly McNamara Corley served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Discover Financial Services, a leading consumer credit, payments and online banking company for nearly 20 years. Her responsibilities included serving on the firm’s ten-person Executive Leadership team responsible for the management and strategic direction of the Company. She was responsible for managing the Company’s legal, regulatory, public policy and compliance matters. As Corporate Secretary, Ms. McNamara Corley supported the Discover Board of Directors on Governance matters. Prior to becoming General Counsel, Ms. McNamara Corley worked in Washington DC as Managing Director of Morgan Stanley’s and Dean Witter’s Global Government Relations Programs for 18 years.

Under Kelly’s leadership, Discover’s legal department was recognized for Pro Bono initiatives, Diversity and Inclusion, and Innovation. In 2019, Kelly was recognized at the Burton Awards in Washington DC with a “Legend in the Law” Award for her leadership in the field of Law. She also received the “Thought Leader of the Year” Global Counsel Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Lexology.

She currently serves on the Boards of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Rush University Medical Center, and several nonprofit organizations. She was previously appointed by The Governor of Virginia to serve a four-year term on the Board of Visitors at George Mason University. Kelly founded a Diversity and Inclusion Education program at Scalia Law School that helps equip students with skills to leverage the power of Diversity and Inclusion as they prepare to enter the legal profession. This program was the first-ever diversity education program offered by a law school. The curriculum will soon be available to all law schools.

Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, a JD from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from George Mason University.

Elisa D. Garcia | The Red Bee Group

Elisa D. Garcia is an accomplished corporate executive and attorney with over 30 years of experience advising management and boards of directors on strategy, legal, business, structuring, activism, capital markets and government relations matters.

Until October 2023, Ms. Garcia served as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Macy’s, Inc. and as a member of Macy’s Enterprise Committee, which sets the overall strategic direction for the company. Ms. Garcia led legal, government relations, compliance, internal audit, information security, enterprise risk management, business resiliency and data privacy functions. From 2007 to 2016, Ms. Garcia served as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Office Depot, Inc.

Ms. Garcia served as the first general counsel for Domino’s Pizza and prepared the company for its IPO. She also led Philip Morris International’s Andean Pact, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean legal operations. She has worked as counsel to GAF Corp., a chemical and roofing manufacturer, and began her legal career with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City. Prior to her career as an attorney, Ms. Garcia was an Energy Analyst working in-country with developing country governments and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Ms. Garcia serves on the Board of Directors of Dollarama, Inc. (DOL:TSX), a leading Canadian value retailer with sales of over $4 billion and over 1,800 stores in Canada and Latin America. She serves on Dollarama’s, Human Resources and Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees. Ms. Garcia also serves on the Board of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, a non-profit organization supporting research and scholarship to improve the entrance and retention of minorities, women, and LGBT in the legal profession. Ms. Garcia serves on the Board of DirectWomen, a non-profit that prepares women lawyers for service on corporate boards of directors.

ALPFA named Ms. Garcia one of the “50 Most Powerful Latinas in Business” in 2017 and 2019, and she was named one of “America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel” by the National Law Journal in 2014.

Ms. Garcia is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law, where she was an Editor of the Law Review. She also received a joint BA/MS in Political Science and Management and Policy Sciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor | KET Solutions

Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is a Global Technology and Finance leader with over 30 years of career achievements. She is the Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm focused on business growth, innovation, strategy, transformation and inclusive leadership. Ellison Taylor is a sought- after keynote speaker and has received many awards and recognitions for her expertise and leadership including Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, CPA Practice Advisor’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting, Forbes Top 200 CPAs in America, and Forbes Best in State Top CPAs.

For almost 17 years, Ellison-Taylor served in global leadership roles for Oracle Corporation. Kimberly advised C-Suite Executives on cloud solutions that innovate and transform business. Ellison-Taylor is also an adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon University’s Executive Education program teaching Emerging Technologies & Innovation. She is also an independent board director for Marathon Petroleum Corporation, US Bancorp, and Mutual of Omaha.

Other professional achievements include tenure at Prince George’s County Government, KPMG, Motorola, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ellison-Taylor has an undergraduate degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a MBA from Loyola University, an Accounting Certificate from Baltimore County Community College and a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University in Information Technology Management as well as a Chief Information Officer certificate. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Technology Professional, Certified Global Management Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Kimberly has volunteered in the accounting profession for over 20 years including past board leadership positions as Chairman of the American Institute of CPAs, Chairman of the Association of Certified Professional Accountants, and Chairman of the Maryland Association of CPAs. Kimberly is a Past President for Beta Alpha Psi. Currently she is Chairman of the Maryland Association of CPAs’ Education Foundation, serves on the Board of Trustees for Loyola University Maryland and on the Carnegie Mellon Heinz Dean’s Advisory Board.

Rachel V. Rose | Rachel V. Rose – Attorney at Law, PLLC

Rachel V. Rose, JD, MBA (Houston, Texas) has a unique background, having worked in many different fields of healthcare, security, as well as international law and business throughout her career. For over a decade, her practice has focused on transactional, compliance, and litigation matters related to cybersecurity, health care, securities, and Dodd-Frank/False Claims Act whistleblower claims. She has conducted HIPAA Risk Analyses for a variety of domestic and international organizations and represented people related to government enforcement inquiries and responses on cybersecurity and healthcare related matters. Ms. Rose worked on Capitol Hill when HIPAA passed in 1996 and worked at HHS in 2009 when the HITECH Act was being implemented.

In addition to being extensively published, a sought-after presenter, and quoted expert, Ms. Rose holds an MBA with minors in healthcare and entrepreneurship from Vanderbilt University, a law degree from Stetson University College of Law, and an Executive Certification in Leadership and Negotiation from Harvard Law School. She is also the co-editor of the American Health Lawyers Association’s Enterprise Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Entities (2nd Edition), as well as a co-author of the ABA’s books The ABCs of ACOs and What Are International HIPAA Considerations, as well as various chapters in legal and medical books alike.

She has been named consecutively to the Texas Bar College, the National Women Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 25, Houstonia Magazine’s Top Lawyers (healthcare), the National Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100, SuperLawyers (healthcare), as well as 1st Healthcare Compliance’s 2019 and 2022 Top Presenter. Ms. Rose is also an Affiliated Member with the Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, where she teaches bioethics.

Session I – How Do You Get to Serve on a Board | 12:30pm – 1:30pm

• Why lawyers are often overlooked for board roles
  • Many lawyers are seen as too narrowly focused on legal or policy issues
  • Boards already have a GC—what they need are strategic thinkers
  • Lawyers can dominate conversations or get too deep in the weeds
  • Anti-lawyer bias exists, especially in highly regulated sectors
• Reframing your value proposition
  • Go beyond technical expertise to show business, leadership, and operational acumen
  • Lawyers do run P&Ls and do think broadly, so think and speak like a CEO—highlight strategy, disruption, and human capital risks
  • Use stories that reflect your business insight and multi-dimensional thinking
• Cracking the interview: Answer like a director, not a lawyer
  • Avoid self-promotional, deal-counting narratives. Instead, show board-level situational fluency
  • Ask questions about board composition, committee needs, strategy, and cultural dynamics
  • Signal you are coachable and collaborative, not prescriptive
• Preparation matters more than credentials
  • Read SEC filings, press releases, and analyst reports before any board interview
  • Identify the competitive threats, strategic priorities, and board dynamics
  • Know your blind spots and express a willingness to learn what you don’t know

Break | 1:30pm – 1:40pm

Session II – Boardroom Breakthrough: Elevating Women’s Impact on Corporate and Nonprofit Governance | 1:40pm – 2:40pm

• Current landscape: Where women stand on boards today
• Breaking barriers: Addressing challenges to board access and leadership
• Representation versus impact: Power in numbers
• The strategic value of women lawyers in the boardroom

Break | 2:40pm – 2:50pm

Session III – What It Means to Serve on a Board | 2:50pm – 3:50pm

• Core responsibilities of board members
• Boardroom dynamics and influence
• Time commitment and committee work

Break | 3:50pm – 4:00pm

Session IV – Cybersecurity on the Board, Privacy Issues, And Liability in Board Service | 4:00pm – 5:00pm

• Cybersecurity nomenclature and trends
• Notable areas of liability for companies and boards
• Risk mitigation and insurance considerations