The National Association of Corporate Directors is an independent, not-for-profit, section 501 founded in 1977 and headquartered just outside of Washington, DC, in Arlington, VA.

Consulting

National Association of Corporate Directors

Tim Vandish is NACD's director of analytics and data operations. Tim has primary responsibility for leading the data management, data governance, and analytics teams. He has over 25 years of experience in database analytics and database management and has led analytics teams at Spectrum, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a French Studies diploma from the University of Grenoble CUEF. He spends his free time volunteering for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Tim Vandish

Julie Pitts is NACD's senior regional director of chapter network. She provides strategic support to the NACD regional directors and NACD's 21 chapters to enhance member value through world-class chapter-led programs and peer-to-peer engagement. Julie currently serves the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Regional Board, and Houston Tutorial Association, and is a former board member of the Mission of Yahweh Homeless Shelter. She holds a BBA in International Business and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma.

Julie Pitts

Marcel Bucsescu is the director of credentialing and strategic content for NACD, leading the NACD Directorship Certification program, NACD Fellowship, NACD's Fortune 500 Advisory Councils, and providing strategic oversight of select content offerings for NACD members. Before joining NACD, Bucsescu served as co-program director of The Conference Board's Chief Legal Officers Council for 12 years. He has also served as executive director of the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School. For the last decade, his work has addressed environmental, social, and governance issues; risk management; cybersecurity; shareholder activism; and corporate governance with boards and members of the C-suite.

Marcel Bucsescu

Peter Gleason has been the CEO of NACD since 2017. Gleason is a recognized expert on board leadership and corporate governance. He serves as a member of NACD's national faculty, is regularly quoted in the media, and is a frequent presenter on the subjects of corporate governance, executive and director compensation, risk, strategic planning, and board/shareowner relations. Gleason has served as a commissioner on every NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report since joining NACD in 2000, and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Gleason currently serves on the NACD's board and on the advisory board of NuraHealth Inc., a development-stage health-care company. Gleason is chair of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI) and a director of the NACD Capital Area Chapter. He was also recently appointed to the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), based in London. Gleason is the former chair of the International Professional Practices Framework Oversight Council of the Institute of Internal Auditors and was formerly a director of The Patriot Fund.

Before joining NACD, Gleason was a management consultant with both Ernst & Young and Pritchett & Associates. He also served as vice president and director of US Research for Institutional Shareholder Services.

Gleason is a graduate of [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth) and has an MBA, with concentrations in both Finance and Marketing, from [Virginia Tech](/org/virginia-tech).

Peter Gleason

Trevor Robertson

Greg Griffith has been in the non-profit industry for 20 years primarily focused on creating value added partnerships. Greg was the Executive Director of the Georgia State Soccer Association, played college soccer at [James Madison University](/org/james-madison-university) and is excited to lead partnerships at NACD.

Greg Griffith

Ted Davis is the Director of Digital Experience and Strategy responsible for bringing modern digital experiences to our members, assuring that they can easily access the broad value NACD has to offer them. Ted brings over 20 years of experience connecting people to products and brands across digital and traditional channels. His experience is grounded in ad agency, brand and public sector work and includes many recognizable brands such as [Scholastic](/org/scholastic), [Macy's](/org/macys), EstÃ©e Lauder and [Coca-Cola](/org/coca-cola). Ted is a graduate of [Vassar College](/org/vassar-college) and holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. In addition to his role at NACD he also is an adjunct instructor at NYU, teaching digital marketing and campaign strategy at the graduate level.

Ted Davis

Lisa Hirtzinger is NACD's vice president of education. She is responsible for the development and execution of NACD's education strategy including curriculum and programming spanning all delivery and experience models across in person, virtual, hybrid and on-demand self-study. Hirtzinger has over 15 years of association experience encompassing education, professional knowledge, and credentialing. Her prior career experience leveraged governance, risk and control via Ernst & Young (EY), Wells Fargo, and The Institute of Internal Auditors. Hirtzinger holds a BA in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas, an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, and an MA in Human Resource Development with a certificate in Adult Education, also from the University of Minnesota.

Lisa Hirtzinger

Tricia Robert

Darrin Hartzler

Rona Bunn

Brandy Lanham-Fennell is NACD's Director of Information Technology. She is responsible for managing and enhancing NACD's technical operations. Her team manages the implementation and maintenance of software applications and the development of NACD digital properties. Prior to NACD, she worked at Euclid Technology, National Apartment Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Association of Government Accountants in membership management, technical support, and training.

Brandy Lanham-Fennell

Wanda Parker-Smith is NACD's director of human resources. She has primary responsibility for leading and managing the human resources programs. Parker-Smith has more than 20 years of experience in the human resources industry. Before NACD, she worked at the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). Parker-Smith holds a master's degree in human resources from John Hopkins University. She has also attained the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the SHRM Professional (SHRM-CP) certifications.

Wanda Parker-Smith

Kimberly Simpson is the chief operating officer and general counsel and corporate secretary for the [National Association of Corporate Directors](/org/national-association-of-corporate-directors) (NACD). She also leads NACD's first-of-its-kind Directorship Certification program, which consists of a foundation of learning, followed by an exam crafted by seasoned directors with the guidance of professional credentialing experts. Simpson also routinely contributes to NACD's Fortune 500 advisory councils and NACD member education through blogs and articles.

Before joining NACD, Simpson was executive vice president at [Sanford Health](/org/sanford-health) and was the inaugural president of the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation. She was chief operating officer and general counsel for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and served as secretary to the board of directors. Simpson also was a director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance, Komen's Washington, D.C.-based policy organization. Earlier, Simpson was vice president and general counsel at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. She received a master's degree in journalism from [The University of Texas at Austin](/org/the-university-of-texas-at-austin) and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a U.S. Marshall Memorial Fellow to Europe in 2005.

Kimberly Simpson

Susan Paley is NACD's vice president of chapter network. She and her team partner with NACD chapter boards to deliver world-class programs to directors in more than 35 cities. Before joining NACD, Susan was a television producer and scriptwriter, working for the BBC, Discovery Networks Europe, C-SPAN, and the [World Bank](/org/world-bank-group). Susan holds a B.A. from [Tufts University](/org/tufts-university) in international relations and communications.

Susan Paley

Beth Merin is NACD's vice president of marketing and member communications. She is responsible for the development and execution of NACD's marketing & branding strategy around membership, education, thought leadership, and credentials. Merin has over 20 years of experience in building brand value for a spectrum of organizations, including the International Franchise Association, [AARP](/org/aarp), and Discovery Communications, Inc. Merin holds a BBA in Marketing from [Marshall University](/org/marshall-university) and an MLIS from [Drexel University](/org/drexel-university). She also holds a Specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation from the [University of Virginia](/org/university-of-virginia).

Beth Merin

Friso van der Oord is senior vice president of content at NACD, and is responsible for overseeing all NACD content development. He is an experienced governance advisor and business line manager, who has worked over the last 15 years with Fortune 500 and global executives on major risk, compliance, and integrity challenges, including serving in leadership roles at CEB and LRN. He holds an MA in international relations from [Johns Hopkins University](/org/johns-hopkins-university)'s SAIS Program.

Friso Van Der Oord

Tracy D. Gee is the chief people officer for the [National Association of Corporate Directors](/org/national-association-of-corporate-directors) (NACD). She is responsible for the development and execution of all aspects of NACD's people strategies and human resources activities, including talent acquisition, talent management, diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, and compensation and benefits. She joined NACD from Raytheon Company, where she was responsible for leading all human resources and global security operations for the company's Global Business Development function.

In 2019, Savoy Magazine named Gee as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Women in Corporate America." Over her 25+ year career, Gee has held human resources positions in a variety of industries: Aerospace and Defense, Investment Management, Insurance, and Commercial Banking. She holds a bachelor arts degree from [Wellesley College](/org/wellesley-college). She also holds an advanced certificate in organization development and HR management from [Columbia University](/org/columbia-university).

Tracy Gee

Alex Obuchowski is the chief financial officer for NACD. His duties include overseeing all financial aspects of the organization, including budgeting and financial statements. Obuchowski previously worked for the Renewable Fuels Association, Veris Consulting Inc., and Johnson Lambert LLP. He graduated from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

National Association of Corporate Directors

Org chart

Teams

Leadership Team

CEO and Executive Team

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