Board Institute

The annual Board Institute is a key way in which DirectWomen fulfills its mission.

Nearly 40% of DirectWomen alumni have been elected to serve on at least one corporate board, with alumni serving on over 210 total corporate boards, since the organization’s inception.

The application for the 2025 Board Institute is now closedPlease email yechevarria@directwomen.org to be notified when our application for 2026 opens.

More than 285 lawyers have participated in the Board Institute over the past 18 years and provide a rich pool of director candidates. Past Board Institute classes have been comprised of General Counsel of Fortune 500 companies, partners at top law firms, and leading lawyers from government and academia. These distinguished lawyers represent a wide range of business knowledge and experience in their industries, which include finance, energy, retail, media, and pharmaceuticals, among others. To learn more about DirectWomen’s Board Institute alumni, visit our alumni biography and resume database.

SUCCESS STORIES

Andrea E. Utecht

Andrea E. Utecht is the former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of FMC Corporation, an S&P 500 multinational agrochemical manufacturing company.   She also served until January 2024 as

Cynthia Gibson

Cynthia Gibson is an experienced C-suite executive, independent director and an audit committee financial expert. Her M&A background includes global acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures. She also has deep experience

Kimberly L. Wilford

Kim joined GoFundMe to manage the legal and compliance obligations of the world’s largest social fundraising platform and to operationalize and expand the charitable initiatives of GoFundMe.org. With almost 20