Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Honorees
The Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award is presented to women lawyers who have served with distinction as independent directors of public companies and exemplify
DirectWomen hosts the annual Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon to honor women lawyer directors and excellence in board service. The 2025 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon will be held on Friday, October 10, 2025, in New York City.
Attending the Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon not only supports DirectWomen’s mission of increasing the representation of women attorneys on corporate boards, but also provides an excellent opportunity for attendees to network with leading CEOs, directors, search firm executives, DirectWomen alumnae and honorees, and other prominent lawyers.
In 2024, DirectWomen presented the following awards to our distinguished 2024 honorees:
The Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award, presented to women lawyers who have served with distinction as directors of public companies and exemplify the manner in which Sandra Day O’Connor led her life, paving new paths for the women who came after her, was presented to:
Kim Lubel
Kim Lubel serves on the boards of directors of Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK), Arcosa Inc. (NYSE:ACA), and PBF Energy, Inc. (NYSE:PBF), as well as the boards of Southwest Research, Inc., Inspire Trust Co., United Ways of Texas, Miami University (Ohio) Foundation, and the UT Law School Foundation. Kim also mentors executive leaders in both private and public companies….Read More
Laura S. Unger
Ms. Unger has extensive experience with regulatory and legislative policy and strategy in the the financial services industry and has served on a number of public company boards over the last two decades.
She currently serves as an independent director of two public companies – Nomura Holdings Inc. (NHI) and Navient Corp. (Navient) – one foreign private issuer, Nomura Holdings America (NHA) and a Nomura subsidiary, Instinet. Ms. Unger Chairs the NHI Board Risk Committee, the NHA Audit Committees and the Navient…Read More
The Distinguished Alumna Award, honoring a DirectWomen Board Institute Alumna who exemplifies the talents and accomplishments of our Alumnae and who has joined at least one large corporate board since completing the Institute, was presented to:
Sandra L. Phillips
Sandra L. Phillips is a seasoned executive and public company board member with a breadth of experience strategically managing complex corporate issues, integrating business, legal and stakeholder relations to achieve successful outcomes. Phillips is group vice president, chief legal officer, general counsel and corporate secretary for Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (“TMNA”), where she directs strategy to help Toyota navigate significant business, regulatory and legal challenges while supporting its expansion as a global mobility company, one that is an industry leader in autonomous, connected and sustainable vehicle strategies…Read More
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Corporate Board Award, honoring a corporation for excellence in corporate governance, as illustrated by the critical mass of women directors on their board, including at least one woman lawyer-director, was presented to:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
DirectWomen is proud to present its 2024 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Board Diversity Award to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). President and CEO Antonio Neri will accept the award on behalf of the corporation. Pamela L. Carter, a DirectWomen 2018 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award honoree, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise director, will also attend the Luncheon…Read More
If you would like to sponsor DirectWomen and reserve a table for your firm or company for the 2025 Luncheon, please contact DirectWomen’s Executive Director, Shawn Taylor Kaminski, at skaminski@52.86.209.117 or 833.239.6636. Click here to see a list of current sponsors.
Past Honorees
Distinguished Alumna Award Honorees
The Distinguished Alumna Award honors a DirectWomen Board Institute Alumna who exemplifies the talents and accomplishments of our Alumnae and has joined at least one large corporate
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Corporate Board Award Honorees
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Corporate Board Award honors corporations for excellence in corporate governance, as illustrated by the critical mass of women directors on their
Mary Ann Jorgenson Board Empowerment Award Honorees
The Mary Ann Jorgenson Board Empowerment Award was created to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of DirectWomen and to honor the co-founder of DirectWomen, for whom the