Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon

Three women posing on stage at the Sandra Day O'Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon, with a vibrant golden curtain in the background. One woman holds an award.
Three women smiling and posing together at the Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon, with a bright yellow curtain in the background.
Three women stand together at an awards luncheon, smiling and posing for a photo. The middle woman holds an award, while others stand beside her with a backdrop of yellow curtains.
Logo of Organon, featuring a red and pink geometric design with the text 'ORGASNON' and 'Here for her health' beneath it.

DirectWomen hosts the annual Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon to honor lawyer directors and excellence in board service. The 2025 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon was 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 2025, DirectWomen presented the following awards to our distinguished 2025 honorees:

The Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award, presented to 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.

Patricia Salas Pineda

Portrait of a woman wearing glasses and a navy blazer, smiling at the camera.

Patricia Salas Pineda is a former General Counsel and Group Vice President of Toyota Motor North America, Inc., where she oversaw legal, corporate communications, corporate advertising, human resources, philanthropy, accounting, and Hispanic business strategies. Prior to Toyota, Ms. Pineda was General Counsel and Vice President of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation, where she oversaw legal, human resources, environmental affairs, and government affairs. Read More >>

Gaby Sulzberger

Close-up portrait of a woman with long hair, smiling against a yellow background.

Gaby Sulzberger is a seasoned financial executive with over 30 years of experience assisting public and privately held companies in consumer products, retail, financial services and life sciences. Gaby has helped companies globally navigate disruption and transformation, execute major M&A transactions, and engage with shareholder activists. She brings deep corporate governance expertise through her. Read More >>

The Distinguished Alumna Award, honoring a DirectWomen Board Institute Alumna who exemplifies the talents and accomplishments of our Alumni and who has joined at least one large corporate board since completing the Institute.

April Miller Boise

A professional portrait of a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a red blouse and a statement necklace. The background is slightly blurred.

April Miller Boise is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Intel Corporation. She leads Intel’s global corporate affairs, policy, integrity, trade, and legal team, and acts as a strategic adviser to the Intel executive leadership team and board of directors. Miller Boise has more than 30 years of experience serving in various executive leadership roles, including general counsel and head of global mergers and acquisitions. Read More >>

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 boards, which include at least one lawyer-director.

Organon

Logo of Organon with the tagline 'Here for her health' in blue text, featuring a colorful graphic design.

DirectWomen is proud to present its 2025 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Corporate Board Award to Organon. As of 2025, seven of Organon’s ten non-executive directors are women, including a woman lawyer-director. Read More >>

Save the date: The 2026 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award Luncheon will be held on October 9, 2026. If you would like to sponsor DirectWomen and reserve a table for your firm or company for the 2026 Luncheon, please contact DirectWomen’s Executive Director, Shawn Taylor Kaminski, at skaminski@directwomen.org or 833.239.6636. 

PAST HONOREES

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 the manner in which Sandra Day O’Connor led her life, paving new paths for the women who came after her.

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 board since completing the Institute. 

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 boards, which include at least one lawyer-director.

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 award is named.

Direct Women is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under EIN 83-3461885.

Contact Shawn Kaminski for Support

skaminski@directwomen.org