The PDA Town Hall Meeting is scheduled to take place virtually on Wednesday, November 1, at 5:30 pm ET via Zoom. All members are invited to attend. 

During this meeting, members of the Private Directors Association will learn more about the work that the PDA Board, committees, and sponsors have been doing in 2023 to enhance member value both at the National and Chapter levels.  

Elaine Eisenman, Chair of the PDA Board of Directors, will recognize the Board of Directors, PDA Team, and other leaders who are working together to move our Association forward as we celebrate the largest number of members—3,163—that are part of PDA since its inception in 2014. A special thank you will be made to Silvia Prickel, PDA Vice Chair, for stepping in as Interim CEO following Budd Berro's departure earlier this year. 

In addition, members will have the opportunity to meet and hear from our new President and CEO, Debra McGuire, as she shares her thoughts on the future of PDA—which begins with YOU. We are interested in finding out more about how to better serve our members in the years ahead. 

The Town Hall wraps up with Valerie Darling, who serves on the PDA Board of Directors, moderating a Q&A session at the close of the meeting. We encourage to send your questions in prior to the Town Hall by emailing [email protected] 

We value your attendance and look forward to you joining us.

Thank you to our National Sponsors!

PANEL

Elaine Eisenman, PhD Chair Board of Directors Private Directors Association

Elaine Eisenman, PhD has served on public, private, PE, non-profit, start-up, family and advisory boards for over 20 years. She is an independent director of DBI (NYSE), a vertically integrated shoe manufacturer and retailer, chairs the Compensation Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee.

She is Managing Director of Saeje Advisors, providing strategic advisory services to private companies, and a faculty member at Entrepreneurship Policy Advisors, developing entrepreneurial ecosystems through growing and scaling companies. She was a senior executive for several global public companies and a Professor and Dean of Executive and Enterprise Education at Babson College.

She is the co-author of Betrayed: a survival guide to lying, cheating, and double-dealing, and of I Didn’t See it Coming: How to avoid being blind-sided in business.

Debra N. McGuire, FASAE, MBA, IOM, CAE President & CEO Private Directors Association

Debra N. McGuire, FASAE, MBA, IOM, CAE is President & CEO of the Private Directors Association®, the only national association dedicated to improving private companies' growth and sustainability through board governance. 

Previously, Debra served as Executive Director for the International Association of Assessing Officers; President & CEO of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and Center for Life Safety Education; and CEO for the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan. Earlier in her career, she held executive positions at the Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Manufacturers Association, and Michigan Pharmacists Association. 

Originally from Chicago, Debra earned an MBA from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University (MSU). An Honors College graduate, Debra—a former internationally-ranked athlete—was part of MSU’s 1982 Women’s Track & Field Big Ten Conference Championship Team. She completed the Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) program at the University of Notre Dame and achieved the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). In April 2023, she was named an ASAE Fellow (FASAE)—an honor bestowed to less than 1% of association executives who are recognized for “making a significant impact on the association community through exemplary volunteer service, leadership, and extraordinary accomplishments.”

A dedicated volunteer leader, Debra has served on the Honors College Alumni Board at Michigan State University as well as numerous committees for the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE). In 2004-2005, she chaired ASAE’s Communication Section Council, and in 2007-2008, was appointed chair of the CAE Item-Writing Committee, after serving on the committee for three years. Debra was later selected as a member of the CAE Examination Committee as well as the 2009 and 2019 Job Analysis Task Forces to recommend domain content and weighting for the CAE exam. In 2009, she was appointed to the CAE Commission, then elected as its chair in 2012-2013. She was also appointed to serve as a member of the CAE Professional Conduct Committee (2015) and CAE Appeals Committee (2016). 

As an ASAE Political Action Committee (APAC) member, Debra has participated in numerous legislative fly-ins and raised funds in support of ASAE's advocacy efforts. In the healthcare community, she was a director for three years on the Medical Advantage Group Advisory Board, and she served on the Board for the Michigan Primary Care Consortium for four years. In 2019, she was appointed to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Board of Directors, where she served as secretary. Debra also served on the Congressional Fire Services Institute National Advisory Committee, headquartered in Washington, DC.

Her innovative leadership style and entrepreneurial spirit were recognized by her peers when a new non-dues revenue program—Allied Service Providers—won top honors in MSAE's 2006 Diamond Awards. In 2009, Debra was named "Emerging Leader" by MSAE for her passion and contributions to advancing the value of associations. She served as founding President of MSC, a for-profit subsidiary of MSAE to assist non-profit organizations with business operations, where she continued her Board leadership through 2018. In 2017, after serving on the ASAE Research Foundation's Development Committee, Debra was appointed to the ASAE Research Committee, and completed her service as its Immediate Past Chair in August 2023. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the Certification Board for the International Association for Strategy Professionals.  

Silvia Prickel Vice Chair Board of Directors Private Directors Association

Silvia Prickel currently serves as the Private Directors Association Board Vice Chair after being appointed the Interim CEO from June through September 2023. Silvia has been a member of the Private Directors Association since 2017.

As a Business Executive, Silvia served in leadership roles for several corporate organizations in a wide range of industry sectors, giving her a well-rounded perspective of business management, strategy, and organizational culture. Prior to her retirement from United Airlines, Silvia led several large-scale technological transformations and digital innovations.

Silvia is a passionate advocate for Diversity and Inclusion. She was Global President of United’s Women’s Business Resource Group, leading the cause for pay equity and equal opportunities. Known for her thought leadership, Silvia traveled internationally as a keynote speaker for Technology Innovations and received the ‘Breaking Barriers’ award in 2017 by CA Technologies. She is also proud to have co-authored three books for IT Professionals and was featured on the WGN ‘Women on the Move’ TV series in 2019.

Silvia contributes her leadership experiences to help other organizations succeed. She was the first woman to Chair the Chicago Metropolitan Club Board and WebServes Board and one of the first woman Advisor for Hewlett Packard Business Solutions. Silvia also provided her services to help non-profit organizations dedicated to developing young men and women in STEM, such as Rising Stars, ChickTech, Working on Womanhood, and ARA (Attracting, Retaining and Advancing Women).

MODERATOR

Valerie Darling Chief Business Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, Proteas Bioanalytics CEO of Life Sciences Management Consultants

Valerie Darling is a bilingual Latina board member and senior global healthcare, biotechnology, and diagnostic executive adept at building, scaling, and leading global commercial organizations (Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Operations). She has held executive leadership roles for Fortune 100 healthcare companies, turnarounds, and several startup companies that scaled to become leading rare disease, oncology, genomic diagnostic, medical device, and hospital companies. They include Genzyme, ZymoGenetics/Genentech, Johnson and Johnson, Cardinal Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astra Zeneca, and OpGen. 

She is currently the Chief Business Officer and Chief Revenue Officer for Proteas Bioanaytics, Inc. a California-based proteomics diagnostic company.  Valerie is also CEO of Life Sciences Management Consultants, where she advises investment firms, venture capital, private equity firms, and early to mid-stage companies in life sciences ventures and startups.

In addition to being on the National PDA Board, she is active on several corporate Boards in the healthcare, cybersecurity, and digital tech industries.

Register

This event is for Private Directors Association® members only.