National Directors Institute (NDI)

For more than a decade, Foley’s National Directors Institute (NDI) has been the forum of choice for business leaders looking to explore best practices and the latest trends impacting the corporate finance and governance landscape.

A group of people shake hands in a conference room.

NDI’s year-long series of Web conferences and interactive programs brings enhanced convenience and accessibility to global and national industry leaders looking to share their corporate governance experiences, while our timely newsletters help keep you on target as you navigate the legal risks arising from increasing and evolving governmental regulation and reform across all industries.

Please take a moment to learn more about the components of this year’s NDI webinar series. Join other public and private company directors and executives in a virtual platform as we examine how you can hone your corporate governance and business strategies to make the most of changing market and regulatory conditions.

NDI Reimagined 2020

Wednesday, November 11 – Friday, November 13, 2020

NDI 2020 is going Virtual! Please join us for our 19th Annual National Directors Institute (NDI) Executive Exchange on Wednesday, November 11 – Friday, November 13, 2020. With half-day live and on-demand sessions and opportunities for interaction, we will discuss the latest trends impacting the corporate governance landscape in light of, and as we look beyond, COVID. While this year’s event will be Reimagined and look a little different from years past, the hallmarks of NDI remain the same – to provide timely advice and guidance, foster candid interchange about real-world situations and provide practical and tactical solutions for effective governance.

Patrick McGurn from Institutional Shareholder Services will update us all on the latest trends in Board and Shareholder Governance and what to expect in the upcoming 2021 proxy season.

Below is the program agenda:

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

A: 2020 Corporate Governance Hot Topics and Anticipated Trends for 2021
Steve Barth, Jessie Lochmann,  Patrick McGurn | 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CST

B: Ready, Set, Zoom: How COVID-19 is Impacting Business Litigation
Andy Wronski & Ann Marie Uetz | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST

C: The Rapidly-Changing Landscape of the Board’s Role in Overseeing Corporate Compliance
Beth Boland, Rohan Virginkar & Mary Huser | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CST

D: The Board’s Role in Crisis Management – Lessons Learned in 2020
Susan Pravda & Pat Quick | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST

Thursday, November 12, 2020

E: The Board’s Role in Evaluating Third Party Cybersecurity Risks
Jennifer Rathburn, Mike Overly, Angela Johnson & Che Bhatia | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. CST

F: Audit Committee Hot Topics
Bryan House, Megan Odroniec & Jason Hille | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST

G: Beyond Bunny Hugging – ESG, Investor Expectations, and Reporting Trends 
Pete Tomasi, Michael Kirwan, Laura Clark, Brendan Sheehan & Shontra Powell | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST

Friday, November 13, 2020 – Roundtables

H: What Does the Election Mean to Your Board?
Scott Klug, Dennis Cardoza & Mike Capuano | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CST

I: Diversity and Inclusion: Beyond the Boardroom
Jeanne Gills, Anat Hakim, Sharon Barner & Maria Green | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CST

Click here for more from this year’s event.

CLE Information

Foley & Lardner LLP will apply for CLE credit after the program, wherever applicable. Foley & Lardner LLP is a State Bar of California MCLE approved provider. Foley & Lardner LLP certifies that this activity has been approved for 1.0 California MCLE credits by the State Bar of California.

This program is appropriate for experienced New York attorneys only.

Certificates of attendance will be distributed to eligible participants approximately 8 weeks after the conference via email.

For executives and directors, the years since Sarbanes-Oxley have only brought additional scrutiny and external pressures: national and global economic turmoil, Dodd-Frank, ISS and Lewis-Glass, institutional shareholders, activist groups, hedge funds, and the promise of more burdensome regulations. While it’s tempting to focus on the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, the reality is that companies must accept this high-pressure environment as the “new normal” in order to ensure that executives and directors are prepared to react quickly to intensified demands while maintaining a carefully strategic view of the company’s long-term success.

Last year’s NDI Executive Exchange was held on November 14, 2019. During this national forum, prominent corporate governance leaders engaged in candid, interactive peer group discussions about the future of governance. Our Executive Exchange directly connected C-level executives and board directors in an interactive, roundtable setting. They shared the issues that matter most to their business and exchanged real-world governance strategies for adapting to the new normal.

Learn More

2020 NDI Reimagined

As we track developments related to COVID-19 and take appropriate precautions to help safeguard the health and well-being of our clients and friends, in lieu of the in-person event, we will hold a series of webinars over the next few months.

Over the years, NDI has been the forum of choice for business leaders looking to explore best practices and the latest trends impacting the corporate finance and governance landscape.  Please join us at the webinars set forth below as we continue to provide practical, timely advice and conversation.  

NDI Reimagined, this year’s “Virtual NDI” program will include half day webinars and roundtables on November 11-13, 2020. Invitations are forthcoming. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

You can find the recording and presentation to each webinar linked below:

May 20, 2020 – COVID-19 Re-Entry Framework

June 17, 2020 – What COVID-19 Means for Executive Pay

June 24, 2020 – Rethinking Your Post-COVID-19 Supply Chain Strategies

July 1, 2020 – Don’t Let This Crisis Go To Waste – Think Strategically, and Not Just Defensively

2019 – NDI Executive Exchange

The 18th annual National Directors Institute was held on November 13-14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. At the Board of the Year Awards held on November 13, Foley recognized the following companies:

  • Douglas Dynamics, Inc. – Public Company
  • Sasser Family Companies – Private Company
  • OneBlood – Non-Profit

During the Executive Exchange Program, we welcomed Pat McGurn of ISS and Bonnie Reitz of Airlines Reporting Corporation as our keynote speakers.

Visit the 2019 Executive Exchange event page for detailed information about the breakout sessions, including presentation materials and key takeaways.

2018 – NDI Executive Exchange

The 17th annual National Directors Institute was held on October 24-25, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. At the Board of the Year Awards held on October 24th, Foley recognized the following companies with Board of the Year Awards:

  • International Seaways, Inc. – Public Company
  • Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care – Private Company

Visit the 2018 Executive Exchange event page for detailed information about the breakout sessions, including presentation materials and key takeaways.

2017 – NDI Executive Exchange

The 16th annual National Directors Institute was held on November 6-7, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. At the Board of the Year Awards held on November 6th, Foley recognized the following companies with Board of the Year Awards:Catholic Financial Life – Non-ProfitSentio Healthcare Properties – Public Company

Visit the 2017 Executive Exchange event page for detailed information about the breakout sessions, including presentation materials and key takeaways.

2016 & 2017 – Checkpoint Web Conference Series

Foley’s NDI Checkpoint Web Conferences brought together national and global business leaders in a peer-to-peer, interactive forum to explore a variety of topics impacting public and private company executives and directors.

Web conferences included: