Former USAA CEO Wayne Peacock, and Foot Locker Nonexecutive Chair Dona Young, NACD.DC, to Cochair NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission on Board-CEO Relationship

25-member executive panel to develop blueprint for healthy, impactful board-CEO dynamics

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Association of Corporate Directors' (NACD) 2025 Trends and Priorities Survey, 59 percent of directors believe that improving the Board-CEO relationship is a "must do" this year. In fact, the current business environment — marked by more shocks, economic uncertainty and technology disruption than ever before — is testing the resilience of this important, yet increasingly vulnerable, relationship.

NACD today announced the formation of its 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission on Board-CEO relationships, cochaired by former USAA CEO Wayne Peacock, and Dona Young, NADC.DC, nonexecutive chair of Foot Locker and member of the NACD board of directors. The 25-member Commission, which includes experienced directors, current and former public and private company CEOs, governance leaders, investors and academics, will develop a blueprint to help boards and CEOs enhance strategic alignment and foster more productive engagement to lead through this complexity.

"A successful relationship between the Board and CEO is more critical now than ever before.  The speed of business demands open, clear and thoughtful communication from both sides if the relationship is to be successful," said Peter Gleason, NACD president and CEO. "Board members' and CEOs' roles have become more complex. They're dealing with challenging geopolitical, economic and social issues, and both are facing greater performance expectations — and scrutiny. These challenges put more stress on the relationship and based on the Commission's early discussions, the status quo needs to change to address today's realities."   

The Commission will address key issues such as fostering mutual trust; aligning on performance expectations; CEO evaluations and succession planning; and clarifying engagement levels. The report will be released in October at the NACD Directors Summit™.

"The steps the Board and CEO may have used in the past to build a strong relationship are not adequate in today's environment and need to be refreshed," said Young. "Establishing mutual trust and alignment can't be left to chance and must be intentional and keep pace with the business' rate of change. Mutual trust is the currency that allows both to address the unexpected, take big bets and perform at the highest levels."

Peacock added, "Boards and CEOs across all types of companies need to future-proof their capabilities to ensure they can sustain and adapt during times of crisis — when it's needed most. A healthy, enduring relationship between CEO and Boards is key to the company's ability to navigate disruption and perform well, while preventing hasty and costly decisions." 

The report will also provide tools, insights and boardroom best practices on areas such as these:  

• Setting and resetting the contours of board engagement to get the most value out of every director.
• Identifying key symptoms of board-CEO misalignment and address potential friction before it escalates.

Visit NACD's website for past Blue Ribbon Commission Reports, including 2024's Technology Leadership in the Boardroom: Driving Trust and Value and 2023's Culture as the Foundation: Building a High-Performance Board.

NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Co-chairs:

• Wayne Peacock — Former President and CEO, USAA
• Dona Young, NACD.DC — Nonexecutive chair, Foot Locker Inc.; Director, Aegon Ltd., Spahn & Rose, NACD

The Commission includes:

• Claudia Allen — Senior Advisor, KPMG Board Leadership Center, KPMG US
• Orlando Ashford — Chairman, Perrigo; Director, Array Technologies, State Farm Fire and Life Advisory Boards, Syndio and the Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Colleen Birdnow Brown — Senior Strategic Advisor, PANARCHY.IO; Director, True Blue Inc., Big5 Sporting Goods and Bakkt
• Leslie Brun — Chairman and CEO, Ariel Alternatives, LLC; Director, CORNING, NXT Capital and Council Advisors
• Adam Bryant — Senior Managing Director, TheExCo Group
• Herman Bulls — Chairman, Fluence Energy; Vice Chairman, USAA; West Point Association of Graduates; Director, Host Hotels, Comfort Systems, USA, Collegis Education, The American Red Cross National Board of Governors, Real Estate Advisory Committee for New York State Teachers' Retirement System and The Military Bowl
• Richard Fields — Head of Board Effectiveness Practice, Russell Reynolds Associates
• Peter Gleason — President and CEO, NACD
• Alex Gorsky — Former Chair and CEO, Johnson & Johnson; Director, Apple Inc., IBM Corp., JP Morgan Chase & Co., Neurotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Xaira Therapeutics Inc.
• Ginger Graham — Former President and CEO, Amylin Pharmaceuticals; Director, Walgreens, Elcelyx Therapeutics, Summit Health Management and VillageMD
• Holly Gregory — Cochair, Global Corporate Governance Practice, Sidley Austin LLP
• Dr. Amy Hillman — Professor of Corporate Strategy and Former Dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University
• Jonathan Johnson — Director, The J.M. Smucker Co., Nursa and Bloom
• Jan Koors - Senior Managing Director, Pearl Meyer & Partners
• Sandra Lawrence —Director, NACD, Brixmor Property Group, Sera Prognostics, Evergy; Trustee, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Delaware Funds by Macquarie
• Thomas Leppert — Chairman, Board of Austin Industries; Director, Fluor Corporation, Dallas Theological Seminary and NACD North Texas Chapter
• Aeisha Mastagni — Senior Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Investment & Stewardship Strategies, CALSTRS Investments
• Sara Mathew — Senior Advisor, Star Mountain Capital; Director, Dropbox and State Street
• Mark McClain — CEO and Founder, SailPoint Technologies; Director, Birch Grove Software Inc.
• Patricia Russo — Chair, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Director, HP, GM, KKR & Co. Inc. and Merck & Co.
• Jane Sadowsky, NACD.DC — Director, Allied Gold, Scientific Games and Nexa Resources; Senior Advisor, Moelis & Company
• Mary Winston — Chair, NACD; Director, Chipotle Mexican Grill, TD Bank Group and TD US Bank and Northup Grumman
• Maggie Wilderotter — CEO, Grand Reserve Inn; Chairman and CEO, Wilderotter Vineyards; Chair, DocuSign; Director, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Sana Biotechnology, Tanium and Sonoma Biotherapeutics

About NACD 
The National Association of Corporate Directors^® (NACD^®) is the leading member organization for corporate directors who want to expand their knowledge, grow their network and maximize their potential. For more than 47 years, NACD has helped boards and the business community elevate their performance and create long-term value. Our leadership continues to raise standards of excellence and advance board effectiveness at thousands of member companies. 

NACD's value insights, professional development events and resources, such as the NACD Directors Summit™ and the NACD Directorship Certification^® program, support boards in navigating complex challenges. With a growing network of more than 24,000 members across more than 20 Chapters, boards are better equipped to make well-informed decisions on the critical, strategic issues facing their businesses today. Learn more at www.nacdonline.org.     

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SOURCE National Association of Corporate Directors