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AI oversight, strategic uncertainty and emerging areas of board risk are shaping director conversations now. See how PRISM 2026 will examine these issues, including sponsored programming presented with KPMG and Nelson Mullins.

Choosing the right board is only the beginning. PRISM 2026 keynote speakers Suzanne Burns, Herman Bulls and Dr. Denis Mowbray will examine how directors can evaluate opportunities more carefully, lead through uncertainty and strengthen the board-executive dynamics that influence long-term performance.

Company owners and board directors are increasingly responsible for AI-driven outcomes they did not design, may not fully understand, and in some cases do not even know are occurring.

PDA will begin identifying Subject Matter Experts in private‑company board governance to serve on a 2027 Task Force focused on exploring a potential certification pathway for private‑company directors.

This era and AI must be addressed in the context of  industrialization. We are in the thick of  the fourth industrial revolution and like every industrial period, the massive disruption and dis-ease require a national industrial policy that is holistic and integrated.

The following candidates will be vying to fill five seats on the PDA National Board: Robert Barr (Chicago Chapter), Mary Francia (South Florida Chapter), Tamara Gracon (San Francisco Chapter), Megan Heinze (Atlanta Chapter), Rand Manasse (New York Metro Chapter), Marie Meliksetian (New York Metro Chapter), Adam Nach (Arizona Chapter), Tara Leweling (DC Metro Chapter), and Helaine Suval (New York Metro Chapter).

Private Directors Association has named its second annual Outstanding Volunteer Service Award winners. Valerie Darling of the Atlanta Chapter, Larry King of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and Kristen Simmons of the Southern California Chapter will receive the award at a special presentation during PRISM 2026 in Atlanta, October 5-7.

Following the opening evening of PDA’s PRISM Annual Meeting, join Nelson Mullins in Atlanta on October 5 for an exclusive, invite-only reception showcasing the firm’s 2nd Annual Securities and Corporate Governance Summit. Guests will enjoy convenient transportation from the PRISM venue to the Nelson Mullins Atlanta office, where the evening begins in the firm’s expansive Neely Room with a curated bar, elevated bites, and a private terrace overlooking the city, setting the stage for meaningful conversation.

At PRISM 2026, governance effectiveness won’t be treated as a checklist—it will be treated as a performance discipline. Few speakers embody that shift more clearly than Dr. Denis Mowbray, who will lead two Masterclasses, the closing keynote, and facilitate a special post-conference program.

The Private Directors Association has welcomed Matthew Varney as its new Director of Chapter Operations & Volunteer Engagement. Varney began in the newly created role on July 6.

Private Directors Association (PDA) is alerting members to a growing wave of sophisticated recruiting and impersonation scams targeting directors and governance professionals.

Reputational erosion in a family business, a private equity-owned operating company, or an ESOP often hides until it surfaces when the company is trying to raise capital, close a deal, or retain a major customer. By then the damage is done and there is little time to respond. A private company can lose meaningful value without a single board meeting agenda flagging it, because the metrics that would raise it as an issue are not on the board agenda.