PDA Announces 2026 Outstanding Volunteer Service Award Winners
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.
The award recognizes members whose sustained service strengthens PDA’s Chapters and national initiatives and advances the organization’s mission to drive private company success through stronger governance.
Darling is a multilingual Latina board director and global commercial strategy and operations executive with experience across healthcare, biotechnology, medtech, and medical manufacturing and supply chain. She has served on multiple private company boards and has held committee leadership roles including Chair of Audit and Chair of Nominating and Governance. Within PDA, Darling has volunteered since 2019 in several capacities, including founding and building the Atlanta Chapter, serving on the National Board of Directors, and helping drive cross-Chapter programming and national webinars.
“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve Private Directors Association since 2019 in several capacities: founding and building the Atlanta Chapter for four years, serving on the National Board of Directors for three years on the Nom/Gov Committee, the CEO Search and Succession Committee, and the National DEI Committee, as well as initiating Cross-Chapter events, networking, and webinars during the pandemic to the present, hosting national webinars on board topics, and speaking at each PRISM annual conference,” Darling said. “More than anything, though, I am passionate about PDA’s mission to strengthen governance of private companies and energized by the people I’ve met at PDA. It has been a true delight to volunteer and interact with some of the finest executives and board directors I’ve met in my life and as a result, form strong friendships with many of them.”
King, CPA, CGMA, is a board director, advisory board member and executive with more than 30 years of experience helping companies grow and navigate complex transactions. A strategic leader and serial entrepreneur, he has worked across industries including technology, manufacturing and distribution, energy, healthcare, logistics, real estate and retail. King has served in board leadership roles including Lead Director and Audit Committee Chair, and he is a co-founder of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of Private Directors Association. He received the 2023 Constantine “Connie” Konstans Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance.
“Throughout my career providing services to private and smaller public companies, I witnessed a lack of education and resources available for private companies and their founders and leadership teams to build strong board governance,” King said. “Private Directors Association has provided me with a platform to fulfil my personal mission to assist in building an ecosystem to improve board governance for private companies. It has been and continues to be an honor to work alongside others who share this passion.”
Simmons is an independent board director and strategic advisor and the principal of Inflection Point Advisory, where she works with companies navigating critical inflection points. She has held senior operating roles including COO, CGO and CMO for Fortune 500 public and private equity-backed companies and currently serves on corporate, nonprofit and advisory boards. Within PDA, Simmons has been a leader in the Southern California Chapter, including leading the Chapter’s “Gather, Chat and Connect” Coffee and Cocktail Program, supporting Special Interest Groups, and contributing to operational scaling efforts. She also facilitated a PRISM 2025 session, “Asking the Right Questions: A Board Member’s Superpower,” and has supported national membership and technology initiatives.
“Receiving this award is such an honor because it reflects the collegiality and servant leadership that define our entire PDA community,” Simmons said. “PDA’s mission to drive private company success is possible because so many members generously share their time and expertise to strengthen board governance.”
Finalists for the 2026 Outstanding Volunteer Service Award include Mary Francia (South Florida Chapter), Marie Meliksetian (New York Metro Chapter), Stephen Nasiatka (New England Chapter), Silvia Prickel (Chicago Chapter), Shep Pryor (Chicago Chapter) and Steve Zirkel (Detroit-Toledo-Windsor Chapter).
The inaugural Outstanding Volunteer Service Award recipients, presented at PRISM 2025, were Cindy Burrell, Dennis Kessler and Inge Plautz.