About the Awards

The recipient of the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award will be selected on the basis of distinguished service on public, private, and/or nonprofit boards over an extended period of time. He or she should be a career-long model of the four standards of exemplary director professionalism, as outlined below, and may be either a current or a retired director. 

In addition, a nominee should demonstrate dedication to the improvement of corporate governance practices, as evidenced by a reputation among peers and in the business community for excellent leadership. His or her exceptional achievements should have an impact that is visible in boardrooms today.

This award honors the memory of NACD’s former Chairman B. Kenneth West, who died May 13, 2006, at the age of 72. At NACD’s 2005 annual Summit, Ken was presented a plaque inscribed with the following words:

An organization dedicated to governance must itself be well governed.

With great appreciation for his wisdom, experience, and integrity, the National Association of Corporate Directors hereby honors

B. Kenneth West
For his calm leadership
For his visionary guidance
For his intellectual rigor
For his wise stewardship

For his faithful service as
Chairman of the Board
2001 – 2005

Ken embodied the qualities of director professionalism, as should the person who receives the award named in his honor.

Nominees for the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award require a minimum of three letters of testimonials from board peers and colleagues. It is the responsibility of the individual or organization submitting the nomination to arrange for the letters of recommendation to be submitted to NACD. Letters of recommendation from other board members and executives who have served with the individual are weighted most heavily in the selection process.

A nomination package must include the following elements in order for it to be sent to the selection committee for consideration:

• A nominee bio
• A completed nomination form
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation supporting the candidate from board colleagues and peers

The nomination material should describe the candidate's attributes and achievements and provide detail into how the nominee exemplifies the principles of director professionalism: integrity, mature confidence, informed judgment, and high-performance standards. Nominations for the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award should endeavor to illuminate the full scope of achievements throughout the nominee’s career.

The B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award winner is selected based on criteria that reflects NACD's standards of director professionalism:

Only nominees who have not previously won either honor will be considered. 

NACD Chapter Director of the Year honorees, as well as NACD chapter leaders and board members, are eligible to be included as candidates for the national awards, and the same nomination requirements will apply. The chapter president or administrator must submit an official nomination form and also arrange for letters of recommendation to be forwarded to NACD.

Nominators should carefully consider which category (either Director of the Year or B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award) would be the most appropriate based upon the candidate's level of involvement and achievements with each type of organization; however, NACD reserves the right to move nominees between categories if they are eligible to be considered in more than one category. A director may win an honor in only one category in the year of nomination but may be re-nominated for another award in subsequent years. 

Exclusions:  NACD board members of the 501c3 and 501c6 boards are ineligible for nomination for any NACD Directorship 100 category.

NACD forms an external selection committee for the purpose of reviewing the slate of candidates for the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year awards. The committee consists of individuals who have experience and knowledge of the responsibilities of directors and governance professionals in their specific category and possess significant knowledge of corporate governance practices and issues. Independence and diversity of thought and experience are priorities when considering potential committee members. The selection committee is populated with previous Director of the Year and B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award honorees who understand the nature of the awards and their criteria. The annual list of potential selection committee members is initially vetted and approved by NACD senior staff with oversight for the NACD Directorship 100 Awards program team.

All Directorship 100 candidates are vetted and scored based on the qualitative and quantitative merit of the selection criteria demonstrated in the completed nominations, then escalate to the NACD senior leadership team. For the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year, selection committee members are then presented with the primary list of candidates, as well as expanded biographies, nomination forms, and supporting letters for each nominee, plus a candidate summary spreadsheet and assessment. The selection committee members carefully review each of the candidate profiles for nominees within each category, participate in committee meetings and conference calls to discuss candidate qualifications, and make their final recommendation for the recipients of the awards and runners-up. They agree to complete confidentiality throughout the process.

Selected winners are submitted to the NACD board for final review and may be subject to candidate verification and legal disclosure approvals. The winners are subsequently finalized and announced.

Each year since 1987, NACD has awarded a Director of the Year honor to a public company director whose recent board service exemplifies the knowledge, leadership, and excellence in corporate governance that our organization promotes. In 2020, NACD introduced three distinct Director of the Year categories: Public Company, Private Company, and Nonprofit.

Nominees for Director of the Year require letters of testimonials from board peers and colleagues. It is the responsibility of the individual or organization submitting the nomination to arrange for the letters of recommendation to be submitted to NACD. Letters of recommendation from other board members and executives who have served with the individual are weighted most heavily in the selection process. A nomination package must include the following elements in order for it to be sent to the selection committee for consideration:

• A nominee bio
• A completed nomination form
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation supporting the candidate from board colleagues and peers

The nomination material should describe the candidate's attributes and achievements and provide detail into how the nominee exemplifies the principles of director professionalism: integrity, mature confidence, informed judgment, and high-performance standards. Nominations for Director of the Year should focus most heavily on recent achievements.

Public Company Director of the Year candidates are required to serve as non-executive chair, lead director, or committee chair of a public company board at the time of nomination. This qualification does not apply to the Private Company or Nonprofit Director of the Year categories. The Director of the Year in each category is selected based on the criteria that reflects NACD's standards of director professionalism:

Only nominees who have not previously won either honor will be considered. 

NACD Chapter Director of the Year honorees, as well as NACD chapter leaders and board members, are eligible to be included as candidates for the national awards, and the same nomination requirements will apply. The chapter president or administrator must submit an official nomination form and also arrange for letters of recommendation to be forwarded to NACD.

Nominators should carefully consider which category (either Director of the Year or B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award) would be the most appropriate based upon the candidate's level of involvement and achievements with each type of organization; however, NACD reserves the right to move nominees between categories if they are eligible to be considered in more than one category. A director may win an honor in only one category in the year of nomination but may be re-nominated for another award in subsequent years.

Exclusions:  NACD board members of the 501c3 and 501c6 boards are ineligible for nomination for any NACD Directorship 100 category.

NACD forms an external selection committee for the purpose of reviewing the slate of candidates for the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year awards. The committee consists of individuals who have experience and knowledge of the responsibilities of directors and governance professionals in their specific category and possess significant knowledge of corporate governance practices and issues. Independence and diversity of thought and experience are priorities when considering potential committee members. The selection committee is populated with previous Director of the Year and B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award honorees who understand the nature of the awards and their criteria. The annual list of potential selection committee members is initially vetted and approved by NACD senior staff with oversight for the NACD Directorship 100 Awards program team.

All Directorship 100 candidates are vetted and scored based on the qualitative and quantitative merit of the selection criteria demonstrated in the completed nominations, then escalate to the NACD senior leadership team. For the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year, selection committee members are then presented with the primary list of candidates, as well as expanded biographies, nomination forms, and supporting letters for each nominee, plus a candidate summary spreadsheet and assessment. The selection committee members carefully review each of the candidate profiles for nominees within each category, participate in committee meetings and conference calls to discuss candidate qualifications, and make their final recommendation for the recipients of the awards and runners-up. They agree to complete confidentiality throughout the process.

Selected winners are submitted to the NACD board for final review and may be subject to candidate verification and legal disclosure approvals. The winners are subsequently finalized and announced.

Since 2007, the NACD Directorship 100 has sought to identify the most influential people in the boardroom and in corporate governance. The 2025 NACD Directorship 100 will comprise 100 directors and governance professionals who exemplify the knowledge, leadership, and excellence that NACD promotes.

NACD Directorship 100 director nominees are ideally nominated by a peer. The NACD Directorship 100 will be selected based on criteria that reflects NACD's standards of director professionalism. Nominated directors must serve on at least one public, private, and/or nonprofit board where they chair a committee of that board:

Exclusions:  NACD board members of the 501c3 and 501c6 boards are ineligible for nomination for any NACD Directorship 100 category.

Nominations of NACD Directorship 100 governance professionals should be guided by the criteria below that reflect NACD's standards of strong governance professionalism:

Exclusions:  NACD board members of the 501c3 and 501c6 boards are ineligible for nomination for any NACD Directorship 100 category.

NACD forms an external selection committee for the purpose of reviewing the slate of candidates for the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year awards. The committee consists of individuals who have experience and knowledge of the responsibilities of directors and governance professionals in their specific category and possess significant knowledge of corporate governance practices and issues. Independence and diversity of thought and experience are priorities when considering potential committee members. The selection committee is populated with previous Director of the Year and B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award honorees who understand the nature of the awards and their criteria. The annual list of potential selection committee members is initially vetted and approved by NACD senior staff with oversight for the NACD Directorship 100 Awards program team.

All Directorship 100 candidates are vetted and scored based on the qualitative and quantitative merit of the selection criteria demonstrated in the completed nominations, then escalate to the NACD senior leadership team. For the B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award and Directors of the Year, selection committee members are then presented with the primary list of candidates, as well as expanded biographies, nomination forms, and supporting letters for each nominee, plus a candidate summary spreadsheet and assessment. The selection committee members carefully review each of the candidate profiles for nominees within each category, participate in committee meetings and conference calls to discuss candidate qualifications, and make their final recommendation for the recipients of the awards and runners-up. They agree to complete confidentiality throughout the process.

Selected winners are submitted to the NACD board for final review and may be subject to candidate verification and legal disclosure approvals. The winners are subsequently finalized and announced.