Live, Online | June 2 & 9, 2027 | 1:00 PM-4:00 PM EST
The Director Onboarding Playbook is a live, online program for directors preparing to join a new board, whether it is their first board seat or the next step in an established directorship career. Every board has its own culture, expectations, priorities, committee structure, and management dynamics. Starting strong means understanding that context quickly and knowing where and how to contribute.
Across two virtual, live sessions on June 2 and 9, 2027, participants will build a practical plan for their first 90 days on a new board. Sitting directors, committee chairs, and governance experts will explore effective onboarding, early boardroom dynamics, oversight of strategy and risk, and how audit, compensation, and nominating/governance committee responsibilities are evolving today. Through guided discussion and real board scenarios, participants will apply the lessons to the board they are preparing to join.
The program is open to NACD members and nonmembers.
REGISTER
Learning Objectives
- Apply proven onboarding practices to contribute and earn credibility from your first board meeting.
- Build a personalized 90-day roadmap for onboarding and integrating into your board role.
- Assess what's ahead for US boards and how shifting expectations are reshaping director responsibilities.
- Evaluate the board's evolving role in overseeing strategy, risk, and organizational resilience.
- Compare shifting responsibilities and expectations across audit, compensation, and nominating/governance committees.
- Identify emerging governance issues, including disruption, stakeholder pressure, and regulatory change, and determine how your board should respond.
- Apply crisis-readiness practices that strengthen how your board holds up under pressure.
Who Should Attend
The Director Onboarding Playbook is designed for directors preparing to begin a new board role, regardless of prior board experience.
- Aspiring and first-time directors preparing for their first board seat
- Early-, mid-, and experienced directors joining a new board
- Executives transitioning from management into board service
- Directors joining a new board who want to build credibility quickly
- First-time directors already seated and looking to contribute from day one
- Nominating and governance committee chairs, board leaders, and governance professionals looking to strengthen how their board onboards new directors
- NACD members and nonmembers
Live, Instructor Led
Join virtually without travel or time away, with real-time guidance from expert faculty and interactive discussion.
Current Boardroom Context
Understand today’s committee responsibilities, oversight expectations, and board-management dynamics.
90-Day Action Plan
Build a practical roadmap for your first meetings, relationships, and priorities on a new board.
Real Board Scenarios
Apply the program through live discussion and real board scenarios with experienced directors, governance experts, and peers navigating similar transitions.
Make Your First 90 Days Count
Even experienced directors enter unfamiliar territory when they join a new board. The company, culture, leadership team, board dynamics, committee expectations, and strategic priorities are different every time.
This program helps directors approach those first months intentionally, with a practical framework for learning the board, building relationships, understanding expectations, and contributing effectively from the start.
You’ll leave with:
- A personalized 90-day plan for your new board role
- A framework for approaching onboarding before and after your first meeting
- Greater clarity on how to contribute effectively while learning a new board’s dynamics
- Current perspective on audit, compensation, and nominating/governance committee responsibilities
- Practical questions to bring into early conversations with directors and management
