Irene Natividad, a recognized leader for women in the United States, wears many hats.  Ms. Natividad is President of the Global Summit of Women, an annual international gathering of women leaders from around the world, and co-chairs Corporate Women Directors International, which promotes the increased participation of women on corporate boards globally.  In addition, Ms. Natividad is Executive Director of the Philippine American Foundation. Most important, she runs her own public affairs firm, Globewomen, Inc., based in Washington, D.C.

A sought-after commentator, her views are aired nationally on PBS' 'To The Contrary', an all-women news analysis series in which she serves as a regular panelist.  She also appears on CNN news shows, Crossfire, the Today show, Good Morning America, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.  Her editorials have appeared in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Des Moines Register, Chicago Tribune, to name a few.

Ms. Natividad’s commitment to promoting women, nationally and internationally, stems from her decade-long involvement with the National Women's Political Caucus, a 30-year-old bipartisan organization dedicated to electing and appointing more women to public office.  Widely recognized for her outstanding leadership of the Caucus, she was elected President in 1985 and re-elected in 1987, the first Asian American ever to head a national political organization.

During the nineties, she assumed the chairmanship of the National Commission on Working Women, which works on economy equity issues affecting women through groundbreaking research and training programs.  Her commitment to women’s economic empowerment has extended to the global arena, where she has provided a forum through the Global Summit of Women to exchange best practices in accelerating women’s  economic progress.

Long known for her coalition work, Ms. Natividad serves on the boards of numerous organizations, from nonprofits such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Association of Corporate Directors to corporate advisory boards for Cigna and Wyndham International.  She brings to each of these groups her policy expertise, skills in network building and creative program development.  In 1994, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Sallie Mae, a Fortune 100 company, by President Clinton.

A native of the Philippines, Ms. Natividad is also a leader in the Asian American community, where she has focused her energies in politically empowering a group frequently referred to as “the invisible minority.”  She served as Deputy Vice Chair of the Democratic Party's Asian Caucus from 1982 to 1984, and has continued to organize numerous Asian American groups at all levels. She was the Executive Editor of the first-ever Asian American Almanac that was published by Gale Research in 1995.

Ms. Natividad’s work has been honored by numerous media organizations. In 2004, she was selected by Women’s eNews as one of the “21 Leaders for the 21^st Century.” She was named in 1997 as one of “25 Most Influential Working Mothers” by Working Mother Magazine; in 1993 as one of the “74 Women Changing American Politics” by Campaigns & Elections Magazine; and recognized by A. Magazine as one of the top 25 influential Asian Americans.  Ms. Natividad was also named in 1988 as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in America” by Ladies Home Journal. 

She has received numerous organizational awards ranging from the 2001 “Women of Genius” by Trinity College (Wash., D.C.) to the 1995 "Magnificent 7" award from Business & Professional Women/USA to the 1985 Women Making History Award presented by the Women's Congressional Caucus. She has been awarded a Doctorate in Humane Letters by Long Island University, from where she graduated valedictorian in 1971; and by Marymount College (New York) in 1994 for her global work on behalf of women.

Ms. Natividad resides outside of Washington, DC with her husband Andrea Cortese.  They have one son in college, Carlo Natividad Cortese.  February 2004

Roger W. Raber is Senior Advisor and Former President and CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Founded in 1977, NACD has 10,000 members and is the only non-profit professional organization devoted exclusively to providing information, research, and education for corporate directors and leading non-profit boards. NACD members serve as CEOs and directors of private and public companies, ranging in size from family businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

As the chief spokesman for corporate boards, Dr. Raber has testified before Congress on the recent corporate governance legislation and reforms, and has provided commentary on board governance principles and policies to a variety of policymakers, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq, and New York Stock Exchange. He has also advised professional organizations representing corporate counsels, internal auditors, and institutional investors, among others. He has provided board advisory services for public, private and non-profit boards. His governance views appear regularly in professional publications, national press and media.

Dr. Raber has served on corporate boards and audit committees in the financial services industry. He also has served on the board of a private college, and was elected chairman of the board for a public school district. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige Award Program. He speaks frequently to national and international groups, including the American Red Cross, Japanese Management Association, and the World Bank Group. He has been influential in shaping the founding of new governance institutes in a variety of regions, including Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America.

Prior to his appointment to NACD in 1999, Dr. Raber was Director of Member Services for America's Community Bankers (ACB) in Washington D.C., and President of the ACB’s Center for Financial Studies in Connecticut. He received his doctorate in education from Columbia University, and has taught in graduate and professional development programs at Johns Hopkins University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Virginia.

Accomplishments: 2000- 2006:

Grew paid membership from 1,800 to 10,000. Tripled annual revenues and reserves. Approximately 95% of NACD’s revenue comes from membership dues and education / publications income.

Formed education partnerships where NACD provides faculty and content, and program development - partner promotes program to their constituents. Partners include leading universities (Dartmouth College, University of Southern California, Rice University, Duke University, and University of Georgia), and professional organizations (Association of Corporate Counsels, Financial Executives International, National Investor Relations Institute, America’s Community Banks, Executive Leadership Council, World Bank/IFC) and several governance institutes in Asia, Central Europe and Latin America.

Established strategic alliances where NACD receives education and membership endorsement or accreditation from the following organizations: Institutional Shareholder Services, the Nasdaq Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange, and major D&O insurers.

Formed research partnerships with high profile companies to develop thought leadership where NACD receives $50K in annual sponsorship from each organization: KPMG (audit), AIG (D&O insurance), Heidrick & Struggles (board recruitment), Weil, Gotshal & Manges (fiduciary duties), Pearl Meyer & Partners (compensation), and Marsh( risk and strategy).

Established 15 new NACD Chapter Chapters throughout the country where NACD members interact regularly with their peer directors and attend governance programs locally in large metropolitan areas. These new locations are in Connecticut, North Carolina, Seattle, Northern California, District of Columbia, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Kansas, Florida, and Pennsylvania

Recognized as the leading governance spokesman for corporate directors and boards with Congress, Securities & Exchange Commission, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, Self Regulatory Organizations, Investors groups, and the national press, radio, and television media.


CEO and Board Positions

1999-June 2007: President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, The National Association of Corporate Directors, based in Washington, DC. Provides governance education and research for public and private corporate directors and boards. Eighty percent of NACD’s Board of Directors were elected in the last four years, and presently serve on Fortune 500 boards.

1986-1998: President. Chief Executive Officer and Trustee, The Center for Financial Studies in Fairfield, CT. Full service conference center providing executive education programs to senior manager and boards of community banks. Clients of the Center also included IBM, GE and other major corporations. The Center was sold to Fairfield University in late 1998 for $5 million.

1986-1989: Corporate Director, Audit Committee Member, Human Resources Committee Member, Starpointe Savings Bank, Somerset, New Jersey. Starpointe was a Nasdaq listed $300 million asset bank, providing retail mortgage and consumer financial services in Northern New Jersey communities. Led the strategic planning efforts resulting in the sale of the Bank to Dime Savings Bank of New York in 1989 for 2.5 times the book value of Starpointe.

1999: Corporate Director, Subsidiary Board of Dime Savings of New York, FSB. New York, New York. The Board provided oversight and guidance in the integration of Starpointe into the Dime Savings Bank of New Jersey.

1987-1989: Chairman of the Board, Weston, Connecticut School District. Elected by the Weston residents to enhance the quality and reputation of the school system, following several major crises. The Board replaced current administration leadership and restored public confidence in the school district.

1992-1995: Trustee and Academic Affairs Committee Member, Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York. The Board of this private, independent college of undergraduate and graduate students elected several new Trustees (including myself) with combined corporate and academic experience to assist the College in their recovery from near bankruptcy. Manhattanville returned to fiscal and program stability in less than three years.

2000-Present: Advisory Board Member, CFM Partners, Washington, DC. This privately-held IT company provides Internet based education programs to financial institutions selling non-insured financial products to retail customers.

2003-Present: Member of the Board of Overseers, Baldrige National Quality Program, Washington, DC. Appointed to the Board by the US Secretary of Commerce, mainly to integrate best practices in board governance into the criteria and assessment of candidates applying to receive the Baldrige Award.

2003-Present: Advisory Board Member, University of Delaware, Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, Wilmington, Delaware. This funded program brings together the Delaware Court judges and top governance experts and practitioners to challenge CEOs and boards to be more effective fiduciaries.

2004-2006 Director, Washington Campus, Washington DC. This non-profit organization provides university MBA candidates and senior corporation executives with education programs aimed at increasing their understanding of the workings of the Federal Government, Congress and regulatory agencies.


In-Boardroom Programs and Advisory Services: Led by Roger W. Raber

2001-Present: Sample of companies and organizations

J.P. Morgan Chase

Sprint

AOL-Time Warner

American Express

Blackboard.com

Fannie Mae

Farmer Mac

New York Stock Exchange

Provident Financial Services

First Niagara Bank

Bangor Savings Bank

Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh

American Red Cross

Volunteers of America

Medmarc Mutual Insurance

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Plato Learning Systems

Becton Dickinson

Niagara University

George Washington University

Aetna, Inc

EDUCATION

Ed.D., M.A., Teachers College Columbia University
New York, 1977

M.A. Manhattan College
New York, 1970

B.A. Saint Anthony College
New Hampshire, 1965

CAREER EXPERIENCE

1999 to Present National Association of Corporate Directors
Washington, DC
President and Chief Executive Officer

1992 to 1999 AMERICA’S COMMUNITY BANKERS
Washington, D.C.
Managing Director, Member Services

1986 to 1999 THE CENTER FOR FINANCIAL STUDIES
Fairfield, CT and Chicago, IL
President and Chief Executive Officer

1980 to 1992 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY BANKERS
Washington, D.C.
Executive Vice President

1980 to 1983 NATIONAL ASSOC OF MUTUAL SAVINGS BANKS
New York City, NY
Vice President and Director of Education

1976 to 1980 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Old Westbury, NY
Assistant Executive Vice President

1972 to 1975 CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
York College, NY
Director of Admissions