director-of-the-year-awards.directorsforum.comDirector of the Year - Corporate Directors

Forum JOIN US FOR: Director Of The Year | Directors Summit About Our Executive Committee Directors at Large Corporate Governance Meet Our Corporate Members Testimonials Events Industry Insights Key Takeaways News Podcasts Press Releases Contact Us Membership Login Become A Member Menu About Our Executive Committee Directors at Large Corporate Governance Meet Our Corporate Members Testimonials Events Industry Insights Key Takeaways News Podcasts Press Releases Contact Us Membership Login Become A Member The 27th Annual Director of The Year Awards WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 Hyatt Regency La Jolla Become a sponsor When September 4, 2024 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM PST Where Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine Registration Available Soon Ticket Prices: Members: $325 Non-Members: $450 Host Committee: $1,000 Join Us at San Diego’s Must Attend Event Director of the Year Awards Each year, Corporate Directors Forum honors San Diego’s top directors. The purpose of the award is to pay tribute to their outstanding performance in the boardroom and behind the scenes. Honorees are nominated by their boardroom peers to recognize their extraordinary contributions in various award categories. View Nomination Categories Last Year’s Director of the Year Honorees Corporate Directors Forum is proud to annually recognize directors for their outstanding efforts in the boardroom and behind the scenes, as nominated by their peers. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Cynthia C.J.” Warner ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURE & INCLUSION Terri Funk Graham COMPANIES IN TRANSITION Helen Adams LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Daniel Bradbury CORPORATE GOVERNANCE- NOT-FOR-PROFIT Anne Marbarger EMERGING BOARD LEADER Michael Naylor CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Cynthia C.J.” Warner Cynthia (CJ) Warner has been a director since June 2019. She was president and CEO and a director of Renewable Energy Group, Inc., an advanced biofuel producer, from January 2019 until June 2022. Prior to that, Warner served as executive vice president of operations for Andeavor (formerly Tesoro Corporation) from August 2016 until October 2018, when Andeavor was acquired by Marathon Petroleum Corp. Prior to that, Warner served as Andeavor’s executive vice president of strategy and business development from October of 2014 to August of 2016. Warner previously served as chairman and chief executive officer of Sapphire Energy, Inc. She joined Sapphire Energy after a 25-year career at BP and Amoco, Inc. (prior to its acquisition by BP) where she gained significant knowledge of the global energy industry and served in numerous leadership roles, including overseeing BP’s global refining business and its health, safety, security and environment efforts. Warner is a director of Bloom Energy and Chevron Corporation. Warner is Sempra’s Lead Independent Director and serves on Sempra’s Corporate Governance, Safety, Sustainability and Technology and Executive committees. ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURE & INCLUSION Terri Funk Graham Terri Funk Graham ranks among the select few female Chief Marketing Officers to serve as an Independent Board Director within multiple Fortune 1,000 companies for the past eleven years. Ms. Graham’s leadership positions have afforded her valuable experiences and expertise in dealing with issues facing many boards today, such as strategy formulation, branding and brand reinvention, digital acceleration and transformation, CEO and C-Suite succession planning, financial turnarounds, growth strategies, crisis management and driving cultural change in companies. As an independent director, Ms. Graham has served as Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance and Compensation Committees and she brings experience leading Search Committee’s for two public company CEO transitions, as well as operating as the Chairperson leading several Board Director transitions. Additionally, she has been involved in two go private” sales to private equity firms. She is currently an Independent Board Director for Sprouts Farmers Market Inc . (NASDAQ: SFM) a $6.8 Billion specialty retailer of natural and organic food focusing on health and wellness at a great value. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation and Risk Committee’s. She is also an Independent Board Director for LL Flooring Inc. (NYSE: LL), a $1Billion specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance and a member of the Compensation Committee. Ms. Graham served as an Independent Board Director for CV Sciences, Inc . a $60 Million cannabidiol-based pharmaceuticals and consumer products company focused on enhancing health and well-being. She served as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Graham also served on the Hot Topic Inc. and 1 800-Contacts Inc. boards before selling these companies to private equity firms. She is a successful Senior Marketing Executive change agent who directly influenced the success, image and significant growth of the $3B Jack in the Box brand for more than 20 years. As the former SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for 10 years, she was a pioneer in innovative branding, product development, advertising and digital media. Acknowledged for her strategic thinking, financial acumen, courage and proven financial results. Her strategic vision and business expertise enabled her to effectively reinvent the Jack Brand multiple times with Franchise Partners and Executive Management. Ms. Graham delivered one of the most successful national advertising campaigns achieving 10 Effie Awards and several Belding’s and Clio Awards. Ms. Graham was also the CMO of RedEnvelope, an e-commerce gifting retailer. As the chief steward of the brand, she was responsible for re-branding the website, social media and digital omni-channel strategy & experience. Ms. Graham is a member of National Association of Corporate Directors and certified as a Board Governance Fellow . She is also a founding member of the Women Corporate Directors. Ms. Graham was recently named 2019 Women’s Inc.’s Most Influential Corporate Board Directors. Ms. Graham’s is proud of her Spanish heritage and her personal interests include photography, golf and travel. COMPANIES IN TRANSITION Helen Adams Helen Adams is a seasoned financial executive, CPA and life science board member with over 35 years of leadership experience working with high growth companies on strategy development and successful execution of corporate goals. She is a retired Deloitte partner and national office consultation expert, and the former Area Managing Partner for Haskell & White LLP. Helen is currently the Lead Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair for Immix Biopharma (NASDAQ: IMMX), which develops clinical-stage therapeutics targeting solid tumors and soft tissue sarcoma. She is a member of the board of privately-held Nexcella, Inc., an ImmixBio subsidiary developing CAR-T cell therapies targeting blood cancers, multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis. She was most recently the Audit Committee Chair for Prometheus Biosciences (NASDAQ: RXDX), an immunology and inflammation biotechnology company that went public in 2021 and was acquired by Merck in 2023 for $11 billion, the largest-ever biotech transaction in San Diego history. Helen is a long-time member of the San Diego business and philanthropic communities, and has served as Finance Committee Chair, Program Chair and/or Chairman of the Board of organizations including Women Corporate Directors, Athena San Diego, San Diego Chairmen’s Roundtable, Make-A-Wish, Serving Seniors (Senior Community Centers), the Cal State San Marcos Foundation Board, the YWCA Board and the YWCA TWIN Program, as well as Deloitte’s FAST 50/FAST 500 awards program for high growth life sciences and technology companies. She is a StartR Mentor for the Rady School at UCSD and is a frequent speaker at local leadership conferences and board development programs. Helen...