We hear over and over again that only 30% of Corporate Board seats are filled by search firms so that means that 70% are filled by “who they know”.

In this session of Women in the Boardroom Connections we will discuss how to network and how to use your network. And who better to speak on this topic than master connector/networker Dee Thibodeau. Beth Kieffer Leonard, Managing Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP will be interviewing Dee during this session who is also a master at using her network and connecting people.

Dee Thibodeau

Dee Thibodeau is chief executive officer of Charter Solutions, a healthcare information services company consistently awarded for results in the areas of management consulting, analytics, business process, integration and application development. As CEO since 1997, Ms. Thibodeau has led the company in delivering sustained profitability with annual revenue growth and a record of outstanding customer relationships. Her expertise and passion are focused on business process improvements that profoundly increase healthcare quality and efficiency.

An experienced board member, entrepreneur, and investor in emerging companies, Thibodeau has made companies successful by creating highly productive teams focused on strategic planning, customer relationships, sound business practices, and innovative uses for new and existing technologies.

Ms. Thibodeau has served in top executive positions in the technology and financial industries since 1986, when she was vice president and later president of the largest computer training facility in the Midwest. She has been president of Milestone Investments, Inc. a national hotel investment company, and was president of Arco Transcription, Inc. one of the nation’s largest medical transcription companies.

Ms. Thibodeau has since served as president of EDI Solutions, a translation software developer, and negotiated the merger of EDI with St. Paul Software where she served as executive vice president until taking the helm of Charter Solutions.

Throughout her career, Thibodeau’s leadership has extended to serving on the boards of directors of more than a dozen companies including Dri-Steem, The Credit Company, Microworx, Arco Transcription, Milestone Investments, EDI Solutions, HCMC Advisory Board, as well as on boards of trade, professional and non-profit organizations. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors of BRAAS, Women’s Health Leadership Trust, Minnesota High Tech Association, and Minnesota Visiting Nurses Agency. Ms Thibodeau also started Minnesota Women Corporate Directors and is on the Advisory Board for Women in the Boardroom.

Ms. Thibodeau has been on the Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committees of many boards and well suited to serve on these committees.

Ms. Thibodeau has received numerous awards for her success in leadership, her business results and her advocacy for women entrepreneurs and for women serving on boards. She received a Lifeline Award from Upsize magazine in 2007; the Minnesota Business Owner of the Year award from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) in 2004; and recognition as one of the “Top 25 Innovative Women” by the Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal and one of 500 Top Diversity Awards in the US.

Thibodeau is an alumna of the University of Minnesota, Mankato, and of the Executive Management Development Program at University of St. Thomas, St, Paul. She has received leadership awards and recognition from The Business Journal, Div 500, Twin Cities E-Commerce Forum and the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Beth Kieffer Leonard

Beth Kieffer Leonard is managing partner of Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP. A Minneapolis based firm, est. in 1940 and cited as one of the nation’s top 100 accounting and consulting firms. Kieffer Leonard joined the firm in 1984 and became a partner in 1995. Highly regarded for her commitment to client satisfaction, long-range vision and ability to build strategic partnerships, she was appointed managing partner in 2008.

Recognized as a “Super CPA” by Twin Cities Business Magazine and Minnesota Law and Politics and named an “Industry Leader” by the Twin Cities Business Journal, she uses her business experience to benefit civic and community organizations. In 2008, she was cited as a “Women in Business Champion” by the Minnesota Small Business Administration, and the Women’s Business Development Center in Chicago honored her, in 2009, with their “Advocacy Award.” Additionally, she is a founding partner of the Woman’s Business Development Center in Minnesota. She is a past WPO, Women Presidents’ Organization, President’s Award winner for launching four new Minnesota WPO chapters. She serves on several local and regional boards, and is a recent past-president of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.

Beth earned her Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management, with a major in Accounting. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of CPAs.