The right option depends on where you are in your board journey.

If you're still exploring fit, clarifying your board value, or identifying which types of companies would be the best targets for you, start with the Board Branding Package. It builds your foundation (board bio, LinkedIn profile, elevator pitch, board matrix, and target company profile) so you're positioned as a serious board candidate from day one.

If you're already well-positioned but not getting traction, the Strategic Networking Package can help you sharpen your outreach strategy and get the best ROI on your networking efforts.

For ongoing support, you can work 1:1 with Sheila through hourly coaching or one of our annual Women in the Boardroom VIP memberships, offered at several levels to match your needs. All VIP levels provide strategic positioning, board branding, networking strategy, advisory support, and accountability, designed to move you from interest to action, and from readiness to real opportunities.

VIP I is our most comprehensive membership level. It includes ongoing 1:1 calls with Sheila covering branding and networking, personalized interview prep and role-playing, cover letter development, boardroom connection-building, accountability partner to help you reach your goals, and ongoing education and peer-to-peer feedback.

You are investing in becoming a stronger, more strategically positioned board candidate.

That means developing a compelling board value proposition, creating professional board materials, strengthening your LinkedIn positioning, identifying and activating the right relationships, learning how to communicate your board value, preparing for opportunities, and having an experienced board strategist guide you throughout the process.

You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in monthly group sessions, where you can get peer feedback, stay accountable to your goals, and build relationships with other executives pursuing board service. These sessions provide another layer of support, perspective, and networking as you put your strategy into action.

Those capabilities and relationships can have value well beyond a single board search. Stronger positioning, messaging, and strategic networking can also help executives expand their consulting businesses, increase their professional visibility, and position themselves for the next stage of their careers.

Board-Way is a division of Women in the Boardroom. It was created to make our work, especially Branding and Networking Strategy (the two essentials to landing a board seat) accessible to executives of all genders while still benefiting from the trusted Women in the Boardroom brand. Women in the Boardroom itself has never focused on diversity as its goal; rather, for 25 years it has helped qualified senior-level executives prepare for and land corporate board seats.

We are not an executive search or board placement firm. We work for you.

As your board strategist and coach, Sheila, with the support of her team, helps you build a long-term strategy to become a stronger, more visible and better-positioned board candidate. That includes board-facing branding, strategic networking, preparation and ongoing guidance.

Rather than relying on someone else to submit your name for an opening, we help you build the positioning, relationships and skills to create and capitalize on opportunities from your own network.  In addition, working with us you will also be notified of opportunities that come from multiple sources, such as board members, investors, professional relationships, and also sometimes search firms.

Board opportunities we receive are an added benefit of membership, but they are not the foundation of our approach. The goal is to position you to pursue the right opportunities from multiple paths, not depend on a single source.

We have worked with thousands of executives and 85% of our new clients come from people we have already worked with. This is proof we know what we are doing!

Because we are not a placement firm, we do not publish traditional placement rates or success rates by industry, professional background, or timeframe. A board appointment depends on many factors, including an executive’s starting point, board readiness, network, target companies, level of engagement, and consistency in executing the strategy.

Our approach is highly individualized. For more than 25 years, Sheila Ronning has worked with executives across a wide range of industries and leadership backgrounds. We focus on your specific experience, strengths, goals, network, gaps, and board value proposition to build a strategy around you, rather than a generalized candidate profile or promised outcome.

Without a focused strategy, obtaining a first corporate board seat can often take three to five years.

Our goal is to significantly shorten that process. With strong positioning, strategic networking and consistent execution, many executives can build meaningful momentum within approximately 6–18 months.

That timeframe is not a guarantee. Every executive begins with a different level of board readiness, professional network, experience, availability and willingness to execute the strategy. Your results will depend in part on the work you do alongside us.

No. No credible board strategist can guarantee a board appointment.

Board selection depends on many factors outside anyone’s control, including the needs and timing of a particular board, the other candidates being considered, the strength of your network, and how consistently you execute your board strategy.

What we can do is make sure you are positioned properly, that your board value proposition is clear, that your materials communicate that value effectively, and that you know whom to approach, what to say and how to develop the relationships that lead to opportunities.

We typically receive approximately 45–50 board opportunities each year through our network of connectors and influencers. Members have access to relevant opportunities, but membership does not guarantee that any individual will receive or qualify for a specific number.

Board requirements are highly specific and may call for a particular industry background, operating experience, geography, financial expertise, functional skill, or other qualification.

However, you are not purchasing a guaranteed board seat or a predetermined number of introductions. We view these opportunities as the “icing on the cake,” not the foundation of your board strategy. Our focus is on strengthening your positioning and expanding your network so you are prepared to pursue the right opportunities, and creating more ways for those opportunities to find you.

Membership is for one year and is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Membership automatically renews unless you notify us in advance that you do not wish to renew. We also notify you prior to renewal.

You can read written testimonials and watch video testimonials from executives who have worked with us above on this page, or explore even more on our Client Testimonials page. Every testimonial includes the client’s first and last name, so you can see exactly who is sharing their experience.