Greenwich Harbor Partners Recruits Teach for America Miami-Dade Directors

August 22, 2019 – Although boards of directors are considered the backbones of organizations, director recruiting has grown markedly more challenging, say recruiters who conduct searches in that area. As a result, companies continue to turn to executive search firms to help find new board members.
Recently, Greenwich Harbor Partners placed Lisa Hook, Trisha McDermott Thompkins and Alena Brenner as new members of the board of directors at Teach for America Miami-Dade. The assignment was led by managing directors Carrie Pryor and Ted Pryor.
Bridging the Diversity Gap on Boards
A stubborn paradox exists within boardrooms across America. Companies are appointing more women to board seats than ever before, yet the overall share of women directors is barely budging. While business leaders have gotten the clear message that diversity matters in the workplace, it is equally clear that current methods of sourcing and selecting candidates is falling short.
Peggy Alford, a senior executive with PayPal who was just elected as the first African American woman to join the nine-member board of social media giant Facebook, joins Hunt Scanlon Media in New York on Nov. 6 to examine the disconnect between the business community’s intent to achieve greater equality on their boards and the realization of attaining that goal. She will explore why every company needs to cultivate a culture of inclusiveness and she will outline steps for companies and recruiters to take to boost diversification at a faster rate.
Join Peggy at Next-Gen Leaders: Advancing Women to the C-Suite! Women business leaders are looking for fresh pathways to the top . . . to help them get there we will draw on her expertise as well as top HR, talent, recruitment, and C-suite leaders from other blue-chip brands, including IBM, the New York Times, Littlejohn, LinkedIn, Avaya, WarnerMedia Entertainment, Pfizer, PepsiCo, the Philadelphia Flyers, PayPal, Facebook and a host of others.
Sponsor or sign up to attend today!
Ms. Hook served as president and CEO of Neustar from 2010 until 2018 and as president and COO from 2008 until 2010. She joined the Neustar board in 2010 and continues to serve in that capacity. Previously, Ms. Hook served as CEO of Sunrocket. Other roles she has held include: several executive-level posts at America Online; partner at Brera Capital Partners, a global private equity investment firm; managing director of Alpine Capital Group, an investment banking firm; several executive positions at Time Warner; legal advisor to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; and senior attorney at Viacom International.
Ms. Thompkins is executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Perry Ellis International, where she provides counsel to the CEO, board of directors and executive leadership on corporate governance, securities, general corporate and commercial real estate matters, M&A and joint ventures, litigation, intellectual property, employment, compliance and risk management matters. Prior to joining Perry Ellis, Ms. Thompkins held senior legal positions with Office Depot and Spectrum Brands. She also practiced in the Washington D.C. office of Ballard Spahr LLP and co-managed a law office as a senior supervisory attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is actively involved as a board member and/or officer of Family Promise of South Palm Beach County, Jack and Jill of America and the West Palm Beach (FL) Chapter of the Links Inc.
The 7 Hallmarks of Effective Boards
In this brand new episode of ‘Talent Talks,’ we delve into the seven hallmarks of building effective boards with our host Andrew Mitchell, alongside Sabine Dembkowski, managing partner at Better Boards.
According to Ms. Dembkowski, there is indeed a question about the relevance of boards today. “There is a disconnect from what we are seeing between boards and the knowhow that is necessary to be successful in the 21st century,” said Ms. Dembkowski. Listen now!
Ms. Brenner is vice president and deputy general counsel at Ryder System Inc., a Fortune 500 global transportation and supply chain company. She is responsible for providing legal counsel on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, SEC financial reporting, executive compensation and benefits, sustainability initiatives and government relations. She collaborates with the board of directors and senior management on a wide variety of legal, governance and strategic initiatives. Previously, Ms. Brenner was director of legal affairs for Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that, she was a senior associate with Hunton & Williams LLP responsible for advising boards and senior management at Fortune 500 corporations.
Related: U.S. Boards Seen as Slowly Evolving
Teach for America works in partnership with urban and rural communities in more than 50 regions across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach for America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity.
Veteran Recruiters
Greenwich Harbor Partners’ principals have worked in industry as general managers and investors and have direct professional experience with the types of issues that face their clients. The firm’s client roster includes IBM Cloud Services, Media General, Marlin Equity Partners, DIRECTV, SpinMedia, ReelzChannel TV and Keurig Green Mountain, among others.
Ms. Pryor has over 20 years of senior executive search experience. She has recruited board directors, CEOs and their direct reports, as well as partners for private equity firms. In addition to her board seat with the New York Pops, she serves as an advisory board member for Constellation Ventures. A veteran of the internet space since the early ’90s, she has deep experience in digital media, entertainment and private equity.
Adding Value to Your Board
In this brand new episode of ‘Talent Talks,’ our host Andrew Mitchell is joined alongside Kevin Hall, managing partner and global co-head of the natural resources practice group at AltoPartners Canada.
According to Mr. Hall, when looking to recruit a new board member, the first thing you need to understand is how that individual will add value to your organization. “Succession planning for boards is just as important as it is for the executive team,” said Mr. Hall. “It is key to know what the potential talent pipeline could be, and sometimes you have to be quick to secure the best individuals for your board.” Listen now!
Mr. Pryor focuses on senior-level assignments for general management, sales, marketing and digital transformation. He specializes in recruiting executives using his four years as CFO and CEO of a venture-backed start-up, 10 years at General Electric Capital and 20 years in international finance and investment banking. Mr. Pryor has served on public, private and non-profit boards and chaired the audit committee for the Boston Celtics. In executive recruiting, he has focused on business services, digital marketing, e-commerce, ad sales, place-based advertising, communications and customer service for growth companies and large national brands.
Related: 10 Key Findings That Impact Board Performance
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media