Black Corporate Board Readiness
Our February cohort is full!
Apply now for the session beginning June 3, 2021
Diversity starts at the top.
We’ve built a pathway to help women gain board seats—now it’s time to increase racial diversity in the board room. It’s well known that having a diverse corporate board leads to more diversity at all levels of the company. Our Women’s Corporate Board Readiness program (now recruiting its fifth cohort) has already helped women land board positions. We are continuing our mission of building ecosystems to create authentic board diversity with the launch of our Black Corporate Board Readiness program.
In 2019, 37% of S&P 500 companies did not have any Black board members. Black directors only comprised 4% of Russell 3000 board directors. Our Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) program helps prepare Black executives for board service, and connect those candidates to networks to increase the likelihood of placement. The program is open to executives with extensive senior leadership experience or equivalent span of control (e.g., CEO or GM), who are interested in public or private corporate board service. #ITSTIME to take your seat at the board table.
Board member Shellye Archambeau, author of Unapologetically Ambitious on diversity

Across the nation, people are screaming, crying out for social equality and to get rid of social injustice, inequality. My feeling is that business has a role to play and that it’s very important for business to act now. If business does not show leadership now, people will look for leadership elsewhere. Leadership by business starts by ensuring more diversity in the boardroom.
It starts with Silicon Valley.
Widely regarded as the world’s most entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem, Silicon Valley is home to some of the world’s largest and most prominent public tech firms, as well as a vast community of ventures and VC organizations. Across the spectrum, there is an enormous opportunity to increase diversity on boards that govern these organizations. Join us in building a community that leads the way in social justice and better business.

The program meets on Zoom June 3–4 and July 8–9, with coaching and webinars in between.
View the full scheduleMeet our program facilitators, mentors, and advisors who will help you in your journey to board directorship.
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Caretha Coleman

Mark Goodman

Almaz Negash

Desirée Stolar

Robin Washington
Board Director and Adviser, CFO

Barry Williams
Registration Information
The program is open to executives with extensive senior leadership experience or equivalent span of control (e.g., CEO or GM), as well as executives who have successfully built and sold companies, and who are interested in public or private corporate board service. Please contact us here if you have any questions.
After you complete the application form, we will review your background and notify you of acceptance into the program.
Here's everything you need to know about becoming a BCBR member.
- Program Fee - $7195.00
- Early Bird Fee - $6995.00, Non-Profit Fee - $6475.00
- Teams of 3 or more from the same company receive a 10% discount.
- SCU Alumni receive a 20% discount
- Optional: Harrison Assessment and Debrief add-on - $650
- Payment can be made via credit card (Amex, Visa, Mastercard) or via Company Check payable to the Silicon Valley Executive Center.
- All class meetings take place virtually
- This course is eligible for 7.75 total hours of MCLE credit
- A detailed topic agenda will be available one week prior to the start of the program.
- Program materials will be provided in digital format.