New Director Board Due Diligence

by Tracy E. Houston —

New Director Board Due Diligence

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT TASK before you join a board is due diligence. This Board Guru™ Handbook, New Director Board Due Diligence, authored by board advisory consultant, Tracy E. Houston, compiles a clear and compact, yet detailed roadmap for board due diligence. Instead of merely examining the risks of board service, it explores both the risks and rewards. Since the format provided can be used for all types of boards, New Director Board Due Diligence will find a home on any director’s short list of handy references.

In a world marked by disruptive forces, sharp scrutiny, and tighter board accountability, wise director candidates are asking more questions. Whether you are considering a for-profit, non-profit, government, or advisory board seat, examining both the risks and rewards in a systematic fashion sets the groundwork for a thoughtful career move.

The information gathered from the process provided in the handbook can be used by the candidate or in conjunction with partners in the due diligence process such as attorneys and other advisors to improve understanding of the proposed opportunity. Our goal is for you to have detailed information from which to make an informed decision before a board appointment is accepted. New Director Board Due Diligence is a reference you will return to again and again for the tools used in an exhaustive due diligence process, including:

• Step-by-step instructions for the process of discovering important information about an Organization;
•  Top Ten Due Diligence Mistakes Made by Board Candidates;
• A Best Fit Chart to organize your thoughts;
• A comprehensive list of information to request from management and the board;
• Dozens of questions to use during interviews;
• An organized method to rate your reactions before making a final decision;

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Tracy E. Houston, M.A. is the President of Board Resources Services, LLC. She is a refined specialist in board consulting and executive coaching with a heartfelt passion for rethinking performance, teams, and the boardroom.

Tracy’s “deep smarts” of the boardroom’s ecosystem are gained from first-hand participation as a former sitting director, consultant to boards and author of the Board Guru™ eBook Series With nine years of experience executing board search and governance based consulting engagements, her boardroom background, along with key insights of the politics of leadership and the competitive pressures of today's global marketplace, is embodied in a roll-up-your-sleeves style.

Tracy, with six years of experience as a sitting director, was one of the nation’s youngest women to sit on a board in the electric utility sector where she provided leadership during a period of industry change driven by deregulation, privatization, technology and globalization forces. She is the past chairman of the board of the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology. In 2008 she was inducted into one of Colorado's local women's hall of fame groups.

Extensively published, Tracy has written hundreds of blogs that are featured on several award- winning websites. Frequently quoted, Tracy has recently appeared in Corporate Counsel’s In-House Straight, Energy Wire and After Nines. Her articles have been seen in many publications from The Denver Business Journal, Financial Executives International Magazine and Computer Weekly.

Tracy’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Science, Business Management from Metropolitan State College. Her graduate studies were completed at the University of Denver. She is a patron member of the Colorado Bar Association. Tracy is an avid hiker and recently backpacked in the Grand Canyon.