As you advance in your career, there are a number of organizations that you should become aware of, aimed at improving board skills and corporate governance. These include the Director’s Network, the Board Institute, ISS/Risk Metrics, and particularly National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) which has chapters in most major regions of the United States.
As soon as you begin interacting with a board, pay more attention to these groups and, if you can, wangle an invitation to attend meetings as a guest. There are 22 chapters nationwide and NACD is a member of the Global Network of Directors Institutes.
When you meet the membership criteria, join, particularly if you can get the company to pay for membership. NACD offers full membership for directors and executives of a company or not-for-profit. Individuals can join if they are active directors of public, private or not-for-profit organizations. (Thanks to Peter Gleason, Managing Director and CFO of NACD for this information.) They also offer a Boardroom Executive Affiliate program which offers limited benefits including access to NACD Directors Daily, “Directorship” Magazine and a mobile app, the NACD webinar series and inclusion in the Director’s Registry of board candidates.