
How Women Lead
Affinity Groups
How Women Lead created Membership Based Affinity Groups to demystify and share the board journey process, positioning, resources, and to connect you with women like yourself. You belong here and you belong in leadership on boards.
*There is a nominal fee to join each group.

Register for our Membership-Based Affinity Groups
These affinity groups are meant for both board directors and aspiring board directors who identify under a certain affinity ranging from career field, industry, race, & sexuality. Our goal in creating these Affinity Groups is to create spaces that bridge the gap.
Black Affinity Group
August 23 @ 8:30am PT

Our Black Affinity Group is co-led by Vanessa Small, Senior Director, Biologics, Cue Health Inc., and Yvonne Wolf, Senior Consultant at NeuroLeadership Institute & Board Director.
Speakers for this gathering include:
Joyce Cacho, Experienced Board Member. ESG Advisor, Banking, Manufacturing, Speaker & Former Fortune 250 Board Director
Asian Affinity Group
August 23 @ 2:00pm PT

Our Asian Affinity Group is co-led by Rika Nakazawa,
Group Vice President, Connected IndustryGroup Vice President, Connected Industry NTT Ltd., and Christina Bui, Co-Founder and Managing Partner - Kylan Ventures.
Latinx Affinity Group
August 24 @ 2:00pm PT

Our Latinx Affinity Group is co-led by Teresa Alvarado, Vice president, Pacific Gas & Electric Company l Board Director, ESG Chair, and Maria Hernandez, President and Chief Operating Officer, Impact4Health, Board Member.
Speakers for this gathering include:
Fabiola Cobarrubias, Board Director, MD CEO, Pacific Inpatient Medical Group, ProAssurance and Beatriz Acevedo Board Director, 9thWonder Agency, Latino Community Foundation, LA Tech
Middle Eastern (MENA) Affinity Group
May 18 @ 3:00pm & August 26 @ 2:30pm PT

Our Middle Eastern (MENA) Affinity Group is co-led by Susan Akbarpour, Managing Partner, Candou Ventures, Board Member, Facenote and KQED; Banafsheh Akhlaghi, President & Chief Executive Officer, Akhlaghi Law; Board Member, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco & Entefy; Sepideh Nasiri, Founder and CEO, Women Of MENA In Technology.
LGBTQ Affinity Group
August 24 @ 11:00am PT

Our LGBTQ Affinity Group is co-led by Susan O'Malley, Head of PHC StrategyHead of PHC Strategy, Genentech.
Speakers for this gathering include:
Lisa Middleton Board Director, CalPERS, and Mayor of Palm Springs
Chief Financial & Accounting Officers Affinity Group
May 11 & September 7 @ 12:00pm PT

Our CFO Affinity Group is co-led by Jill Hetherington, Newfront, Josette Ferrer, Clairent Advisors, Julie Cavanna-Jerbic, Iron Butterfly Consulting LLC, and Shannon Nash, Wing
Speakers for this gathering include:
Catriona Fallon, Board Director, Arlo Technologies, General Fusion, Palomar Specialty Insurance Company
Finance & Banking Affinity Group
August 26 @ 2:00pm PT

Our Finance and Banking Affinity Group is co-led by Catherine Gacad, Director, Bank Partnerships Airbase, and Sue Harnett, LifeStorage, Board Member, Bank Holding Company Board Member, Oriental.
Speakers for this gathering include:
Christa Steele CEO of BALCO Holdings Inc., Public and Private Board Director, and Maria Veltre
Chief Marketing and Digital Officer In Financial Services and Private Board Director
Healthcare Affinity Group
August 29 @ 8:30am PT

Our Healthcare Affinity Group is co-led by Lisa Carmel, Executive Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships, Veranex, and Shreya Jain, VP Finance & Corporate Controller at Zultys, Inc.
Speakers for this gathering include:
Faye Sahai, Partner of Telosity Fund at Vinaj Ventures and Board Director at Mirai.Global &
Meera J. Desai, PhD,Founder and Managing Partner of Karana Biotech, LLC and Board Director at Nielson BioSciences and Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Legal Affinity Group
August 31 @ 2:00pm PT

Our Legal Affinity Group is co-led by Aarthi Belani, Partner at Baker McKenzie, Sabrina Ashjian, Clinical Supervising Attorney, Environmental Law Clinic University of California, Berkeley, and Tricia Timm, Board Member, Salsify
Speakers for this gathering include:
Kimberly Fullerton Executive Search and Leadership Partner and Consultant at Spencer Stuart, Ilana Wolfe Head of Corporate Board Engagement, Goldman Sachs, Tania Binder Partner at Spencer Stuart and Marie Oh Huber SVP, Chief Legal Officer & GC, eBay Inc.; Board Member at Portland General Electric & Adevinta ASA
DEI & CHRO Affinity Group
August 30 @ 8:30am PT

Our DEI & CHRO Affinity Group is co-led by Gena Cox, Founder / Organizational Psychologist & Executive Coach, Feels Human LLC. and Yvonne Wolf, Senior Consultant at NeuroLeadership Institute & Board Director.
Marketing Affinity Group
August 30 @ 2:00pm PT

Our Marketing Affinity Group is co-led by Christy Kennedy, Senior Water Resources Engineer & Hydrogeologist; Business Development Lead, Woodard & Curran and Jasmine Kim, Chief Marketing & Brand Officer, Sutter Health.
Technology Affinity Group
August 31 @ 8:30am PT

Our Technology Affinity Group is led by Avanthi Shah, Founder and CEO, NextVerse AI, Board Member and Susan Akbarpour, Managing Partner, Candou Ventures, Board Member, Facenote and KQED
Speakers for this gathering include:
Koh Kim Head of Ecosystem Partnerships and Marketing, Mysten Labs, and Violet Abtahi COO at Boba Network, and Enya.ai, Co-Founder and Board Director, SynXspace