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. Groups meet quarterly in 2023.
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
Our Black Affinity Group is co-led by Vanessa Small, Co-Owner, Small Interventions Healthcare, LLC., and Yvonne Wolf, Chief People and Culture Officer, Trust for Public Land.
Quarterly Meetings:
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2/27 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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5/23 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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8/30 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
Asian Affinity Group
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.
Quarterly Meetings:
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2/28 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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5/25 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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8/29 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
Latinx Affinity Group
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.
Quarterly Meetings:
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5/31 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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9/8 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
Middle Eastern (MENA) Affinity Group
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; Maryam Naghavi, Counsel, Dechert LLP
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/3 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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6/1 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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9/8 @ 4pm PST / 7pm EST
LGBTQ Affinity Group
Our LGBTQ Affinity Group is co-led by Susan O'Malley, Head of PHC StrategyHead of PHC Strategy, Genentech and Nancy Geenen, CEO, Flexability, Board Member, Prosperity Digital Marketplace and LHB Architecture, Engineering & Planning, Professional EOS Implementer, EOS Worldwide.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/3 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
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6/6 @ 3pm PST / 6pm EST
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9/6 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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Chief Financial & Accounting Officers Affinity Group
Our CFO Affinity Group is co-led by Josette Ferrer, Clairent Advisors, Julie Cavanna-Jerbic, Iron Butterfly Consulting LLC, and Shreya Jain, VP Finance & Corporate Controller, Zultys, Inc.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/29 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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6/7 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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9/15 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
Finance & Banking Affinity Group
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.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/9 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
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6/2 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
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9/7 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
Healthcare Affinity Group
Our Healthcare Affinity Group is co-led by Lisa Carmel, Executive Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships, Veranex, and Dianne Keen-Kim , SVP, Laboratory Affairs and Quality, Natera, Adjunct Clinical Professor, Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Founder & CEO, Arete Diagnostics, Chairman Of The Board Of Directors, Arete Diagnostics, Inc.
Quarterly Meetings:
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4/11 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
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6/6 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
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9/11 @ 10am PST / 1pm EST
Legal Affinity Group
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.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/14 @ 1pm PST / 4pm EST
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6/9 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST
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9/14 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
DEI & CHRO Affinity Group
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Our DEI & CHRO Affinity Group is led by Nadine Greiner, Chief Human Resources Officer, Lucira Health and Kathy Zwickert, Board Member / CHRO / CPA / Hyper-Growth Executive.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/8 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
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6/7 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
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9/12 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
Marketing Affinity Group
Our Marketing Affinity Group is co-led by
Karen Clarkson, Vice President, Go-to-Market Strategy, Sustainability and Partnerships North American at Ricoh USA, Inc. and
Julie Candelon, CEO-Fractional CMO/VP Demand Generation at JM@rketing
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/13 @ 3pm PST / 6pm EST
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6/8 @ 2pm PST / 5pm EST
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9/12 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
Technology Affinity Group
Our Technology Affinity Group is led by Susan Akbarpour, Managing Partner, Candou Ventures, Board Member, Facenote and KQED and Yogita Parulekar. Founder & CEO, Invi Grid Inc., Charter Member, TiE, Cybersecurity liaison, Private Directors Association.
Quarterly Meetings:
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3/8 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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6/6 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST
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9/13 @ 12pm PST / 3pm EST