Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein Evan Epstein

Jennifer Dulski is a Silicon Valley-based executive and board member. She is currently CEO and founder of Rising Team, a team performance platform that helps companies increase engagement and scale leadership development.

She also currently serves as the Lead Independent Director of Arcadia, a climate tech company. Her previous board experience includes serving on three public company boards: Weight Watchers, TEGNA, and Move (until its acquisition by NewsCorp).

We discuss her board journey, boardroom diversity initiatives, and alternative corporate structures such as non-profit and PBCs. We also address the rise of AI, board dynamics and evaluations, and navigating DEI and ESG in the boardroom.

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.

Sonita Lontoh is an independent director of Sunrun, the largest consumer solar-and-battery-as-a-service company in the U.S., and of TrueBlue, a workforce solutions company that connected ~2 million people to work in the past 3 years.

Previously, she had a ~30 year executive career at the intersection of innovation, climate/sustainability and digital transformation with companies such as HP, Siemens, and PG&E, and at other venture-backed startups.

We discuss the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Report on board culture, where she served as a commissioner, the increasing politicization of the boardroom, and the impact of geopolitics in the boardroom.

We also address the risks and opportunities of AI and its potential impact in the workforce.

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.

Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a company helping to position top 10% of executive women for advancement and board opportunities. We discuss the origin story of Athena, its transition from non-profit to for-profit, and its focus on supporting women for boardroom placements and other executive roles.

We also examine how board service varies in companies with differing capital structures (i.e. public, PE, VC, ESOPs and more), Athena's board readiness course, and the impact of AI in the board and economy generally.

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.

Greg Gretsch is Founding Partner and Managing Director of Jackson Square Ventures, an early-stage VC firm based in San Francisco that invests in software businesses.

In this episode, we discuss his entrepreneurial journey in Silicon Valley, both as a founder and an investor. We also explore power dynamics in founder-investor relationships, shifting governance norms (including distinctions between VC, PE, and public companies), and how equity compensation in tech companies has evolved in the last 25 years.

We also talk about the evolution of private markets including liquidity alternatives from secondary markets, plus the rise of AI as a new technology platform shift.

In addition, we talk about his investment in Cornershop, a leading online grocery provider focused originally on Latin America (acquired by Uber).

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.

Patrick Gadson is the Co-Head of Vinson & Elkins’ Shareholder Activism practice, which advises public companies in competitive proxy solicitations, strategic investor relations, and corporate governance.

We address the evolving dynamics of shareholder activism, the impact of universal proxy rules, and ESG activism (separating E vs S campaigns, as in Exxon and Starbucks). We also talk about differences in activist campaigns in large, mid, and small caps, and how boards should prepare for them. In addition, we address the role of institutional investors and proxy advisors in contested situations.

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.

Leah Solivan is a General Partner at Fuel Capital, a venture capital firm. Prior to that, she was the founder, CEO and Executive Chair at TaskRabbit. Leah scaled the company to 44 cities and raised more than $50 million. In 2017, TaskRabbit was acquired by IKEA.

We discuss her journey at TaskRabbit, with a special emphasis on her board experience. We address board composition, scaling, and CEO succession. We also talk about her transition to startup investing, and her thoughts about board service in public companies, and boardroom diversity generally.

If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com

This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.