Professional Governance Certificate

The Dilemma

• Most former pro athletes have no experienced professional governance culture; it is hard to understand what a professional director is without being exposed to the culture and engaging with professional directors
• There are more qualified board candidates than board positions available in corporate America (public and private companies)
• Not having a professional governance certificate from an accredited academic institution can be a competitive disadvantage for a board candidate
• Even among credentialed board candidates, there is a need to be differentiated with an enhanced level of corporate governance competency
• Finding good board positions is not easy; it takes time and effort

The Solution

Through the UTD Professional Governance Certificate Program, an individual will:

• Develop confidence that they can be an excellent corporate director by demonstrating an enhanced level of corporate governance competency governance competency
• Be exposed to professional governance culture and learn what a professional director is
• Know how to position themselves as a differentiated professional director candidate based on their former pro athletic background plus their professional governance academic achievement
• Knowing how to communicate, they can be a value-add professional director in board recruiting interviews
• Know how to effectively work with board search firms to find and be placed in targeted board positions
• Know how to develop and leverage a professional director network

The Outcome

After completing the UTD Professional Governance Certificate Program, an individual will:

• Be considered a credentialed professional director candidate
• Receive a certificate from an accredited university that notes the former pro has an enhanced level of corporate governance competency
• Be a member of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance and the American College of Corporate Directors, which are recognized professional governance organizations
• Have access to board service preparation and search resources to effectively find board positions
• Have a professional director network that can be leveraged to find board opportunities and advance their professional governance career

Overview

The UTD Professional Governance Certificate Program is sponsored by the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance (IECG) at UTD’s Jindal School of Management in partnership with the American College of Corporate Directors (ACCD) and Corporate Board Member. This program is targeted to former professional and Olympic athletes who aspire to be candidates for corporate board positions. In addition to a robust academic curriculum, the program also incorporates board service preparation and search support, and professional director mentoring, events and membership affiliations.

Ideal Candidates

• Former pro athletes who are specifically seeking to advance their professional careers by serving on a corporate board
• Individuals with good personal judgment, ethical decision-making and intellectual curiousity
• Those with at least 10 years of business experience after their pro athletic career
• Individuals who are willing to commit to 2 semesters (8 months) of full engagement in the program
• After graduation, students who are willing to consider being a professional director mentor to future program participants

Program Components

• Two-Semester Online Academic Curriculum: a first-semester director fundamentals course and a second semester governance model course
• Monthly Group Cohort Learning: online group discussions to help stay on track with the academic curriculum and to simulate board discussions on relevant corporate governance topics
• Corporate Governance Model Build Exercise: to demonstrate an enhanced level of professional governance competency by building a governance model tailored to a company’s governance profile
• Board Service Preparation and Search Support
• Professional Director Mentoring, Events and Membership Affiliations

Tuition cost is $5,000 per semester ($10,000 total cost)

About IECG

The Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance is an Academic Center within the Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas. IECG is known within the corporate governance community for what its name expresses – “excellence” in corporate governance. IECG adds value through its academic thought leadership for developing and implementing a comprehensive, actionable, measurable governance model framed around organizational resiliency, competitive advantage and stakeholder relationship trust.

Gregg Ballew
Executive Director
gregory.ballew@utdallas.edu
972-883-5967

Kellie Parrick
Program Manager
kellie.parrick@utdallas.edu
972-883-3902

About Corporate Board Member

Having served the corporate governance community for more than 20 years, Corporate Board Member connects the community of 25,000 U.S.-based public company directors to each other and to leading governance experts. Through peer networking opportunities and a suite of best-in-class tools and resources, Corporate Board Member aims to inspire corporate leaders to make an impact in the boardroom and beyond. Corporate Board Member’s membership network provides an educational and collaborative platform tailored to every director’s level of expertise, encouraging continuous learning regardless of experience. BoardMember.com

About ACCD

Since 2008, the American College of Corporate Directors credentials have been the “gold standard” in corporate director education, and those executives who earn them are highly valued in the corporate board member community. ACCD is the credentialed arm of Corporate Board Member, a division of the Chief Executive Group, which includes resources for boards, CEOs, CFOs and other C-Suite executives. www.boardmember.com/accd

Jamie Tassa
Publisher, Corporate Board Member, and Executive Director, ACCD
jtassa@chiefexecutivegroup.com
615-592-1506

Amy Tkaczyk
ACCD Credentials Coordinator
atkaczyk@chiefexecutivegroup.com
203-405-8831

Program Information

Brad Oates
Chairman at Stone Advisors
boates@stoneadvisors.com
214-727-5827

Program Academic Curriculum

Group Cohort Learning Model

Former pro athletes will meet virtually each month as a group cohort:

• To review the academic curriculum and help stay on track with the curriculum
• To have group discussions that simulate “real world” board meetings and professional director decision-making framed around current corporate governance topics related to the academic curriculum
• To foster a “team culture” that enhances individual learning
• To provide an opportunity for expanded friendships and a support structure for completing the program
• Which will be organized and led by a credentialed professional director

Program Workshops

At the end of both semesters, attendees will meet together, virtually as a group, in a 3-hour workshop led by professional director instructors

Governance Model Build Exercise

The Governance Model Build Exercise is the capstone academic component of the program

• Former pro athletes are placed in the role of a professional director that has been tasked by the lead director to develop a proposed governance model to be presented to the full board. The proposed governance model will be used to guide board discussions on developing and implementing a comprehensive, actionable, measurable governance model where the board and management are go-governance leaders with defined roles and responsibilities.
• Former pro athletes demonstrate an enhanced level of professional governance competency by building a governance model for a hypothetical company
• A hypothetical company case study will be presented that includes a governance profile with issues mapped to the 3-pyramid/9-step SIQ Governance Model
• Former pro athletes will build a proposed governance model for the hypothetical company using input templates and answering specific build questions that are mapped to each of the 9 steps in the SIQ Model
• Governance Model Build competency will be graded on a pass/fail basis by a committee of professional directors
• Former pro athletes must pass the Governance Model Build Exercise to receive the UTD Professional Governance Certificate. If a participant does not pass on their first attempt, committee members will work with them to correct any deficiencies so they can pass their second attempt.

Professional Director Mentoring, Events and Membership Affiliations

• Program participants will be paired 1 to 1 with experienced professional directors for the following purposes:
• To understand professional governance culture and what a best-in-class professional director is
• To learn the nuances of board discussions and professional director decision-making from an experienced professional director’s point of view and board service experiences
• To receive tips from an experienced professional director on how to pursue and be placed in board positions that are the right fit
• Former pro athletes are specifically invited and encouraged to attend select in-person professional director events at no additional cost
• Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance events
• Corporate Board Member and ACCD events
• After acceptance and registration, Former Pros will become members of IECG and ACCD with special memberships
• IECG – TBD
• ACCD – Director Qualified Credential upon graduation and a Designated Professional Director after being selected for a board position

Board Service Preparation and Search Support

• Former pro athletes will have a premium plus access to the Board Prospects platform that first includes a wide range of professional director information, services and events, including The Daily Boardroom Report
• Former pro athletes will personally work 1-on-1 with Board Prospects professionals to:
• Develop a personalized board resume/bio
• Learn how to effectively use Board Prospects’ platform to search and apply for board opportunities
• Learn how to work effectively with board search firms to find board opportunities
• Connect with other Board Prospects members to expand their professional director network.

Tuition

• $5,000 per semester ($10,000 total program tuition)
• In addition to the online academic curriculum, virtual group cohort meetings/workshops, professional director mentoring and Premium Plus Board Prospects membership, program tuition also includes the following:
• Registration fees to select IECG and ACCD professional director events (participants will be responsible for travel/hotel expenses)
• IECG Events – TBD
• ACCD Events – TBD
• An IECG TBD membership
• An ACCD Director Qualified Credential upon graduation

Application

• Apply for the program via this link:
Apply Here
• Your application will be reviewed, and you will be contacted about acceptance into the program
• Upon acceptance, you will receive additional instructions regarding tuition payment
• Qualified former NFL players are eligible for tuition assistance that pays $5,000 per semester from the Retired Players Trust (NFLPA). The tuition assistance is administered by AthLife.

Program Benefit Testimonials

“As the leading provider of board education for public company directors, Corporate Board Member seeks to inspire corporate leaders to make a positive impact in the boardroom and beyond. As such, we are honored to partner with UTD to deliver a best-in-class Director Fundamentals Program to prepare professional athletes for the next stage of their career journey.”

Jamie Tassa
VP Events & Publisher at Chief Executive Group

“The UTD Governance Certificate Program was designed by former professional athletes specifically for former professional athletes and Olympic athletes. The program will help former pros and Olympic athletes develop championship governance competencies to be a best-in-class corporate director….just as they were a best-in-class athlete in their sports career.”

Brad Oates
Former NFL Player
Chairman of Stone Advisors, LP

“The Director Fundamentals Program provided me a different way to think about board work at a higher level. My questions for my board are now different because of the perspective I’ve gained from both the curriculum and the exposure to sitting directors who were doing what I wanted to do. As I was going through the process, I found someone I could connect with as a coach/mentor. The program also helped me understand how to build relationships with people who could help me on my journey of becoming a corporate director.”

Mike Kelly
Managing Partner at Right Path Enterprises