Ian Bremmer, Sharon Bowen, Anima Anandkumar and Shelly Palmer to Headline 2025 NACD Directors Summit™

NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Co-Chairs Wayne Peacock and Dona Young to Release Report on Board–CEO Relationship 

WASHINGTON, DC (Aug. 19, 2025) – The National Association of Corporate Directors® (NACD), the trusted authority on boardroom governance representing more than 24,000 corporate directors, will convene a powerful lineup of keynote speakers and governance experts at the 2025 NACD Directors Summit™, Oct. 13–15, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, just outside Washington, DC. 

The NACD Directors Summit is the premier gathering of corporate board directors, with more than 1,600 participants, representing more than 500 boards, expected to engage in forward-looking conversations on board–CEO dynamics, cybersecurity, technological innovation and long-term value creation. 

On Monday, October 13, a media roundtable will launch the "Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Building a High-Trust Board-CEO Relationship." The report is co-chaired by Wayne Peacock, former CEO of USAA, and Dona Young, non-executive chair of Foot Locker and a board member at USAA and NACD. 

Members of the press interested in attending NACD Directors Summit 2025, participating in the media roundtable (in person or virtually) or requesting interviews with speakers should contact Shannon Bernauer by September 26. Please note: Mainstage sessions are open to media and all breakout sessions are held under the Chatham House Rule. The full agenda is available here. 

Mainstage Speakers: NACD Directors Summit 2025
Monday, Oct. 13

• Peter Gleason, president and CEO, NACD
• Wayne Peacock and Dona Young, co-chairs, 2025 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission —"Optimizing the Board-CEO Relationship"
• (Launch of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission report)
• Ian Bremmer, president and founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media — "The Power of Crisis"

Tuesday, Oct. 14 

• Sharon Bowen, NYSE chair, director and governance leader — "Trailblazing Leadership in Action: A Strategic Fireside Chat with NYSE Chair Sharon Bowen"
• Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, founder and president, Chief Executive Leadership Institute; senior associate dean, Yale School of Management — "Transforming Corporate Leadership: A Conversation with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the CEO Whisperer"
• Anima Anandkumar, AI researcher and professor at Caltech — "Bridging the Digital and Physical Worlds with AI"

Wednesday, Oct. 15 

• Shelly Palmer, advanced media professor, Syracuse University; CEO, The Palmer Group — "Navigating the Future: AI, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, NFTs & Smart Contracts"

Additional mainstage speakers will address innovation, AI, crisis leadership, and long-term value creation. 

Summit participants represent more than 400 private and public companies and over 65 industries. They represent Fortune 500 companies, leading financial services and health care businesses, global consulting and law firms and companies on the cutting-edge of AI, cyber-risk management and emerging tech. For a full list of boards and companies registered to attend Summit, click here.  

"As governance challenges intensify — especially around CEO–board alignment, emerging risk and technological disruption — clear guidance matters more than ever," said Peter Gleason, president and CEO of NACD. "NACD Summit 2025 brings together world-class practitioners and thinkers to help boards lead with impact, resilience and insight. I look forward to seeing so many of our members in October and encourage those not yet registered to not wait until the last minute to join us." 

For full event details, visit: https://summit.nacdonline.org 

Press Contact
Shannon Bernauer
sbernauer@nacdonline.org
571-367-3688