Report of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on the Diverse Board

This year’s Blue Ribbon Commission examined the issue of board diversity. Evidence continues to mount on the benefits of diversifying the board’s members with respect to gender, age, ethnicity, and skill sets. Despite the observed benefits, boards have yet to move away from the “traditional” board—those with little to no diversity.

The Commission’s challenge was to identify the barriers to diversity and provide a roadmap to bring new perspectives into the boardroom. The result was what this Commission calls a “Strategy of Inclusion.” This three-step strategy asks boards to: 1) Discuss their current composition, 2)select and implement solutions to improve board diversity, and 3)disclose their search process and the potential value diversity brings to the board.