Board Director Program
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Step into the Boardroom with Credibility, Vision, and Purpose
Boards today face growing disruption, from geopolitical shifts and rapid digital change to emerging technologies such as AI and rising stakeholder demands. Board leaders must move beyond compliance and demonstrate thought leadership to provide strategic foresight, ethical governance, and sustainability practices. As the governance landscape evolves, organizations seek board directors who can lead with vision and purpose.
The Board Director Program from UCLA Anderson Executive Education empowers current and aspiring corporate directors like you to build advanced capabilities in financial oversight, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration, risk governance, stakeholder engagement, and digital transformation. Through a blend of live online modules and a five-day, in-person immersion on the UCLA Anderson School of Management campus, the program equips board directors with the knowledge, frameworks, and strategies required to lead modern boards. By the end of the program, participants will emerge with a tailored board leadership project, a well-defined leadership style, and the confidence to shape resilient, high-impact boards.
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Learning Outcomes
The Board Director Program will enable you to:
Understand board structures, roles, and evolving responsibilities by gaining expert insights
Practice and refine strategic decision making skills to sharpen your boardroom influence and leadership style
Build your financial fluency and risk governance skills using real-world board scenarios
Integrate ESG frameworks and sustainability best practices to strengthen governance strategies
Navigate stakeholder complexity across markets, build trust, and reshape shareholder negotiations
Integrate ethical reasoning into your approach and grow your boardroom presence
Prepare for emerging risks by leveraging UCLA’s expertise in technology, cybersecurity, AI, and digital governance relevant to modern board challenges
Gain actionable insights into your board leadership style and adapt your approach for maximum boardroom impact
Complete an individualized board leadership project to accelerate your board leadership
UCLA Anderson's Transformative Leader Model
UCLA Anderson’s Transformative Leader Flywheel offers a bold new framework for boardroom excellence. The six-capability model redefines what it means to lead from the top. For today’s directors, mastering these capabilities isn’t optional; it’s essential for effective governance, ethical oversight, and long-term value creation. The UCLA Anderson Board Director Program is purpose-built to cultivate these traits through immersive curriculum and experiential learning, mapping each capability to the real-world roles directors must play to steer their organizations through complexity with clarity and confidence.
Program Highlights
Explore a tailored leadership journey that allows for deeper self-awareness and strategic clarity.
Learn from UCLA Anderson’s emeriti faculty, who have not just studied boardroom governance but have sat at board tables.
Experience a transformative, five-day, in-person immersion at the UCLA Anderson campus in Los Angeles.
Gain a distinctive West Coast perspective from UCLA on cutting-edge topics, including digital risks, AI, cybersecurity, and sustainability.
Engage with immersive program elements, including mock board meetings, case simulations, and the Board Wisdom video library.
Apply your program insights to action with a strategic board project aligned to your personal boardroom trajectory, elevating not just what you know but how you lead.
Prepare to earn UCLA board certification and academic credits through an optional exam aligned with the program’s comprehensive curriculum.
Gain access to select UCLA alumni benefits upon program completion, from networking events to industry-specific community engagement.
Program Curriculum
This three-phase learning journey is designed with a distinct West Coast lens and delivered through a combination of live online modules, a five-day immersive on-campus experience in Los Angeles, and a live online project phase.
Module 1: Future of Corporate Governance
Explore modern boardroom challenges, including geopolitical uncertainty, cybersecurity, activist investors, and AI governance. Recognize emerging risks shaping board agendas, and formulate responsive and resilient governance strategies.
Modules 2 & 3: Boardroom Accountability and Strategic Decision Making (Parts I and II)
Analyze how boards oversee strategic decisions without micromanaging, ensuring accountability and enabling innovation. Evaluate frameworks for board oversight versus management execution, and practice decision making scenarios that balance strategic risks and rewards.
Module 4: Setting the Tone at the Top: The Board's Role in Shaping Culture
Explore how corporate culture shapes behavior and how boards influence ethical performance from the top down. Assess culture as both a risk and an opportunity, and create board-level actions to shape it effectively.
Module 5: Future Trends: Emerging Risks, Opportunities, and Technologies in the Boardroom
Learn how technology acts as both an enabler and a disruptor and how boards must navigate digital transformation. Assess the strategic impact of emerging technologies, and develop strategies for cybersecurity and digital ethics.
Module 6: Navigating Strategic Choices: A Board's Guide to Value Creation
Understand how boards create sustainable value by guiding and overseeing strategic initiatives. Frame board-level discussions around long-term value creation, and enhance oversight of strategic resource allocation.
Module 7: Economic Forecast Dinner Keynote
Gain macroeconomic insights from a distinguished economist to inform future board-level decisions. Identify economic risks and opportunities relevant to board governance.
Module 8: Strategic Management and the Board
Examine how boards drive strategic clarity, prioritize resources, and engage effectively. Balance strategic challenge and support for management.
Module 9: Managing Risk at the Board Level and Mock Board Meetings
Practice board-level risk management through simulated board meetings and real-world scenarios. Integrate risk oversight into board discussions, and strengthen decision making in risk-intensive situations.
Module 10: Integrating Sustainability and ESG into Board Governance
Embed ESG considerations into board strategy and oversight by designing ESG governance frameworks and engaging authentically with sustainability and social impact.
Module 11: Increasing Board Proficiency in Financial Oversight
Enhance your board-level financial literacy and audit committee effectiveness. Analyze financial statements and KPIs for governance purposes, and monitor financial health to detect early warning signals.
Module 12: Executive Compensation and Succession Planning
Explore best practices for executive pay structures and leadership succession planning. Link executive compensation to strategic objectives, and build robust, future-focused succession plans.
Module 13: Activist Shareholder Negotiation Exercise
Role-play negotiation with activist investors to balance governance, strategy, and stakeholder interests. Practice negotiation under high-pressure scenarios to strengthen boardroom resilience and adaptability.
Module 14: Alumni Board Dinner and Speaker Sessions
Connect with successful alumni board directors to learn from their real-world governance experiences and expand your professional board network. Gain skills to apply lived experiences from board veterans to your practice.
Module 15: Global Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement
Understand how global dynamics are reshaping stakeholder engagement and boardroom responsibilities. Build trust, and drive reputation management.
Module 16: Board Leadership and Influence
Deepen your boardroom influence, conflict resolution, and leadership skills for high-stakes governance environments. Lead complex board discussions with diplomacy, and foster high-performing board cultures.
Board Project
For this program, you will complete a board-level project that aligns with your leadership goals. This tailored experience will be further supported through peer feedback and faculty coaching.
Individual and Peer Coaching Sessions
Throughout the program, you will engage in three individual coaching sessions focused on deepening your self-awareness and helping you develop a leadership action plan. You will also join small peer coaching circles, led by a professional coach, where you will reflect on your progress and address real-time leadership challenges.
Board Certification Pathway
UCLA Anderson offers a board certification exam. This exam is not mandatory; however, the program curriculum will suffice for participants who wish to appear for this exam.
Note: Topics and sessions are subject to change.
On-Campus Immersion at UCLA
The myriad cultural, sporting, and entertainment opportunities at UCLA Anderson make the campus highly conducive to learning and growth. The five-day, immersive, in-person module included in the Board Director Program will be held at our Los Angeles campus, situated conveniently at the city’s eclectic heart. Through this module, participants can expect to refresh their intellectual curiosity, escape the daily grind, and emerge inspired for the path ahead.
Lead with the Right Questions
This session provides you with an opportunity to evaluate your grasp of key governance concepts, checking your readiness for UCLA’s board certification exam, which is optional, and develop a strategic framework for the critical questions to raise and answer in board meetings.
NACD Directorship Certification®
The UCLA Anderson Board Director Program has been accredited by The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Program participants will earn 15 recertification credits toward NACD Directorship Certification®.
NACD is the leading member organization for corporate directors who want to expand their knowledge, grow their network and maximize their potential. For more than 47 years, NACD has helped boards and the business community elevate their performance and create long-term value. NACD leadership continues to raise standards of excellence and advance board effectiveness at thousands of member companies. Learn more at www.nacdonline.org.
Program Timeline
Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|
Welcome Session | February 25, 2026 | Live Online | One 60-Minute Session |
Phase 1: Building the Boardroom Mindset | March 4 – April 15, 2026 | Live Online | Four 120-Minute Sessions |
Phase 2: Board Leadership in Action | April 27 – May 1, 2026 | In Person | Five Days at the UCLA Anderson Campus in Los Angeles |
Phase 3: Board Readiness in Practice | May 13 – 27, 2026 | Live Online | Two 120-Minute Sessions |
Faculty
Co-Faculty Director, Board Director Program; Faculty Co-Director, Corporate Governance Program; Professor of Accounting, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Co-Faculty Director, Adjunct Professor of Accounting; Associate Dean, Fully Employed MBA Program and Executive MBA Programs, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Contributing Faculty
Faculty Director, Easton Technology Management Center; Adjunct Professor of Decisions, Operations and Technology Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Associate Professor of Strategy and Behavioral Decision Making; Director, Behavioral Lab, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Professor of Management, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; Director, Leadership in Sustainability Certificate Program, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Senior Associate Dean, MBA Programs; Professor of Management and Organizations, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Alumni Benefits
Upon completion of the program, you will receive global alumni status in addition to alumni benefits*:
Gain access to a vast community of over 700,000 UCLA alumni worldwide, providing extensive networking opportunities
Receive a personalized, lifelong forwarding email address
Gain access to lifelong learning initiatives, including workshops, webinars, and executive education programs
Attend alumni-specific events, including the annual alumni conference, regional gatherings, and global networking sessions
Join regional alumni chapters and industry-specific interest groups to deepen your connections and collaborate on shared interests
*Benefits are subject to change at the discretion of UCLA Anderson.
Certificate
Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive a verified digital certificate from UCLA Anderson Executive Education.
The certificate is a recognition of the participant’s achievement and the investment they and their organization have made in their education and development.
Who Is This Program For?
The Board Director Program equips accomplished executives across industries who are preparing for or are currently serving in board governance roles.
The program is ideal for:
C-suite executives transitioning to board roles and seeking to leverage their leadership experience in governance settings
Executives aspiring to serve on corporate or nonprofit boards and looking to build the expertise needed to add value as effective board members
Current board members aiming to enhance their impact and stay ahead of evolving governance trends
Investors or advisors involved in board governance matters who want to deepen their understanding of boardroom dynamics and decision making
Participants are required to have:
A minimum of 10 years of senior leadership experience
Fluency in written and spoken English
FAQs
The Board Director Program from UCLA Anderson Executive Education is an immersive, live online and in-person program that is aimed at helping current and aspiring board directors scale new heights in their careers. Participants receive select UCLA Anderson alumni benefits upon completion of the program.
The Board Director Program from UCLA Anderson Executive Education is aimed at refining strategic decision-making skills, elevating ethical judgment, and sharpening boardroom influence and leadership style to address the needs of board directors. Participants come from diverse backgrounds and different countries and have a minimum of 10 years of work experience.
The Board Director Program is a three-phase learning journey that is delivered through a combination of live online modules, a five-day immersive, on-campus experience in Los Angeles, and a live online project phase.
The Board Director Program from UCLA Anderson Executive Education spans three key phases: Building the Boardroom Mindset, Board Leadership in Action, and Board Readiness in Practice. Participants will build their boardroom governance skills, learn to integrate ESG and sustainability best practices, navigate stakeholder complexity, and develop strategic decision making capabilities. They will also combine theory with practice by working on a board-level project that is tailored to align with their leadership roles.
Applicants to the Board Director Program must submit an online application that includes essays based on their professional journey. The application fees vary by rounds, and applying earlier helps your chances of being accepted into the program.
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides participant enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Program fees for Emeritus programs with UCLA Anderson School of Management may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
Connect with a Program Advisor for a 1:1 Session
Our program advisors have helped senior executives across the world choose the right program for their career goals. Schedule a 1:1 to get a deeper understanding of why the Board Director Program is the right fit for you.
Email: bod_uclaa@emeritus.org
Phone: +13157573910 (U.S.) / +442038933525 (U.K.) / +971800035703577 (UAE) / +525596523248 (LATAM)
We encourage early application due to limited cohort capacity.
Flexible payment options available.
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