Elizabeth Fessenden is an experienced independent director serving public and private corporate boards — including chairing audit, compensation, governance and CEO search committees. She currently serves on four corporate boards.

Liz is retired from a lengthy career with Alcoa Flexible Packaging, a worldwide business, where she last held the position of president. Previously, she was a group president for several of Alcoa’s primary allied businesses. In each of these multifaceted roles, Liz was responsible for profits and losses while leading, managing and developing business leaders and support staff. Her nearly 30-year Alcoa career also included positions in engineering management, maintenance management, production management, marketing, smelting plant management and global executive leadership development and staffing.

In addition, Liz has held various leadership roles for a number of not-for-profit organizations, including director of the Virginia Manufacturing Association, president of ChildSavers of Central Virginia and president of the Lake Titus Protective Association. She recently completed more than 20 years of service as a trustee for Clarkson University, and has been awarded two distinguished alumni awards, an honorary degree and emeritus trustee status from Clarkson.

Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in business and a master’s degree in science from Clarkson University. She resides in Richmond, Virginia and Lake Titus, New York.

Nikole Burroughs has nearly 25 years of experience in foreign policy, international development and national security. She is a partner at Tiber Creek Group, where she co-leads the appropriations practice and advises companies and NGOs on global government relations. 

Burroughs previously served as deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development, overseeing strategic investments, personnel matters and agency policy. She also held roles as deputy assistant administrator, interim head of the agency’s $30 billion annual budget and senior adviser to the deputy secretary of state. Earlier in her career, she was staff director for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation and a professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she championed funding for programs supporting women and girls. 

Burroughs holds master’s degrees from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and the College of Europe and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont. She has traveled extensively across Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. 

Sue Benton is the managing member of Benton Firm LLC. In this role, she acts as a litigator and counselor to clients, providing solutions for their immediate and long-term labor management and employment concerns.

She is also regularly retained by companies and boards of directors to conduct investigations into allegations of management misconduct, as well as allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Sue has assisted clients in a range of industries, including professional services, consulting, broadcast, law, financial services, insurance, communications, technology, manufacturing and distribution. She has done this on international, national and regional levels as a counselor, investigator, negotiator and trial attorney before state and federal trial and appellate courts, the National Labor Relations Board and other administrative bodies and self-regulatory authorities.

Sue also serves as outside general counsel to an executive search firm. Prior to starting Benton Firm LLC, she was a partner at large international law firms for more than 25 years.

Beyond her professional career, Sue is involved in the community through Plan USA, Youth Guidance and Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.

Her professional endeavors and community work have earned her awards and recognition, including fellowships for the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and American Bar Foundation, as well as a Top 100 Lawyers recognition from Illinois Leading Lawyers. Sue has also maintained a rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell for 25 consecutive years, given to attorneys who are placed by their peers at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills and ethical standards.

Lori Maddams is a seasoned finance and operations executive with more than 35 years of experience in the professional services industry. Throughout her impressive career, Lori has showcased a diverse skill set and a proven track record of driving financial and operational success within global organizations. Her outstanding leadership, communication and interpersonal skills have allowed her to establish a strong rapport with stakeholders at all levels.

She has 30 years of leadership at the Boston Consulting Group, currently as executive director and Lori serves as the finance operations leader, driving the evolution of the finance organization through efficient and scalable processes, policies and tools. Over the years, she has been an integral part of BCG’s growth, overseeing 1,000+ finance professionals and spearheading the launch of finance-shared services in Delhi where the team of professionals successfully stabilized and serviced most local markets.

Lori has traveled extensively with BCG and has worked in Hong Kong, setting up their Asian offices, and as the European head of finance in London. As a valued member of the finance leadership team and the enterprise services leadership team, she actively contributes to shaping the strategic direction of the organization’s financial operations.

Before joining BCG, Lori gained valuable experience at WANG and KPMG. During this time, she also became a member of the Certified Public Accountants in Florida and Massachusetts. At WANG, she specialized in international accounting and consolidation as well as internal audit; while at KPMG, she worked as an auditor with a focus on financial institutions.

Lori received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and her master’s degree in accounting from Florida International University.

Jackie Yeaney is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience as a business strategist and chief marketing officer. She excels in driving sustainable growth by focusing on customer-centric strategies and unique value propositions. With expertise in corporate strategy, brand development and digital marketing, Jackie has led successful transformations, guiding organizations to significant revenue growth. Jackie’s diverse background spans companies such as The Boston Consulting Group, Tableau Software, Red Hat and Delta Air Lines.

Jackie started her career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and is currently an independent director at Iridium and Talkspace. She holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, an electrical engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and actively engages in community service initiatives.