Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals Elects New Chairman and Directors at 68th National Conference

BOSTON, June 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals ("Society") is pleased to announce the election of Douglas K. Chia as Chairman of the Society's Board of Directors for the 2014-2015 year. Mr. Chia is Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Chia was a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011 and has served in various Society leadership capacities, including chair of the Membership Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Chia takes office this week at the Society's 68^th National Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.  

Dannette L. Smith, Secretary to the Board at UnitedHealth Group Incorporated in Minnetonka, Minnesota, was elected Chairman-Elect of the Society's Board for 2014-2015. Ms. Smith was a member of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2014 and served as chair of the Corporate Practices Committee from 2012 to 2014.

The following Society members were elected to the Society's Board of Directors:

• Randall L. Clark, Vice President – Compliance and Governance and Corporate Secretary, Sempra Energy
• David E. Gardels, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP
• Peter A. Kraus, Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation
• Michael R. McCoy, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Secretary, Avnet, Inc.
• Geralyn M. Presti, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Forest City Enterprises, Inc.  
• Tracie L. Vicki, Managing Director, Morrow & Co., LLC

This year's conference titled Resilience in the New Reality had over 750 attendees. Conference attendees had the opportunity to attend their choice of over 30 breakout sessions that focused on a variety of topics designed for governance professionals at public companies of all sizes, as well as private and nonprofit entities.

The conference featured an opening address by Jim Koch, Chairman, The Boston Beer Company and luncheon speakers Robert Swan, polar explorer and Founder, 2041 and award winning biographer David Nasaw.  There was also a SEC update with Keith Higgins, Director, Division of Corporation Finance interviewed by Shelley J. Dropkin, Deputy Corporate Secretary and General Counsel, Corporate Governance at Citigroup Inc. and Chair of this year's National Conference.

About the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals
Founded in 1946, the Society is a professional association of over 3,200 governance professionals who serve 1,800 public, private and not for profit companies of most every size and industry. Its members support the work of corporate boards and executive management regarding corporate governance and disclosure, compliance with the corporate and securities laws and regulations, and stock exchange listing requirements.

SOURCE Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals