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| Best Practices |
Diverse Approaches
Suzanne McGee
03/01/2005
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While an ever-growing number of companies are interested in raising the number of minority directors, finding the right candidate means embarking on a new kind of networking. Forget about asking friends from the golf club or fellow service club members for their suggestions; these individuals are not found in traditional venues. In the past, companies that wanted minority candidates turned to the world of academia or to community organizations, where talented women or minorities faced fewer roadblocks in their ascent. That is how Reatha Clark King came to the attention of H.B. Fuller, a St. Paul-based manufacturer of adhesives and chemicals. King, 66, an African-American who was raised in segregated Georgia, had to “follow the opportunity trail” and leave her Atlanta home to pursue her interest in science. By 1978, that trail had led her to the University of Chicago (where she earned a master’s degree and doctorate in chemistry), to Columbia University for its MBA program, then, via Washington, to Minneapolis, where she became president of Metropolitan State University. “The CEO of Fuller read about my appointment, noted my background, which showed I could work within and lead large organizations, and asked if I would be willing to meet with him to talk about joining their board,” King recalls. She became the first African-American woman to sit on Fuller’s board, and has gone on to sit on four other boards, including that of Exxon-Mobil.
Today, highly visible board candidates and directors like King—named 2004 Director of the Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors—are at risk of being “overboarded,” recruiters say, being asked to take on too many board assignments. “The low-hanging fruit—the visible and obvious candidates—have all been approached, and many sit on very prestigious boards already and aren’t likely to take on too many new assignments,” says Korn/Ferry’s Chuck King (no relation).
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