Mirian’s work trajectory to the C-suite at AT&T involved rising through various Human Resources roles over her nearly 25-year career there. Her first board opportunity at Harleysville Insurance came through a recruiter relationship when she expressed interest in board roles; subsequent board recruitment came via relationships with former CEOs and CFOs. Board service attracted Mirian to gain an external perspective and benchmarking while bringing her HR expertise. On her skillset contributions, she aims to provide business leadership across issues, with particular strengths around Human Capital Management.
She advises deeply researching companies as board recruitment unfolds. Though lacking direct industry background initially, with intellectual curiosity, audit committees can foster quick learning. Incremental savvy also helps, as informal conversations before/after formal board meetings provide value. Overall authenticity matters – understanding appropriate board member boundaries does too.
Diverse boards now are even more vital, bringing empathy and understanding of challenges like healthcare disparities that COVID spotlighted. Without ongoing focus, Black board director participation may decrease; accountability mechanisms will be key. Reasonable term limits could help. A pool of known, “board-ready” Black candidates will be important. Consistent, deliberate development of talented Black directors across companies, facilitated by engaged advocates like CHROs, can make progress over time versus episodic efforts.
