About/How to Apply

Apply Now!

Directors’ College 101: Board Fundamentals for New Directors is a new program brought to you by the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, which has been hosting Stanford Directors’ College for more than 25 years. At Directors’ College 101, first-time public company directors will learn from leading academics, experienced board members, and practitioners about the fundamental aspects of being an effective board member. We encourage new directors to sign up for both Directors’ College 101 on June 23, 2025, and to sign up for the full Directors’ College program which begins on the evening of June 23 and ends on June 25 at 4:45 pm. But there is an option to attend DC101 as a stand-alone program if you cannot stay for the main Directors’ College program on June 23-25.

Topics for 2025 will include:

  • the board’s role and relationship with management
  • legal and fiduciary duties
  • potential liability and D&O insurance
  • board committee roles and structure
  • accounting fundamentals for directors
  • board culture, team dynamics, and accountability
  • effective onboarding and optimizing your contribution as a board member
  • shareholder engagement and proxy advisory firms
  • compensation basics

Who should attend:

Directors’ College 101 is intended for recently appointed (within the last 2 years), first-time public company board members. Board members of prominent privately owned for-profit companies or candidates in the process of being appointed to a public company board may also fill out an application form to seek admission to the program. Acceptance of applications is at the discretion of the Program Directors.

General Tuition Rates

DC101 Add-on Pricing:
$1,495 Early Bird Price as an add-on to Directors’ College (through May 23, 2025)
$1,995 Full Price as an add-on to Directors’ College (after May 23, 2025)

DC101 Stand-Alone Pricing:
$2,495 Early Bird Stand-alone Price (through May 23, 2025)
$2,995 Full Stand-alone Price (through May 23, 2025)

Program Directors

Joseph A. Grundfest

W.A. Franke Professor of Law and Business, Stanford Law School; Senior Faculty, Rock Center for Corporate Governance; Board Member, KKR; Co-Director, Stanford Directors’ College

Joseph A. Grundfest ’78 is a nationally prominent expert on capital markets, corporate governance, and securities litigation. His scholarship has been published in the Harvard, Yale, and Stanford law reviews, and he has been recognized as one of the most influential attorneys in the United States. Professor Grundfest founded the award-winning Stanford Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, which provides detailed, online information about the prosecution, defense, and settlement of federal class action securities fraud litigation. Professor Grundfest previously served as a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and on the staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors as counsel and senior economist for legal and regulatory matters.

 

Amanda K. Packel

Co-Executive Director, Rock Center for Corporate Governance; Co-Director, Stanford Directors’ College

Amanda K. Packel is a corporate governance expert with deep knowledge of emerging challenges facing corporate boards and unique insight into the concerns of institutional investors. She has served since 2015 as Co-Director and lead operator for Stanford Directors’ College. As Co-Executive Director of the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, Amanda also plans the content and marketing strategy for other key Rock Center programs, including the Stanford Institutional Investors’ Forum and topical events for board members, chief legal officers, and other executives.

Amanda has published articles on board composition and has co-authored a law school textbook, Leadership for Lawyers. As a recognized expert on board refreshment, diversity in leadership, and corporate governance, Amanda is frequently asked to speak to audiences of board members, business leaders, investors, and academics. She is a member of the California Partner’s Women on Boards Advisory Council. Amanda previously served on the board of directors of the Thirty Percent Coalition and the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX). She began her legal career practicing white-collar criminal defense and conducting internal investigations as an attorney at Covington & Burling and at Orrick. She received her J.D. (Order of the Coif) from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her A.B. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Princeton University.

About the Rock Center

The Rock Center for Corporate Governance was founded at Stanford University in 2006 with a generous donation from Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock, with the belief that by examining what constitutes good corporate governance and how to measure it in new and more rigorous ways, we could shape the future of corporate governance. For more information, please visit the Rock Center website.

Rock Center Affiliates

The Rock Center Affiliates contribute through sponsorship and program input on an annual basis and support sustained scholarship, policy, relevant research and teaching, and program development that bridges the gap between academia and the real world. You can find more information about the Affiliate Program here.