Former N.J. CEOs Weldon, Russo, Conant to be honored by NACD

N.J. chapter of national organization also will honor boards of PSEG, NJM

Former Johnson & Johnson CEO Bill Weldon, former Alcatel-Lucent CEO Pat Russo and former Campbell Soup Co. CEO Doug Conant will be among the honorees Monday at the 2021 Director of the Year Awards from the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Public Service Enterprise Group and NJM Insurance also will be honored during the event, which will be held virtually this year. (Get more information on the event here.)

The NACD is the only national not-for-profit membership organization founded by directors for directors. Through a national presence in Washington, D.C., and 21 active chapters across the country, the NACD is the leading organization dedicated to advancing exemplary board leadership in the United States.

The focal point of the evening will be five awards, including:

  • Lifetime Achievement in Governance Award: Weldon;
  • Leadership in Public Corporate Governance Award: Russo;
  • Leadership in Non-Profit Governance Award: Conant.

Two awards will be given to full boards that exemplify true vision and excellence in governance for the companies they serve:

  • Public Company Board of the Year: PSEG;
  • Private Company Board of the Year: NJM.

Here’s a bigger look at the three individual honorees:

  • Bill Weldon: Weldon is a board member of CVS Health Corp., ExxonMobil Corp., HeartFlow Inc. (chair 2017-19) and the Mountain Mission School. He is a member of the board of trustees at Quinnipiac University, where he serves as chair. He is a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer (chair 2007-11), Liberty Science Center, the Chairman’s Advisory Council for Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professions and the Horatio Alger Association.
  • Pat Russo: Russo is the chair of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. She is a board member at GM, Merck and KKR.
  • Doug Conant: Conant is the founder and CEO of Conant Leadership and serves as the chair of the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose and the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership. He is a board director at the National Organization on Disability and the Partnership for Public Service.