Leadership

Paul Washington is the President and CEO of the Society for Corporate Governance (the “Society”). Founded in 1946, the Society is a not-for-profit organization with over 3,700 members dedicated to enhancing corporate governance through education, collaboration, and advocacy.

Prior to becoming the Society’s President in April 2024, Paul led The Conference Board ESG Center, the premier US-based nonprofit think tank addressing corporate governance, sustainability, and citizenship. During his five-year tenure, the Center significantly increased its membership, programming, publications, prominence, and public impact.

Before joining the ESG Center, Paul served for two decades as an executive at Time Warner Inc., including as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. He was responsible not only for the company’s corporate governance, but also for an array of legal areas including antitrust, intellectual property, and regulatory and international law. Prior to Time Warner, Paul practiced law at Sidley & Austin and served as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of The Dime Savings Bank of New York.

Paul also has had a career in public service, including working at the federal, state, and local levels -- and in all three branches -- of government. Among other roles, he served as a law clerk for former Supreme Court Associate Justice William Brennan and Associate Justice David Souter, and for Circuit Court Judge David Tatel. Paul also worked on the staff of former Congressman Stanley Lundine and, later, as his principal speechwriter when Lundine served as New York’s Lieutenant Governor.

Paul is a former Chair of the Board of the Society and President of its New York Chapter. He has served on over two dozen other boards of cultural, civic, and professional nonprofit organizations. For more than a decade, he was an adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School where he taught corporate governance and later served as a Resident Fellow. Paul also continues to serve in a volunteer capacity as an ESG Center Fellow at The Conference Board.

Paul graduated magna cum laude from both Yale College and Fordham University School of Law.

Andrew Fitzsimons joined the Society for Corporate Governance in 2017 and was soon thereafter appointed Chief Operating Officer, working with the President & CEO and the Board in overseeing day-to-day operations and organizational initiatives, including membership, events, sponsorships, finances, DEI, human resources, and technology strategies. From July 2023 to mid-April 2024, he also served as Interim President & CEO.

Prior to joining the Society, Andrew was an independent consultant, providing advice to companies on big-data related projects.

Andrew was previously at BNY Mellon for 10 years, initially at The Bank of New York as Chief Operating Officer, Legal and Compliance, working with the Vice Chair & General Counsel to transform the global functions. He continued in a similar capacity for BNY Mellon post-merger in 2007, was a member of the BNY/Mellon integration team, a company cross-functional team created to respond to the 2008 financial crisis, and a member of the company’s Operating Committee.

Andrew also spent 10 years at Prudential Financial, notably for 8 years as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for a 600 strong Legal, Compliance and Business Ethics function. He was a member of company level teams supporting strategic transactions and Prudential’s Demutualization process, via which Prudential Financial went public in 2001. During his tenure, Andrew led the largest outside counsel RFP undertaken by a U.S. company as of that time and was part of industry consortiums that developed task-based billing standards and matter tracking/billing systems for the legal profession. 

He began his career working for the U.K. Government’s Chief Statistician at Her Majesty’s Treasury, compiling data briefings for government ministers, followed by other government service including for The Crown Prosecution Service, the criminal prosecuting agency for England and Wales, where he served as an Executive Officer directing administration for one of 30 regional offices.

Since joining the Society for Corporate Governance in 2013, Randi Val Morrison has served in various reporting, policy, and member engagement positions, while also assuming the General Counsel role beginning in 2021. As SVP and General Counsel, Randi is responsible for developing member content and programming; fostering member engagement; supporting the Society’s policy and advocacy efforts; and advising the organization on its legal rights and obligations.

Before joining the Society, Randi served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at two publicly traded companies and in various in-house counsel roles leading up to those positions with publicly traded companies in the restaurant, automotive parts and accessories, general merchandise retail, and home building industries. She also worked as Associate Editor with Executive Press and as a consultant with LRN Corporation before joining the Society full time.  

Randi obtained a BA in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis in 1986 and a JD from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1989. She is licensed to practice law in Arizona and the District of Columbia.

Nikole TenBrink is the Chief Membership and Marketing Officer at the Society for Corporate Governance, where she leads strategic initiatives to expand membership, enhance partnership and sponsorship opportunities, and elevate the Society’s brand and communications—all with the goal of fostering engagement and driving revenue. With extensive experience in marketing, membership, and business development, she is well-positioned to advance the organization’s mission and outcomes.

As Vice President of Marketing and Membership at RIMS (the Risk Management Society) for nearly ten years, Nikole played a pivotal role in broadening the organization’s impact by expanding its programs, engagement opportunities, and global reach. She spearheaded the launch of new membership categories, executed a successful organizational rebrand, directed the marketing and communications efforts annually for a citywide event, and consistently led the achievement of revenue targets across advertising, membership, and events. At the Illuminating Engineering Society, Nikole was responsible for driving membership and sponsorship growth, building relationships with key volunteers and stakeholders, and implementing strategies that increased year-over-year sponsorship revenue for key events. Most recently, as Vice President of Marketing at the Advertising Research Foundation, Nikole led the marketing team to implement new digital platforms, launching a social media ambassador program, and enhancing content marketing strategies. 

Nikole is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and holds a Master of Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami. She is an active industry leader and serves on the Leadership Advisory Board for PAR, Professionals for Association Revenue. 

Ted Allen joined the Society for Corporate Governance in May 2021, where he leads the Society’s policy and advocacy efforts. From 2012 to May 2021, he worked at the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), where he managed NIRI’s advocacy initiatives, publications, and communications. Allen oversaw the creation of NIRI’s Investor Relations Body of Knowledge book and policy statements on corporate disclosure, ESG, and earnings guidance. From 2004 to 2012, Allen served as Governance Counsel and Director of Publications at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). Before ISS, he practiced law as an associate with Proskauer Rose and Semmes, Bowen & Semmes. He also worked as a journalist for Bloomberg News, The Deal.com, and newspapers in Florida and North Carolina. Allen earned his law degree (with honors) from Georgetown University in 1995 and majored in public policy at Duke University, where he graduated in 1988. He also received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 1990. Allen is admitted to practice law in the state of Maryland.