A commitment to opening doors for women leaders.
Meet Nancy
Real experience.
Practical perspective.
Nancy Sheppard brings executive leadership and governance experience. She is passionate about expanding corporate boardroom access for highly qualified women and strengthening gender diversity at the highest levels of governance.
Nancy founded Women2Boards in 2014 after more than 20 years as President & CEO of Western Independent Bankers, a nine-state regional trade association of more than 500 community banks. She served on two privately held boards for over 10 years. Her work draws on financial services, director education, legislative affairs, and service on corporate and nonprofit boards.
She worked closely with bank leaders in senior management roles at the California Bankers Association, including as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications & Member Relations and Vice President of Federal Government Relations.
She also spent six years working in the U.S. House of Representatives, including as Legislative Director.
She designed the How Women Lead Corporate Board Readiness Workshop and frequently moderates the series with corporate directors and board experts. She also serves on the leadership committee for #GetonBoard Week, where she has spoken at each annual summit and helped shape programs for aspiring and experienced directors.
Connect with Nancy on LinkedInfor board seats
or Nancy’s coaching
Director education & governance
Building knowledge.
Strengthening boards.
WIB developed a reputation as the premier provider of professional development and networking for senior bankers and bank board members from community and independent banks throughout the West. Nancy’s passion was developing executive leadership, management, and corporate governance programs.
During her tenure at Western Independent Bankers, Nancy developed director education programs that became one of the organization’s primary services. She was the principal advisor on educational program content and led the introduction of board and director training, board evaluations, and online board portal services to strengthen governance and improve efficiency for financial institution boards.
Corporate & association board experience
- Inside director and member of the executive committee of the Western Independent Bankers Board.
- Founding board member of WIB Service Corporation.
- Board member of a self-insurance group for community banks.
Nonprofit board leadership
- Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment, San Francisco Regional Board — board member and regional chair.
- Financial Institution Marketing Association West — chair.
- California Intermediate Banking School — board member.
- YMCA of San Francisco — board member.
Other leadership experience
In 2015, Nancy launched the San Francisco 20/20 Women on Boards Annual National Conversation on Board Diversity. She chaired the first and second San Francisco events and remained on the San Francisco Leadership Committee until 2020.
Recognition
Named one of 10 Bay Area Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling by Marin Magazine.
Named one of the San Francisco Business Times’ 100 Most Influential San Francisco Women in Business.
Under Nancy’s leadership, Western Independent Bankers was described as a “feisty regional powerhouse” by the American Banker newspaper.