The Chicago Network launched its Women on Boards Initiative in 2008 to get more women on the boards of publicly-held and privately-held companies. Our efforts include building relationships with search firms, private equity firms and others for referrals and collaboration, educational roundtables and a searchable candidate database on The Chicago Network website.

We started the Women on Boards Initiative for several reasons. The most important, which sounds simplistic but doesn't happen automatically: getting women on the list. The starting point for most boards is still retired CEOs. There aren't a lot of women on that list. Search firms often are trying to work effectively and quickly, so you tend to get a list of the usual suspects. If you want to be successful in getting really talented women -- and minority candidates -- on boards, you have to have different levels of requests for executive search firms.

Nominating committees need to be proactive in defining those candidates as part of what they're looking for. Some searches will be restricted to having only diverse candidates on the slate. Some will ask that a search firm have diverse candidates on the list but the list can be much broader. Making boards more aware of the need to be very specific in their requests -- and search firms more aware of the need to diversify their slates -- is paramount to this initiative. Getting beyond the classic group of board candidates should help create more board opportunities and experience for women.

We will continue to update you on our progress.