As active members of Harvard Business School’s Board Diversity Network, Lara Druyan (MBA 1994) and Ann Lucena (MBA 2012) want more alumni, especially women and other leaders from underrepresented groups, to pursue board service. For both, board service is a fulfilling extension of their leadership journeys, and they are passionate about encouraging others to apply their experience and expertise to these important roles.

Personal paths to the boardroom

Lucena always knew she wanted to do meaningful work in health care. After graduating from HBS, she joined Tenet Healthcare and worked her way up to become Chief of Staff to the President of Hospital Operations—a role that gave her a front-row seat to corporate governance. In 2018, she was appointed CEO of San Ramon Regional Medical Center, a hospital jointly owned by Tenet Healthcare and John Muir Health. She eventually became chairperson of the joint venture’s board. While continuing her work as a hospital CEO, Lucena deepened her involvement in governance by joining several healthcare-focused advisory boards, which allowed her to broaden the reach and impact of her leadership. “I had a tangible impact, but in a small geographic area,” she says. “As a mission-driven person, I was excited to have a broader, positive impact on a national and international level.”

Druyan spent 15 years in corporate finance and venture capital; after she drove a successful digital transformation at the Royal Bank of Canada, board service felt like the right next step. She joined her first large company board, CIBC Bancorp USA, in 2022. Having multiple domains of expertise has been crucial to her success. “If you’ve been a public company CEO or CFO, everyone wants you on their board,” she says with a laugh. “If you’re a mere mortal, you need to fit a pretty specific profile that a board needs. I have digital, but I also understand cybersecurity, finance, and inclusion,” making her a valuable asset for a variety of companies.

Key insights for prospective board members

Effective board leadership involves being a strategic thought partner to CEOs and executive teams, providing insights, guidance, and constructive questioning to facilitate critical decisions. “You want to be able to ask the CEO, ‘How can I help?’” Druyan says. “This is true for both early-stage and public companies because every company is wrestling with various strategic decisions.” She emphasizes that board members have two primary responsibilities: approving the strategic plan and monitoring the CEO's performance against it. Lucena adds that board service often requires questioning traditional practices to explore new directions. “You’ll often hear [that] things have always been done a certain way in a company, but it’s okay to ask, ‘Is this the way we want to keep doing things?’” Courage, conviction, and collaboration are essential.

Both Druyan and Lucena highlight relationship-building, active listening, and mentorship as keys to effective board leadership. You can’t advise if you don’t have all of the facts, and it’s essential to know where other board members are coming from. New directors should prioritize understanding board dynamics, listening deeply, and leveraging the mentorship of both experienced board members and the company’s general counsel for guidance and feedback.

Leading through crises and transformations

During crises or significant transformations, board members must remain focused on their core fiduciary responsibilities. “You need to be targeted; if you focus on too many things, you’re not focusing on anything.” Narrowing the field is always paramount, but it’s especially important when a company is in flux.

As a director at Cerus Corporation—a biotech company focused on blood supply—Lucena played a key role in helping fellow board members and company leaders better understand the needs and priorities of hospital teams. This was especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals across the U.S. were grappling with severe blood shortages. At the time, Lucena was serving as CEO of San Ramon Regional Medical Center, giving her firsthand insight into the challenges hospitals were facing. She worked closely with the board to develop realistic timelines that balanced financial considerations with the hospital’s responsibility to its community. “I was able to give my fellow board members insights into what was happening on the ground,” Lucena says.

Similarly, Druyan cautions against hasty reactions to the unexpected. During her time on the City of San Jose Pension Fund board, the CEO and CIO resigned within weeks of each other; the board was pressed to quickly determine the next steps for the $2 billion fund and its many different stakeholders. Identify the scope of the problem, Druyan says, and then start generating solutions. Channeling this approach, she ultimately found and hired a new CEO who was well-suited to guide the pension fund through the next several years.

Druyan and Lucena both feel a strong desire to “do the right thing” even when it’s difficult. Speaking about recent backlash toward diversity and inclusion initiatives, Druyan emphasizes that boards with a strong commitment to workforce diversity will maintain DEI efforts. Lucena drawing on her experience as a hospital CEO, acknowledges the importance of representing a diversity of constituents. “In the hospital setting, we serve every person, human beings from every walk of life and every background. My goal is to always help us do the best we can to fulfill our mission.” Reflecting on her role as a Cerus board member, a company whose mission is to safeguard the world’s blood supply, she says, “We all have blood running through our veins. I’m going to represent all of the people who rely on our products and services.”

Navigating changing landscapes

Druyan stresses the importance of becoming literate in cyber and AI technologies, ensuring they can meaningfully support organizations navigating rapid technological changes. When it comes to advising on digital transformation, she works from basic product management principles. “I grew up as a product manager, so I try to make the problem tractable,” Druyan says. “What am I trying to enable? What’s the real state of affairs? What’s the current technology stack? What’s going on with our people and processes?” In 2025, every board member needs to be what she describes as “cyber and AI-literate.” Let your technology experts lead on AI, but ensure that you understand the technology, what it’s capable of, and what it’s not.

Both Lucena and Druyan find personal fulfillment in board service, appreciating the opportunity to influence a diverse range of organizations beyond their primary careers. Their director roles energize them, providing avenues for continual growth, exploration, and meaningful contribution. “For me, each board allows me to reach different audiences than I can in my day-to-day job,” Lucena says. “It’s also a rewarding way to explore different parts of myself, for example, the arts.” She currently serves on the board of a nonprofit Bay Area theatre company and on the Stanford Arts Advisory Council. Druyan is passionate about helping companies embrace technology and pursue transformation.

As the demands on board leadership continue to evolve, Lucena and Druyan are clear: effective directors must lead with curiosity, courage, and a commitment to impact. By bringing a well-rounded skillset to the boardroom—and encouraging others to do the same—they’re helping shape more resilient, forward-thinking, and inclusive organizations for the future.