Board Boost Consulting founded by Ali Levin, author, and former Dell executive

With growing pressure on companies and nonprofits to make their boards more inclusive, a former Dell executive based in South Florida has formed a new consulting business to provide a roadmap to help them achieve it.

Board Boost Consulting assists both for-profit and nonprofit organizations in achieving their board diversification goals. The group takes a holistic approach in designing the future composition of a board based on gaps, expected needs, customer/community profile and strategic goals. In addition, Board Boost Consulting offers race equity training in a format designed for boards.

During the third and fourth weeks of February, Board Boost Consulting is delivering a two-part webinar series: ‘Board Diversity: The Why’ and ‘Board Diversity: The How’ for 74 board members and CEOs, hosted by the FieldStone Leadership Network. They will also be conducting another board diversity training for the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.

Traction in racially or ethnically diversifying boards has slowly progressed in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Approximately 84% of board members are white in Fortune 500 companies and approximately 84% of board members are white in US nonprofits, while the US population is at 40 percent nonwhite?—?and this number continues to grow annually (Alliance for Board Diversity, BoardSource, US Census Bureau).

“We are finding that more and more entities want to diversify, but don’t really know how to go about it the right way; their attempts have either failed or been poorly executed,” said Ali Levin, Board Boost’s founder. “You can’t just add one racially or ethnically diverse person and think your job is done. Doing so entirely misses the point.”

While the desire to be more inclusive is mostly voluntary at this point, in some cases it is required or will be soon. For example, the State of California (AB 979 California law) mandates all charted public companies must have a minimum of one director from an underrepresented community, as defined by the end of 2021. Similarly, NASDAQ has proposed a new set of rules that require listed companies to include a minimum number of board members who are female and who identify as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+. 

Levin has been a frequent collaborator with board diversity subject matter expert, Vernetta Walker, the CEO of Walker & Associates Consulting, and senior advisor on diversity, inclusion, and equity (DI&E) at BoardSource. She has partnered with Walker on several DI&E projects, with organizations such as American Gastroenterological Association and NeighborWorks America.

Levin spent 15 years in corporate leadership with Dell, Inc. She has a Master of Science in community sciences and nonprofit leadership from the University of Florida, and has completed Cornell University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program. She has also written a book, Boost Your Nonprofit Board: A Diversification Guide, which details historical reasons behind the state of board diversity today, provides actional steps for change, and the tools to successfully initiate and sustain board diversity efforts.

“If diversity is rolled out properly and members are enthusiastic, companies and nonprofits will have increased productivity and creativity from varied perspectives, and their reputations will get a positive boost,” Levin said. “We can help them get there with a strategic plan and resources.”

About Board Boost Consulting:

Board Boost Consulting provides strategic consulting, resources and action plans to help nonprofit and for-profit organizations diversify their board of directors. The company offers customized guidance needed to successfully implement and sustain a board diversity effort. Board Boost Consulting was founded by Ali Levin, who holds a Master of Science in community sciences and nonprofit leadership from the University of Florida, and has completed Cornell University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program. Her previous experience includes a 15-year career in business leadership at Dell, Inc. For more information visit www.boardboostconsulting.com or email ali.alexis.levin@gmail.com.