SurveyMonkey’s Board of Directors Now 50 Percent Women
SurveyMonkey, a leading global provider of survey software products, announced the addition of Erika Hayes James—an award-winning educator, accomplished consultant and published researcher—to its board of directors. The SurveyMonkey board now has an equal representation of women and men.
“Erika is a dynamic leader in the education sector where we have a large customer footprint and a great growth opportunity. She also brings a wealth of domain expertise in survey methodology, organizational psychology and driving accountable leadership,” said SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie. “I’m thrilled to work with Erika and excited to see the impact of her contribution.”
James has paved the way for women in leadership both in education and in corporate America. She was the first African-American woman to be appointed dean of a top-25 business school. She has served as the John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School since 2014. Through her academic research, she has shed light on why female leadership is crucial to any business, with notable papers titled “When Firms Fail to Learn: The Perpetuation of Discrimination in the Workplace” and “How Women’s Strengths Helps Firms with Volatile Environments.”
As a consultant, James has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as ACNielsen, Intel, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and GE. She has been instrumental in starting various Executive Education programs, including the Women’s Leadership Program at Darden, and sits on the board of the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), the foremost authority on business school admissions and manager of the GMAT exam. She previously sat on the board of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the principal accrediting body in business education.
“As an educator with a passion for helping students and businesses thrive, I’m excited about the strength of SurveyMonkey’s mission to power the curious,” said James. “My life’s work is helping women reach leadership positions, and I am impressed by SurveyMonkey’s dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Together, we can set an example for the rest of the industry and create meaningful change.”
“SurveyMonkey’s board is filled with change agents,” added Lurie. “We are bringing together diversity of thought and experience across industries, functions and demographic circles. Our strong board and management team ensure we are listening to the voices of the people that matter most to drive our business forward.”
“The data captured through SurveyMonkey products provides many insights on employee engagement and diversity and inclusion that can be used to inform decisions and make an impact,” added James. “SurveyMonkey provides a great value to business and society and I look forward to being in a position to aid its mission and guide its future.”
James will join chair of the board David Ebersman, and members Susan Decker, Dana Evan, Ryan Finley, Zander Lurie, Sheryl Sandberg, Brad Smith, Benjamin Spero, and Serena Williams. Lee Fixel, partner at Tiger Global Management, has stepped down.