What does it take to journey from childhood singing stages in Dallas and finding sanctuary in a Black church choir to co-founding a groundbreaking board readiness program that has placed over 300 diverse leaders into corporate boardrooms?

In this episode of No Boxes, Just Verses, host Shannon Nash sits down with longtime friend, higher education executive, and board diversity champion Dennis Lanham, Executive Director of Executive and Professional Education at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. Dennis shares the candid, multi-layered story of growing up in Pleasant Grove, Dallas, finding solace from household trauma through church music, becoming the line-named "Scholar" chapter president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. at the University of North Texas, and eventually leading global member services at the fraternity's Washington, D.C. headquarters.

Dennis details his deliberate pivot into university-based executive education, from rebuilding operations at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to arriving in Silicon Valley at Santa Clara University. There, he fully embraced living authentically, tapped into corporate governance, and co-founded the Women’s Corporate Board Readiness program and the acclaimed Black Corporate Board Readiness Program (BCBR) alongside Dr. Thane Kreiner and veteran board leaders. Dennis also outlines his latest chapter in Atlanta, detailing how Terry College is tackling the executive retirement cliff with practice-forward AI leadership laboratories and launching its inaugural Corporate Directors Forum.

Dennis Lanham is Executive Director of Executive and Professional Education at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. With more than 20 years of experience, he builds leadership programs and corporate partnerships that help leaders grow and organizations perform more effectively. Dennis is also an experienced faculty member and a national leader in university-based executive education. He currently serves on the board of directors of UNICON, the Global Consortium of University Based Executive Education. He co-founded the Black Corporate Board Readiness and Women’s Corporate Board Readiness programs, whose alumni have filled more than 300 corporate board seats. Across his career, Dennis has focused on developing leaders for greater responsibility and helping organizations build the talent, capabilities, and leadership pipelines needed for long-term success.

Key Takeaways:

• Creative arts and early performance experience can build foundational confidence, cross-cultural fluency, and social adaptability across diverse environments.
• Chosen community and faith networks often provide essential stability, shelter, and encouragement during seasons of domestic instability and personal trial.
• Purpose-driven involvement in historical organizations can redefine notions of brotherhood, social justice, and organizational stewardship.
• Stepping out on faith and relocating to unfamiliar geographic regions accelerates leadership agility and breaks through comfort zones.
• Leadership requires consistent practice, embracing inevitable mistakes, and staying prepared long before formal opportunities emerge.
• Authentic inclusion in executive governance demands deliberate community infrastructure that connects qualified, board-ready talent directly with sitting corporate directors.
• Navigating executive workforce transitions and AI adoption requires structured leadership pathways tailored directly to the distinct operating competencies required at each management level.

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CONNECT WITH DENNIS LANHAM:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennislanham/

University Program: Executive & Professional Education at Terry College of Business

Corporate Governance: Learn more about the upcoming inaugural Corporate Directors Forum (March 18–19) and custom workforce programs at the University of Georgia.

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CONNECT WITH SHANNON:

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LinkedIn Shannon | LinkedIn NBJV

Theme Song: No Boxes Just Verses by Thane Kreiner (Suno)

What does it take to evolve from an accidental technical recruiter to a four-time Chief Human Resources Officer, public company board director, and pioneer of workplace transformations at Apple, Goldman Sachs, Atlassian, and Pagaya?

In this episode of No Boxes, Just Verses, host Shannon Nash sits down with globally recognized executive, corporate board director, and author Tami Rosen to explore why people strategy is the ultimate business strategy. From growing up on Long Island with a blended family and a special-needs stepbrother to launching Wall Street’s first LGBTQ+ ally program, guiding Pagaya through a de-SPAC transaction to over $1 billion in revenue, and earning a rare seat as an insider board director, Tami shares the mindset, music, and pivotal relationships behind her career. She also previews her upcoming book, Super Human Companies, unpacking why investing deliberately in human capability will always outperform technology alone.

Tami Rosen is a globally recognized executive, four-time Chief Human Resources Officer, corporate board director, and thought leader with more than 25 years of experience building high-performing organizations. She previously served as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Development Officer at Pagaya, where she was the first C-suite executive and helped guide the company from a high-growth startup through its public listing to over $1 billion in revenue. Across her career, she has led workforce integrations for Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats by Dre, pioneered Atlassian’s Team Anywhere remote work model, held HR leadership roles at Luminar Technologies, and launched Wall Street's first LGBTQ+ ally initiative at Goldman Sachs. She serves on the boards of Pagaya, the Elie Wiesel Foundation, and Sarah Creal Beauty, and is an ambassador for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women community.

Key Takeaways:

• Viewing personal and cognitive differences as a competitive advantage fosters natural empathy and strengthens organizational leadership.
• Early non-linear jobs provide unexpected foundational skills that connect directly to major leadership opportunities decades later.
• Executive sponsorship is earned by consistently delivering exceptional work rather than through formal requests or transactional networking.
• Treating critical feedback as an opportunity to grow enables leaders to turn career disappointments into long-term advancement.
• Stepping outside familiar corporate ecosystems and taking calculated geographical and cultural risks accelerates executive capability.
• Investing in people strategies and organizational culture builds the essential resilience needed to navigate technological and economic dislocations.
• Corporate boards gain critical strategic oversight by appointing people strategists who understand how human capital directly drives business performance.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review the podcast!

CONNECT WITH TAMI ROSEN:

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Boards & Governance: Pagaya, Sarah Creal Beauty, and the Elie Wiesel Foundation

Forthcoming Book: Super Human Companies

CONNECT WITH SHANNON:

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LinkedIn Shannon | LinkedIn NBJV

Theme Song: No Boxes Just Verses by Thane Kreiner (Suno)