Joy Randels has been selected as a finalist for 50/50 Women on Boards List, a nonprofit education and advocacy campaign. The nonprofit highlights women leaders from various sectors across North America who are ready to serve on public company boards.
The List allows companies and recruiters to access validated board-ready, first-time director candidates by location, primary expertise, industry, race, and ethnicity.
Randels, a Bradenton-based serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and business development advocate, serves on the boards of New Market Partners (an education and workforce technology venture capital firm), the Private Director's Association, and the International Women's Forum. She serves as CEO of the Prowess Group, a company that works to help founders succeed and build real value in their businesses. She also serves as the entrepreneur in residence at the University of Tampa’s Spartan Incubator Program.
"It feels awesome to be one of the finalists. It was an intensive process because you had to record a video in addition to providing all your board documents and completing a 90-question questionnaire, but being on a board requires work and discipline so it makes sense," said Randels.
Recently the S&P 500 reached 32% of women on its board of directors for the first time in history.
"I think that we're moving in the right direction and I love it. When I see people representing all different groups, whether it's LGBTQ or others, boards should reflect our society," said Randels.
50/50WOB and its campaign partners, Equilar and Nasdaq, will host an inaugural cohort that will be invited to join the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence.
Randels told Tampa Bay Inno about some of the obstacles she's dealt with getting to this point.
"The toughest challenges I've faced are how do you finance payroll, how do you keep the company stable and if you're manufacturing, how do you effectively outsource?" said Randels. "It's not always easy, but I learned some tough lessons early on, and at the end of the day, the entrepreneurs who win don't always have the best idea or the coolest product or anything like that. It's 90% about perseverance and tenacity."
50/50WOB selected the finalists based on rigorous criteria, including primary expertise, suitability for board committee service, resume, short essay answers, and video submissions. The process involved the expertise of an exclusive selection committee comprised of stock exchange leaders and board directors, the organization said.
Randels plans to serve on two additional boards once her term ends for her current boards. She also has plans to build a group entrepreneurial program to help collegiate students.
