Frances Hesselbein

Frances Hesselbein is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management).  Frances was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1998.  The award recognised her leadership as Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. from 1976-1990, her role as the Founding President of the Drucker Foundation, and her service as “a pioneer for women, diversity and inclusion.”  Her contributions were also recognised by former President Bush, who appointed her to two Presidential Commissions on National and Community Service. 

Frances serves on many nonprofit and private sector corporate boards, including the Board of the Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, New York, the Veterans Corporation Advisory Board, the Boards of the Center for Social Initiative at the Harvard Business School, the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Management at the Kennedy School, and U.C.S.D. graduate school of International Relations and Pacific Studies. She was the Chairman of the National Board of Directors for Volunteers of America from 2002-2006 and is the recipient of eighteen honorary doctoral degrees and numerous prestigious awards.  

Frances has presented sessions for leaders of organisations from all three sectors, including National Urban League, American Management Association, Microsoft, Toyota, Catholic Health Association, ASTD International Conference, American Society of Association Executives, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Girl Scouts of the USA, League of California Cities, Executive Women International, Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, ServiceMaster, the U.S. Army, Chevron Texaco, Eastman Kodak, Hewlett Packard, Lutheran Social Services, KidsPeace, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the World Bank.