Amanda McMillian Attended 6th Annual DirectWomen Board Institute In New York

HOUSTON, TX, March 05, 2014 (Press-News.org) Amanda McMillian, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, attended the DirectWomen Board Institute from January 22-24 in New York City. DirectWomen, an organization formed to position women lawyers to serve on boards of public companies, selects a group of qualified women lawyers from a competitive pool of applicants across the country to participate in the three-day program.

At the DirectWomen Board Institute McMillian attended informational sessions on key issues facing current and future corporate directors and had the opportunity to interact with Institute alumnae and past honorees. The Institute was co-chaired by Professor Hillary A. Sale, Walter D. Coles Professor of Law and Professor of Management at Washington University in St. Louis and Professor Lisa M. Fairfax, Leroy Sorenson Merrifield Research Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. Institute faculty featured leading experts on corporate governance as well as experienced directors and officers of large public companies. Speakers covered topics such as the role and work of nominating board members, the evolving nature of shareholder relations, the strategic role of audit committees and the role of executive search firms in board searches.

McMillian has extensive experience in corporate law and governance. She served for several years as the Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the general partner of Western Gas Partners, a public midstream master limited partnership sponsored by Anadarko. She participated in the development and execution of WES's business strategy and capital budget. Prior to joining Anadarko, McMillian practiced corporate and securities law at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP where she represented clients in a wide range of transactional, corporate governance and securities matters. McMillian currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, and also serves on the Board of Visitors of Southwestern University and the Advisory Board of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University and received both a Master of Arts and a Juris Doctor from Duke University.

QUOTES:
"It's a humbling honor to be selected to attend the DirectWomen Board Institute," said McMillian. "The Institute provided an invaluable opportunity to share information and learn from the incredibly talented and accomplished women across multiple industries and many others who attended the Institute, and provided critical guidance and a behind-the-scenes view of the process of nominating members and actively serving on the boards of public companies."

ABOUT:
The mission of DirectWomen is to increase the representation of women on corporate boards. DirectWomen identifies, develops and supports a growing group of accomplished women attorneys who have the experience, independence and diversity required for good corporate governance. Partners of the program include Catalyst, the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women in business, and the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession.

Other attendees of the 2014 DirectWomen Board Institute:

Susan L. Blount
Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Prudential Financial, Inc.

Marcy S. Cohen
Managing Director, General Counsel and Head of Legal for the Americas, ING Financial Holdings Corporation

Sheri H. Edison
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Bemis Company, Inc.

Barbara Finigan
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary for Hasbro, Inc.

Michelle A. Friel
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for YRC Worldwide Inc.

Kayla J. Gillan
Principal, Leader of Investor Resource Institute, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Marie Oh Huber
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Sarah Hlavinka McConnell
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for ABM Industries Incorporated

Sheri L. Mossbeck
Vice President and Treasurer of Leggett & Platt, Inc.

Kim M. Rivera
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for DaVita HealthCare Partners

Carol Robles-Román
Former Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to the Mayor, Mayor's Office, The City of New York

Jeanne M. Rosendale
Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Human Resources for Muriel Siebert Co., Inc.

Margaret K. Seif
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Analog Devices, Inc.

Barbara Sicalides
Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP - Antitrust Practice

Allison Leopold Tilley
Board Member and Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Corporate & Securities - Technology practice

Simone Wu
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Loria Baskerville Yeadon
Executive Vice President of Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC