DATE: 2/22/2011
FOR RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT: Carli Cohen
410-581-6222
BOC’s Zacharias Joins Network 2000
Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE, president & CEO of The Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC), was recently elected to membership in Network 2000 (N2K), a group of eighty-five Maryland business leaders who work to advance women into executive leadership roles.
As N2K president, Karen D. Weatherholtz, observed, “Our research shows that business organizations are more profitable when their board and executive suites assure greater parity for women. Success in building that parity comes in part by our electing women who share our commitment to women’s leadership.”
Network 2000, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1993. Among its activities and goals are
- informing the corporate world of the strengths and benefits that women bring to executive positions and boards of directors
- mentoring women who are in early-career and mid-career levels to assist them in securing executive level positions
- sponsoring an annual “Roadmap to the Boardroom” forum, in cooperation with the Greater Baltimore Committee. The event is a forum for education and discussion on the opportunities and challenges women face as they aspire to serve on corporate boards.
- honoring “Women of Excellence” through an annual event that brings more than 1,000 business leaders together to recognize outstanding leader.
- recognizing businesses that promote women in leadership positions.
- making grants to non-profit community organizations whose missions support the leadership development of women of all ages
As N2K notes, women constitute more than half of the American workforce. They make the majority of purchasing decisions for themselves and their families, yet women represent fewer than 15% of the members of America’s corporate boards of directors.
N2K is itself a member of the InterOrganization Network (ION), a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of women on for-profit boards of directors. ION represents approximately 10,000 women via 14 regional membership organizations.
“This is an organization that truly believes that what a person achieves professionally is only a partial measurement of success,” says Zacharias. “The other, and perhaps more important measurement, is what a leader gives back to and for the community. As a woman who has benefited from the support of other business and community leaders, I am honored and thrilled to be a member of Network 2000.”
In her own career, Zacharias has balanced work, parenting and volunteering activities as she rose to head one of only two national organizations that offer credentials in the health care field of orthotics and prosthetics. She is also the first woman to serve as president & CEO of BOC — another example of BOC’s commitment to progress and opportunity in the health care industry, which has been evident since 1984.
Her volunteer experience includes serving as a foster parent and in various roles in her faith community. She is also a former vice president of operations at Leadership Maryland. In 2008, Zacharias became a Certified Association Executive (CAE), the highest designation from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), awarded to people who have achieved significant results in the association industry. The CAE examination is based on knowledge in 10 domains that range from strategic management to governance and structure to public relations. Of ASAE’s thousands of members, only 25% have earned CAE status, which Zacharias recently successfully renewed through December 2013.
Prior to taking the helm at BOC, she served as assistant director of business operations at the American Nurses Credentialing Center, where she managed the development of a $25 million operating budget and supervised marketing and customer service, as well as service contracts for finance, information technology, human resources and general counsel. In addition, she was widely credited with both developing and empowering talent, which resulted in a revision to her official job description to include mentoring new members of management.
To join N2K, individuals – the majority of whom, but not all, are women – must serve in an executive position. Typically that includes such jobs as CEO, president, CFO, executive vice president, dean of a school within a college or university, or partner or owner of a firm. Members must be nominated/sponsored by a current member, and have a demonstrated track record of both professional achievement and service to the community.
“When I review the N2K membership list, it’s a group I look up to and admire for their accomplishments,” said Zacharias. “My goal as a member of Network 2000 is to help more women reach those levels of achievement.”
Since 1984, The Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC) has provided credentials demonstrating the competence and proficiency of OP&P professionals. BOC offers NCCA-accredited certification programs in five disciplines: orthotics, prosthetics, pedorthics, orthotic fitting, and mastectomy fitting. BOC’s facility accreditation program partners with DMEPOS suppliers to meet standards set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and improve business practices. BOC credentials celebrate and recognize the competence, professionalism, and safe practice environments of BOC-related practitioners and BOC-accredited facilities. For more information, please visit www.bocusa.org.