Marian L. Heard

MARIAN L. HEARD is the president and CEO of Oxen Hill Partners, a Boston-based company specializing in leadership development programs and brand enhancement strategies.  She lists Fortune 500 companies and privately-held entities among her clients.  She retired as the president and CEO of the Boston United, (the #1 Major Gifts United Way in the country), and as the CEO of the United Ways of New England.  She is the founding president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation, which was formed to perpetuate President George Bush’s (#41) call for voluntary service to address the serious social problems in America.  She recently retired from the board after serving two terms as the National board chair and remains active as a member of the advisory council. Heard is also she is a founding board member of MENTOR/The National Mentoring Partnership and served as a vice chair and national spokesperson.   She is a former member of the boards of Fleet Bank, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Liberty Mutual Group, CVS Health, Sovereign Bank, Santander Bank and Santander USA Holdings and BioSphere Medical Corporation.  She is currently a board member of the Friends Beverage Group and a trustee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  She is a frequent commencement speaker and is the recipient of 21 Honorary Doctorate Degrees. She’s been honored with the Buckley Orator award, the Warren Bennis award for Outstanding Leadership, the National Public Citizen of the Year award and the Others Award, the highest civilian award presented by the Salvation Army, to name a few.  She was recently notified that she will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Class of 2016, by the National Association of Corporate Directors, recognizing her many leadership contributions in the board room of some of America’s great companies.  She is also a founding board member of the Massachusetts Conference for Women.