About
SHADOW CEO: Why link to me? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAIix6aCCHw]
Through…
Articles by Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay
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The Shadow CEO: A new series of articles from Dallas Innovates*
The Shadow CEO: A new series of articles from Dallas Innovates*
By Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay Cᴀɢᴀɴ
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WELL-MEANING ADVICE... is not always the best advice
WELL-MEANING ADVICE... is not always the best advice
By Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay Cᴀɢᴀɴ
Activity
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I am so proud to share that I have graduated from Texas Tech University with a Master of Business Administration, concentrating in AI and Data…
I am so proud to share that I have graduated from Texas Tech University with a Master of Business Administration, concentrating in AI and Data…
Liked by Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay Cᴀɢᴀɴ
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On shadow / advisory boards: A week ago, I was invited to comment on the notion of ‘shadow boards’. I did, and as the response has both drawn favour…
On shadow / advisory boards: A week ago, I was invited to comment on the notion of ‘shadow boards’. I did, and as the response has both drawn favour…
Liked by Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay Cᴀɢᴀɴ
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I confess to being unwilling to watch more than 5 minutes of the #DNCConvention. It was disturbing to see lies and distortions receive cheers from…
I confess to being unwilling to watch more than 5 minutes of the #DNCConvention. It was disturbing to see lies and distortions receive cheers from…
Liked by Dᴇɴɴɪs Jay Cᴀɢᴀɴ
Experience
Volunteer Experience
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USMC Reserves: NCO
United States Marine Corps
- 6 years 1 month
i18n_veterans
HQ Btry A 1st Bn 14th Marine Div.
NAS Miramar Co B 4th Tank Bn
2nd Bn 23rd Marine Div. -
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Board of Advisors Naveen Jindal School of Mgmt's Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance.
The University of Texas at Dallas
- 9 years 1 month
Education
Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance (https://jindal.utdallas.edu/centers-of-excellence/iecg/)
Excellence in Corporate Governance is an environment where the company has the people, resources, processes and culture to enable a thoughtful, proactive focus on strategy, customers, operations and risk and thus maximize the opportunity for successful results for all stakeholder groups. Excellence in Corporate Governance is the combined responsibility of the owners, managers and…Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance (https://jindal.utdallas.edu/centers-of-excellence/iecg/)
Excellence in Corporate Governance is an environment where the company has the people, resources, processes and culture to enable a thoughtful, proactive focus on strategy, customers, operations and risk and thus maximize the opportunity for successful results for all stakeholder groups. Excellence in Corporate Governance is the combined responsibility of the owners, managers and board of the company.
Purpose. Value creation for C-Suite executives and board members of public and private companies and nonprofit organizations provided through thought leadership and connecting people.
The Institute does this through:
* Educational programs
* A focus on future trends and board dynamics
* A focus on international and private company governance
* Sharing best practices
* Networking
* Board referrals and volunteer opportunities
* Research -
Instructor, Cox School of Business, Business Leadership Center
SMU Cox School of Business
- 5 years 7 months
Education
* Teaching Excellence Award: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 *
Course: Corporate Governance & Board of Directors 101
Instructor: Dennis J. Cagan
Description:
This course will take students through all the key aspects of traditional and contemporary corporate governance. Whether an entrepreneurial venture, a mature corporation, a non-profit, private or public, each company has a board of directors and governance infrastructure. Students will learn about the types of corporate entities…* Teaching Excellence Award: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 *
Course: Corporate Governance & Board of Directors 101
Instructor: Dennis J. Cagan
Description:
This course will take students through all the key aspects of traditional and contemporary corporate governance. Whether an entrepreneurial venture, a mature corporation, a non-profit, private or public, each company has a board of directors and governance infrastructure. Students will learn about the types of corporate entities, their applicable rules of governance, best practices, insights into executive leadership within the governance landscape, and how to maximize the value of this structure and process for the benefit of the founders, shareholders, and management. This course is taught using an interactive conversational style, liberally laced with real-world anecdotes, and includes lecture, group discussion, and possibly guest speakers.
Objectives:
Review all key aspects of corporate governance and the board of directors:
Incorporation process and structures
Certificate/Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, resolutions
Underlying purpose, responsibilities, and liabilities
Board of directors vs. Advisory Board
Board formation, director skills matrix, recruitment
Oversight, strategy, actions, “nose in – fingers out”
Board meetings
Employees and management vs. The Board
Examine how executives/founders and employees at all levels can benefit from the board and work with the board.
Explore the unique characteristics of entrepreneurial/start-up ventures vs. established firms.
Understand who actually controls a company in a variety of scenarios, and why it’s important.
Learn how a board can be a major competitive advantage, or a destructive disadvantage.
Review governance issues in well-known companies, currently in the news.
Discuss how each student can individually apply this information directly to the advancement of their career over time. -
Visiting Lecturer
SMU Dedman School of Law
- 6 years 9 months
Education
Periodic lecturer at SMU Deadman School of Law on the subjects of corporate governance, ethics, and erntrepreneurship.
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Visiting Lecturer
Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas
- Present 6 years
Education
Periodic lecturer to Advanced Accounting and Healthcare Leadership classes on the subjects of corporate governance, ethics, and entrepreneurship.
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Member Board Of Directors, Engineering School - Center for Engineering & Entrepreneurship Management
University of California, Santa Barbara
- 8 years 5 months
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Member Board of Directors, Orfalea College of Business
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- 3 years 3 months
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Publications
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Private Company Governance Summit 2019: Lead Panelist
Private Company Governance Conference 2019: Deloitte, Family Business Magazine, and Directors & Boards Magazine
The conference will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 5-7, 2019. Mr. Cagan was the lead panelist for the closing session on board compensation - Director Compensation - What Should You Pay?
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Book Excerpt: The Board of Directors for a Private Enterprise
NACD Directorship Magazine
A review of Mr. Cagan's book.
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The Board of Directors of a Private Enterprise - The Book
AuthorHouse
The definitive book on private company boards of directors.
Praise for The Board of Directors for a Private Enterprise
“Your book is an amazing piece of work. You are setting a new standard for a real-world advisory guide on boards of directors: why have one, and how to recruit for, form, run, and get value from a board. You have done yourself proud. This book reflects your vast body of experience coupled with superb writing talent, resulting in a guidebook that will be helpful to…The definitive book on private company boards of directors.
Praise for The Board of Directors for a Private Enterprise
“Your book is an amazing piece of work. You are setting a new standard for a real-world advisory guide on boards of directors: why have one, and how to recruit for, form, run, and get value from a board. You have done yourself proud. This book reflects your vast body of experience coupled with superb writing talent, resulting in a guidebook that will be helpful to management and board members of not only the smaller and privately owned company but of established public companies as well.”
- James Kristie, Former Editor & Associate Publisher, Directors & Boards Magazine
“This book should be required reading for all entrepreneurs and VC firms. I particularly enjoyed the war stories on the Director Firings!”
- Don Daseke, President & CEO, Daseke Inc.
“This book is of genuine value. I do believe in the ‘independent’ board for private companies, but just as Mr. Kristie, judge that there is a dearth of good advice on how to recruit, develop, and lead such boards. Yours will be a very worthwhile contribution to the field, and a book that I will recommend to the many in the audience that shudder at the task of building that first board. Some specifics: Superb calling out of the need for documentation. You are spot on with your observation regarding recruitment that ‘you can often learn more about them from the questions they ask you than the ones you ask them’. Your treatment of comparing the fiduciary board versus the advisory board is the best explanation I have ever seen. And it is a question on the minds of many private companies that I have visited. Kudos on this wonderful contribution to the family business segment!”
- Jim Ethier, Former Chairman, Bush Brothers & Company
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Private Company Governance: One Size Does Not Fit All
Private Company Directors Magazine
Article: Different types of private companies need different types of board structures.
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35 for 35
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: Pearls of governance wisdom and years of service, that is. 35 years as Editor of Directors&Boards. To finish out my 35 years as editor of DIRECTORS & BOARDS, I have selected 35 punchy observations about life in the boardroom that appeared in our pages during my time at the helm.
Mr. Cagan: “I’ve always loved the idea of a ‘kitchen cabinet’ and to me that is what a great board meeting should feel like.” — Dennis Cagan, director and investor, in “How To Have a Great Board Meeting”…Article: Pearls of governance wisdom and years of service, that is. 35 years as Editor of Directors&Boards. To finish out my 35 years as editor of DIRECTORS & BOARDS, I have selected 35 punchy observations about life in the boardroom that appeared in our pages during my time at the helm.
Mr. Cagan: “I’ve always loved the idea of a ‘kitchen cabinet’ and to me that is what a great board meeting should feel like.” — Dennis Cagan, director and investor, in “How To Have a Great Board Meeting” [Fourth Quarter 2013] -
The Chairman: Who's in charge around here?
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: Simply put, this is where the ‘buck’ stops for a board to achieve its fullest potential.
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Common Sense and Character
Private Company Director Magazine
Article: Board lessons from Admiral Bobby Inman. Interviewed by Dennis Cagan
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Governance Year in Review - 2015
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: A tangible upgrade. The Governance Year in Review issue is our prime opportunity to reflect on the year just past, with
the month-by-month timeline of 2015 as the centerpiece of our look back.
• In a board, power and influence come primarily from respect and confidence, which are not gained quickly or easily. — “Welcome Aboard to Your ‘Youngster’ on the Board” by Dennis Cagan (Q1). -
The dark side of board 'characters'
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: There are directors who are out of synch with everyone else, to the point of disrupting the proceedings and causing damage to the board’s collaborative culture.
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Welcome aboard to your 'youngster' on the board
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: The addition of a new director always impacts (not always for the good) board dynamics, and if the new director is particularly young this adds even more to the challenge for both the freshman director and the board. But a smooth onboarding is eminently doable.
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What you won't find in a director search matrix
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: My own top five list of the most needed — yet least identified — qualities for an outstanding board director.
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A Call for a New Cyber
NACD Directorship Magazine
Article: Over the last few years, cybersecurity risk has quickly risen to be the most dangerous, multi-dimensional risk faced by any organization. The cyber part of the term cybersecurity is fairly new, especially for companies, while the security part is an age-old problem for businesses. In terms of corporate governance, who has the ultimate fiduciary responsibility for this critical issue? The board, of course.
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Private Company Q & A: Dennis Cagan
Private Company Director Magazine
Article: What makes private company board service different than public company board service?
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When is Board Diversity Actually Diverse?
Private Company Director Magazine
Article: Thinking about private board diversity in a four-dimensional way .
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What to ask a prospective board member
Directors & Boards Magazine
When interviewing for a board seat, what questions should you ask, AND what questions should you expect to be asked by the candidate.
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Private Company Governance Summit 2014: Led Two Panels
Private Company Governance Conference: Deloitte, Family Business Magazine, and Directors & Boards Magazine
The conference was held in Washington, D.C. on May 7-9, 2014. Mr. Cagan was the moderator for the opening panel on conducting board meetings, and facilitated the breakout session on mentoring the CEO.
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Why should you form a board of directors - for a family business?
Family Business Magazine
Most family businesses of any meaningful size already have a board of directors. If the company is organized as a corporation, a board is required. Yet most of these boards are made up exclusively of family members. If the CEO is non-family, he or she may also serve as a director. Is this the best we can do?
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How to have a great board meeting
Directors&Boards Magazine
Article: The tone, content, and conduct of this meeting are critical to the level of governance and ultimate value of having a board. Yet outside of the board’s inner circle, few people know what typically goes on in one, much less how to organize and effectively conduct a board meeting
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Private Company Governance Summit 2013: Keynote Speaker
Private Company Governance Conference: Deloitte, Family Business Magazine, and Directors & Boards Magazine
The conference was be held in Washington, D.C. on May 15-17, 2013. In this Keynote session Mr. Cagan was interviewed live by James Kristie, Editor and Associate Publisher of Directors&Boards Magazine on a wide range of private company governance issues and topics.
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Company to Director, You're Fired!: how to fire a Director
Directors & Boards Magazine
For Small and Private Companies: Company to Director, You're Fired!
Most seasoned CEO’s, chairmen or private company owners don’t hesitate to fire an employee that simply does not fit, yet they can be hesitant and indecisive when it comes to asking a director to step down. Why do they feel uncomfortable in this situation, and should they? How do you fire a director? If you have been a fan of Donald J. Trump’s TV show The Apprentice, you know that you just have to say, “You’re fired!”…For Small and Private Companies: Company to Director, You're Fired!
Most seasoned CEO’s, chairmen or private company owners don’t hesitate to fire an employee that simply does not fit, yet they can be hesitant and indecisive when it comes to asking a director to step down. Why do they feel uncomfortable in this situation, and should they? How do you fire a director? If you have been a fan of Donald J. Trump’s TV show The Apprentice, you know that you just have to say, “You’re fired!” While that might be just fine for The Donald [now the 45th president of the United States], and for firing an employee, for some reason firing a board member can often be much more intimidating. Perhaps this is because, unlike a subordinate, many directors are often more senior and successful in their career than the company CEO. They are likely to be highly respected leaders in their field, which may be why they were invited to join the board in the first place. Regardless, all directors serve at the pleasure of the owners of the company, whether that means public shareholders, private owners, family members, a private equity group, or one individual. -
'The ABCs of forming an advisory board'
Directors & Boards Magazine
The Q4 issue of DIRECTORS and BOARDS Magazine contains an article by Dennis titled 'The ABCs of forming an advisory board'. The Q2 2012 issue contained one titled 'Finding directors for the smaller and early-stage company'. Both are available below for download.
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The Last Inch (TM)
Copper Mobile, Inc.
The Last Inch (A White Paper on the New Frontier in Man-Machine Interface). Mobility including mobile devices and mobile apps is the new paradigm in the user interface. The last mile is obsolete.
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Finding directors for the smaller and early-stage company
Directors & Boards Magazine
There are an abundance of issues around forming a board: the risks and benefits, how to form it, and what to do with it after it’s formed. However, perhaps the most important consider- ation ultimately is who the actual directors will be and what value they add to your business.
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General Public Profile
Many Platforms
For current items lease look below:
Background: In 1979 Dennis was the keynote speaker at the industry's first COMDEX Show, in Las Vegas. COMDEX grew to become the largest trade show in the USA for many years. Dennis has had a modest public profile over the years. He has been widely quoted in the trade and general press, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes magazines. He has written many articles for publications including CRN-Computer Reseller News, Electronic News…For current items lease look below:
Background: In 1979 Dennis was the keynote speaker at the industry's first COMDEX Show, in Las Vegas. COMDEX grew to become the largest trade show in the USA for many years. Dennis has had a modest public profile over the years. He has been widely quoted in the trade and general press, including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Forbes magazines. He has written many articles for publications including CRN-Computer Reseller News, Electronic News, California Business, Electronic Business, AFSMI Professional Journal, AFSMI European Services Industry, Service & Support Management/MSM magazine, Service Management magazine - UK & Europe, and CTIA Computing Channels/A Better Channel magazine. His career has included speeches at numerous computer industry trade shows and conferences sponsored by companies including the Interface Group (including COMDEX - now part of Softbank), Microsoft, U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Dataquest, Frost & Sullivan, InfoCorp, the Yankee Group, BIS/CAP (NYNEX), ISNI, and Association For Services Management International (AFSMI).
Patents
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System For Location Naming Service Claim Set 2 - Co-Inventor
Filed US P142-0004USP1
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Shadow CEO (Trademark/Service Mark)
Issued US Reg. No. 4,236,882
Use of the term 'Shadow CEO' in any business management consultancy and advisory services capacity. Shadow CEO®.
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The Last Inch (Trademark/Service Mark)
Issued US U.S. Trademark Serial No.: 85/728,602
THE LAST INCH
Class 9: Computer application software for any mobile communications device, namely, software for use in providing the user with any form of functionality, productivity or automation for control of the user interface [as amended] -
System For Location Naming Service Claim Set 1 - Co-Inventor
Filed US P142-003USP1
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Shadow CEO (USPTO) Registered Service Mark/Trademark
4,236,882
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Honors & Awards
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SMU/Cox Teaching Excellence Award 2018 - 2019 - 2020 - 2021 - 2022 for "Governance & Board 101"
Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox School of Business, Business Leadership Center
For the course: Corporate Governance and Boards of Directors 101. Mr. Cagan has also taught classes on entrepreneurship, governance or early-stage tech companies at the University of California, Santa Barbara; California Polytechnic University; and University of Texas, Dallas.
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North Texas Outstanding Directors for 2013
National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the Dallas Business Journal, and E&Y.
Honored as one of 12 Outstanding Directors in North Texas for 2013 by the Dallas Business Journal. One of only two honorees from private companies (4 public, 6 non-profit).
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IT Hall of Fame
CompTIA
In 2011 Dennis was inducted into the IT Hall of Fame - Channel Section (administered by CompTIA). This was based on his participation (1983) as Treasurer of the founding board/team of the CompTIA A+ Certification Program. The program now certifies over 1.5 million technicians worldwide. This program now generates $50MM per year for the non-profit CompTIA. The original working group included over 100 vendors like IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, and more.
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Having done business in 35 countries, others, but very elementary
Elementary proficiency
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A friend was asked if "Playing from the Rough" was a golf story. His response was spot on: “It is about as much a golf story as 'Rocky' is a boxing…
A friend was asked if "Playing from the Rough" was a golf story. His response was spot on: “It is about as much a golf story as 'Rocky' is a boxing…
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What an honour to spend time with Professor Mervyn King SC last night. To sit at the feet of a giant, and break bread together. Thanks Annamarie…
What an honour to spend time with Professor Mervyn King SC last night. To sit at the feet of a giant, and break bread together. Thanks Annamarie…
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One of the great privileges when working with boards intent on governing with impact, is the extended opportunity to take in a little local history…
One of the great privileges when working with boards intent on governing with impact, is the extended opportunity to take in a little local history…
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Law Enforcement: To all my friends in law enforcement (from my LETN - Law Enforcement Television Network) days, please note the exceptional progress…
Law Enforcement: To all my friends in law enforcement (from my LETN - Law Enforcement Television Network) days, please note the exceptional progress…
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Whenever I hear that #KamalaHarris is leading in the polls, it brings back memories of the ones in 2016 that had Hillary winning by a landslide…
Whenever I hear that #KamalaHarris is leading in the polls, it brings back memories of the ones in 2016 that had Hillary winning by a landslide…
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🌟 A Day of Innovation 🌟 Yesterday was an incredible day immersed in the vibrant world of #startups! The morning kicked off with a pitch from two…
🌟 A Day of Innovation 🌟 Yesterday was an incredible day immersed in the vibrant world of #startups! The morning kicked off with a pitch from two…
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