Every person who owns shares of stock in a publicly traded company receives an annual report and proxy statement with information about the company and its management, including its board of directors and executive officers. The proxy statement also contains materials relating to the election of directors. In some companies, the entire board is elected every year; in others, directors serve multiple-year terms and only a few of them are nominated for election each year. All director nominees and all continuing directors whose terms will expire in future years are identified in the proxy materials by age, date of first election to the board, occupation and other board positions they hold. Elsewhere in the proxy statement, in the sections dealing with the compensation of the most senior executives, the most highly compensated executives are identified. In some companies, additional executive officers are identified in their annual reports.

As a shareholder, you are asked to vote for those directors who are up for election. There are instructions for how to exercise the proxy by mail or electronically.

The proxy statement also tells you how you may contact the non-management members of the board of directors, both by mail and electronically. The members of a company's nominating and governance committee are independent (non-management) directors. The proxy statement also identifies committee members and chairs and provides information for contacting them.

The proxy statement also tells you when and where the annual shareholder meeting will take place and invites you to attend if you wish. Typically, you are asked to indicate whether you plan to attend.

Very often, the proxy statement also asks you to vote on one or more shareholder resolutions. Some of these resolutions are proposed by an individual or group of shareholders who seek some change in corporate governance practices or want the company to take some action related to an environmental or social issue. In the past, some shareholder resolutions have sought to increase the diversity of the company's workforce and corporate leadership, including its board. The proxy statement sets forth the text of the resolution, the identity of its proponent(s), a summary of the arguments for the resolution, and a statement of the company's position on the resolution.

Finally, the proxy statement also tells you how shareholders can nominate their own candidates for election to the board. You can use this opportunity to bring to the attention of the company's leadership talented women whose skills and experience you believe can add significant value to the board.