Dear Fellow Society Members:

With my company's annual meeting behind me, I'm now gearing up for the Society's 66th National Conference in July, and I hope you are, too. If you haven't already done so, please register for the conference, book your rooms at the hotel, and make your travel arrangements to Washington, DC. (See also our alternate hotel list.)

And, if you are building a spring-summer reading list, be sure to add some of the excellent books written by our featured speakers and panelists. Here are just a few:

From the Publisher: All the Devils Are Here goes back several decades to weave the hidden history of the financial crisis in a way no previous book has done.... And it proves that the crisis ultimately wasn't about finance at all; it was about human nature.

From the Publisher: In this powerful new book (The Shareholder Value Myth), distinguished legal scholar Lynn Stout proves that there is in fact absolutely no legal obligation for corporations to maximize shareholder value - people just assumed there was....  Stout looks at new theories that not only better serve the needs of real human beings who invest, but of corporations and society as well.

From the Publisher: In Fair Pay, Fair Play, executive compensation thought leader Robin A. Ferracone combines her insight with perspectives from compensation committee members, executives, shareholder advisors and others to provide a clear view on the extent to which performance and pay are aligned for given companies, industries and the U.S. marketplace as a whole.

From the Publisher: Smartest Guys in the Room is a story of greed, arrogance, and deceit-a microcosm of all that is wrong with American business today. Above all, it's a fascinating human drama that will prove to be the authoritative account of the Enron scandal.

From the Publisher: Stout (Cultivating Conscience) makes the compelling case that conscience is neither a rare nor quirky phenomenon, but a vital force woven into our daily lives.... Stout illustrates how our legal system can use these social cues to craft better laws that encourage more unselfish, ethical behavior in many realms, including politics and business.

As you can tell, I am quite excited about the speakers that we'll be hosting in July.  Your experience at the National Conference will be that much richer having read some of their titles ahead of time. You may even want to bring your copies of these books to the National Conference to get them signed.

I'll send more reminders about the National Conference over the coming weeks.

Best regards,

Douglas K. Chia
Assistant General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Johnson & Johnson
Chairman, 66th National Conference
Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals