Ascent @ Stanford Directors College 2026
Ascent Leadership Networks Collaborates with Stanford Law School and Rock Center to Launch Experiential CEO Selection Simulation at Stanford Directors’ College 2026
BOSTON, MA – May 11, 2026 — Ascent Leadership Networks, LLC, a leading strategic advisory firm and provider of executive assessment and development solutions, today announced a collaboration with Stanford Law School and the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance to launch an innovative, experiential CEO selection simulation at the 31st Annual Stanford Directors’ College, taking place June 22–24, 2026.
Stanford Directors’ College is widely regarded as the nation’s premier executive education program for corporate directors and C-level executives, bringing together leading CEOs, directors, regulators, and scholars to address the most pressing issues facing modern boards.
As part of this collaboration, Ascent will design and deliver a highly immersive, board-level simulation focused on one of the most critical decisions boards face: CEO selection and succession. The simulation will integrate Ascent’s proprietary assessment methodologies with real-world governance challenges, enabling participants to engage directly with the complex dynamics of leadership evaluation, stakeholder pressures, and boardroom decision-making. The session, spanning two days, will feature participation from a range of distinguished experts as well as support from sponsors and strategic partners of the event, reflecting the cross-disciplinary approach that defines the Rock Center’s mission to advance the understanding and practice of corporate governance.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Stanford Law School and the Rock Center to bring an experiential, high-impact learning environment to Directors’ College,” said Kevin Steinberg, Chairman & Founder of Ascent Leadership Networks, who will serve as faculty for the program. “CEO selection is among the most consequential decisions a board makes. Our goal is to create a setting where directors can engage in that decision with the rigor, ambiguity, and real-world pressures they will face in practice.”
Ascent works closely with a variety of client organizations to design and execute custom offsite programs that deliver better retention, engagement, and effectiveness for their unique needs. Its proprietary immersive, experiential programs include large scale simulations, strategy workshops, and investment/business expansion heatmaps.
ABOUT ASCENT
Ascent Leadership Networks is a strategic advisory firm that develops both individual leaders and organizations to shape the future. Ascent’s leadership development approach is uniquely transformative, combining in-depth, experiential executive learning with proprietary, world-class assessment methodologies. Through its offerings—including assessments, custom programs, executive fellowships, coaching, and strategy and talent consulting—Ascent helps top leaders and organizations achieve meaningful impact.
See https://www.ascent.net for more about Ascent and https://ascent.net/development-programs for more about Ascent’s Corporate Development Programs.
ABOUT STANFORD DIRECTORS’ COLLEGE
Stanford Directors’ College, hosted by Stanford Law School and the Rock Center for Corporate Governance, is the nation’s premier executive education program for directors and senior executives of publicly traded and prominent private companies. The program brings together leading voices from business, academia, and government to address the evolving challenges of corporate governance, strategy, and board leadership.
See https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/directorscollege2026/ and the agenda for this year’s program.
Media Contact
Tiffany West: Tiffany@ascent.net