Areas of Expertise
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Composition & Board Development
- Structure & Culture
- Board-Staff Relations
- Assessments
- Governance Design & Support
Vernetta Walker is an independent consultant based in the greater Washington, DC area and has served as a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource. Prior to starting Walker & Associates Consulting, she was Chief Governance Officer for BoardSource. With more than two decades of experience as a nonprofit leader and consultant, Vernetta is passionate about helping organizations maximize their impact through exceptional leadership, intellectual engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition to providing consulting and training, she is a frequent speaker on nonprofit leading practices, sector trends, and creating an equitable culture.
Vernetta has worked with hundreds of public charities, associations, and foundations across the country and globally. Her clients have included the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, YMCA of the USA, the National Aquarium, NeighborWorks America, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Infectious Disease Society of America, Urban League of Pittsburgh, EasterSeals, and the Walt Disney Company, to name a few.
Previous work experience also includes serving as associate general counsel and director of consulting for the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, foundation advocacy counsel for the Alliance for Justice, and director of Administration of Justice Grants for the Florida Bar Foundation. She also practiced corporate law with a large firm in Orlando for several years.
Vernetta is an adjunct lecturer, Columbia University’s Masters of Nonprofit Management program, a faculty member for NeighborWorks America, and a certified cultural transformation consultant with the Barrett Values Centre. Vernetta has extensive nonprofit board experience and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the March for Our Lives Action Fund (founded after the Parkland, FL shootings), and is President of the MFOL Foundation.
Vernetta specializes in:
- Board engagement
- Diversity, equity and inclusion planning and integration
- Governance assessments and reviews
- Practices of high performing boards