Key Women's Leadership Appointments in the US in August 2026

August 2026 witnessed a fresh wave of leadership appointments across corporate America with female business executives taking key positions in the fields of technology, cyber security, media, education, financial services, human resources, and construction. The recent women leaders’ appointments demonstrate the growing presence of women leaders in corporate leadership strengthening capabilities and driving impactful business growth.

These new appointments include an impressive combination of diverse industry knowledge and leadership expertise spanning people and talent strategies to operations, sales, digital expertise, and even boards.

Global Woman Leader magazine curates seven recent women leadership appointments made across corporate America. The appointments made throughout the month of August 2026 reflect women’s growing credibility across sectors and industries.

Anna Jackson Joins Armadin as VP of People Leadership

Anna Jackson becomes the new Vice President of People at Armadin with over 10 years of HR executive-level experience in the technology and cyber security spaces. Following almost 7 years at Gigamon, Anna will be responsible for developing and executing people strategies and building organisational capabilities using her rich experience. She previously worked as an HR professional in Mandiant and McAfee, gaining experience in business transformation, talent acquisition, and organizational effectiveness. Her background in cyber security provides her with a good knowledge of the talent requirements in the industry.

Anna confirmed the appointment through a LinkedIn post, "I'm excited to begin this next chapter with Armadin after nearly seven wonderful years at Gigamon. I'm looking forward to working alongside Kevin Mandia, Barbara Massa, and the talented team as we build the future together."

Skye Anderson Takes Charge as President of McDonald's

McDonald’s Corporation has appointed Skye Anderson as President of McDonald’s USA. With over two decades of experience, Skye will manage the operations of McDonald’s USA while McDonald’s concentrates on developing its restaurants. The appointment is seen as a result of a systematic process of leadership succession that McDonald’s has been undertaking over the past few months. Skye has re-joined McDonald’s U.S. operation where she has played a significant role in ensuring organizational continuity and working within the U.S. organization.

“Skye combines deep operational discipline with strong financial judgment and has earned the trust of Owner/Operators, suppliers and employees,” said Chris Kempczinski, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's Corporation.

Alyson Stewart Joins Zixi as Senior Director of Sales

Zixi has appointed Alyson Stewart as Senior Director of Sales with the vision to enhance its direct sales and partner strategies within the media and entertainment industry. Alyson brings more than 20 years of professional experience in media, technology, software, SaaS sales, content distribution, and operations.

At Hydrolix, she played an instrumental role in building the enterprise direct sales and partner strategies and prior to that was at AWS for five years, working with AWS’ media, entertainment, games, and sports business. “I’ve long admired the strength of the Zixi platform and the role it plays in live media workflows,” said Alyson. “I’m excited to join the team and help our customers navigate the shift to IP-based video delivery.”

Erin Furtak Takes Charge as Interim Director at CU Boulder

CU Boulder has named Dr. Erin Furtak as the interim director of its Center for Teaching and Learning. With her experience in academic administration, science education, teaching, and faculty development, she will serve as the interim director for nine months. Her main role will be to support the development of teaching competencies among faculty members at the university.

Erin has also made an impressive name for herself in terms of research and academia. She is presently the chair of the faculty governance committee at the School of Education, and she served as an associate dean of faculty from 2018 to 2021. She has also enjoyed leadership roles in scientific and STEM education organizations outside the university.

Michele Fink Takes on VP Talent Management Role at Corning

Michele Fink has been named the Vice President of Talent Management for Corning Incorporated after having been associated with the firm for over a decade. Michele has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of talent management, human resources, organization development, change management, learning & development, HR technology, and employee relations.

Michele held the position of Division Vice President-Human Resources, Display, MCE & Asia at Corning previously and was stationed in Shanghai for more than two years. Prior to this, Michele held senior HR positions in Optical Communications, Optical Connectivity Solutions, and IT.

TDECU Names Dell Executive Lavonne as First Woman Board Chair

Lavonne Burke is set to serve as TDECU’s board chairwoman, becoming the first female chair of TDECU’s board since the company’s formation 71 years ago. Having joined the board in 2023, Lavonne possesses a combination of skills in law, technology, and corporate governance, while serving as the vice president of Dell Technologies has provided her with knowledge in areas of cybersecurity, data security, information technology governance, and intellectual property, which would be crucial for TDECU’s digitalization process.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Lavonne for several years, and I’ve valued her leadership and strategic perspective,” TDECU President and CEO Isaac Johnson said. “As Chair, Lavonne will play a key role in guiding our board and supporting TDECU’s continued innovation and long-term value for our Members.”

Cathy Orquiola Joins McCarthy as Regional CEO

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., has named Cathy Orquiola as Regional CEO, with over three decades of management experience in managing construction operations, expanding the market, developing teams, and growing the business. Cathy, a veteran in the construction industry, has previously managed complex construction projects involving different construction sectors and delivery methods.

As a new leader of McCarthy, she will work alongside other leaders at regional and national levels to enhance collaboration, exchange of knowledge, and operational performance, leveraging her experience in data centers and mission critical construction. She will also serve on the company’s executive committee.“Cathy is an outstanding addition to McCarthy's executive leadership team,” commented Chairman and CEO Ray Sedey.

Women Leaders Take on Impactful Roles Shaping Business Growth

As organizations respond to global market shifts, changing customer requirements, technological trends, and workforce considerations, women professionals step in top leadership positions to shape business priorities influencing both personal and professional long-term growth.

From enhancing workforce employability skills to promoting digitalization, boosting operational effectiveness to mentoring talent, creating business connections to strategizing for the organization, their expertise and knowledge results in measurable impact and influence across varied industries and business functions. Through experience and effective leadership, they demonstrate how women in senior leadership roles contribute to more inclusive and high-performing organizations.

These appointments clearly demonstrate women’s growing role and its impact transcending beyond the conventional ambit. Leveraging years of experience, these executives bring in specialized skills to diverse fieldswhich remain crucial to organizational developmenton a global platform. As the momentum continues, women leaders are determined to accelerate progress by successfully leading firms and broadening the definition of effective leadership.