vernetta walker

Vernetta Walker is president and CEO of Walker & Associates Consulting, and senior advisor on diversity, inclusion, and equity (DI&E) at 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 cultural competence. In addition to providing consulting and training, she is a frequent speaker on nonprofit leading practices, sector trends, and creating a culture of inclusion.

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, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Independent Sector, U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce, the Walt Disney Company, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Prior to founding Walker and Associates, Vernetta served as chief governance officer and vice president of programs for BoardSource, 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 the Administration of Justice Grants for the Florida Bar Foundation. She also practiced law for several years in Orlando, Florida.

Vernetta is an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University, a faculty member for NeighborWorks America, and a certified cultural transformation consultant with the Barrett Values Centre. She also is author of the forthcoming Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Action Guide for Nonprofit Executives and Board Members (a BoardSource publication).

Vernetta received a Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.