UCLA Anderson Senior Associate Dean Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., is the recipient of the 2021 B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes directors whose distinguished boardroom service throughout their career best exemplifies the characteristics modeled by West, the former National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) CEO for whom the award is named. Honorees are recognized for their dedication to effective leadership, their improvement of corporate governance and the demonstrable impact they have had in their communities and throughout their boardroom service to public, private or nonprofit entities.

“I am humbled and deeply honored to accept this award,” said Osborne, who, in addition to his role as senior associate dean, is also a longtime Anderson professor and faculty director of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “I knew Ken West, so to be recognized for outstanding board service is truly a gift. My gratitude goes to my board colleagues, particularly those who arranged this nomination in the Pacific Southwest chapter and invested the energy to bring this about … I thank them.” Osborne also thanked his family — his wife Nancy and his son Alex — for their support, along with two of his close colleagues.

“The influence and deft insights of Franklin Murphy, former chairman of the Times Mirror Corporation and former chancellor of UCLA, and the nuances and governance and situations I learned working with then (UCLA Anderson) Dean Clay LaForce linger in my heart to this day. I am eternally grateful,” said Osborne.

In recognizing Osborne, the NACD noted that he is a corporate governance expert, teacher and mentor, and a consummate boardroom professional. Osborne has served on more than 25 public, private and nonprofit boards and has inspired new generations to aspire to and be ready for board service. His current and past board service includes Kaiser Aluminum, Wedbush Inc., First Pacific Advisors family of mutual funds, the Geffen Academy at UCLA, Fidelity Charitable, Harvard-Westlake School and the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation. As a scholar, Osborne has presented numerous talks on corporate governance and testimony on the role and responsibility of office and directors of business organizations. A corporate governance expert, he established a director education and certification program designed to help officers and directors of public, private and nonprofit organizations prepare for the fiduciary duties and legal responsibilities of governance. This program also addresses best practices and topical issues confronting directors.

Al Osborne gratefully accepted the 2021 B. Kenneth West Lifetime Achievement Award.