Dita Shemke is the visionary founder and volunteer Executive Director of Boardvance, a social impact initiative born in Orange County and designed to close one of the most persistent gaps in corporate leadership today: the one-to-five-year period before a woman secures her first corporate board seat.

With a career rooted in finance, governance, and leadership, Dita’s trajectory has consistently centered on supporting others—especially women—in achieving economic independence and generational influence. She has long been a behind-the-scenes force: advising owners of closely held businesses, building symbiotic business ecosystems, and championing the representation of women in positions of power.

However, it was her experience chairing the Orange County campaign for 50/50 Women on Boards in 2019 that sparked the idea for Boardvance. There, she witnessed firsthand how many qualified women lacked the support, tools, and network to make the final leap into board service. In response, Dita piloted the first version of what would become Boardvance during the COVID-19 pandemic. From those learnings, she built a comprehensive ecosystem—officially launched in December 2024—that combines mastermind-style learning, mentorship, events, and corporate partnerships to cultivate board-ready women.

Boardvance's signature Navigator Mastermind program offers advanced board readiness training facilitated by subject matter experts in small cohort settings that emphasize peer accountability, leadership presence, and strategic networking. Over the past 12 to 24 months, Dita has quietly yet powerfully built a coalition of like-minded partners, advisors, and emerging leaders. She spearheaded the all-volunteer launch of Boardvance, uniting major partners such as OneOC, The Park Club, PNC Bank, The Schalow Family Giving Fund and various business and community leaders across California. Additionally, she established a high-powered Launch Leadership Team and Board of Advisors that embody the organization’s inclusive values and extensive expertise. Dita exemplifies what it means to lead from both heart and strategy.

She not only built a platform that centers on women’s leadership, she actively completed the beta Navigator Mastermind cohort herself to experience the program from the inside out. Her model of servant leadership and commitment to building pathways for others define her impact. As a volunteer founder, Dita has dedicated countless hours to developing the Boardvance brand, model, and programming over the past three years. Her approach is grounded in equity, excellence, and collaboration.

Boardvance is positioned to scale nationally, offering a new model for leadership development that places women at the center of corporate governance conversations. With Boardvance, Dita Shemke has not only launched an initiative; she has ignited a movement. Her influence will resonate throughout the county, country and beyond as more women receive support on their journeys to board service and are equipped with the tools to lead at the highest levels.

Learn more: Boardvance