Increasing women’s access to jobs and equal pay bolsters economic stability, life-expectancy, and improves the lives of future generations (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2017). However, recent corporate scandals (i.e., Google, Uber) and political commentary disparage women’s participation in and leadership of organizations. Some research indicates that women’s presence in corporate governance is associated with positive financial and social returns for companies (Abdullah, Ismail, & Nachum, 2016; Post & Byron, 2015; Byron & Post, 2016; Zhang, Zhu, & Ding, 2013). These effects hold although women remain underrepresented on corporate boards, accounting for less than 30% of board seats (Catalyst, 2017). Thus, increasing women’s access to and influence in boardrooms will likely improve organizational and social life. Although scholars have documented the association between gender diversity and firm outcomes, little research has examined mechanisms linking women’s presence on boards to firm outcomes. Management research has not yet identified why and how having women on boards influence decisions that impact companies. Indeed, some studies demonstrate negative or null associations between gender diversity and firm outcomes (e.g., Jeong & Harrison, 2017). A majority of these studies rely on archival data aggregated across multiple industries to demonstrate associations between board diversity and firm outcomes. However, such approaches do not consider how underrepresented (i.e., women) board members shape these associations. Further, research examining gender on corporate boards has not derived theoretical insight grounded in the experience of women board members. In this symposium, we claim that new perspectives are needed to revise and expand existing theory and research about women on corporate boards. We stake our claim in empirical studies that account for women directors’ token status, and offer recommendations to amplify women’s influence on boards. Thus, this symposium explores the “black box” that links gender diversity on corporate boards to firm outcomes. Specifically, our symposium addresses the following research questions: (1) How do women experience their director role?; (2) What specific decisions (e.g., product recall) do women board directors influence?; and (3) How do women board directors’ gender and board identities affect decision-making? To address these questions, our symposium uses novel methodologies (i.e., qualitative) and data sources (e.g., Federal Drug Administration) within corporate governance research to assess the contextual and experiential factors connecting women directors to organizational outcomes. Ultimately, this symposium helps elucidate how women board directors influence decision-making processes and industry- specific norms, putting forth inclusive, transformational, and contemporary perspectives on women upper echelons leadership in today’s workforce. Research Presentations This symposium will deepen our insight on women in the upper echelons of corporations through three paper presentations and a concluding discussion. The compilation of these presentations nuance research of women on boards and broaden our insights about decision-making that occurs in the boardroom. To open the symposium, Christine Shropshire, Kristie Rogers, and Suzanne Peterson present a grounded theory of how female directors’ make contributions to their boards. Drawing from interviews with 49 women directors, Shropshire and colleagues identify the progression of women from board ‘outsiders’ to ‘insiders.’ This study describes how women evolve from behaving similarly to male directors, to receiving social validation from other board members to deviating from the norm. Upon receiving “licensing” or acceptance from the board, female directors are free to behave in ways that differentiate their perspective from other board members, advocate for diversity and inclusion, and share their opinion on areas outside of their expertise. Ultimately, this paper introduces how board members facilitate the creation of value and contributions to corporate boards. The second presentation, presented by Corinne Post, George Ball, Kaitlin Wowak, and David Ketchen, Jr., theorize the role of female board representation in organizational responses to product quality threats and forward managerial discretion as a moderator of women on boards influence on such responses. Using data from the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, the authors demonstrate that as female board representation (FBR) increases, firms recall more products, and attribute this effect to women’s risk aversion and responsiveness to product quality threats. Further, Post and colleagues find that the women board directors have a more positive influence on product recalls in firms that do not have a history of recalls and for products that are least harmful, because these situations present more managerial discretion. Using FBR as a proxy of directors’ cognitions, values, and experiences, this paper is the first (of our knowledge) to show that managerial discretion moderates the influence of top executives’ characteristics on firm actions, extending upper echelons theory. Finally, Tiffany Trzebiatowski, Morela Hernandez, and Courtney McCluney build and enrich theory around how women board members perceive and enact influence on boards. The authors use a grounded theory approach to understand contextual and individual factors that create pathways of influence for decision-making on boards. Beginning with 12 interviews of current women directors (data collection is ongoing), the authors present a process model of “identity tensions” that create different patterns of behavior that subsequently impact firm performance. Collectively, this study highlights the interplay between representation and norms on women’s ability to experience positive or negative tensions between their gender and board identity. Christy Shropshire will conclude our symposium as our Discussant. Dr. Shropshire, an Associate Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She previously served as an Associate Professor in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and received her Ph.D. from Arizona State in 2008. Most acclaimed for her work on corporate governance, including board composition and effectiveness, diversity in the upper echelons, and stakeholder management, Dr. Shropshire’s work has been published in a range of outlets including the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Organization Science. Given her expertise and visibility in the field of women on corporate boards, Dr. Shropshire is well suited to moderate a rich discussion about theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges and possibilities related to gender and decision-making on corporate boards. Walking the Tightrope: The Female Director Experience Presenter: Christine Shropshire; Arizona State U. Presenter: Kristie May Rogers; Marquette U. Presenter: Suzanne J. Peterson; Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU Influence of Female Board Representation and Managerial Discretion on Product Recalls Presenter: Corinne A. Post; Lehigh U. Presenter: George Ball; Indiana U. - Kelley School of Business Presenter: Katie S. Wowak; U. of Notre Dame Presenter: David Ketchen; Auburn U. “Nose In, Fingers Out”: How Women Board Directors Experience and Exert Influence Presenter: Tiffany Trzebiatowski; U. of Massachusetts, Amherst Presenter: Morela Hernandez; U. of Virginia - Darden School of Business Presenter: Courtney Lynn McCluney; U. of Virginia Darden School of Business