Past firm performance may additionally influence board composition. Semkow (1994) finds that promotion of descendants within the corporate ranks dilutes the pool of non-family talent and leads to corporate failure when family members are not capable of maintaining and enhancing the business left by the founder. Conse- quently, family members are not promoted to senior management or board positions unless they have gained extensive experience first. In contrast, non-family individuals with professional training are filling these positions because of their demonstration of traditional family values, such as trust, loyalty, and predictability. In addition, Hermalin and Weisbach (1988), Gilson (1990), and Kaplan and Minton (1994) find that board structure changes and more outside directors are appointed after poor past performance. We therefore include a firmÕs Prior 5-year performance, or average EBIT/Assets for the previous 5-year period, as an additional control.