Sandra Lynn Helton

Sandra L. Helton is a distinguished corporate leader and board director, recognized for her expertise in financial oversight, strategic governance, and transformative leadership.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the Audit Committee of OptiNose Inc., where she provides strong governance oversight and operational insights as the company advances its commercialization strategies for specialty pharmaceutical offerings.
Sandy is also a board member of the Northwestern Memorial Foundation and previously served on the board and chaired the Audit Committee of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Chicago Architectural Center.
During her 21-year tenure on the Board of Principal Financial Group, Sandy played a pivotal role in guiding the company’s global expansion and the evolution of its captive investment function into a trillion-dollar asset management business. She chaired both the Audit and Finance Committees—the latter created under her leadership following the 2008 financial crisis—and was a member of the Executive Committee.
She was a board member and Audit Committee Chair of Covetrus from its inception as a public company until its $4 billion sale and privatization. Her governance expertise also includes board roles at Lexmark International, Covance Inc. (as Finance and Audit Committee Chair), and Lukens Inc., serving on key committees before each company’s successful sale.
Her outstanding contributions to corporate governance earned her recognition as one of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)’s Directorship 100 honorees in 2021.
As Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Telephone and Data Systems (TDS), Sandy led strategic initiatives that doubled return on equity and tripled stock price, while driving transformation across strategy, finance, and technology. She also served on the boards of TDS and its publicly traded subsidiary, U.S. Cellular.
Sandy began her career at Corning Incorporated, where she advanced to Senior Vice President and Treasurer. Her impact spanned corporate strategy and finance, talent development, enterprise transformations, operational optimization, and investment management.
She is an active member of the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) Audit Committee Council, Central Audit Committee Leadership Network, Private Directors Association, National Association of Corporate Directors, Women Corporate Directors, The Lodis Forum, The Chicago Network, and the International Women’s Forum.
Sandy holds a master’s degree in finance, planning, and control from MIT and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky, where she was inducted into the College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2009.
Beyond her corporate and governance contributions, Sandra is a pianist and organist with a deep passion for the arts. She has held leadership roles on numerous nonprofit boards and was a member of the Business Council of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.