BNA said its vice chair, Sandra C. Degler, has died of cancer.
Degler joined the Bureau of National Affairs in 1963 as a publication clerk on the company's Report on Business Outlook. She left in 1964 to work for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia and returned four years later. She was the first woman to be named president of BNA's Tax Management division. As president, she oversaw the development of the first personal computer software product for BNA, as well as the first CD-ROM product.
Degler was elected to the BNA board in 1990 and served as the company's first female chair. Even after her retirement from day-to-day service in 2000, she continued to serve on the board as vice chair and as a consultant.
"Sandy Degler's death represents a huge loss to BNA, to the board and to the entire community," said BNA Chairman and CEO Paul N. Wojcik in a statement. "Her years of service at various levels of the company contributed tremendously to our ongoing success, and her election as BNA's first female chairman of the board in 2004 capped a career of unparalleled service and dedication. She will be sorely missed."
