Things may have changed since I retired, but here are some problems I saw with having a pilot BOD member at Delta:

-- the nondisclosure rules kept him from reporting anything of real significance to the MEC.

-- he wasn't on the BOD's Executive Committee, where the important decisions are made.

-- the BOD now had two spokesmen for the pilots, who did not always say exactly the same thing.

Bottom line: I don't know if it made a lot of difference either way.