meeting (that is, Mr. Blakely, Dr. Glassman, Mr. James, Ms. Seseri, Mr. Skinner, Mr. Tipsord, Gov. Thompson, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Yingling and Mr. Zwirn), are “independent” within the meaning of the NYSE listing standards, applicable SEC rules and our Standards for Director Independence. In addition, the Board affirmed that all of the members of the audit committee satisfy the NYSE’s and SEC’s additional requirements for audit committee independence and that all of the members of the compensation committee satisfy the NYSE’s and the SEC’s additional requirements for compensation committee independence.
Shareholder Rights Plan Policy
The Board has adopted a policy stating that we will submit the adoption or extension of any shareholder rights plan to a shareholder vote, unless the Board, in an exercise of its fiduciary responsibilities, believes that it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to adopt or extend (for one year) a shareholder rights plan without the delay that would come from the time required to seek a shareholder vote.
Director Nomination Procedures
After considering the evaluation criteria outlined below, the nominating and governing committee recommended to the Board that each of the nine nominees for director identified in this Proxy Statement be nominated for election to the Board toserve one-year terms. With the exception of Ms. Seseri, each of the nominees currently serves on the Board.
The nominating and governance committee is generally tasked with evaluating and recommending to the Board nominees for election to the Board at each annual meeting. The nominating and governance committee works with the Board to determine the appropriate characteristics, skills, and experiences for individual directors and for the Board as a whole with the objective of having a board of directors with diverse backgrounds and experience. In considering the qualifications of incumbent directors as well as future candidates for election to the Board, the nominating and governance committee considers all relevant factors, including judgment, character, reputation, education, and experience in relation to the qualifications of any alternate candidates and the particular needs of the Board, its committees and the Company as they exist at the time of the candidate’s consideration. Characteristics expected of all our directors include independence, integrity, high personal and professional ethics, sound business judgment, and the ability and willingness to commit sufficient time to the Board. Although the Company does not have a formal policy on diversity, the Company seeks directors who represent a mix of backgrounds and experiences. The nominating and governance committee discusses each candidate’s diversity of background and experience in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of recommending a candidate for nomination to the Board who can best perpetuate the success of our business and represent our shareholders’ interests through the exercise of sound judgment. The nominating and governance committee evaluates each incumbent director to determine whether he or she should be nominated to stand forre-election, based on the types of criteria outlined above as well as the director’s contributions to the Board during their current term. The nominating and governance committee also considers each candidate’s relationships, if any, with the Company and its directors, officers, employees and shareholders, as well as any applicable criteria set forth in SEC rules, NYSE listing standards and Delaware law. Ms. Walsh was identified as a candidate for director by Heidrick & Struggles, a director search firm. Ms. Seseri and Mr. Yingling were each identified as candidates for directors by Reilly Partners, LP, also a director search firm. In addition to identifying potential candidates for consideration and based upon feedback from the nominating and governance committee about the overall candidate pool, the director search firms assisted in obtaining candidate feedback and compiling information for further review by the nominating and governance committee.
The nominating and governance committee will consider director candidates recommended by the Company’s shareholders. Once the nominating and governance committee receives a recommendation from a shareholder, it may request additional information from the candidate about the candidate’s independence, qualifications and other information that would assist the nominating and governance committee in evaluating the candidate, as well as certain information that must be disclosed about the candidate in the Company’s proxy statement, if nominated.
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