Composition: The Audit Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and be composed of at least three Directors, including a Chairperson, each of whom shall meet the NYSE definition of “independent” for directors and audit committee members, including the definition set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as determined by the Board of Directors, and any additional standards adopted by the Board. All Audit Committee members shall, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, be financially literate and at least one member shall be an audit committee financial expert, as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. At least one member of the Audit Committee shall be qualified as an accounting expert.
Assignment and Removal of Committee Members: Audit Committee members shall serve until their resignation, retirement or removal by the Board or until a successor is appointed. An Audit Committee member may be removed by majority vote of the independent Directors of the full Board.
Members will be appointed to the Committee by the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance Committee. Audit Committee assignments will be based on the Board member’s business and professional experience and qualifications. The need for continuity, subject matter expertise, tenure and the desires of the individual Board members will also be considered.
No member of the Audit Committee may serve simultaneously on the audit committees of more than two other public companies.
Outside Advisors: The Audit Committee shall have the authority, and shall have appropriate funding from the Company, to retain independent counsel, accountants and other advisors as the Audit Committee determines appropriate to assist it in the performance of its functions, as well as funding for ordinary administrative expenses incurred by the Audit Committee in carrying out its duties.
Role of Committee: Although the Audit Committee has the powers and responsibilities set forth in this charter, the role of the committee is generally oversight. The members of the Audit Committee are not full-time employees of the Company and generally are not accountants or auditors by profession. Consequently, the Audit Committee does not conduct audits, independently verify management’s representations, or determine that the Company’s financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate, are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), or fairly present the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company in accordance with GAAP. These are the responsibilities of management. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for expressing an opinion on the Company’s financial statements and internal control over financial reporting based upon their audit. The Audit Committee’s considerations and discussions with management and the independent registered public accounting firm do not assure that the Company’s financial statements are presented in accordance with GAAP or that the audit of the Company’s financial statements has been carried out in accordance with auditing standards adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.