The Board met five times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the Audit, Compliance and Valuation Committee met four times, the Investment Oversight Committee met four times and the Governance Committee met five times. Each trustee attended all Board and applicable committee meetings of the Trust during the Trust’s most recent fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Trust does not hold annual meetings of shareholders and does not have a policy with regard to the attendance of trustees at such meetings.
Evaluating and Nominating Candidates for Trustee
In the event a vacancy exists on the Board, or a vacancy is anticipated, the Governance Committee of the Board shall consider whether it is in the best interests of the Trust and its shareholders to nominate a disinterested person or an interested person to fill the vacancy. The Governance Committee may consider candidates recommended by members of the Committee, other independent trustees of the Board, or members of the Board who are interested persons of the Trust. The Governance Committee also may consider candidates recommended by a search firm engaged by the Committee, if the Committee chooses to engage a search firm. If the Governance Committee determines that it is in the best interests of the Trust and its shareholders to nominate a person who is not an interested person of the Trust, only those trustees who are not interested persons may select and nominate candidates for that position.
The Governance Committee, when evaluating candidates for trustee, seeks the following, minimum qualifications:
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the ability to work together with other trustees, with full and open discussion and debate as an effective group,
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current knowledge and experience in the Trust’s business or operations, contacts in the industries relevant to the Trust’s business, or substantial business, financial or industry-related experience commensurate with the size, complexity, and risk profile of the Trust, and
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the willingness and ability to devote adequate time to the Trust’s business.
The Governance Committee also considers the following qualities and skills when making its determination whether a nominee is qualified:
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relationships that may affect the independence of the trustee or conflicts of interest that may affect the trustee’s ability to discharge his or her duties,
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diversity of experience and background, including the need for financial, business, academic, public or other expertise on the Board or Board committees, and
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the fit of the individual’s skills and experience with those of the other trustees and potential trustees in comparison to the needs of the Trust.
When evaluating a candidate for nomination, the Governance Committee does not assign specific weight to any of these factors nor does the Committee believe that all of the criteria necessarily apply to every candidate. The Governance Committee considers these qualifications