Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A.

About Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A.

Dr. Patrice A. Harris, age 65, is a board-certified psychiatrist, Co‑Founder and Chief Executive Officer of eMed Digital Healthcare, and an Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Medicine and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. She previously served as President of the American Medical Association (2019–2020) and chaired the AMA Opioid Task Force (2014–2021). She joined Acadia Healthcare’s board in 2023 and is a Class III continuing director with a term expiring in 2026; she is also a current director of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI) .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Independence: The Board determined all directors other than the CEO (Mr. Hunter) are independent under NASDAQ rules (Harris is a non‑management director and therefore independent) .
• Committee assignments (2024): Member, Quality & Compliance Committee (Compliance Committee; Chair: Vicky B. Gregg). The committee met 4 times in 2024 .
• Attendance and engagement: In 2024 the Board held 5 meetings; each director attended at least 75% of Board and relevant committee meetings. All directors attended the 2024 annual stockholders’ meeting in person .
• Term and class: Class III continuing director; term expires at the 2026 annual meeting .
• Independent director executive sessions: Independent directors meet in executive session as required by NASDAQ .

Fixed Compensation (Non‑Management Director Pay)

Additional notes:

• No meeting fees disclosed; annual retainers are paid on the Annual Meeting Date .
• Hedging and pledging of Company securities are prohibited for directors; short‑selling also prohibited .

Performance Compensation (Equity)

Program structure:

• Directors Plan provides for an initial and annual grant valued at $160,000, delivered in time‑vesting restricted stock, vesting 33⅓% per year over three anniversaries beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date .

Performance metrics:

• Director equity is time‑vested; no explicit performance conditions are disclosed for non‑management director awards .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Expertise & Qualifications

• Skills matrix flags for Dr. Harris include: Health Care Industry; Quality/Patient Management; Board & Governance; Executive Management; Government/Regulatory/Public Policy .
• The Board biography highlights deep psychiatric and behavioral health expertise and national policy leadership (AMA presidency; opioid task force chair) .

Equity Ownership

Insider Trades (SEC Filings)

Potential Conflicts & Related Party Exposure

• Related‑party transactions: Proxy includes a section on certain relationships and related person transactions; no Harris‑related transactions are identified in the cited sections .
• Interlocks: No Compensation Committee interlocks disclosed for 2024 .
• Policies mitigating conflicts: Audit & Risk Committee reviews related‑party transactions; Compliance Committee oversees extensive regulatory/compliance risk areas .

Governance Assessment

• Strengths for investor confidence:

  • Independent director with deep psychiatric, quality of care, and regulatory/public policy expertise aligned with ACHC’s core behavioral health business; explicit skills matrix support .
  • Active on the Quality & Compliance Committee (4 meetings in 2024), a critical oversight body for a healthcare provider operating under complex regulatory regimes .
  • Solid engagement: ≥75% attendance and annual meeting attendance; independent director executive sessions in place .
  • Clear alignment features: annual equity grants that vest over time; director ownership guidelines (5x cash retainer) and prohibitions on hedging/pledging .

• Watch items:

  • Director equity is time‑vested (not performance‑based), which is standard for non‑employee directors but provides less direct performance linkage than PSUs; investors should monitor continued accumulation toward guideline compliance (five‑year transition) .
  • Dr. Harris serves as CEO of a private digital health company (eMed); while no related‑party transactions are disclosed, continued oversight of potential overlaps with ACHC’s vendors/partners is advisable .

Net: Dr. Harris adds material domain expertise (psychiatry, quality, regulatory) to ACHC’s Board, serves on the key Compliance Committee, maintains independence, and demonstrates engagement. Compensation and ownership structures are typical and include alignment safeguards (stock grants, ownership guidelines, anti‑hedging/pledging), with no disclosed related‑party concerns tied to Dr. Harris .