Katherine White
About Katherine E. White
Katherine E. White, 58, has served as an independent director of Alta Equipment Group Inc. since February 2020. She is a Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School, a registered patent attorney, and a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army National Guard; her education includes a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Princeton), J.D. (University of Washington), LL.M. (George Washington), and a Master’s in Strategic Studies (U.S. Army War College) . The Board cites her legal background and extensive government/military advisory experience as core credentials for Board effectiveness .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit | Judicial Law Clerk to Hon. Randall R. Rader | 1995–1996 | Intellectual property jurisprudence exposure |
| White House | White House Fellow | 2001–2002 | National policy exposure |
| U.S. Patent & Trademark Office | Patent Public Advisory Committee member | 2000–2002 | Patent system oversight input |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture | Plant Variety Protection Office Advisory Board member | 2004–May 2020 | Ag biotech/IP guidance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old National Bancorp (Nasdaq: ONB) | Director | Since 2015 | Public company board experience |
| University of Michigan | Board of Regents member; served as Chair and Chair of Finance & Audit Committee | Not disclosed (multi-year) | Financial oversight leadership |
| U.S. Army National Guard | Brigadier General; Special Assistant to the Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau | Current | Strategic military leadership |
| Wayne State University Law School | Professor of Law | Current | Legal and governance expertise |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and roles (FY2024): Audit Committee member; Chair of Nominating & Corporate Governance; independent director .
- Independence determinations: Board affirmed Ms. White as independent under NYSE rules and qualified for Audit and Compensation Committee independence standards .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 5 times in 2024; no director attended fewer than 75% of Board/committee meetings; all directors at last year’s annual meeting .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet regularly in executive session; sessions are chaired by the Audit Committee chair (not Ms. White) .
- Lead independent director: None; Audit Committee chair presides over executive sessions .
- Risk oversight context: Audit oversees financial/cyber risks; Compensation reviews pay-related risk; Nominating & Corporate Governance oversees governance/sustainability risks—committees report to full Board .
- Clawback policy: SEC/NYSE-compliant; recovery analysis on a cash flow presentation correction required no clawback as metrics were unaffected .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited for directors, officers, employees and related entities/family members .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold 3x annual cash retainer; counting includes unvested RSUs and earned PSUs (time-vest), excludes unearned PSUs and options; 5-year compliance window .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fee Earned or Paid in Cash (Ms. White) | $100,625 |
| Annual Director Cash Retainer (Program rate) | $75,000 |
| Committee Chair Cash Fee – Nominating & Corporate Governance (Program rate) | $20,000 |
| Audit Committee Member Cash Fee (Program rate) | $7,500 |
| Compensation Committee Member Cash Fee (Program rate) | $5,000 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Member Cash Fee (Program rate) | $5,000 |
Notes:
- Program pays cash quarterly; Ms. White’s actual cash reflects retainer plus applicable committee roles .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Structure | Grant Value/Units | Vesting | Mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant to non-employee directors | Time-based (no performance metrics) | $97,275 (Ms. White, FY2024 grant-date fair value) | 1/12 monthly, fully vests by next annual meeting; deferral option available | Number of RSUs = $100,000 ÷ 20-day VWAP before grant; dividends accrue and are paid on vested RSUs if not deferred |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Old National Bancorp (Nasdaq: ONB) | Director since 2015 | No interlocks with ALTG executives disclosed; Compensation Committee interlocks statement reports none involving ALTG executives in 2024 |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Legal and IP expertise; registered patent attorney; academic governance experience .
- Financial oversight leadership (University of Michigan Finance & Audit Committee chair) .
- Senior military leadership (Brigadier General; Special Assistant to Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau) .
- Technical education (EECS) and advanced legal degrees (J.D., LL.M.; Strategic Studies) .
- Recognitions: Fulbright Senior Scholar; inducted into Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor (2021) .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Detail (as of Apr 2, 2025 or Dec 31, 2024 where applicable) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Ms. White) | 47,079 shares; less than 1% of outstanding |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding (Dec 31, 2024) | 5,804 |
| Vested deferred awards (Dec 31, 2024) | 41,275 |
| Shares outstanding (Record Date) | 33,191,065 |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited |
| Director stock ownership guideline | 3x annual cash retainer; 5-year compliance window; counts unvested RSUs and earned PSUs; excludes unearned PSUs/options |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Ms. White strengthens governance through chairing Nominating & Corporate Governance and serving on Audit; independence affirmed and attendance standards met—positive signals for investor confidence .
- Alignment: Director ownership program, RSU grants with steady vesting, and anti-hedging/pledging policy support alignment; Ms. White holds 47,079 shares including deferred RSUs—indicative of ongoing exposure to ALTG equity .
- Pay program quality: Director compensation balanced (cash + equity); clear committee fee structure; no performance metrics tied to director pay (typical market practice) .
- Shareholder feedback: 98% say-on-pay approval in 2024 suggests broad investor support for ALTG’s compensation governance framework (contextual positive) .
- RED FLAGS (contextual governance): Combined CEO/Chair and no formal lead independent director; Audit chair presides over executive sessions which partially mitigates but remains a structural risk to independent oversight . No related-party transactions disclosed involving Ms. White; related-party items involve CEO interests (e.g., lease; OneH2) and are reviewed under policy—monitoring remains prudent .