Aimee Quirk
About Aimee Quirk
Aimee Quirk (age 50) is an independent director of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) and b1BANK, and serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Development Officer for Ochsner Health and CEO of Ochsner Ventures. She holds a B.S. in Finance magna cum laude from LSU and a J.D. summa cum laude from Tulane; prior roles include Senior Advisor for Economic Development for the City of New Orleans and partner at Jones Walker. Director since at least December 2023 (Form 3), she brings expertise in digital health, venture investing, partnerships, marketing, and enterprise communications; recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review and CityBusiness Magazine.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ochsner Health | SVP & Chief Corporate Development Officer; CEO, Ochsner Ventures | Joined 2015; current | Leads external growth initiatives, ventures, strategic investments; oversees marketing and enterprise communications |
| innovationOchsner (iO) | Founding CEO | Six years in role (post-2015) | Built nationally recognized digital health and analytics capabilities |
| City of New Orleans | Senior Advisor for Economic Development | Prior to 2015 (dates not disclosed) | Public-sector economic development leadership |
| Jones Walker | Partner | Prior to public service (dates not disclosed) | Corporate/legal expertise |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obatala Sciences, Inc. | Board member | Not disclosed | Life-sciences/biotech exposure |
| GNO, Inc. | Board member | Not disclosed | Regional economic development |
| The Idea Village | Board member | Not disclosed | Entrepreneurship ecosystem |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Not listed on Audit, Compensation, or Nominating/Corporate Governance rosters in 2024–2025; therefore, no committee assignment or chair role disclosed.
- Independence: Board determined all directors except the CEO/Chair (Melville) are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; Quirk is independent.
- Attendance: Board held 8 meetings in 2024; all directors attended at least 75% of board/committee meetings and all directors attended the 2024 annual shareholder meeting.
- Board leadership: Lead Director role established (Rolfe H. McCollister, Jr.); CEO serves as Chair.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | BFST Policy | Quirk 2024 Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $25,000 for directors; $65,000 for Lead Director; additional monthly retainers for committee roles | $28,534 cash fees |
| Equity retainer | $25,000 in annual equity; one-year vesting | $33,359 stock awards |
| Total director compensation (2024) | Cash + equity | $61,893 total |
- Director stock ownership guidelines: 3x base cash retainer (directors); accumulation required within five years of becoming subject to guidelines.
- Hedging/pledging policy: Hedging strongly discouraged and requires preclearance; pledging discouraged and requires preclearance; margin accounts prohibited.
Performance Compensation
- Director equity awards are time-based and not tied to performance metrics.
- Company’s executive incentive design (context for pay-for-performance and governance):
-
Annual cash bonus metrics and 2024 outcomes (apply to NEOs; shows rigor and alignment):
Performance Goals (2024) Weight Threshold Target Superior 2024 Actual Weighted % Core ROA 50% 0.85 0.92 0.99 0.94 57.1% Core Efficiency Ratio 15% 67.50 65.80 64.10 64.47 20.9% Classified Assets Coverage Ratio 15% 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.53 22.5% Total (company goals weighted 80%) — — — — — 100.5% -
Long-term PRSU metrics (2024 grants to NEOs; three-year performance):
Measure Weight Threshold Target Superior ROATCE (3-year average, vs internal targets) 50% 80% of Target Target 110% of Target Peer-Relative EPS Growth (vs 103-bank peer set) 50% 25th percentile 50th percentile 75th percentile -
TSR cap: Vested PRSUs capped at target if total shareholder return is negative for the performance period.
-
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- No current public-company directorships disclosed; board roles limited to private/non-profit entities.
- Related-party and interlocks: Company reports no related-person transactions ≥$120k since Jan 1, 2019 beyond ordinary banking relationships; approvals governed by formal policy and Regulation O/W compliance.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Finance and law education (LSU and Tulane); leadership in healthcare innovation (digital health, analytics, precision medicine), venture investing, and strategic partnerships; marketing and enterprise communications oversight. Recognitions include Becker’s Women Power Players in Health IT; CityBusiness “Woman of the Year” and “Healthcare Hero.”
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 1,517 shares; <1% of outstanding |
| Vested vs. unvested | Includes 1,149 unvested restricted shares vesting on 4/26/2025 |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors must hold stock equal to 3x base cash retainer within five years |
| Pledged shares | None disclosed for Quirk (policy discourages pledging; requires preclearance) |
| Hedging/margin | Hedging requires preclearance; margin accounts prohibited |
Insider Trades and Filings
| Date | Filing | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 12/28/2023 | Form 3 | Initial beneficial ownership filed, marking start of disclosed service as a director |
| 01/22/2024 | Form 4 | Statement of changes in beneficial ownership (details in filing) |
| 04/29/2024 (for 4/25/2024) | Form 4 | Restricted stock grant; vesting on 4/26/2025 (per narrative) |
| 06/30/2025 | Form 4 | Holdings update reported as of 6/26/2025; no transaction |
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent director with deep healthcare innovation and venture background; board-wide attendance met ≥75% threshold; improved say-on-pay support in 2024 to 92.4% (vs 59.9% in 2023) signaling stronger investor alignment; adoption of clawback policy and stock ownership guidelines; independent comp consultant (McLagan) with no conflicts.
- Director pay structure: Modest cash retainer ($25k) plus annual equity ($25k) with one-year vesting; Quirk’s 2024 total $61,893 (cash $28,534; stock $33,359), indicating balanced cash/equity mix and reasonable alignment.
- Committee engagement: No current committee assignments; limits direct oversight exposure (audit/comp/nom gov) but also reduces potential conflicts tied to committee decisions.
- Conflicts and related-party risk: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Quirk; ordinary banking relationships conducted on market terms with no adverse credit indicators.
- RED FLAGS: None specific to Quirk (no pledging disclosed, attendance adequate). Note broader board risk to monitor: significant pledging by certain executives (e.g., CEO Melville and CFO Robertson) despite policy discouraging pledging—mitigated by preclearance requirements but remains a governance sensitivity for investors.
Shareholder signals and alignment: Stock ownership guidelines (3x retainer) and time-based equity for directors support alignment; Quirk’s beneficial holdings include unvested RS vesting in 2025. The company’s enhanced disclosure, option repricing prohibition, and performance-oriented executive incentives (Core ROA, efficiency, asset quality; PRSUs with ROATCE and peer-relative EPS) further strengthen pay-for-performance posture.