Angie J. Klein
BUCKLEAbout Angie J. Klein
Angie J. Klein (age 47) has served as an independent director of The Buckle, Inc. since December 2, 2019. She is Senior Vice President, Consumer Growth Marketing and Chief Content Officer at Verizon (since January 2024), and previously served as President of Verizon Value and in multiple VP roles across marketing, product development, and operations since 2012; she is a University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate and a Nebraska native . As of March 28, 2025, she beneficially owned 15,000 BKE shares (<1%) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | SVP, Consumer Growth Marketing & Chief Content Officer | Since Jan 2024 | Leads growth marketing and content strategy for the largest U.S. consumer wireless provider; Board cites retail and consumer marketing insight . |
| Verizon | President, Verizon Value (StraightTalk, Total Wireless, Visible, Safelink, Tracfone) | Most recent prior role (dates not disclosed) | Led extensive portfolio of prepaid brands . |
| Verizon | Senior Vice President, Consumer Segment Marketing; multiple VP roles | Since 2012 (various roles) | Growth, disruption, innovation across marketing, product development, operations . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed in BKE’s 2025 proxy . |
Board Governance
- Independence: Listed among BKE’s non-employee directors determined independent under NYSE standards .
- Committees: Chair, Nominating, Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility (NGCSR); not listed on Audit or Compensation .
- Meeting attendance: In FY2024, the Board met 4x; NGCSR 4x; Audit 5x; Compensation 5x; no director missed >25% of aggregate Board and committee meetings .
- Annual meeting attendance: All directors participated in the June 2024 annual meeting; directors are required to use reasonable efforts to attend .
- Executive sessions: Non-employee directors meet in executive session after each quarterly Board meeting; chair rotates alphabetically .
- NGCSR scope: Oversees director recruitment, corporate governance guidelines, and ESG oversight/reporting .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2024 Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fees (retainer + chair fees) | $68,000 | Disclosed as “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” for Angie J. Klein . |
| Equity (Stock awards grant-date fair value) | $85,455 | Aggregate grant-date fair value under FASB ASC 718 . |
| Options | — | No stock options outstanding for directors as of Feb 1, 2025 . |
| Total | $153,455 | Sum of cash + equity . |
Compensation structure (non-employee directors):
- Annual cash retainer increased to $60,000 (from $40,000) effective April 2024 .
- Committee chair fees increased: Audit Chair $4,000/quarter; Compensation Chair $3,000/quarter; NGCSR Chair $2,000/quarter (effective April 2024) .
- Annual equity: In Feb 2025, each non-employee director received 3,000 shares of Non‑Vested Stock; vesting: 1,000 immediately, 1,000 on 1st anniversary, 1,000 on 2nd anniversary. Prior to 2025, annual grants were 2,250 shares .
Performance Compensation
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Performance-linked elements | None disclosed for directors; equity granted to directors is time-based restricted stock, not performance-based . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| — | — | No interlocks or related-party exposures disclosed for Ms. Klein in the proxy . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Domain expertise: Retail and consumer marketing; product development; operations; content strategy at scale (Verizon) .
- Board contribution: Identified by Board for insight in retail and consumer marketing; part of skills-diversity recruiting focus led by NGCSR .
- Independence and governance: Serves as NGCSR Chair with ESG oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angie J. Klein | 15,000 | <1% | As of March 28, 2025 . |
Stock ownership guidelines:
- Non-employee directors must own 10,000 BKE shares within 5 years following the first record date after adoption (March 2024) .
- Reference point: Ms. Klein’s disclosed beneficial ownership (15,000 shares) is above the 10,000-share guideline threshold .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths
- Independent director and NGCSR Committee Chair with ESG oversight mandate; committee meets regularly and reports to the Board .
- Strong attendance culture (no director >25% absences) and full participation at the 2024 annual meeting .
- Director pay mix includes meaningful equity with multi-year vesting, aligning incentives with shareholders; new stock ownership policy codifies alignment (10,000-share guideline) .
- Robust governance infrastructure (Code of Ethics; executive sessions of non-employee directors) .
-
Watchpoints
- Time commitments: Ms. Klein holds a senior operating role at Verizon; while experience is valuable, investors may monitor workload balance, especially as NGCSR Chair .
- Broader board dynamics: Concentrated insider influence persists (Chairman Daniel J. Hirschfeld beneficially owns ~31.7%), which elevates the importance of strong independent committee leadership; not specific to Ms. Klein but relevant to governance context .
- Related-party items in proxy relate to other parties (family relationships and legacy loan to Trust), with no Klein-specific related-party transactions disclosed; continue monitoring disclosures annually .
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RED FLAGS
- None disclosed specific to Ms. Klein in 2025 proxy (no attendance, related-party, hedging/pledging, or option repricing issues noted) .