Mark Sokolich
About Mark Sokolich
Mark Sokolich, 61, has served on ConnectOne Bancorp’s board since 2020 after joining via the Bank of New Jersey acquisition effective January 2, 2020. He is an attorney and Managing Partner of the Law Office of Mark J. Sokolich, a real estate, zoning and commercial law firm, and has been the Mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey since 2008; he previously served two years on the Fort Lee City Council . He is a non-employee director with municipal and redevelopment legal expertise relevant to the bank’s markets .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees / Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Office of Mark J. Sokolich | Managing Partner; co-founder | Not disclosed | Real estate, zoning, commercial law expertise provides perspective to Board |
| Borough of Fort Lee, NJ | Mayor | Since 2008 | Community leadership; municipal and redevelopment insight |
| Borough of Fort Lee, NJ | City Council (prior) | Two years | Local governance experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Public Company? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | — | None | No ConnectOne director currently serves on another SEC‑registered public company board |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Board meetings held (2024) | 15 |
| Attendance | Each director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings in 2024 |
| Annual meeting engagement | All directors participated in 2024 virtual annual meeting |
| Committee memberships (2024) | Not listed on Audit & Risk, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance committees |
| Committee chairs (2024) | Audit & Risk: Frank Baier; Compensation: Stephen T. Boswell; NCG: Frank Huttle III |
| Lead Independent Director | Stephen T. Boswell |
| Independence | Board majority independent under NASDAQ; only the Chairman/CEO (Sorrentino) and Bank President (Magennis) are not independent |
| Voting standard | Majority voting in uncontested elections via irrevocable resignation policy; practical requirement is majority of votes cast |
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $60,000 |
| Committee membership fees | $0 (fees earned total reflects only annual retainer) |
| Committee chair fees | $0 |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed (program structure is cash retainer + equity; no meeting fees described) |
| Total cash fees | $60,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component (2024) | Shares | Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting/Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted stock (annual director grant) | 3,219 | $60,000 | Restricted shares subject to forfeiture; annual retainer equity component; vesting terms not specified in proxy |
The director program consists of a mix of cash and time‑based restricted stock; no options or performance‑conditioned equity are disclosed for directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Other public company directorships | None for any CNOB director at present |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Attorney with specialization in municipal, redevelopment, and real estate law; Managing Partner of a local law firm .
- Long‑tenured public service leader (Mayor of Fort Lee since 2008), providing community and government relations perspective across CNOB’s footprint .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Sokolich | 104,913 | 0.27% | Beneficial ownership as of March 31, 2025 |
- Director stock ownership guidelines: directors (excluding CEO and Bank President) are expected to achieve ownership equal to five times the sum of the current annual cash retainer and the value of the annual equity award; five‑year compliance period; monitored annually by the Compensation Committee .
Governance Assessment
- Committee workload and influence: Sokolich is not currently a member of the Audit & Risk, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance committees, limiting his direct oversight of financial reporting, pay, and nomination processes relative to committee members .
- Independence and conflicts: The Board affirms majority independence; only Sorrentino and Magennis are non‑independent. Disclosed related‑party branch leases involve other directors (Sorrentino, Boswell, Huttle, Kempner, Minoia, Rifkin)—none are attributed to Sokolich in the proxy .
- Attendance and engagement: The Board met 15 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of meetings and participated in the annual meeting—supports baseline engagement .
- Pay and alignment: Director compensation is balanced between cash ($60k) and equity ($60k restricted shares; 3,219 shares), providing ownership alignment and standard governance practice without option repricing or outsized perquisites .
- Ownership: Sokolich beneficially owns 104,913 shares (0.27%), which, combined with director ownership guidelines, supports alignment with shareholders .
- Shareholder oversight signals: CNOB maintains majority voting for directors, a clawback policy, anti‑hedging/pledging rules (grandfathered pledges only), and achieved 95.2% say‑on‑pay support in 2024—positive governance indicators .
- RED FLAGS: None specifically disclosed for Sokolich (no related‑party transactions, pledging, or attendance shortfalls tied to him). Note that certain board‑level related‑party branch leases exist with other directors; continued monitoring is prudent, but no involvement is attributed to Sokolich in the proxy .