Raquelle Lewis
Director at CNP
Board
About Raquelle W. Lewis
Raquelle W. Lewis (age 54) is an independent director of CenterPoint Energy, serving since 2021. She is the Southeast Texas Director of Communications & Public Information Offices at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT); prior roles include Special Advisor to TxDOT’s Executive Director (2015) and Supervising Planner/Program Manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff (1998–2008). She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and director credentials including NACD Master Class on Cyber Risk Oversight, Stanford Directors’ College, and CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon SEI . Her CNP tenure is 3 years as of March 5, 2025 , and the Board classifies her as independent under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) | Southeast Texas Director of Communications & Public Information Offices | 2017–Present | Government, regulatory, stakeholder communications expertise supporting oversight of outreach and regulatory navigation |
| Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) | Various roles; Special Advisor to Executive Director and Executive Administration | 2008–Present; Special Advisor in 2015 | Government relations, policy insight |
| Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. | Supervising Planner / Program Manager (prior roles 1998–2008) | 1998–2008 | Environmental studies, infrastructure planning—relevant to utility infrastructure oversight |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMTO Houston | Board/Leadership (listed) | 2024–Present | Non-profit/industry association |
| Success House A Road to Recovery, Inc. | Board/Leadership (listed) | 2023–Present | Non-profit |
| South Main Alliance Advisory Council | Advisory Council | 2022–Present | Community advisory |
| NAACP—Houston Branch; WTS International; Leadership Women, Inc. | Professional/community involvement | Not stated | Associations/affiliations |
No current public company directorships are listed in Ms. Lewis’s proxy biography; the “Other Boards” entries are non-profit/association roles .
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board determined Ms. Lewis is independent under NYSE standards; Audit and Human Capital & Compensation (HCC) committees comprise independent members meeting heightened SEC/NYSE standards . |
| Committee Assignments (2024–2025) | Audit (member); Human Capital & Compensation (member) . |
| 2024 Committee Meetings | Audit: 8; HCC: 4; Governance: 11; Safety & Operations: 3 . |
| Audit Committee Report | Signed by Committee including Raquelle W. Lewis, evidencing active participation . |
| HCC Committee Report | Signed by Committee including Raquelle W. Lewis . |
| Attendance | Each incumbent director attended >75% of Board/committee meetings in 2024; Board met 13 times, committees met 26 in total . |
| Annual Meeting Attendance | All then-current directors standing for reelection and nominees attended the 2024 Annual Meeting . |
| Executive Sessions | Independent directors hold executive sessions in conjunction with each regular Board meeting; Independent Chair presides . |
Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director Pay)
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Change in Pension Value/Nonqualified Deferral Earnings ($) | Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 121,951 | 170,000 | 859 | 16,103 | 308,913 |
| 2024 | 125,000 | 170,000 | 2,450 | 15,300 | 312,750 |
- Retainers: non-employee director annual cash retainer $125,000; chair retainers: Audit $20,000; HCC $20,000; Governance $15,000; Safety & Operations $15,000; Independent Chair supplemental retainer $185,000 .
- No meeting fees for directors .
- Deferred Compensation Plan: frozen as of Jan 1, 2023 (no new deferrals); above‑market interest continues to accrue on prior deferrals—consistent with Ms. Lewis’s 2023/2024 deferral earnings .
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Grant Year | Grant Date | Shares Granted | Fair Value | Grant-Date Price | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Annual | May 1, 2023 | 5,541 | $170,000 | $30.68/share | Immediate, fully vested per Stock Plan for Outside Directors |
| 2024 Annual | May 1, 2024 | 5,798 | $170,000 | $29.32/share | Immediate, fully vested per Stock Plan for Outside Directors |
- Directors receive fully-vested common stock awards annually; grants are value‑based, not performance-conditioned .
- The Board is seeking to increase shares available under the Director Stock Plan by 350,000 to sustain annual director grants, indicating continued equity mix for alignment .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None listed in proxy biography . |
| Non-profit/association boards | COMTO Houston (2024–), Success House (2023–), South Main Alliance Advisory Council (2022–) . |
| Interlocks/conflicts | Governance Committee oversees related‑party/conflict matters; independence determination disclosed, with no exception flagged for Ms. Lewis (Board reviewed director activities; specific prior consulting tie noted for another director, not Ms. Lewis) . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Government, Legal & Regulatory: Extensive TxDOT experience navigating federal/state/local regulations; relevant to a highly regulated utility .
- Technology & Customer Experience: Public information leadership with community engagement insights .
- Community Involvement: Active in Greater Houston organizations, providing stakeholder perspective .
- Cybersecurity Oversight Training: NACD Master Class (Cyber Risk), Stanford Directors’ College, CERT (Carnegie Mellon SEI) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (Common Shares) | Percent of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Raquelle W. Lewis | 20,087 | <1% (asterisk as shown in table) |
- Director stock ownership guideline: ≥5x regular annual cash retainer; new directors must attain within five years of joining the Board (for Ms. Lewis, by 2026, given 2021 start) .
- Anti‑hedging/anti‑pledging: Policy prohibits employees and directors from hedging or pledging company securities .
- No pledging by Ms. Lewis is disclosed in the proxy; beneficial ownership is reported without pledge notation .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent director with committee roles on Audit and HCC—both committees require heightened independence; she also signed the Audit and HCC committee reports, signaling engagement .
- Attendance: all incumbents exceeded 75% in 2024; directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Alignment: consistent annual fully‑vested equity ($170k) and ownership guideline (5x retainer) promote shareholder alignment; anti‑hedging/pledging policy mitigates misalignment risk .
-
Pay and incentives:
- 2024 director pay mix unchanged vs. 2023 (cash retainer plus fixed‑value equity); modest total increase reflects retainer normalization rather than structural change; no discretionary meeting fees .
- Director equity is not performance‑conditioned (immediate vesting), which relies on ownership guidelines for long‑term alignment .
-
Conflicts/Red Flags:
- Independence affirmed; no related‑party issues disclosed for Ms. Lewis in the independence review; Governance Committee monitors conflicts .
- No hedging/pledging permitted under policy; no pledging disclosed .
-
Watch items for investors:
- Monitor progress toward director ownership guideline by the 5‑year window (2026 for Ms. Lewis) given current beneficial ownership of 20,087 shares .
- Continued participation and workload on Audit and HCC (8 and 4 meetings in 2024, respectively) support board effectiveness; sustained attendance remains key .
No specific legal proceedings, related‑party transactions, or say‑on‑pay vote issues are disclosed for Ms. Lewis in the cited proxy materials. All committee independence and executive session practices appear consistent with NYSE and company guidelines .