Daniel J. Doyle
About Daniel J. Doyle
Daniel J. Doyle (age 78) is Chairman of the Board and an independent director of Community West Bancshares (CWBC). He joined the Company in June 1998, served as President & CEO until retiring in January 2015, and has been a director since 2000 (25 years of board tenure). He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Washington and has 53 years of banking experience, including senior leadership roles at U.S. Bank. The Board determined Doyle to be independent under Nasdaq standards beginning January 1, 2019.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community West Bancshares | President & CEO; Chairman of the Board | President/CEO: 1998–2015; Chairman: 2015–present | Led significant growth; continued in independent Board leadership post-retirement |
| U.S. Bank (Washington State) | Regional President | Not disclosed | Successful tenure leading regional operations |
| U.S. Bank of California | First President & CEO | Not disclosed | Founding leadership; precedent to CWBC role |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banking industry groups (various) | Boards/Committees | Not disclosed | Long history of board/committee service in industry groups |
No current public company directorships or named external committee chair roles are disclosed in the proxy.
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director under Nasdaq rules since January 1, 2019; separate Chairman and CEO roles support oversight.
- Committee assignments:
- Executive Committee: Chair (members: Doyle, Bartlein, Lokey, Majarian, McDonald; Kim and Plourd as advisors); established April 1, 2024; did not meet in 2024.
- Strategic Planning Committee: Member; met three times in 2024.
- Not on Audit or Compensation or Nomination & Governance Committees in 2024.
- Attendance: Board held 10 meetings in 2024; each incumbent director attended ≥75% of Board/committee meetings; all 15 directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting.
- Stock ownership policy: Directors must own ≥2,000 shares within two years of appointment; all directors were in compliance as of December 31, 2024.
- Say-on-pay: 94% approval in 2024, indicating strong shareholder support for compensation practices.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board fee (Chairman) | $44,400 | Standard annual fee for Chairman of the Board |
| Committee chair fee | $200 per meeting | Applies if chairing a committee meeting; Executive Committee did not meet in 2024 |
| Cash fees earned (2024) | $47,000 | Actual fees paid to Doyle in 2024 |
| Other compensation (Split Dollar imputed) | $8,288 | Imputed value from director split-dollar program |
- Mix (2024): Cash $47,000 (55.1%), Stock $30,000 (35.2%), Other $8,288 (9.7%) — derived from reported totals.
Performance Compensation
| Grant Date | Instrument | Shares | Grant-Date Fair Value | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2024 | Restricted Stock | 1,820 | $30,000 | One-year vesting from grant date (vests by May 30, 2025) |
- No performance-based metrics (e.g., TSR, ROA hurdles) are disclosed for director equity grants; awards are time-based.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Doyle |
| Compensation committee interlocks | Company discloses no interlocks or insider participation on its Compensation Committee (no common participants with other entities). Doyle is not a member. |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive banking leadership (53 years), including CEO experience and regulatory knowledge; deep understanding of CWBC markets.
- Board skillset includes corporate governance/ethics, risk management, finance/accounting, strategic planning, M&A, and banking operations as described in his biography.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 98,178 | Includes 90,358 shares held by a trust where Doyle is trustee; plus unvested restricted stock of 1,820 shares eligible to vote |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | ~0.515% | 98,178 / 19,061,009 outstanding (as of record date) |
| Direct vs. indirect | 90,358 via trust; remainder direct | Trust shares beneficially owned; balance reflects direct holdings and unvested RS |
| Vested vs. unvested | Unvested RS: 1,820 | Directors received 1,820 restricted shares on May 30, 2024 (one-year vest) |
| Pledging/hedging | Prohibited | Company maintains anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies; insider trading policy bars pledging and short sales |
| Ownership guideline | ≥2,000 shares; compliant | All directors compliant as of Dec 31, 2024 |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Independent Chair with long institutional knowledge; separation of Chair/CEO supports oversight. Doyle’s committee leadership (Executive Committee Chair; Strategic Planning member) aligns with strategic review and continuity. Attendance thresholds met.
- Alignment: Director compensation combines cash and equity; annual restricted stock grant (1,820 shares) with one-year vest promotes ownership; director ownership guidelines enforced and met; anti-hedge/pledge policies strengthen alignment.
- Conflicts/related parties: No material related-party transactions >$120,000 reported; related-party loans permitted on market terms and exempt under SOX; Board uses code of ethics procedures for any related party review.
- Signals for investor confidence: Robust clawback policy (for executives), strong say-on-pay (94%), independent compensation consultant (Pearl Meyer), and explicit risk assessment of pay practices support governance quality.
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Doyle. Note that he is a former CEO now serving as independent Chairman — independence established after a multi-year cooling-off period (since 2019). Executive Committee did not meet in 2024, limiting observable committee workload, but Strategic Planning met three times.
Overall, Doyle’s long banking tenure, independent chair role, ownership compliance, and absence of material related-party exposure support board effectiveness and investor confidence; compensation practices and policies at CWBC reflect alignment and risk-aware governance.