Sarah S. Kelleher
About Sarah S. Kelleher
Sarah S. Kelleher is Vice President and Secretary of BNY Mellon High Yield Strategies Fund (DHF). She serves concurrently as Vice President of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC (since Feb 2020), Senior Managing Counsel at BNY (since Sept 2021), and previously was Managing Counsel at BNY (Dec 2017–Sept 2021). Age 49 as disclosed in the 2025 proxy; she has served as a fund officer since 2014 and was elevated to Secretary in April 2024. The proxy indicates she is an officer across 47 investment companies in the BNY complex. Fund-level TSR or operating metrics tied to her role are not disclosed in DHF filings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BNY Mellon High Yield Strategies Fund (DHF) | Vice President; Assistant Secretary (2014–Apr 2024); Secretary (Apr 2024–present) | 2014–present | Continuity of fund governance; Secretary responsible for notices and shareholder meeting administration |
| BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC | Vice President | Feb 2020–present | Supports ETF advisory operations across BNY’s fund complex |
| The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) | Senior Managing Counsel | Sept 2021–present | Senior legal leadership supporting regulated funds |
| The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) | Managing Counsel | Dec 2017–Sept 2021 | Fund legal, regulatory administration across BNY complexes |
External Roles
No external directorships or outside roles are disclosed in DHF proxy statements for Kelleher .
Fixed Compensation
- DHF filings present compensation tables for Trustees and nominees; there is no officer compensation table and no disclosure of base salary, bonus, or perquisites for fund officers. The Fund states it does not have a bonus, pension, profit-sharing or retirement plan for Trustees; officer compensation is not itemized in DHF proxies .
- Implication: Kelleher’s pay details are not disclosed at DHF; officers are identified as BNY employees with fund officer appointments, and DHF does not report officer remuneration .
Performance Compensation
- No disclosure of performance-based incentive metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR, ESG goals), bonus targets, or PSUs/RSUs tied to DHF officer roles is provided in DHF proxies. DHF proxies focus on Trustee compensation and committee activity; officer compensation structures and vesting schedules are not covered .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Date | Holder | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2024 | Board nominees, continuing trustees and officers (group) | Less than 1% of DHF outstanding shares |
| June 13, 2023 | Nominees, continuing trustees and officers (group) | Less than 1% of DHF outstanding shares |
- Individual officer breakdowns (vested/unvested shares, options, pledging or hedging) are not disclosed in DHF proxy statements .
- The proxies report >5% holders separately (e.g., First Trust entities) but do not attribute any material DHF holdings to officers, implying minimal insider selling pressure risk from officers at the fund level .
Employment Terms
- Term: Officers hold office for an indefinite term until their successor is elected and has qualified, as set forth in the proxy’s officer section .
- Address: Officers’ address of record is 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286 .
- Title changes: “Secretary since April 2024; previously, Assistant Secretary,” confirming an internal elevation within fund governance .
- Contracts, severance, change-of-control, non-compete, garden leave: Not disclosed in DHF proxies for officers .
Investment Implications
- Compensation alignment and insider pressure: DHF does not disclose officer compensation or equity awards; group officer/trustee holdings are <1%, suggesting limited direct alignment through DHF equity and low officer-driven selling pressure risk at the fund level .
- Retention and execution risk: Kelleher’s long tenure as fund officer (since 2014) and elevation to Secretary in 2024 indicate continuity in legal and governance functions; officer roles are appointed and indefinite-term, mitigating near-term transition risk absent new disclosures .
- Trading signals: Proxies show Section 16 compliance and do not flag delinquent filings for insiders; there are no officer-specific trading or pledging disclosures for Kelleher in DHF, limiting actionable insider signals from her role .
- Overall: As an administrative officer in a closed-end fund, Kelleher’s influence is governance-focused rather than performance-tied. Without disclosed pay-for-performance metrics or equity grants at DHF, investor analysis should center on board oversight, adviser performance, and fund-level strategy rather than officer-specific incentives .