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Antoinette Leatherberry

Lead Independent Director at Direct Digital Holdings
Board

About Antoinette R. Leatherberry

Antoinette R. Leatherberry (age 63) has served on DRCT’s Board since November 2021 and is the Lead Independent Director since January 2022. She retired from Deloitte in September 2020 after a 30-year career, including roles as Board Relations Leader for Risk & Financial Advisory (2017–2020), Principal, Technology Strategy (2008–2017), and President of the Deloitte Foundation (2016–2020). She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Boston University), an M.B.A. in Operations Management and Supervision (Northeastern University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education (Widener University) .

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
DeloitteBoard Relations Leader, Risk & Financial AdvisorySep 2017–Sep 2020Board liaison roles; governance support
DeloittePrincipal, Technology Strategy2008–Aug 2017Led complex technology transformations
Deloitte FoundationPresident2016–2020Philanthropy and governance leadership

External Roles

OrganizationRoleSinceCommittees/Impact
Zoetis Inc. (NYSE: ZTS)DirectorDec 2020Audit Committee; Human Resource Committee
American Family Insurance MHC (private)DirectorJan 2021Risk Committee; Audit Committee; Compensation Committee
Widener UniversityTrustee2015Chairs Nominating & Governance Committee
Boston UniversityTrusteeSep 2020Chairs Nominating & Governance Committee
Executive Leadership CouncilChair (prior)Jan 2019–Dec 2020Leadership of executive network

Board Governance

  • Independence: The Board determined on October 14, 2024 that Leatherberry is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; no relationships interfering with independent judgment were identified .
  • Leadership: Lead Independent Director since January 2022; presides over independent director meetings and serves as liaison to the Chair/CEO .
  • Committee assignments (FY 2024):
    • Audit Committee member; 12 meetings held; Chair is Richard Cohen (audit committee financial expert) .
    • Compensation Committee member; 5 meetings held; Chair is Mistelle Locke .
    • Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee Chair; 4 meetings held .
  • Charter access: Committee charters available at the investor relations governance documents page .
  • Board composition and ages (2025 nominees): Leatherberry, 63; Board size set at five members .

Fixed Compensation

MetricFY 2023FY 2024
Fees earned or paid in cash ($)53,500 53,500
Annual Board retainer ($)30,000 policy at time 30,000; increased to $40,000 effective Jan 1, 2025
Committee chair additional retainers ($)Audit Chair: 10,000; Compensation Chair: 5,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair: 3,500 Audit Chair: 10,000; Compensation Chair: 5,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair: 3,500
Non-executive Chair additional retainer ($)20,000 20,000

Notes:

  • Fees paid quarterly; committee member fees are listed as “—” (no member-only fee) under policy .
  • Reimbursement of reasonable travel/other expenses for Board/committee meetings .

Performance Compensation

MetricFY 2023FY 2024
Stock awards ($), grant date fair value80,000 21,009
RSUs unvested as of year-end (#, grant date)32,922 (Jun 10, 2022); 24,615 (Jun 12, 2023) 16,462 (Jun 10, 2022); 16,410 (Jun 12, 2023)
Vesting terms (policy)Annual RSU awards to non-employee directors generally vest in 1–3 years; vesting may accelerate (e.g., change in control) Same as policy

Director compensation structure change:

  • The Compensation Committee increased the annual Board retainer from $30,000 to $40,000 effective January 1, 2025, adjusting cash compensation mix for non-employee directors .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

CompanyIndustry Relation to DRCTInterlock/Overlap
Zoetis Inc.Animal health; not disclosed as customer/supplier in DRCT proxy excerpts reviewedDirector; Audit & HR Committees
American Family Insurance MHCInsurance; not disclosed as customer/supplier in DRCT proxy excerpts reviewedDirector; Risk, Audit, Compensation Committees

No related-party transaction disclosures involving Leatherberry appear in the cited proxy excerpts; the Audit Committee oversees and approves related-party transactions .

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Strategic digital technology and complex transformation experience; corporate governance expertise emphasized in Board biography .
  • Education: B.S. Mechanical Engineering (Boston University); M.B.A. Operations Management and Supervision (Northeastern University); Ed.D. Higher Education (Widener University) .

Equity Ownership

MetricOct 16, 2024Mar 31, 2025
Class A shares beneficially owned (#)38,071 55,812
Class A ownership (%)1.0% *% (less than 1%)
Class B shares beneficially owned (#)
Total voting power (%)*% (less than 1%) *% (less than 1%)

Company-level control context:

  • As of March 31, 2025, directors/executives/5% holders collectively owned ~6.2% of Class A and 100% of Class B, controlling ~62.8% of voting power (due to Class B) .
  • As of Oct 16, 2024, collective ownership was ~15.5% of Class A and 100% of Class B, controlling ~78.1% of voting power .

Governance Assessment

  • Independence & leadership: Leatherberry is affirmed independent and serves as Lead Independent Director, strengthening board oversight and independent director voice .
  • Committee engagement: Chair of Nominating & Corporate Governance and member of Audit and Compensation—committees held 4, 12, and 5 meetings respectively in FY 2024, indicating a meaningful governance workload .
  • Compensation alignment: Director pay consists of cash retainers and time-based RSUs; her FY 2024 stock award ($21,009) was materially lower than FY 2023 ($80,000), while cash fees remained $53,500; Board retainer increased to $40,000 starting 2025, modestly shifting cash mix .
  • Ownership: Leatherberry holds a small personal stake (<1%); no pledging or hedging disclosures appear in the cited ownership sections .
  • Oversight of conflicts: The Audit Committee explicitly reviews and approves related-party transactions; no Leatherberry-specific related-party items are disclosed in the cited excerpts .

RED FLAGS to monitor

  • Concentrated voting power: Class B structure gives insiders majority control (62.8% as of Mar 31, 2025), potentially limiting the influence of independent directors and public shareholders .
  • Pay structure changes: Increase in cash retainer in 2025 may reduce equity-at-risk proportion for non-employee directors; continue monitoring equity grant levels versus cash to assess alignment trends .