Tara I. Stacom
About Tara I. Stacom
Tara I. Stacom, age 67, has served as an independent director of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETD) since 2015. She is Executive Vice Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield (since 2013) with a 40-year career executing over 60 million square feet in large, complex real estate transactions. She holds a BS in Finance from Lehigh University and brings deep real estate, financial analysis, and risk management expertise to ETD’s board .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cushman & Wakefield | Executive Vice Chairman | 2013–present | Executed 60M+ sq. ft.; led One World Trade Center leasing, earning REBNY 2011 Most Ingenious Deal (First Place Henry Hart Rice Award) |
| Lehigh University | Board of Trustees (past) | Not disclosed | Finance background; alumni leadership |
| Real Estate Board of New York | Member | Not disclosed | Served on Ethics and Commercial Brokerage Division committees |
| Realty Foundation of New York | Director | Not disclosed | Sector community leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inveniam Capital Partners (private fintech) | Director | Appointed January 2022 | Board service at private fintech platform |
| Girls, Inc. | Director’s Circle Member | Not disclosed | Non-profit support |
| Right to Dream | Board Member | Not disclosed | Youth and community engagement |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Tara I. Stacom is independent under NYSE rules .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (member); Corporate Governance, Nominations & Sustainability Committee (member) .
- Chair roles: None (current chairs—Audit: Cynthia Ekberg Tsai; Compensation: John J. Dooner, Jr.; Corporate Governance: David M. Sable) .
- Attendance and engagement:
- Board met 5 times in FY2025; 100% attendance by each director .
- Committee meetings: Audit (4), Compensation (4), Corporate Governance (4); 100% attendance for regularly scheduled committee meetings .
- Independent directors held 5 executive sessions, chaired by the Lead Independent Director .
- Board leadership: Combined Chair/CEO with empowered Lead Independent Director (John J. Dooner, Jr.) since 2021 .
- Governance documents and policies: Committee charters, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Insider Trading Policy, and Clawback Policy publicly available; no waivers granted in FY2025 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (FY2025) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $60,000 | Standard for non-employee directors |
| Committee chair fee(s) | $0 | Not a chair; Chair fees per quarter: Audit $4,000; Compensation $2,000; Corporate Governance $2,000; Lead Independent Director $2,000 |
| Meeting fees | $0 | Paid only if committee meets >4 times without full Board; none in FY2025 |
| Expense reimbursement | As incurred | Travel/lodging reasonable expenses reimbursed |
Performance Compensation
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Units/Options | Grant Date Fair Value | Vesting | Term/Strike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (director equity) | Aug 7, 2024 | 3,330 options | $24,476 | 3 equal annual installments, starting first anniversary of grant, subject to continued service | Exercise price = fair market value at grant; up to 10-year term |
ETD compensates non-employee directors with time-vested stock options (no RSUs/PSUs for directors in FY2025), aligning pay to long-term share performance while avoiding performance-metric discretion in director pay .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company boards: None disclosed .
- Sector interlocks and potential conflicts:
- Executive role at Cushman & Wakefield (real estate services) could present situational conflicts if ETD engages Cushman & Wakefield for real estate services; however, ETD reports no related person transactions requiring disclosure since the beginning of FY2025 through filing .
- Related-party review process resides with Audit Committee; transactions ≥$120,000 assessed and approved only if in stockholders’ best interests .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Real estate strategy and complex transactions (e.g., One World Trade Center) .
- Financial analysis and risk management expertise; 40-year industry experience .
- Governance and sustainability oversight through Corporate Governance Committee membership .
- Education: BS in Finance, Lehigh University .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Owned Directly/Indirectly | Rights to Acquire within 60 Days | Total Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tara I. Stacom | 6,300 | 33,507 (stock options) | 39,807 | ~0.16% (39,807 / 25,446,339) |
| Options outstanding | 36,683 total; 33,507 vested/exercisable within 60 days | — | — | — |
| Breakdown (options) | Vested/exercisable: 33,507 | Unvested: 3,176 (derived from totals) | — | — |
Ownership alignment and controls:
- Stock ownership guidelines: Directors must reach and maintain ownership equal to 3× annual cash compensation within five years; one-year holding period; pledged shares excluded from compliance calculations .
- Anti-hedging/anti-pledging: Directors prohibited from hedging or pledging company stock; no margin purchases .
- Insider trading: Pre-clearance required; trades only during open windows .
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Strong attendance (100%), active independent director executive sessions, and formal risk oversight structure support robust governance; Stacom contributes real estate and risk management expertise across Audit and Corporate Governance committees .
- Independence and conflicts: Independence affirmed; no related-party transactions reported involving Stacom in FY2025; Cushman & Wakefield affiliation represents a potential situational conflict, mitigated by Audit Committee review and absence of disclosed transactions .
- Director pay and alignment: Cash retainer plus time-vested stock options create share price alignment; use of options (vs. RSUs/DSUs) increases sensitivity to volatility but vests over three years, promoting retention .
- Ownership and alignment: Holds 39,807 shares/options beneficially (≈0.16% of outstanding), with robust anti-hedge/pledge policies and director ownership guidelines reinforcing alignment; individual guideline compliance status not disclosed .
- Shareholder signals: Prior say-on-pay approval of 98.1% (FY2024) indicates broad investor support for ETD’s compensation governance (context for overall governance climate) .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed for Stacom—no related-party transactions, no pledging, and full attendance. Monitoring point: external executive role at Cushman & Wakefield—continue to review ETD vendor relationships for potential future related-party exposure; currently none reported .