James F. Kirchner
About James F. Kirchner
James F. Kirchner (born 1967) serves as Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer for Eaton Vance Municipal Income Trust, signing the fund’s regulatory certifications and overseeing financial reporting controls . He has held the Treasurer role since 2007 and is a Vice President of Eaton Vance and Boston Management and Research, and also a Vice President of Calvert Research and Management (CRM) since 2016 . Officers affiliated with Eaton Vance benefit from advisory/administration fees paid by the Funds due to their positions and ownership of Morgan Stanley stock, underscoring the adviser-centric compensation model rather than fund-level pay . No fund-specific performance metrics (e.g., TSR) are disclosed for Kirchner.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Vance Management & Boston Management and Research (BMR) | Vice President | Past five years (continuing) | Officer across Eaton Vance fund complex; responsible for financial administration and oversight . |
| Calvert Research and Management (CRM) | Vice President | Since 2016 | Officer roles across CRM-advised/ administered funds, adding scale to governance/controls . |
| EVN (Eaton Vance Municipal Income Trust) | Treasurer | Since 2007 | Long-tenured steward of fund financial operations and controls . |
External Roles
None disclosed in EVN’s proxy and fund filings for Kirchner .
Fixed Compensation
The fund’s proxy discloses remuneration for Trustees but does not provide officer-specific compensation details. EVN’s officers are employees of Eaton Vance/Morgan Stanley affiliates and, due to their positions and Morgan Stanley stock ownership, benefit indirectly from advisory/administration fees paid by the Funds; base salary, target/actual bonus, and equity awards for Kirchner are not disclosed at the fund level .
| Component | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed | Officers are compensated by the adviser, not the fund . |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed | Adviser-level program; fund documents do not detail . |
| Actual bonus paid | Not disclosed | Not included in fund proxy . |
| Stock/option awards | Not disclosed | Not included in fund proxy . |
| Perquisites | Not disclosed | Not included in fund proxy . |
Performance Compensation
No fund-level disclosure of officer incentive metrics, weightings, or payouts (e.g., revenue/EBITDA growth, TSR/percentile, ESG goals) for Kirchner. Officer compensation is at the Eaton Vance/Morgan Stanley adviser level and not broken out in EVN’s proxy .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Value | As-of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustees and officers beneficial ownership (aggregate) | <1% of outstanding EVN shares | Dec 30, 2024 | Indicates low direct fund equity alignment across insiders . |
| EVN shares outstanding | 39,667,163 | Dec 30, 2024 | Basis for ownership alignment assessment . |
| Kirchner individual EVN ownership | Not disclosed | — | No officer-by-officer holdings provided in proxy; Ms. Frost disclosed aggregate family-of-funds ownership only . |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed | — | No pledging disclosure for officers . |
| Stock ownership guidelines (officers) | Not disclosed | — | Trustee deferred comp plan disclosed; no officer ownership guideline . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fund position(s) | Treasurer; Principal Financial Officer for N-CSR certifications | |
| Officer since | 2007 (Treasurer) | |
| Term length | Indefinite term of office for fund officers | |
| Non-compete / non-solicit | Not disclosed in fund filings | |
| Severance / change-of-control | Not disclosed for officers at fund level | |
| Clawback provisions | Not disclosed for officers | |
| Deferred compensation | Trustee-only deferred comp plan; not applicable to officers |
Performance & Governance Signals
- Sarbanes–Oxley certifications: Kirchner signs EVN’s Section 302 and Section 906 certifications, attesting to disclosure controls and fair presentation in N-CSR (dated July 24, 2025), reinforcing accountability over financial reporting .
- Section 16 compliance: Proxy indicates trustees and officers complied with required ownership filings; noted late filings were by external shareholder Saba (California fund) and not EVN officers, suggesting no red flags tied to Kirchner .
- Board oversight context: Audit Committee and governance structures robust, with independent financial experts designated; officers operate under adviser-administered valuation/compliance frameworks overseen by trustees .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: Officer compensation is at the Eaton Vance/Morgan Stanley adviser level and not directly tied to EVN’s fund TSR or specific financial metrics in fund disclosures; low aggregate insider ownership (<1%) indicates limited direct equity alignment with EVN shareholders .
- Retention/execution risk: Long tenure as Treasurer since 2007 and ongoing SOX certifications point to continuity and strong control environment, reducing execution risk in financial operations and reporting .
- Trading signals: No disclosed insider transactions or pledging for Kirchner; absence of officer-specific ownership and compensation details limits predictive signals from insider activity at the fund level .
- Governance quality: Independent trustee oversight and detailed audit committee charter suggest resilient governance over financial reporting and valuation, supportive of operational stability under Kirchner’s remit .