Ellen Futter
EvercoreAbout Ellen V. Futter
Ellen V. Futter (age 75) has served as an independent director of Evercore Inc. since 2018. She is President Emerita of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), having served as President from November 1993 through March 15, 2023; previously, she was President of Barnard College and began her career as a corporate attorney at Milbank LLP. She is currently Interim President of the Markle Foundation and a Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group; she also previously served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, from Barnard College and earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Museum of Natural History | President; now President Emerita | Nov 1993–Mar 15, 2023 (President); thereafter Emerita | Led major NYC institution serving the public; executive leadership |
| Barnard College | President | Prior to AMNH (dates not disclosed) | Institutional leadership |
| Milbank LLP | Corporate Attorney | Early career (dates not disclosed) | Corporate law practice |
| Federal Reserve Bank of New York | Chairman | Prior service (dates not disclosed) | Oversight of regional Fed bank |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. | Trustee | Current | — |
| Consolidated Edison, Inc. | Director | Current | Executive Committee; Safety, Environment, Operations and Sustainability Committee |
| Brookings Institution | Trustee | Current | Chairs Nominations & Governance Committee; Executive Committee member |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Governing Trustee | Current | Joint Nominating & Governance Committee; Trustee of Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | Trustee | Current | Nominating, Education, Compensation Review & Advisory Committees |
| NYC Tourism and Conventions | Ex officio Director | Current | — |
| Markle Foundation | Interim President | Current | Executive leadership |
| Boston Consulting Group | Senior Advisor | Current | Strategic advisory |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Ms. Futter is independent under NYSE rules and Evercore’s categorical independence standards .
- Committee Memberships: Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee member; not a chair .
- Attendance: In 2024, the Board met five times and committees met 14 times; each director attended over 80% of Board and committee meetings and all incumbent directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Governance Practices: 80% of current directors are independent and 100% of committee members are independent; lead independent director presides over executive sessions; majority voting resignation policy in place .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Retainer (Cash) | $125,000 | Standard non-management director retainer (cash or RSU election); Ms. Futter received cash |
| Annual RSU Grant | $129,762 | Grant date fair value; 639 RSUs awarded on re-election June 18, 2024; deliver on first anniversary |
| Committee Chair Fees | $0 | Only committee chairs receive $30,000; Ms. Futter is not a chair |
| Total 2024 Compensation | $254,762 | Fees earned + stock awards |
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Units/Value | Vesting/Delivery | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU Grant | Jun 18, 2024 | 639 RSUs; ~$125,000 grant design; $129,762 fair value | RSUs vested and scheduled to deliver Jun 18, 2025 (annual delivery cadence) | None disclosed; service-based delivery |
Director equity awards are service-based; Evercore does not use performance metrics for director equity grants. Directors may elect retainer in cash or RSUs; annual RSUs deliver on the first anniversary of grant .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company: Director of Consolidated Edison, Inc.; Trustee of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.; serves on ConEd’s Executive Committee and Safety, Environment, Operations and Sustainability Committee .
- Non-profit/academic: Brookings (trustee; chairs Nominations & Governance; Exec Committee), Memorial Sloan Kettering (governance committees; trustee), Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School (trustee), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (multiple committees), NYC Tourism & Conventions (ex officio director) .
Potential interlocks/conflicts: Evercore’s categorical independence standards deem certain relationships immaterial (e.g., governance roles at charities below set contribution thresholds; commercial relationships below the greater of $1,000,000 or 2% revenue). The Board reviews such relationships annually; Ms. Futter remained independent following that review .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Legal and financial governance expertise from Milbank and prior FRB NY chairmanship .
- Extensive leadership of major institutions (AMNH, Barnard; interim leadership at Markle; advisory role at BCG) supporting oversight of strategy, human capital, and ESG .
- Education: Barnard College (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude) and Columbia Law School (J.D.) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| RSUs held/delivering | As of Dec 31, 2024, Ms. Futter held 639 vested RSUs scheduled to deliver on Jun 18, 2025 |
| Director ownership guideline | Required to own ≥3x most recent annual retainer; must retain 100% of shares received from RSUs until compliant (net of taxes) |
| Hedging/pledging | Hedging prohibited; pledging prohibited for directors absent Compensation Committee approval |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status with annual review; meaningful governance experience across complex institutions; active membership on Evercore’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; strong attendance; director equity compensation and ownership guidelines align interests; prohibitions on hedging/pledging enhance alignment .
- Compensation alignment: 2024 director pay is balanced (50% cash retainer option; annual RSU grant) with scheduled delivery and no performance risk-taking incentives; no meeting fees; chair premia only for chairs (not applicable) .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-person transactions disclosed involving Ms. Futter; Evercore’s Related Person Transaction Policy governs reviews; categorical independence standards outline immaterial relationship thresholds .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Ms. Futter (no pledging/hedging noted; no attendance or compensation anomalies; no listed related-party transactions). Continued monitoring warranted for public company interlocks (e.g., Consolidated Edison) under Evercore’s policy should any advisory relationships arise .