Anthony Isaac
EvergyAbout B. Anthony Isaac
Independent director and Lead Independent Director at Evergy since 2003 (age 72). Former Senior Vice President and Head of Select Service Strategy & Development at Hyatt Hotels (2011–2015); previously President of LodgeWorks (2000–2011) and President of the All‑Suites Division at Wyndham; B.S. in Civil Engineering from MIT and MBA from Harvard. Current EVRG committees: Compensation & Leadership Development, Nominating, Governance & Sustainability, and Operations; designated Lead Independent Director in 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Hotels Corporation | Senior Vice President; Head of Select Service Strategy & Development | 2011–2015 | Strategy and development leadership |
| LodgeWorks | President | 2000–2011 | Led hotel management/development |
| Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | President, All‑Suites Division | Not disclosed | Business unit leadership |
| Summerfield Hotel Corp. | President (prior to merger) | Not disclosed | Led pre‑merger operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CorePoint Lodging (NYSE: CPLG) | Director | 2018–2022 | Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance; Member, Capital Committee |
Board Governance
- Lead Independent Director: Presides over independent director executive sessions; liaison between Chair/CEO and independent directors; reviews agendas/schedules .
- Independence: Board determined 11 of 12 nominees are independent; Isaac is independent .
- Committees (2024/2025): Compensation & Leadership Development (CLD) – member; Nominating, Governance & Sustainability (NGS) – member; Operations – member. In May 2024, Isaac moved from Finance to NGS amid committee refresh; Operations was formed by combining Nuclear/Power Supply and Safety/Power Delivery .
- Attendance: Board held 4 meetings in 2024; all incumbent director nominees, including Isaac, attended >75% of Board/committee meetings; CLD met 5 times (95% attendance overall); NGS met 5 times (100%); Operations met 2 times post‑May consolidation (100%) .
- Executive Sessions and Practices: Standing executive sessions at Board and committees; annual self‑evaluations; robust stock ownership requirements; majority voting; proxy access; special meeting rights .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Fees ($) | 115,000 | 134,451 (includes pro‑rata Lead Independent Director fee post‑annual meeting) |
| Stock Awards ($) | 155,619 | 155,361 |
| Nonqualified Deferred Comp Earnings ($) | 2,573 | 1,018 |
| All Other Compensation ($) | 5,000 (charitable match) | 5,000 (charitable match) |
| Total ($) | 278,192 | 295,830 |
- Director Retainer Structure (2024): Annual base cash retainer $115,000; Lead Independent Director fee $30,000; equity retainer $155,000; committee chair fees $20,000 (Audit, CLD, Finance, NGS, Operations). Directors may elect DSUs for cash/equity retainers under LTIP .
Performance Compensation
| Component | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Equity Retainer Fair Value ($) | 155,619 | 155,361 |
| Options Awards ($) | 0 | 0 |
- Mechanics: Non‑employee directors can defer cash/equity into DSUs; DSUs accrue dividend equivalents and settle in stock after Board service ends per director elections. No performance‑conditioned equity for directors; no options; no dividends on unvested awards; no tax gross‑ups .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Compensation Committee Interlocks: None; CLD members (Lawrence, Isaac, Landrieu, Price) had no relationships requiring disclosure under Item 404 .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Strategic planning, financial matters, and governance experience from senior roles at Hyatt/LodgeWorks/Wyndham; prior public REIT board service (CorePoint) with governance chair role; MIT civil engineering and Harvard MBA credentials .
- Board core competencies matrix reflects Isaac’s relevant experience across strategy, culture/compensation, finance, risk, operations, customer, ESG .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficially Owned Shares (#) | 54,552 |
| Share Equivalents (DSUs) to be Settled in Stock (#) | 2,836 |
| Total Share Interest (#) | 57,388 |
| Ownership as % of Shares Outstanding | <1% (based on ~230,013,247 shares outstanding) |
- Stock Ownership Guidelines: Directors must hold ≥5x annual cash retainer within 5 years; all non‑employee directors in compliance as of 12/31/2024 .
- Hedging/Pledging: Prohibited for all directors and employees; no short selling or pledging permitted .
Governance Assessment
- Alignment signals: Lead Independent Director role enhances independent oversight and agenda control; membership on CLD and NGS aligns with oversight of pay philosophy, human capital, ESG, and board refresh; strong say‑on‑pay support (≈96% approval in 2023 and 2024); no related‑party transactions reported; compliance with ownership guidelines and anti‑hedging/pledging policy .
- Compensation mix: Balanced director pay structure (cash + annual equity retainer, no options) with DSU deferral promotes long‑term alignment; Isaac’s total compensation rose from $278,192 (2023) to $295,830 (2024), reflecting added LID responsibilities .
- Board refreshment context: 2024–2025 additions (Newton, Rolph) and committee rebalancing (Isaac to NGS; creation of Operations) demonstrate active refresh and governance focus, mitigating tenure concentration risk as Isaac has served since 2003 .
- Risk checks: No Section 16(a) filing delinquencies; no compensation committee interlocks; robust governance practices (majority voting, proxy access, special meeting rights, clawbacks) support investor confidence .