Mary Landrieu
EvergyAbout Mary L. Landrieu
Independent director at Evergy since 2021; age 69. Senior Policy Advisor at Van Ness Feldman (energy and environmental policy) since 2015; former three‑term U.S. Senator from Louisiana (1996–2014) who chaired Energy & Natural Resources, chaired Small Business & Entrepreneurship, and chaired Appropriations’ Homeland Security Subcommittee; BA from Louisiana State University. Current Evergy committee assignments: Compensation & Leadership Development; Nominating, Governance & Sustainability; and Operations (moved from Finance to NGS effective May 8, 2024). The Board has determined she is independent under Nasdaq standards.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Senate | U.S. Senator (LA) | 1996–2014 | Chair, Energy & Natural Resources; Chair, Small Business & Entrepreneurship; Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security; led disaster recovery after Katrina/Rita and Gulf restoration post‑BP oil spill |
| State of Louisiana | State Treasurer | 1987–1995 | Statewide financial leadership |
| Louisiana Legislature | State Representative | 1979–1987 | Legislative service |
| Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) | Director | 2015–2024 | Public company board service (technology) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Ness Feldman, LLP | Senior Policy Advisor | 2015 | Energy/environmental policy law firm (Washington, D.C.) |
| Climate Solutions Caucus Foundation | Co‑founder & Co‑Chair | 2018 | Bi‑partisan climate and energy caucus foundation |
| Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future | Co‑Chair, Leadership Council | 2022 | Advocates natural gas alongside renewables for affordability/reliability |
| Various national organizations (education/children’s welfare) | Director | Current | Serves on several national non‑profit boards (specific orgs not named) |
Board Governance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Board independence | Board determined 11 of 12 nominees, including Landrieu, are independent under Nasdaq and company standards |
| Current committees | Compensation & Leadership Development (CLD); Nominating, Governance & Sustainability (NGS); Operations (O) |
| Committee changes | Effective May 8, 2024, Landrieu moved from Finance to NGS during annual reassessment |
| Committee activity/attendance in 2024 | CLD: 5 meetings, 95% attendance; NGS: 5 meetings, 100% attendance; Operations: 6 meetings (2 NPE + 2 SPD pre‑merger; 2 Ops post‑merger), 100% attendance; Finance (pre‑May 8): 4 meetings, 94% attendance |
| Director attendance | Each incumbent nominee attended >75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings in 2024 |
| Executive sessions | Time reserved at each Board meeting; independent‑only executive sessions also held; committee executive sessions at each regular meeting |
| CLD Committee report | CLD (Lawrence, Chair; Isaac; Landrieu; Price) recommended inclusion of CD&A in 2024 Form 10‑K (dated March 7, 2025) |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Retainer ($) | Equity Grant ($) | Deferred Comp Earnings ($) | All Other ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (Non‑Employee Director) | 115,000 | 155,361 | 0 | 0 | 270,361 |
- Retainer structure (2024): base $115,000 cash; equity retainer $155,000 in Evergy common stock; additional cash fees for Lead Independent Director ($30,000) and for committee chairs ($20,000 per chair) — Landrieu is not a chair; no changes were made to the 2024 director compensation program. Directors may elect to convert cash retainers to DSUs or defer equity via DSUs under the LTIP.
Performance Compensation
| Element | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non‑Equity Incentive | None | Non‑employee directors did not receive non‑equity incentive plan compensation in 2024 |
| Stock Options | None | Option Awards omitted because none were granted to non‑employee directors |
| Performance Metrics | Not applicable | No performance metrics disclosed/used for director pay in 2024 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public boards | None disclosed beyond Evergy |
| Prior public boards | Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) Director, 2015–2024 |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None: no CLD member (including Landrieu) was an officer/employee; no executive officer served on a board/committee with any CLD member serving as an executive officer elsewhere |
| Related party transactions | None requiring disclosure since start of FY2024; independence review considered ordinary course transactions and found none material to affect independence |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Skills cited for Landrieu: federal and state regulation and compliance; community and political relations; strategy development; customer experience; alignment of culture with compensation and leadership development; and finance. Board core competencies matrix emphasizes strategy, regulation/compliance, risk management, operations, customer experience, community/political relations, and ESG among the Board’s collective skills.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficially Owned Shares (#) | Share Equivalents to Settle in Stock (#) | Total Share Interest (#) | % of Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary L. Landrieu | 7,057 | 2,541 (DSUs/deferred equity) | 9,598 | <1% |
- Stock ownership guideline: non‑employee directors must hold Evergy stock equal to at least 5× the annual cash retainer within five years of initial election; as of December 31, 2024, all non‑employee directors were in compliance.
- Deferral/DSUs: Directors may defer cash and/or equity amounts; DSU accounts accrue dividend equivalents and settle in stock after Board service ends per the director’s election.
- Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits short selling, hedging, or pledging of company stock. No pledging by Landrieu is disclosed in the proxy.
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Proven independence with significant regulatory and policy expertise directly relevant to a regulated utility; independence affirmed by the Board.
- Broad committee engagement (CLD, NGS, Operations) with documented committee work and CLD report sign‑off; transitioned to NGS in 2024 to reinforce governance/ESG oversight.
- Strong engagement indicators: high committee‑level attendance rates (95–100%) and Board policy of regular executive sessions; each nominee >75% attendance.
- Alignment with shareholders: meaningful equity component, DSU deferral capability, ownership guideline compliance; company prohibits hedging/pledging.
- No compensation committee interlocks or related‑party transactions; no Section 16(a) delinquencies; 2024 say‑on‑pay supported by ~96% of votes — a positive signal on pay governance.
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Potential watch items
- External energy policy roles (Van Ness Feldman; Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future) could present perceived conflicts on regulatory or advocacy matters; the Board nonetheless affirmed independence and disclosed no related‑party transactions — continue monitoring for any future overlaps.
- Not a committee chair; influence comes via membership rather than chair leadership roles (neutral but relevant for board‑effectiveness mapping).
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Contextual governance practices
- Director pay targeted around peer‑group median; reviewed with independent consultant (Meridian); unchanged for 2024.
- Board maintains robust committee structure and periodic refreshment; combined nuclear and safety committees into Operations in 2024; independent directors lead all committees.
Overall, filings indicate an independent, engaged director with domain‑relevant regulatory experience, solid ownership alignment, no identified conflicts under Item 404, and active participation in compensation and governance oversight — supportive of investor confidence while warranting routine monitoring of external advocacy roles for potential perceived conflicts.