Jacqueline E. Yeaney
Iridium CommunicationsAbout Jacqueline E. Yeaney
Independent director at Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM), age 56, serving since May 2023. She is a former Chief Marketing Officer (Tableau/Salesforce; Ellucian) and EVP Strategy & Marketing at Red Hat with prior roles at EarthLink, Premiere Global Services, Delta Air Lines, and as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and MBA (MIT) . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tableau Software (Salesforce) | Chief Marketing Officer | Aug 2019–Sep 2022 | Involved in Salesforce’s acquisition integration of Tableau |
| Ellucian | Chief Marketing Officer | 2017–Apr 2019 | Marketing leadership at private edtech/software firm |
| Red Hat, Inc. | EVP, Strategy & Marketing | 2011–2016 | Strategy and marketing at open-source software leader |
| Premiere Global Services, Inc. | EVP & CMO | 2008–2010 | Marketing leadership at conferencing/webcasting provider |
| EarthLink, Inc. | SVP & CMO | 2007 | Consumer ISP marketing leadership |
| HomeBanc Mortgage Corp. | EVP & CMO | 2004–2007 | Retail mortgage lender marketing |
| Delta Air Lines | Managing Director, Consumer Marketing | 2002 | Consumer marketing |
| U.S. Air Force | Officer | Early career | Technical/leadership foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talkspace, Inc. (NASDAQ: TALK) | Director | Since 2021 | Audit Committee member; Chair of Nominating & Governance Committee |
| Plan International USA | Vice Chair, Board | Dec 2024–present (Director since Sep 2023) | Development/humanitarian NGO governance |
| Avaya Holdings Corp. | Director | 2019–May 2023 | Board member prior to departure |
| Promethean World PLC | Director | Prior to 2015 acquisition | Board member at global edtech firm |
| Brave Bets LLC | Founder | Oct 2024–present | Executive coaching/advisory (private) |
| CMO Collaborative | Co-founder | Apr 2023–present | Marketing professionals’ member organization |
Board Governance
- Committees: Audit Committee member (appointed May 21, 2024) and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member; all committees are 100% independent .
- Independence: Affirmatively determined independent by the Board .
- Attendance: The Board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings on which they served; independent directors hold executive session at each regular meeting .
- Audit Committee engagement: Listed on the Audit Committee’s 2024 report to the Board recommending inclusion of annual financials in the Form 10-K .
- Board leadership: Independent Chairman structure (Mr. Niehaus), with separation of Chair and CEO roles to reinforce oversight .
Fixed Compensation
| Component (2024) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 70,000 | Includes Board/committee retainers; Yeaney joined Audit Committee May 21, 2024 and received prorated committee retainer |
| Stock Awards (RSUs) | 200,000 | Annual Board retainer paid primarily in RSUs |
| All Other Compensation (Dividend Equivalents) | 3,456 | Credited in additional RSUs at cash dividend rate |
| Total | 273,456 | Sum of 2024 director compensation |
Key program features (2025 non-employee director policy):
- Annual Board retainer $250,000; $200,000 paid in RSUs; up to $50,000 may be elected in cash or RSUs; RSUs vest in full on first anniversary of grant; cash paid quarterly .
- Committee retainers: Audit member $20,000; Compensation member $7,500; Nominating & Corporate Governance member $5,000; chair retainers: Board $70,000, Audit $40,000, Compensation $15,000, Nominating & Corporate Governance $10,000; Government Advisory Committee retainer $15,000 (RSUs only) .
- Non-employee director annual compensation cap of $700,000 (cash plus equity grant-date fair value) under the equity plan .
Performance Compensation
- Directors’ equity is service-based RSUs; RSUs granted in January, vest in full after one year; directors may elect to defer settlement to post-service or change-in-control; dividend equivalents credited as additional RSUs; no performance metrics apply to director RSUs .
- Clawback: All awards subject to Iridium’s incentive compensation recovery policies (pre- and post-Oct 2, 2023), exchange listing clawback rules, Dodd-Frank, and any future clawbacks; repricing of options/SARs prohibited without shareholder approval .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Relationship to IRDM | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Talkspace, Inc. | Unrelated industry (virtual therapy) | No related-party transactions disclosed involving Yeaney or Talkspace |
| Avaya Holdings Corp. (former) | Unrelated industry (communications/software) | No related-party transactions disclosed |
| Plan International USA | Non-profit | No related-party transactions disclosed |
The company’s Related Person Transactions Policy requires Audit Committee review/approval of any transactions >$120,000 involving directors or their entities; none are disclosed involving Ms. Yeaney .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive executive leadership in high-growth technology companies; deep marketing and strategy expertise from Red Hat, Tableau, Ellucian; engineering background (EE) and MBA; prior military leadership as USAF officer .
- Board experience across public companies and non-profits; currently contributes to IRDM’s Audit and Nominating & Governance oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 7,616 |
| Shares Outstanding (record date) | 108,732,964 |
| Ownership % of Outstanding | ~0.0070% (7,616 / 108,732,964) |
| RSUs Outstanding (unvested or vested/deferred) at 12/31/2024 | 5,136 shares |
| Per-share closing price (record date) | $27.65 |
| Approx. value of beneficial holdings (record date price) | ~$210,621 (7,616 × $27.65) |
| Director Stock Ownership Guideline | 4× annual cash retainer ($50,000) = $200,000 |
| Pledging/Hedging Policy | Prohibited for directors and officers |
Note: Ownership guideline compliance is not explicitly disclosed; directors must retain 50% of net profit shares until compliant .
Governance Assessment
- Positive indicators:
- Independence affirmed; dual committee roles (Audit; Nominating & Governance); presence on Audit Committee report indicates engaged oversight .
- Attendance threshold met (≥75% across Board/committees in 2024) and regular independent executive sessions .
- Director compensation structure emphasizes equity (RSUs) with clear vesting and a shareholder-approved annual cap; clawback and anti-repricing protections enhance governance quality .
- Robust related-party transaction policy with Audit Committee oversight; no related-party transactions disclosed involving Yeaney .
- Use of independent compensation consultant (ClearBridge) to review director pay, reducing conflict risk .
- Potential risk indicators and watch items:
- Multiple external commitments (Talkspace board; Plan International USA vice chair; private ventures Brave Bets LLC and CMO Collaborative) warrant monitoring for time/attention load; no attendance concerns disclosed .
- Brave Bets LLC is a private advisory business; while no related-party dealings are disclosed, future engagements with IRDM would fall under related-party review processes .
- Absolute share ownership is small in percentage terms (<0.01%); however, dollar value approximates the director ownership guideline threshold given record-date price .
Board Governance (Detail)
| Committee | Role | 2024 Meetings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Member | 4 | Joined May 21, 2024; Committee chaired by L. Anthony Frazier; Yeaney listed on Audit Committee Report |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Member | 3 | Committee chaired by Alvin B. Krongard in 2024; Chair transitions to Kay Sears post-2025 AGM |
Director Compensation (Program Summary)
| Item | Amount/Feature |
|---|---|
| Annual Board Retainer | $250,000; $200,000 paid in RSUs; up to $50,000 elective cash/RSUs; RSUs vest in 12 months; cash paid quarterly |
| Committee Chair Retainers | Board Chair $70,000; Audit Chair $40,000; Compensation Chair $15,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair $10,000 |
| Committee Member Retainers | Audit $20,000; Compensation $7,500; Nominating & Corporate Governance $5,000; Government Advisory $15,000 (RSUs only) |
| Annual Director Compensation Cap | $700,000 (cash + equity grant-date fair value) |
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback
- 2024 say-on-pay support was ~94.3%, indicating strong investor backing for compensation practices; Board maintained consistent approach into 2025 .
Related Party Transactions
- Policy requires Audit Committee review/approval for director-related transactions >$120,000; no transactions disclosed involving Ms. Yeaney or entities she controls .
Notes
- All facts, numbers, and statements are drawn from IRDM’s 2025 DEF 14A proxy statement and cited accordingly.