Laura Wright
About Laura Wright
Laura Wright (age 65) is a Class II independent director of Joby Aviation, serving since August 2021. She is the former CFO of Southwest Airlines and a certified public accountant; the board has designated her an “audit committee financial expert” based on her financial sophistication and experience. Her current term runs to the 2026 annual meeting, and she serves as Audit Committee Chair and a member of the Compensation Committee. Education: B.S. and M.S. from University of North Texas; CPA credential .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines Co. | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Officer | 1988–2012 | Led finance for a major commercial airline; deep aviation finance experience |
| GSB Advisory LLC | Founder; interim executive and financial management consulting | 2012–2020 | Provided executive/financial management to growth and non-profit companies |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMS Energy Corp. and Consumers Energy (subsidiary) | Director | Current | Not disclosed in proxy |
| TE Connectivity Ltd. | Director | Current | Not disclosed in proxy |
| Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. | Director | Current | Not disclosed in proxy |
| Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | Director | Dec 2009–Feb 2019 | Audit and Compensation Committees |
Board Governance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Board class/term | Class II; term expires at 2026 annual meeting |
| Independence | Determined independent under NYSE rules |
| Roles | Audit Chair; Compensation Committee member |
| Audit expert designation | Board determined Wright qualifies as “audit committee financial expert” under Item 407(d)(5) |
| Lead Independent Director | Michael Huerta (not Wright) |
| Meetings held in FY2024 | Board: 4; Audit: 8; Compensation: 4; Nominating & Gov: 4 |
| Attendance | Each director attended ≥75% of meetings in 2024 except Mr. Ogawa (Wright met threshold) |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Prohibits short sales, options, hedging/monetization, margin purchases, and pledging |
| Related-party review | Related-person transactions reviewed under written policy; Audit Committee oversight |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual board retainer (cash) | $50,000 | Applies to all non-employee directors |
| Audit Chair fee (cash) | $20,000 | Chair retainer |
| Compensation Committee member fee (cash) | $7,500 | Member retainer |
| Total fees earned (Laura Wright, FY2024) | $77,500 | Sum matches director compensation table |
| Lead Independent Director fee (cash) | $35,000 | Added March 2025 (not applicable to Wright) |
| Director RSU annual grant (policy) | $150,000 ÷ 20-day VWAP | Granted after annual meeting; vests at next annual meeting or 1-year anniversary |
| FY2024 Director Compensation (Wright) | Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Wright | $77,500 | $147,283 | $224,783 |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | Grant mechanics | Vesting | FY2024 Award Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant | $150,000 divided by 20-day VWAP | Vests on earlier of next annual meeting or 1st anniversary; accelerates on change-of-control | As of 12/31/2024, Wright had an outstanding RSU award for 30,181 shares scheduled to vest on June 6, 2025 |
| Retainer RSU election | Directors may elect to receive cash retainers as fully vested RSUs | Immediate vesting; optional deferral of share issuance | Wright had 27,574 shares with issuance deferred under the Director Program |
Note: No performance metrics apply to director equity grants; they are service-based annual RSUs under the Non-Employee Director Compensation Program .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Potential Interlock Area | Observation |
|---|---|
| Supplier/customer/shareholder interlocks | Wright serves on boards of Spirit AeroSystems (aerospace supplier), TE Connectivity (components), CMS Energy (utility); the proxy does not disclose related-party transactions involving Wright or committee interlocks requiring disclosure in the last fiscal year . |
| Designated directors | Toyota and Delta have designated directors (Ogawa, Huerta); no designation pertains to Wright . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Former CFO of Southwest Airlines; deep aviation and public company finance experience .
- CPA; designated Audit Committee Financial Expert by the board .
- Multi-board experience across industrials and technology; prior audit and compensation committee roles at Pebblebrook .
Equity Ownership
| Category | Shares | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficially owned (as of 3/31/2025) | 85,462 | Includes 57,888 shares held by Wright and 27,574 shares with deferred issuance under Director Program |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | ~0.0108% | 85,462 ÷ 789,293,827 shares outstanding (as of 3/31/2025); computed from disclosed figures |
| Outstanding director RSUs (12/31/2024) | 30,181 | Vests at the June 6, 2025 annual meeting |
| Hedging/pledging of shares | Prohibited by company policy | |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors: 5x annual board retainer; compliance status not disclosed |
Insider Trades (Form 4)
| Transaction Date | Type | Security | Quantity | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | SEC Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-14 | A (Award) | RSUs | 30,181 | $0.00 | 30,181 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1819848/000181984824000300/0001819848-24-000300-index.htm |
| 2024-06-14 | M (Exempt) – RSU settlement | RSUs → Common | 22,556 | $0.00 | 85,462 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1819848/000181984824000300/0001819848-24-000300-index.htm |
| 2025-06-06 | A (Award) | RSUs | 19,157 | $0.00 | 19,157 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1819848/000181984825000395/0001819848-25-000395-index.htm |
| 2025-06-06 | M (Exempt) – RSU settlement | RSUs → Common | 30,181 | $0.00 | 115,643 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1819848/000181984825000395/0001819848-25-000395-index.htm |
Source: Insider-trades skill output; post-transaction ownership reflects Form 4 reported positions .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and roles: Wright is independent under NYSE rules and chairs Audit while serving on Compensation, signaling strong governance oversight and financial discipline .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held 4 meetings in 2024; Audit 8; Compensation 4. Wright met the ≥75% attendance threshold, indicating engagement (only Mr. Ogawa fell short) .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is equity-heavy via annual RSUs ($147,283 grant fair value in 2024) alongside modest cash retainers ($77,500), enhancing alignment with shareholders; RSUs vest at the next annual meeting and accelerate upon change-of-control .
- Ownership and trading behavior: Beneficial ownership reported; hedging and pledging prohibited by policy; routine RSU grants and settlements disclosed via timely Form 4 filings, with no open-market sales noted in the records retrieved .
- Conflicts/related party exposure: The proxy’s compensation committee interlocks disclosure notes no relationships requiring Item 404 disclosure for committee members; related-person transaction policy places review under the Audit Committee . No Wright-specific related-party transactions are disclosed in the proxy.