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Carlton E. Rose

About Carlton E. Rose

Independent director since 2020; age 63 as of March 20, 2025. Rose is a Lincoln Technical Institute alumnus (automotive engineering) and spent 43 years at UPS, culminating as President, Global Fleet Maintenance & Engineering before retiring in March 2023. He brings deep operations, fleet engineering, and leadership experience and currently chairs the board of REE Automotive, a public EV truck/platform company.

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
United Parcel Service (UPS)President, Global Fleet Maintenance & Engineering (final role); progressed from package handler over 43-year tenure1980–Mar 2023Technical and business leadership in global fleet and engineering operations, multiple promotions based on technical and team leadership.

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
REE AutomotiveDirector (appointed), then Chairman of the Board (effective Oct 16, 2023)Jun 2023–presentChairs board; REE is an automotive technology provider of fully by-wire electric trucks/platforms.

Board Governance

  • Independence: Board determined Rose is independent under NASDAQ rules (all directors except CEO are independent; all committee members are independent).
  • Committees (2024 structure): Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee member. Not a chair.
  • Attendance/Engagement: Six board meetings in FY 2024; all directors attended all board and applicable committee meetings except one director (Burke) missed a Nominating meeting—no absences noted for Rose. Most directors, including Rose, attended the 2024 Annual Meeting.
  • Board leadership: Non-Executive Chair leads executive sessions generally at each regular board meeting; independent oversight is emphasized.
  • Years of service on LINC board: Since 2020.

Fixed Compensation

Director pay structure (FY 2024) and Rose’s actual:

ElementPolicy (Annual)Rose – Amount ($)
Cash retainer$55,000 for non-employee directors$55,000
Audit Committee member fee$8,000$8,000
Compensation Committee member fee$6,000$6,000
Committee chair fee$10,000–$15,000 (only for chairs)$0 (not a chair)
Equity grant (restricted stock)$60,000 (time-based RS; Non-Exec Chair $105,000)$60,000
Total$129,000

Mix analysis:

  • Cash: $69,000 (retainer + committee fees)
  • Equity: $60,000 (time-based RS)
  • Cash vs Equity: ~53% cash / ~47% equity, supporting alignment via equity while maintaining modest cash retainer.

Grant details:

  • RS grant date and shares: May 2, 2024; 5,343 restricted shares granted to each non-employee director (excluding pro-rated grants for two new directors).
  • Vesting: 100% on May 2, 2025.
  • Grant-date pricing: $11.23 closing price on May 2, 2024 used for fair value.

Performance Compensation

  • No performance-conditioned director equity disclosed; annual director equity is time-based RS vesting after one year. LINC does not currently grant stock options.

Other Directorships & Interlocks

CompanyRoleOverlap/Interlock Risk
REE AutomotiveChairmanNo disclosed LINC business with REE; industry adjacency (automotive tech vs post-secondary education) suggests low direct conflict risk.

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Skills matrix flags Rose’s CEO/senior officer experience, industry experience, governance/board experience, and independence.
  • Domain: Fleet operations, engineering, large-scale logistics operations; LINC alumnus offers student and employer perspective relevant to program-market fit.
  • Financial acumen not specifically designated for Rose in matrix (others cover audit financial expert).

Equity Ownership

ItemDetail
Total beneficial ownership42,079 shares (36,736 common; 5,343 restricted)
% of shares outstanding~0.13% (42,079 / 31,592,807)
Vested vs unvested5,343 restricted shares vest May 2, 2025; remainder common held directly.
Pledging/HedgingCompany Code prohibits margin accounts, hedging or pledging of company stock, with limited exceptions requiring Board approval. No pledging by Rose disclosed.
Ownership guidelinesCorporate Governance Guidelines include director stock ownership, but specific multiples are not detailed in proxy; not disclosed.

Governance Assessment

  • Strengths:

    • Independent director with high 2024 attendance and active membership on Audit and Compensation—two critical oversight committees.
    • Meaningful operations/engineering background complements LINC’s employer-driven programs; alumnus perspective strengthens stakeholder alignment.
    • Equity-based director compensation and anti-hedging/anti-pledging policy support ownership alignment and investor-friendly posture.
    • No related-party transactions involving Rose disclosed; Compensation Committee independence maintained.
  • Watch items:

    • External chair role at REE Automotive increases time commitments; monitor for overboarding if additional public boards accrue. Current load appears manageable.
    • Financial acumen designation sits with other directors; ensure Audit Committee continues to have robust financial expertise coverage (Carney designated audit committee financial expert).
  • RED FLAGS:

    • None disclosed regarding attendance shortfalls, related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or director pay anomalies for Rose.
  • Shareholder sentiment signal:

    • Say-on-pay (executive comp) approval ~93% at 2024 meeting—indirectly supportive of overall governance and compensation oversight, including committee effectiveness.