Jada Smith
MICROVISIONAbout Jada Smith
Jada Smith, age 47, is an Independent Director of MicroVision, Inc. (MVIS) since 2024, serving on the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. She is Vice President, Program Management for the Americas at Visteon Corporation (since September 2024); prior roles include Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Delivery at Karma Automotive and multiple engineering and program leadership positions at Aptiv PLC and Delphi Automotive PLC. She holds an MBA from Indiana University Kokomo and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visteon Corporation | Vice President, Program Management, Americas | Sep 2024–present | Program leadership in automotive technology |
| Karma Automotive | SVP, Product Strategy & Delivery | Dec 2023–Sep 2024 | Product strategy execution for EV maker |
| Aptiv PLC | Senior Program Director, Ford; Global Engineering Director, Software Platform; Global Director, Program Management, Connection Systems | 2020–2022 (roles spanning Jun 2020–Nov 2022) | Led software/platform and program management for OEM lines |
| Delphi Automotive PLC | Engineering roles (various) | ~13 years prior to 2017 | Engineering leadership across automotive platforms |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center for Automotive Research (nonprofit) | Director (Board of Directors) | Sep 2019–Mar 2024 | Board service; committee work not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (as of March 31, 2025): Audit; Nominating & Governance; all committee members are independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Audit Committee scope includes related-party transaction review and cybersecurity risk oversight; Jada Smith joined Audit in 2024 replacing Brian Turner; Audit met 5 times (plus 4 written consents) in 2024 .
- Nominating & Governance met 4 times (plus 1 written consent) in 2024; Jada Smith is a member; Chair roles changed in 2024 (Dr. Spitzer became Chair) and in July 2025 (Laura Peterson appointed Chair upon Dr. Spitzer’s retirement) .
- Attendance: The Board met 7 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; directors are encouraged to attend annual meetings (all but one attended in 2024) .
- Independence: The Board determined all directors except the CEO (Sumit Sharma) are independent; Jada Smith is independent .
- Shareholder support: Elected at the June 6, 2025 annual meeting with 99,643,804 votes “For” and 7,415,801 “Withheld” (broker non-votes 54,338,752) .
| 2025 Director Election Result | For | Withheld | Broker Non-Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jada Smith | 99,643,804 | 7,415,801 | 54,338,752 |
Notable committee leadership update: In September 2025, Simon Biddiscombe became Executive Vice Chair; Robert Carlile was appointed Audit Committee Chair during Biddiscombe’s non-independent period .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | Stock Awards (Grant Date Fair Value) | Option Awards | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $56,250 | $88,495 | — | $144,745 |
- Director compensation policy: Base cash compensation $75,000 per director; chair fees: Board $50,000, Audit $20,000, Compensation $15,000, Nominating & Governance $10,000; annual RSU grant ≈$100,000, vesting quarterly with final vest on earlier of one-year anniversary or day before next annual meeting; new directors receive pro rata cash and equity based on start date .
Performance Compensation
| Performance Metric Category | Details for Jada Smith (Non-Employee Director) |
|---|---|
| Performance-based pay elements | None disclosed for directors; annual equity grants are time-based RSUs with quarterly vesting per policy |
| Director award limits | Annual grant date fair value cap for non-employee directors: $750,000 (initial year up to $1,000,000) under the 2022 Equity Incentive Plan |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Institution | Board Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center for Automotive Research | Director | Ended Mar 2024 | Nonprofit board service |
- No other public company directorships for Jada Smith are disclosed; compensation committee interlocks: none for MVIS committee members over prior three years; no cross-membership with entities having MVIS executives on their boards .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Industry experience: Automotive technology, software platforms, program management across Tier-1/OEM ecosystems .
- Education: MBA (Indiana University Kokomo); B.S. Electrical Engineering Technology (Purdue University) .
- Board-relevant skills: Executive leadership, business strategy, technology & innovation; transportation & mobility industries .
- Audit committee financial expert designation: Not designated; committee’s designated experts are Biddiscombe, Carlile, Herbst .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Common Stock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jada Smith | 40,225 | <1% | As of Feb 28, 2025; outstanding company shares 244,784,976 |
| Director Equity Detail (as of Dec 31, 2024) | RSUs Outstanding | Options Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Jada Smith | 40,224 RSUs | 0 options |
- Hedging/pledging: MVIS prohibits short sales, publicly traded options, hedging transactions; pledging or margin accounts are prohibited (except to the company); no hedging approvals in the most recent fiscal year .
- Related-party transactions: None >$120,000 involving directors/officers/five-percent holders since Jan 1, 2024; Audit Committee reviews and approves related-person transactions per policy .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Clear independence; active committee participation (Audit, N&G); documented attendance at least 75%; strong shareholder support in 2025 election; robust policies on hedging/pledging and related-party oversight via Audit Committee .
- Compensation alignment: Mix of cash plus time-based RSUs consistent with market and MVIS policy; no director-specific performance metrics, limiting pay discretion and aligning with governance best practices; RSU vesting structure supports retention without short-term gaming .
- Potential conflicts/RED FLAGS: None disclosed—no related-party transactions implicating Jada Smith; company-level prohibition on hedging/pledging reduces alignment risk; committee interlocks not present .
- Shareholder signals: 2025 say-on-pay passed (For 82,683,644; Against 19,765,997; Abstain 4,609,964), indicating adequate investor confidence in compensation governance broadly; and authorization increases for shares and equity plan amendment approved, reflecting support for capital flexibility and equity incentives .
