Stayce D. Harris
About Stayce D. Harris
Stayce D. Harris (born 1959) has served as a Board Member of BlackRock MuniYield New York Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE: MYN) since 2021. Her background includes senior leadership in the U.S. Air Force (Lieutenant General, Inspector General; Assistant Vice Chief of Staff; 22nd Air Force Commander) and a 30-year commercial aviation career as a pilot at United Airlines . The MYN board comprises 10 members, of which 8 are independent; only Robert Fairbairn and John M. Perlowski are “interested” persons, indicating Harris’s independent status .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees / Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Air Force | Lieutenant General, Inspector General | 2017–2019 | Senior oversight and compliance leadership for USAF |
| U.S. Air Force | Lieutenant General, Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Staff | 2016–2017 | Executive staff leadership of Air Staff |
| U.S. Air Force Reserve Command | Major General, Commander, 22nd Air Force (Dobbins ARB) | 2014–2016 | Command leadership of 22nd AF |
| United Airlines | Pilot | 1990–2020 | Long-tenured commercial aviation operations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure / Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Boeing Company | Director | Current | Airplane manufacturer board role |
| KULR Technology Group, Inc. | Director | 2021 | Technology company board role |
Board Governance
- Board leadership: R. Glenn Hubbard (Chair), W. Carl Kester (Vice Chair) .
- Independence: MYN board has 8 Independent Board Members; only Fairbairn and Perlowski are “interested,” supporting Harris’s independent status .
- Tenure on MYN board: Since 2021 .
- Committee assignments, attendance, and Lead Independent Director: Not disclosed in this proxy .
- Governance environment: Proxy highlights potential shareholder activism risks for closed-end funds, which can affect board bandwidth and costs if activism escalates .
- Anti-takeover and bylaws: The board uses Maryland Subtitle 8 provisions to fill vacancies and advance-notice bylaws for nominations/business, which can limit unsolicited board changes .
Fixed Compensation
- Director cash retainers, meeting fees, and committee chair fees: Not disclosed in this proxy statement (special meeting materials for preferred shareholders) .
Performance Compensation
- Equity awards (RSUs/PSUs), options, performance metrics, vesting schedules, clawbacks, severance, CoC terms, gross-ups, deferred comp: Not disclosed in this proxy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Sector | Role | Potential Interlock / Conflict Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Boeing Company | Industrials (Aerospace) | Director | MYN is a NY muni bond fund; no disclosed transactions with Boeing; no related-party exposure identified in proxy . |
| KULR Technology Group, Inc. | Technology | Director (2021) | No fund transactions disclosed; no related-party exposure identified in proxy . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Senior military leadership and inspector general roles: Oversight, compliance, risk, and operations expertise .
- Aviation operational experience: Safety, complex operations, and disciplined risk management .
- Fund complex oversight breadth: Harris oversees 66 BlackRock-advised registered investment companies consisting of 101 portfolios, indicating broad investment governance exposure .
Equity Ownership
| Holding Category | MHN (Common) | BNY (Common) | MYN (Common) | Supervised Funds (Aggregate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate Dollar Range | None | None | None | Over $100,000 |
- Officers and Board Members as a group owned <1% of each fund’s common shares and none of the VRDP preferreds, as of July 31, 2025 .
- No >5% beneficial ownership attributable to directors; largest holders are external (e.g., Karpus, Saba) .
- Pledging/hedging: Not disclosed in this proxy .
- Ownership guidelines or time-to-compliance: Not disclosed in this proxy .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and breadth: Harris is a long-tenured independent director with extensive oversight experience; independence is supported by the board’s composition (only two “interested” members) .
- Ownership alignment: Individual holdings in MHN/BNY/MYN common are “None,” while aggregate holdings in supervised funds are “Over $100,000.” For MYN-specific alignment, low direct fund ownership may be viewed as a modest alignment gap by some investors .
- Committee visibility: Lack of disclosed committee assignments and attendance limits evaluation of her specific board effectiveness at MYN; investors may seek additional detail in annual proxy materials .
- Activism context: The fund has notable activism dynamics and standstill agreements with Karpus and Saba, reducing near-term proxy contest risk but highlighting governance scrutiny; activism can increase costs and management attention .
- Structural defenses: Maryland Subtitle 8 election and advance-notice bylaws may constrain shareholder-driven board changes, a common feature in closed-end fund governance but often debated by activists .
RED FLAGS to monitor
- Limited disclosure on Harris’s MYN committee roles and attendance (information gap) .
- Minimal direct ownership in MYN common (“None”), potentially signaling weaker direct alignment with MYN shareholders, though broad fund complex exposure exists .
- Ongoing activism risk environment for closed-end funds and reliance on standstill agreements (long-dated through 2027) .
Notes
- This special meeting proxy (preferred shareholders) focuses on fund mergers and does not include director compensation details, committee rosters, or attendance. Where data is not disclosed in the proxy, the item is omitted accordingly .