Donald J. Long, Jr.
About Donald J. Long, Jr.
Independent director (age 67) serving on Nicolet Bankshares’ board since 2000; former Owner and CEO of Century Drill & Tool Co., Inc. (power tool accessories). A founding board member with business ownership and corporate board experience; notable shareholder alignment through meaningful ownership and fee deferrals into stock .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Century Drill & Tool Co., Inc. | Former Owner and Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Board benefits from former business ownership and corporate board experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | Biography references “corporate board membership experiences,” but no current public company boards are named |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Executive Committee (member), Nominating & Governance Committee (member), Compensation Committee (member). No chair roles; current chairs are Daniels (Executive), Dykema (N&G, Compensation), Merkatoris (Audit) .
- Independence: Independent under NYSE rules; board determined all directors except Atwell, Daniels, Ghidorzi, Johnson are not independent .
- Attendance: Board met 9 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings; Annual Meeting (May 20, 2024) attended by 14 of 15 directors .
- Executive sessions: Board holds periodic executive sessions without management; Compensation Committee Chair presides .
- Lead Independent Director: Effective with the 2025 Annual Meeting, the board adopted a Chairman and independent Lead Director structure (Chair: Daniels; Lead Director: Dykema) .
| Committee | 2024 Meetings | Membership | Chair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | — (as needed) | Member | Michael E. Daniels |
| Nominating & Governance | 2 | Member | John N. Dykema |
| Audit | 6 | Not a member | Susan L. Merkatoris |
| Compensation | 2 | Member; signed Committee Report | John N. Dykema |
Fixed Compensation
| Year (Calendar) | Cash Fees ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Total ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 31,500 | 49,974 (626 shares; immediate vesting) | 81,474 | 100% of 2024 cash fees deferred into stock via Directors Deferred Compensation Plan |
| 2024 Director Pay Structure (May 2024–Apr 2025) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equity retainer (granted May 28, 2024; immediate vesting) | $50,000 (626 shares @ $79.83) |
| Cash retainer | $20,000 |
| Committee meeting fees (Audit, Compensation, Executive, N&G, Risk, ALCO, Trust) | $1,000 per meeting |
| DLC meeting fee | $500 per meeting |
| Chair retainers (if applicable) | Audit $15,000; Compensation $10,000; N&G $5,000 |
Performance Compensation
| Component | Status | Metric Details |
|---|---|---|
| Options | None | Director compensation excluded option awards |
| Non-equity incentive plan | None | Not included for directors |
| Performance stock/PSUs | None | Director equity retainer immediately vests; no performance metrics |
| Cash bonus | None | Not applicable to non-employee directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Long |
| Compensation Committee interlocks | None; committee members had no relationships requiring SEC disclosure; no reciprocal board/committee service by Nicolet executives |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Former operating CEO and business owner; founding Nicolet director; corporate board experience; community involvement .
- Human capital/compensation oversight via Compensation Committee membership; participates in annual CD&A review and report .
- Governance and nominations exposure via Nominating & Governance Committee service .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Ownership Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald J. Long, Jr. | 85,504 | <1% (“*”) | Includes 5,224 shares held in the Directors Deferred Compensation Plan |
- Director stock ownership guideline: minimum 2,000 shares by third anniversary; Long exceeds guideline materially .
Insider Trades
| Date | Transaction Type | Shares | Price | Post-Transaction Ownership | Source/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-01 to 2025-11-20 | — | — | — | — | No Form 4 transactions found for “Donald J. Long” at NIC in this period (insider-trades tool run on 2025-11-20). |
Governance Assessment
- Alignment signals: Independent status; meaningful personal ownership (85,504 shares; includes deferred shares); 100% cash fee deferral into company stock in 2024; participation on Compensation and Nominating & Governance committees .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 9 times; each director ≥75% attendance; committee participation and signature on Compensation Committee Report indicate active engagement .
- Compensation mix: Predominantly fixed—cash fees and immediately vesting equity retainer; no options or performance-based incentives for directors; immediate vesting of equity retainer is standard for board compensation and not tied to operational metrics .
- Conflicts/interlocks: No Compensation Committee interlocks or related-party relationships requiring disclosure; no pledging disclosed for Long; insider trading policy prohibits short-term trading, short sales, hedging, and margin accounts for directors .
- Structural context: Board strengthened oversight via adoption of independent Lead Director role effective 2025; Long is not Lead Director but serves on key governance committees .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Long (no attendance shortfalls, no related-party transactions, no hedging/short sales per policy). Note: Long’s long tenure (since 2000) may warrant routine refresh discussions but is balanced by independence and ownership alignment .