Bonny Simi
About Bonny W. Simi
Bonny W. Simi (age 63) is an independent trustee of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) since April 2019, serving as Lead Trustee and Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; she also sits on the Audit Committee and is designated an audit committee financial expert. Her background spans >30 years in operations, HR, and technology in aviation and travel, with executive roles at JetBlue and currently as President of Operations at Joby Aviation. She holds a B.A. (Stanford), M.S. in Management (Stanford GSB), M.S. in Management Science & Engineering (Stanford), and M.S. in HR Management (Regis), is a NACD Board Leadership Fellow, and holds the CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue Technology Ventures (JetBlue VC) | President; later Advisor | 2016–2020 (President); 2020–2024 (Advisor) | Led airline/travel tech investing; incubated early-stage ventures |
| JetBlue Airways | VP Technology Innovations; VP Talent; multiple operations roles | 2003–2020 | Led talent, people analytics, succession; operational leadership across Airports, System Ops, Call Center, Flight Ops |
| United Airlines | Airline Pilot | 1990–2003 | Flight operations |
| Red Lion Hotels Corporation (NYSE:RLH) | Director; Comp Chair; Nominating & Governance member | 2017–2020 | Chaired Compensation; governance oversight |
| Luge (U.S. Olympic Team) | Olympian (3-time) | 1984, 1988, 1992 | Elite performance and media experience (NBC commentator 1994, 1998, 2002) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) | President of Operations; previously Head of Air Operations & People | 2024–present (President of Operations); 2020–2024 prior role | Leads scale-up of eVTOL operations; people/ops integration |
| U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee | Nominating & Governance Committee member | Ongoing | Board-level nominations and governance |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Independence | Determined independent by the Board; one of six independent trustees (86% of Board) . |
| Board leadership | Lead Trustee; presides over executive sessions and when Chair is absent; principal liaison between independents and CEO . |
| Committees | Chair: Nominating & Corporate Governance; Member: Audit; Audit Committee Financial Expert . |
| Sustainability oversight | Chairs the Company’s Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility (CSR) Committee reporting to Nominating & Governance . |
| Attendance | 100% Board meeting attendance in 2024; independents held executive sessions at each regular meeting (presided by Simi) . |
| Committee activity | Audit, Compensation, and Nominating each met 4× in 2024; no committee member attended <75% of meetings . |
| Shareholder rights | Supports robust rights (proxy access “3/3/20/20”; bylaw amendment rights; majority voting; resignation policy) . |
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Year of Service Paid | Role Elements | Cash ($) | Equity Election | Shares Issued | Per-Share Valuation | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (paid Jan-2025) | Annual retainer; Nominating & Governance Chair fee | 82,500 (elected 50% cash) | 50% of fees in common shares | 6,030 | $13.68 | 165,000 |
| Notes: Annual retainer $155,000; Nominating & Governance Chair fee $10,000; no meeting fees; directors may elect up to 100% in shares; share value uses the 10-day average price ($13.68) preceding payment . |
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Component | Structure | Metrics/Triggers |
|---|---|---|
| Performance-based pay | None for non-employee directors | Director pay is retainer-based (cash and/or shares), with no performance metrics or options; no meeting fees . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Status | Role/Committee | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) | Current | Lead Trustee; Nominating & Governance Chair; Audit member; Audit Financial Expert | Independent; leadership role at PEB . |
| Red Lion Hotels (NYSE:RLH) | Former | Director; Compensation Chair; Nominating & Governance member (2017–2020) | No current interlock; past hospitality governance experience . |
| USOPC | Current | Nominating & Governance Committee (Board) | Non-profit governance; no disclosed conflict with PEB . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Operations, HR, technology, and aviation/travel executive experience; venture investing in travel tech; board governance credentials (NACD Fellow; CERT cyber oversight) .
- Audit committee financial expert designation at PEB; contributes to financial reporting oversight and cyber risk governance .
- Leads CSR agenda as committee chair (GHG reduction, TCFD reporting, portfolio efficiency initiatives) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (Common & LTIP) | % of Shares Outstanding | Pledging/Hedging | Ownership Guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonny W. Simi | 28,298 | <1% | Company prohibits hedging and pledging; no pledge disclosure for Simi | Independent trustees must hold ≥3× annual compensation within 5 years; as of 12/31/2024, all trustees in compliance . |
Governance Assessment
Key strengths for investor confidence
- Strong independence and leadership: Lead Trustee; chairs Nominating & Governance; drives executive sessions; independent committees only .
- Financial oversight: Audit Committee member and SEC-defined audit committee financial expert designation .
- High engagement: 100% Board attendance; quarterly executive sessions .
- Sustainability oversight: Chairs CSR Committee; alignment of ESG with compensation for executives and reporting to Board .
- Alignment policies: Strict prohibitions on hedging/pledging; robust shareholder rights; director ownership guidelines with compliance confirmed .
Watch items / potential risks
- Time commitments: Concurrent executive role as President of Operations at Joby Aviation (since Feb-2024) could be a workload consideration, though 2024 attendance was 100% and committee attendance thresholds were met .
- Annual meeting presence: Trustees are not expected to attend; none attended in 2024—consistent with policy, but some investors prefer director attendance at AGMs .
- Related-party/transactions: Board discloses conflict review framework; no director-related transactions disclosed involving Simi; continue monitoring .
No compensation committee interlocks involving Simi were disclosed; the Compensation Committee comprises Jackson (Chair), Miller, Schall, and Webb, none of whom are employees . Say-on-pay support was over 90% in 2024, indicating generally positive shareholder sentiment toward compensation governance (context for overall board effectiveness) .