Jonathan Schechter
About Jonathan L. Schechter
Jonathan L. Schechter (age 51) is an independent director of PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (PMCB) and has served on the board since August 2022. He is Director of Investment Banking at Chardan Capital Markets (since February 2008), a partner at The Special Equities Group (Dawson James Securities) (since April 2021), and a founding partner of The Special Equities Opportunity Fund (since August 2019). He holds an A.B. in Public Policy/Political Science from Duke University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and currently serves on the board of Synaptogenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPX) with prior board service at DropCar, Inc. .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chardan Capital Markets | Director of Investment Banking | Feb 2008 – Present | Investment banking leadership; extensive experience analyzing public company financials . |
| The Special Equities Group (Dawson James Securities) | Partner | Apr 2021 – Present | Focused on healthcare/biotech/technology/clean-tech sectors . |
| The Special Equities Opportunity Fund | Founding Partner | Aug 2019 – Present | Long-only fund making direct investments in micro-cap companies . |
| DropCar, Inc. | Director | Previously | Prior public company board experience (dates not disclosed) . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synaptogenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPX) | Director | Current | Concurrent PMCB board member Robert Weinstein is CFO of SNPX (interlock) . |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined Schechter is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committees: Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee Chair; Nominating Committee member .
- Attendance: FY2024—Board met 3 times; committees met 7 times; no director attended fewer than 75% of meetings .
- Board leadership: CEO and Chairman roles are combined; the board has no lead independent director; all other directors are independent .
- Nominating Committee oversight includes approving “related party” transactions under Item 404 .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Fiscal/Effective Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | $60,000 | Policy adopted Nov 17, 2023 | Standard retainer . |
| Committee chair fee | +$10,000 annually per chairmanship | Policy adopted Nov 17, 2023 | Schechter is Compensation Committee Chair . |
| Director fees earned (Schechter) | $180,000 | FY ended Apr 30, 2024 | Fees earned for service . |
| Option awards (grant-date fair value, Schechter) | $110,000 | FY ended Apr 30, 2024 | Equity component of director comp . |
| Total director compensation (Schechter) | $290,000 | FY ended Apr 30, 2024 | Sum of fees + option awards . |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Program Feature | Term | Effective/Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grant for non-employee directors | Options with $60,000 grant-date fair value | Grants occur first business day after annual meeting; vest at next annual meeting (time-based) . | |
| New director grant | Options with $50,000 grant-date fair value | First business day after appointment; vests immediately . | |
| Plan guardrails | Minimum 1-year vesting (limited exceptions); no repricing without stockholder approval; no discounted options/SARs | 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (as amended) . | |
| Director equity cap | Annual aggregate grant-date fair value capped at $750,000 | Plan limits on non-employee director grants . | |
| Clawback | Company may recover/forfeit awards if Clawback Policy triggered | Plan provision . |
No performance metrics (e.g., revenue, EBITDA, TSR) are disclosed for director compensation; director option grants are time-based per policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Interlock With PMCB Directors | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synaptogenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPX) | Director (Schechter) | Robert Weinstein (PMCB director) is CFO of SNPX; Joshua Silverman (PMCB Executive Chairman/CEO/President) is also a SNPX director | Multiple PMCB director overlaps at SNPX—potential information flow/interlock . |
| AYRO, Inc. (Nasdaq: AYRO) | — | Joshua Silverman (PMCB) and Wayne R. Walker (PMCB) serve as directors of AYRO | Not directly linked to Schechter but denotes broader board network ties . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Investment banking and micro-cap investing expertise; extensive experience analyzing public company financial statements; legal training (J.D.) .
- Service on audit and compensation committees indicates governance breadth; compensation committee leadership suggests involvement in pay design and equity plan administration .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Total Beneficial Ownership (Shares) | Ownership % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2025 | 149,257 | 2.1% | Includes 99,257 options exercisable, counted for beneficial ownership per SEC rules . |
| Sep 15, 2025 | 149,257 | 2.16% | Includes 99,257 options; total outstanding shares used for % noted in filing . |
| Options Detail (as of Apr 30, 2024) | Count | Vested | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schechter options outstanding | 99,257 | 61,248 vested | Balance unvested as of FY-end; director grants per policy . |
- Hedging/monetization transactions generally prohibited for directors under Insider Trading Policy; quarterly and event-driven blackouts apply .
- No pledging or stock ownership guidelines disclosed; no pledging noted for Schechter in filings reviewed .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; chairs Compensation Committee; committee coverage includes audit and nominating; attendance met threshold; equity grants time-based with plan guardrails (no repricing, minimum vesting, director grant cap); clawback provision in equity plan; hedging prohibited—supportive of alignment and risk control .
- Potential risk indicators: Board lacks a lead independent director and combines CEO/Chair roles; multiple interlocks with Synaptogenix (SNPX) where another PMCB director (Weinstein) is CFO and the PMCB Executive Chairman/CEO (Silverman) is a director—may raise informational interlock considerations though no related-party transactions with Schechter are disclosed .
- Related-party transactions: None disclosed involving Schechter; TNF transaction involves PMCB’s Executive Chairman/CEO (Silverman) as TNF’s board chair; oversight of related-party matters sits with the Nominating Committee (which includes Schechter) .
Overall investor confidence signals: Independent leadership on the Compensation Committee, formal equity plan controls, and prohibition on hedging are positives; absence of a lead independent director and notable interlocks warrant ongoing monitoring for potential conflicts or board effectiveness impacts .