Camilla Velasquez
Porch GroupAbout Camilla Velasquez
Camilla Velasquez, age 43, has served as an independent director of Porch Group since October 2022. She is currently Senior Vice President and General Manager of New York Times Cooking, with prior senior product and strategy roles at Justworks, and product leadership roles at Etsy and American Express; she holds a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Cornell University . The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Times (NYT) Cooking | Senior Vice President & General Manager | Not disclosed | Senior product/growth leader |
| Justworks | Senior Vice President, Product & Strategy | Not disclosed | Product and strategy leadership |
| Etsy | Director of Payment Products & Multichannel Sales | Not disclosed | Product expansion and payments |
| American Express | Director of New Product Development | Not disclosed | New product development |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dalia HR | Board Advisor | Private company advisory |
| Young New Yorkers | Board Chair | Non-profit, arts-based diversion program |
| Brooklyn Public Library | Digital Subcommittee member, Board of Trustees | Non-profit/public institution |
| Angel investments (Aboon; Uprise Financial) | Angel investor | HR/fintech/consumer businesses |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (2024): Compensation Committee member; the committee met 7 times in 2024; Chair is Sean Kell; other members include Maurice Tulloch .
- Independence: Determined independent by the Board and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Attendance: Board held 11 meetings in 2024; no director nominated for election attended less than 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings; all but two directors attended the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders .
- Board leadership: Alan Pickerill serves as Lead Independent Director; role includes executive sessions of independent directors and leading annual self-assessment; re-elected in 2024 and 2025 .
- Executive sessions: Board and committees hold regular executive sessions of independent directors for risk and governance topics .
- Skills highlights: Strategy, Human Capital Management, Digital/Technology (qualification highlights listed with her biography) .
Fixed Compensation
- Policy changes effective June 2024 (WTW-advised):
- Non-employee director annual cash retainer increased from $30,000 to $45,000 .
- Annual RSU award increased from $80,000 to $150,000 (time-based vesting) .
- Committee member retainers paid in cash (e.g., Compensation Committee member retainer increased from $5,000 to $7,000) .
| Component | 2024 Amount (Velasquez) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash Fees | $48,500 | Board/committee cash (reflects mid-year policy change) |
| Stock Awards | $235,000 | Includes $150,000 2024 annual equity retainer and $85,000 correction RSUs for 2023 |
| Total | $283,500 | Sum of cash and stock awards |
Performance Compensation
Directors receive time-based RSUs; no performance metrics (TSR/EBITDA, etc.) are used for director equity.
| Grant Date | Instrument | Shares/Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 12, 2024 | RSUs | 81,081 RSUs ($150,000 grant-date fair value) | Vests in full on June 12, 2025; two-thirds subject to resale restrictions expiring in equal increments on first and second anniversaries of vesting | Annual equity retainer; time-based; change-in-control vesting if not assumed; disability/removal without cause provisions |
| June 8, 2024 | RSUs (fully vested) | $85,000 | Fully vested at grant | Correction to prior year (2023) director equity grant; see Form 4 filings on June 11, 2024 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- No other public company directorships disclosed in her biography; external roles are advisory/non-profit and do not indicate public board interlocks .
- Over-boarding policy: Directors limited to no more than three other public boards; audit members to no more than two public audit committees; all directors comply .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Strategic product/growth leadership across consumer technology and fintech; qualifications highlighted: Strategy, Human Capital Management, Digital/Technology .
- Broader board skills matrix shows committee oversight in compensation and alignment with digital and human capital priorities .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficially owned shares (as of March 31, 2025) | 109,128 shares; less than 1% of outstanding |
| Unvested director RSUs outstanding (Dec 31, 2024) | 81,081 RSUs (annual equity retainer) |
| Ownership guidelines | Required to hold ≥ 3x annual cash retainer; all non-employee directors meet guideline |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited without exception; the Board removed limited pledging exception for non-employee directors in 2024 |
| 10b5-1 plans | Permitted with strict pre-approval and cooling-off requirements |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths: Independent status; Compensation Committee membership and active oversight including peer benchmarking, share usage, and regular sessions with independent consultant; Board’s prohibition on hedging/pledging strengthens alignment; attendance threshold met; stock ownership guidelines met .
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Compensation structure signals: Market-aligned increase in director equity retainer to $150,000 and cash retainer to $45,000 (June 2024), with shift of committee retainers from RSUs to cash—reduces equity overhang and clarifies pay components; director equity remains time-based, not performance-conditioned .
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Related-party/conflict review: No related person transactions requiring disclosure since January 1, 2023; formal policy administered by Audit Committee; independence reaffirmed via annual questionnaires .
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Process anomaly: 2023 director equity grant correction addressed via fully vested RSUs on June 8, 2024 and Form 4 filings; transparency noted, but highlights prior administrative error—monitor future grant administration for precision .
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Investor confidence signals: 2024 director slate elections had at least 98% support previously; strong ratification historically for auditors; robust stockholder engagement program .
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RED FLAGS: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, tax gross-ups, or attendance shortfalls; no excise tax gross-ups policy for NEOs (contextual for governance posture) .