Debra Morris
About Debra L. Morris
Debra L. Morris, age 66, has served as an independent director of Rexford Industrial since December 2020 and sits on the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees. She is President of AccessHope (since November 2024; previously CFO/COO since May 2024) and brings extensive finance and accounting leadership from prior CFO roles at Apria, SITEL, Caliber Collision, and senior accounting/marketing roles at CBRE; she holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Colby-Sawyer College .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apria, Inc. | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | Mar 2013–Oct 2022 | Led finance for home healthcare equipment/services provider |
| SITEL Worldwide (Americas) | Chief Financial Officer—Americas | 2010–2013 | Finance leadership for BPO operations |
| Tatum LLC | Partner; Director | 2004–2010 (Partner); 2008–2010 (Director) | Delivered interim/permanent CFO services to clients |
| Caliber Collision Centers | Chief Financial Officer | 1999–2002 | Corporate finance leadership |
| CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) | EVP Global Marketing & Integration; EVP Global Chief Accounting Officer | Earlier career (dates not specified) | Senior global finance/accounting roles |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| AccessHope | President (formerly CFO/COO) | President since Nov 2024; CFO/COO since May 2024 | Executive leadership; oncology expertise delivery |
| biote Corp. (Nasdaq: BTMD) | Director | Current | Audit Committee; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee |
| Progyny, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNY) | Director | Current | Compensation Committee |
| EverDriven Technologies | Director; Audit Committee Chair | May 2020–Feb 2024 | Chaired audit; governance oversight |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Audit; Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance; all Board committees comprised exclusively of independent directors .
- Attendance and engagement: 100% attendance in 2024 across Audit (4 meetings), Compensation (7), and Nominating & Corporate Governance (2); multiple unanimous written consents (Audit: 3; Compensation: 5; NCG: 2) .
- Expertise designation: The Board determined Ms. Morris qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” under SEC/NYSE standards .
- Independence: Identified as independent under NYSE standards; executive sessions of independent directors held at every regular Board and committee meeting, with Lead Independent Director presiding .
- Related-party oversight: Audit Committee reviews related party transactions; policy requires arm’s-length terms and formal approval/ratification; Audit oversees climate and cybersecurity risk as part of financial risk .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | $0 (appointed 12/31/2020) | $102,500 | $107,993 | $140,000 | $140,000 |
| Notes | Prorated appointment; initial equity only | Includes committee retainers | Includes committee retainers | Annual retainers paid quarterly in arrears | Annual retainers paid quarterly in arrears |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Awards ($) | $33,297 | $109,964 | $139,998 | $149,997 | $149,991 |
| Restricted Shares Granted (units) | 678 (prorated initial grant, 12/31/2020) | 1,873 (6/17/2021) | 2,387 (6/13/2022) | 2,843 (6/5/2023) | 3,357 (6/11/2024) |
| Vesting Terms | Annual grants vest in full on earlier of next Annual Meeting date or first anniversary, subject to continued service | Same | Same | Same | Same |
| Unvested at Year-End | 678 RS as of 12/31/2020 | 1,873 RS as of 12/31/2021 | 2,387 RS as of 12/31/2022 | 2,843 RS as of 12/31/2023 | 3,357 RS as of 12/31/2024 |
- Structure: Non-employee director pay consists of annual cash retainers and annual restricted stock grants; equity grants are service-based (no options/PSUs; no performance metrics tied to director equity) .
- Compensation committee process: Program reviewed annually using a peer group of similarly sized REITs; changes approved by the Board; independent consultants (Farient Advisors; Ferguson Partners) engaged for executive compensation; Compensation Committee comprised solely of independent directors, with no interlocks/insider participation since IPO .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Ticker | Role | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| biote Corp. | BTMD | Director | Audit; Nominating & Corporate Governance |
| Progyny, Inc. | PGNY | Director | Compensation Committee |
- Interlocks/conflicts: The proxy reports no compensation committee interlocks or related person relationships requiring disclosure among committee members (including Ms. Morris) . No Morris-specific related party transactions are disclosed; related-party review is overseen by the Audit Committee under formal policy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Extensive finance and accounting leadership across healthcare, BPO, automotive services, and real estate; designated audit committee financial expert .
- REIT/real estate exposure via CBRE background; governance roles spanning audit, compensation, and nominating committees across public and private boards .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Ownership Guidelines | Compliance Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debra L. Morris | 11,138 | <1% | 5x annual cash retainer; deadline 12/31/2026 or 5 years from initial appointment | Company states all non-employee directors satisfied the guidelines or have time remaining as of 4/14/2025 |
- Hedging/pledging: Company prohibits hedging and pledging of Company stock by officers and directors .
- Insider trading policy: Adopted and filed; designed to promote compliance with laws and listing standards .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths: Independent director with audit committee financial expert designation; 100% committee attendance in 2024; broad CFO track record; active committee service across Audit, Compensation, and NCG; strong ownership alignment through annual restricted stock and 5x retainer ownership guideline; company prohibits hedging/pledging; independent Board leadership with executive sessions at each meeting .
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Pay alignment: Director pay mix emphasizes equity (~$150k RS vs ~$140k cash in 2024), reinforcing alignment without performance-based metrics; vesting tied to continued service and next annual meeting/first anniversary .
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Conflicts/related-party risk: No disclosed related-party transactions involving Ms. Morris; Compensation Committee explicitly notes no interlocks/insider participation; Audit Committee oversees related-party transaction review under formal policy .
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Potential watch items: Multi-board commitments (BTMD, PGNY) require monitoring for time/attention, though 2024 committee attendance at REXR was perfect; healthcare/benefits boards are outside REXR’s industrial REIT domain, reducing direct competitive conflict risk based on disclosures .
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RED FLAGS: None disclosed—no pledging/hedging, no related-party transactions for Morris, no committee interlocks, and 100% attendance in 2024 .