Patrice M. Le Melle

About Patrice M. Le Melle

Independent director (Class II) of Rithm Capital (RITM) since November 2021; age 66 as of the 2025 proxy. Associate General Counsel at Columbia University (since 2008); prior roles include Administrative Law Judge and Deputy Secretary of State/Counsel to the Secretary of State for New York, corporate associate at Richards O’Neil, and First Deputy General Counsel at Off-Track Betting Corporation. Education: J.D., Rutgers-Newark Law School (Rutgers Law Review editor); B.A., Yale University. The Board identifies her core credentials as government, corporate governance, and data & privacy expertise .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Committee memberships: Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member (not Chair); committee currently comprises Le Melle, Finnerty (Chair), and Kripalani as of Nov 1, 2024 . In 2023, members were Le Melle, Finnerty (Chair), and Sloves . Initial appointment in 2021 specified Nominating & Corporate Governance membership .
• Independence: Board affirmatively determined Le Melle is independent under NYSE Rule 303A; categorical standards disclosed (reviewed annually) .
• Attendance: In 2023, Board held 13 meetings; no director attended fewer than 75% of aggregate Board/committee meetings; all then-current directors attended the 2023 annual meeting . In 2024, Board held 10 meetings; no director under 75% attendance; all then-current directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
• Classification/tenure: Class II nominee/elected to serve until the 2027 annual meeting (re-elected in 2024) .

Fixed Compensation

Director pay structure: $275,000 annually, paid semi-annually: $150,000 in shares of common stock (grant based on FMV at issuance), and $125,000 in cash (or common stock at director’s election). Committee chair fees: Audit and Compensation $20,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance and Regulatory $10,000; chair fees paid half in shares after the annual meeting and half in December in cash (or shares at election) .

Notes:

• 2022 totals include Special Committee service fees paid in connection with internalization (Le Melle received $75,000; reflected in totals per footnotes) .
• Independent directors can elect to receive the $125,000 cash portion in stock; no meeting fees; affiliated directors not separately compensated .

Performance Compensation

No performance-linked components (e.g., PSUs/TSR metrics) disclosed for non-employee directors; equity is delivered as full-value common shares, not performance-conditioned awards .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

No other public company directorships disclosed for Le Melle in RITM’s director biography sections; primary external role is Columbia University Associate General Counsel .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Government and corporate governance; data & privacy; large-institution change management .
• Legal training and experience (Rutgers J.D., Yale B.A.) .

Equity Ownership

Director stock ownership guidelines: non-employee directors must accumulate and hold stock valued at four times the annual cash retainer; until achieved, retain at least 50% of net-after-tax shares from equity compensation .

Option details: One-time grant of fully-vested options relating to 1,000 shares (granted upon appointment), exercise price $10.85 (Form 4, Dec 15, 2021); options to be settled in cash equal to intrinsic value unless approved to settle in shares [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025515.json line 71] (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1556593/000120919121069758/0001209191-21-069758-index.htm).

Shares pledged/hedged: No pledging/hedging disclosures for directors were identified in proxies; no related-party transactions at appointment (Item 404(a)) .

Insider Trades (Form 4 — Director Awards and Holdings)

Source: Insider-trades skill (Form 4 data), with SEC links above.

Governance Assessment

• Alignment and independence: Clear independence determination; no related-party transactions at appointment; equity-heavy director pay (55% equity, 45% cash) and stock ownership guidelines (4× cash retainer) support alignment .
• Engagement: Strong attendance—no directors under 75% in 2023 or 2024; all directors attended annual meetings; Le Melle serves on Nominating & Corporate Governance across years (continuity suggests ongoing engagement in board composition and governance) .
• Potential red flags: None evident—no pledging noted; no performance-conditioned director equity (typical for REITs/financials); option grant was de minimis (1,000) and fully vested upon appointment, consistent with legacy policy prior to June 30, 2022 .

Additional Program Details (for benchmarking)

• Director compensation program shifted to $275,000 effective June 30, 2022; independent directors may elect stock in lieu of cash for portions of fees; committee chair retainers as noted above .
• Board meetings in 2024: 10; Audit (7), Compensation (6), Nominating & Corporate Governance (2), Regulatory (4) .
• Director election (2024): Le Melle nominated and elected to serve until 2027 annual meeting .

References:

• Director biography, education, roles, independence, committees:
• Compensation program and tables:
• Security ownership tables:
• Attendance and meeting counts:
• Appointment press release/exhibit: