Erick Lucera
About Erick Lucera
Erick Lucera (age 57) is an independent Class I director at SAB Biotherapeutics (SABS), serving since 2023, and currently chairs the Audit Committee while also serving on the Compensation Committee . He is a seasoned biotech finance executive, now CFO of Dyne Therapeutics (since March 2025), with prior CFO roles at Editas Medicine, AVEO Oncology, VALERITAS, and others; SAB’s board has designated him an “audit committee financial expert” and confirmed his independence under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyne Therapeutics | Chief Financial Officer | Mar 2025–present | Public biotech CFO leadership |
| Editas Medicine | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | May 2023–Mar 2025 | Led finance at clinical-stage gene editing company |
| AVEO Oncology | Chief Financial Officer | 2020–Feb 2023 | CFO through acquisition and LG Chem integration |
| VALERITAS | CFO, Treasurer & Secretary | 2016–2020 | Led multiple public offerings |
| VIVENTIA Bio | CFO, Treasurer & Secretary | 2015–2016 | CFO of oncology biotech (acquired by Sesen Bio) |
| Investment management (healthcare/life sciences) | Investor/Analyst | 15+ years early career | Capital markets experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Capacity | Tenure | Committee Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Air (public) | Director | 2017–present | Audit Committee Chairman |
| Bone Biologics (public) | Director | 2021–present | Audit Committee Chairman |
Board Governance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board determined Lucera is independent under Nasdaq listing rules |
| Board class/tenure | Class I; director since 2023 |
| Committee assignments | Audit Committee (Chair); Compensation Committee (Member) |
| Audit financial expert | Board determined Lucera qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” |
| Committee activity (2024) | Audit: 4 meetings; Compensation: 10; Nominating: 5 |
| Board meetings/attendance | Board held 7 meetings in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of applicable board and committee meetings |
| Executive sessions | Independent directors met 7 times in 2024 |
| Audit Committee report | Signed by Lucera (Chair), with Polvino and Spragens |
| Hedging policy | Hedging prohibited for directors, officers and employees under Insider Trading Policy |
| Related-party oversight | Audit Committee pre-approves auditor services and reviews related-party transactions per policy |
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Item | Amount/Structure |
|---|---|
| 2024 cash fees (actual) | $35,500 for Lucera |
| Fee schedule (policy) | Board retainer: $30,000; Audit Chair: $8,000; Compensation Chair: $7,000; Nominating Chair: $6,000; Audit member: $6,000; Compensation member: $5,000; Nominating member: $4,000 |
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Grant Type | Standard Terms |
|---|---|
| Inaugural equity grant | Stock option for 35,000 shares; vests in 3 equal annual installments starting first anniversary of grant |
| Annual equity grant | Stock option for 20,000 shares; vests in 2 equal annual installments starting first anniversary |
| 2024 equity (actual) | Option award grant-date fair value $45,822 (ASC 718) for Lucera |
No director performance metrics are tied to director equity awards; they are time-based options per the policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public boards: Beyond Air (Audit Chair) and Bone Biologics (Audit Chair) .
- No related-party transactions involving Lucera were disclosed; the company’s Related Party Transaction Policy requires Audit Committee review and approval for any such items .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial reporting/audit: Designated “audit committee financial expert”; financially literate .
- Capital markets/CFO breadth: CFO roles at Dyne, Editas, AVEO, VALERITAS; 15+ years in healthcare investment management .
- Governance experience: Audit chair roles on two outside public company boards .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Mar 21, 2025 | As of Aug 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares owned | 0 (not disclosed; table shows only options for Lucera) | 0 (not disclosed; table shows only options for Lucera) |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 1,736 | 12,013 |
| Total beneficial ownership (as defined) | 1,736 | 12,013 |
| Ownership % of voting power | <1% (indicated by “*”) | <1% (indicated by “*”) |
Section 16 compliance: Company reported timely compliance for 2024 across officers/directors except one late Form 4 for another officer; no exceptions noted for Lucera .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths for investor confidence:
- Independent director with deep CFO and capital markets experience; designated audit committee financial expert; chairs Audit Committee .
- Solid board process indicators: ≥75% attendance in 2024, regular independent executive sessions, active committees, and robust insider trading (anti-hedging) and related-party oversight policies .
- Multi-company audit chair roles enhance accounting and controls oversight, and he signs SAB’s Audit Committee report, evidencing engagement .
- Watch items / potential risks:
- Time demands: Concurrent CFO role at Dyne Therapeutics and audit chair roles at multiple public companies may elevate workload; continued strong attendance and committee engagement will be key to monitor .
- Director equity is option-heavy (time-based), aligning with long-term value creation but without explicit performance conditions; however, SAB uses a structured grant cadence and prohibits hedging .
Director Compensation (Detail)
| Year | Cash Fees ($) | Option Awards FV ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 35,500 | 45,822 | — | 81,322 |
Committee Snapshot (2024 activity)
| Committee | Role | Members | Meetings (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Chair | Erick Lucera (Chair), William Polvino, Jeffrey Spragens | 4 |
| Compensation | Member | Christine Hamilton (Chair), Erick Lucera, Katie Ellias | 10 |
| Nominating & Governance | Not a member | David Link (Chair), Scott Giberson, Andrew Moin, Jay Skyler | 5 |
Board held 7 meetings in 2024; each director attended ≥75% of board and applicable committee meetings; independent directors held 7 executive sessions .
Policies and Safeguards Relevant to Directors
- Insider Trading Policy (no hedging for directors/officers/employees) .
- Audit Committee charter includes auditor oversight, pre-approval, and related-party transaction review .
- Compensation Committee may retain independent advisors and evaluates adviser independence .
RED FLAGS
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Lucera .
- No pledging of shares disclosed; hedging prohibited by policy .
- No attendance shortfalls reported for Lucera; board-wide ≥75% attendance .
- No Section 16 reporting issues disclosed for Lucera .