Tony Coelho
SERVICE CORP INTERNATIONALAbout Tony Coelho
Anthony L. “Tony” Coelho (age 82) has served as an independent director of Service Corporation International since 1991. He is the former Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives and a former President/CEO who grew Wertheim Schroder Financial Services from $800 million to $4.5 billion over six years. He holds a degree from Loyola University Los Angeles and previously served as SCI’s first Lead Independent Director from 2016–2023. His disclosed skills include financial/investing expertise, senior leadership, governance, and government/regulatory insight .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. House of Representatives | Member; Majority Whip (1987–1989) | 1978–1989 | Original sponsor/author of the Americans with Disabilities Act; extensive government/regulatory experience . |
| Wertheim Schroder Financial Services | President/CEO | 1990–1995 | Grew firm from $800M to $4.5B AUM over six years; financial/investing leadership . |
| President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities | Chairman | 1994–2001 | Policy leadership on disability employment . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. | Board Chairman | Current | Current public company board chair . |
| EVO Transportation & Energy Services, Inc. | Director | Current | Current public company directorship . |
| Cyberonics | Chairman (former) | Prior | Past public company chair . |
| Circus Circus Enterprises (now MGM Mirage) | Chairman (former) | Prior | Past public company chair . |
| ICF Kaiser International, Inc. | Chairman (former) | Prior | Past public company chair . |
| AudioEye, Inc.; Warren Resources, Inc. | Director (former) | Prior | Past public company boards . |
Board Governance
- Independence, tenure, leadership: Coelho is designated Independent; Director since 1991; served as SCI’s first Lead Independent Director (2016–2023) before Marcus A. Watts assumed the role in 2023 .
- Committee assignments (2024): Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; Member, Executive Committee .
- Attendance and engagement: SCI reported 97% combined Board and committee meeting attendance in 2024 (6 Board meetings; 20 committee meetings). Audit Committee attendance 94%; Compensation Committee 100%; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee 100%; the Executive Committee did not meet in 2024 .
- Board independence and structure: 9 of 10 directors independent; Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance committees are fully independent .
- Governance refresh and limits: SCI updated its Corporate Governance Guidelines and Audit Committee Charter in 2024 to limit director service on public company boards and audit committees .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Item (2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash retainer (pro-rated increase to $100k effective Nov 15, 2024; total for year) | $92,500 |
| Equity retainer (annual stock grant target $180k; increased to $190k effective Nov 15, 2024) | $180,052 stock award value |
| Total (reported) | $272,552 |
| Chair/Lead fees (only if applicable) | Not applicable to Coelho in 2024 (chairs: Audit—Tucker; Comp—Ochoa; NCGC—Watts; Investment—Haussler; Lead Independent—Watts) . |
Notes: Director compensation structure comprises cash retainers and annual stock grants; target equity value increased to $190k effective Nov 15, 2024. Lead/Audit/Committee chair retainers disclosed but Coelho did not hold chair roles in 2024 .
Performance Compensation (Committee Oversight Signals)
Directors do not receive performance-based pay; however, as a Compensation Committee member, Coelho helps oversee SCI’s executive incentive design.
2024 annual incentive metrics, targets, results, payout:
| Metric | Threshold | Target | Max | Actual | Payout % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normalized EPS | $3.45 | $3.65 | $3.85 | $3.48 | 15% |
| Normalized FCF/Share | $3.91 | $4.11 | $4.31 | $4.40 | 200% |
| Comparable Preneed Production | 100.0% | 102.5% | 105.0% | 98.8% | 0% |
| Total payout (weighted 1/3 each; Google star rating modifier not applied as threshold exceeded at 4.65) | 72% of target . |
Long-term incentives: 2022–2024 performance units paid at 125% based on SCI’s 3-year TSR relative to S&P MidCap 400; ROE modifier not applied (SCI 32.3% vs index 13.3%) .
Compensation governance practices: No tax gross-ups; anti-hedging/anti-pledging; clawback policy adopted in 2023; independent consultant (Meridian); 2024 say‑on‑pay support 83.2% .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee/Notes | Potential Interlock/Conflict Noted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. | Board Chairman | Banking/financial services | None disclosed with SCI . |
| EVO Transportation & Energy Services, Inc. | Director | Transportation/logistics | None disclosed with SCI . |
| Prior boards (Cyberonics; Circus Circus/MGM Mirage; ICF Kaiser; AudioEye; Warren Resources) | Former Chair/Director | Governance experience | None disclosed with SCI . |
SCI’s 2024 related-party disclosures do not list transactions involving Coelho; disclosed related-party items involved other directors/executives (Buckwalter family; Waring family lease) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial/investing expertise and senior leadership (former financial services CEO) .
- Government/regulatory competence (U.S. House Majority Whip; extensive public policy background) .
- Corporate governance knowledge from service on multiple public company boards; prior SCI Lead Independent Director .
Equity Ownership
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (as of Mar 11, 2025) | 59,024 SCI shares (less than 1% of class) . |
| Director ownership guideline | Minimum $500,000 within five years; 2025 minimum shares 6,265 at $79.82; 100% of directors exceeded guideline as of Mar 11, 2025 . |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors . |
Insider trades (Form 4) – 2024–2025 selected transactions:
Notes: Trades reflect periodic open-market sales offset by annual director stock awards. Post-transaction balances are taken from the filed Forms 4 and reflect reported “securitiesOwned” after each transaction.
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Long-tenured independent director with prior Lead Independent Director experience; strong finance/government credentials add diversity of perspective .
- Active on key governance committees (Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance); committees fully independent; Comp Committee 100% attendance; NCGC 100% attendance in 2024 .
- Director compensation is standard (cash + equity), aligned with market; robust ownership guideline met; anti-hedging/anti-pledging; clawback policy in place; solid say‑on‑pay support (83.2%) .
- No related‑party transactions disclosed for Coelho .
- Watch items
- Multi-board service: SCI added limits on outside public boards/audit committees in 2024; monitor compliance given Coelho’s external chair and directorships .
- Insider selling: Regular open‑market sales in 2024–2025; while still exceeding ownership guidelines, continued disposals merit monitoring for signaling, especially around grant/meeting windows. Trades disclosed via Forms 4 above.
Overall, Coelho’s profile supports board effectiveness (oversight experience, prior lead independent role, compensation oversight) with no disclosed conflicts. Committee independence, attendance, and robust compensation governance practices bolster investor confidence .