Emily Lu
About Emily Lu
Emily Lu is an independent, non-employee director of SCI Engineered Materials, Inc., serving on the Board since 2014. She is 75 years old, with a B.A. from the School of Law at National Taiwan University (with Honors) and an MBA in finance from Florida Atlantic University; she speaks English and Mandarin . Her background includes senior strategy and international business development roles, notably Chief Strategy Officer at Solar Power Industries (2007–2012), and Managing Partner at Gateway Resources Partners (founded 2013) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Power Industries | Chief Strategy Officer | 2007–2012 | Led strategy for vertically integrated PV components; domestic/international markets |
| Diamond Shamrock Taiwan | Executive role | Not disclosed | Subsidiary of Diamond Shamrock USA (precedent of Occidental) |
| Swire & MaClaine Taiwan | Executive role | Not disclosed | Part of Swire Group UK; Asia-Pacific trading house |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Resources Partners (Florida) | Managing Partner | Founded 2013; current | Oil & gas field services business development |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Member, Stock Option and Compensation Committee (Chair: Dr. Ungar; members Lu and Shunk). The committee met twice in 2024 and twice in 2023 executive session during board meetings; Dr. Ungar will not seek reelection in 2025, implying upcoming chair transition .
- Audit Committee (for context): members Gilliam (Chair), Ungar, Wickersham; independent under Nasdaq Rule 4350(d) and Rule 10A-3 .
- Board leadership: Chairperson of the Board is Laura F. Shunk; no Lead Independent Director .
- Board meetings: 6 meetings in each of 2022, 2023, 2024; Lu attended all in 2022 and 2024, and 5 of 6 in 2023 .
| Attendance | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board meetings held | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Emily Lu attendance | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $20,000 | $30,000 | $36,000 |
| Committee chair fees | $0 (not a chair) | $0 | $0 |
| Meeting fees | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
- All non-employee directors are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses .
Performance Compensation
| Component | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock awards (value) | $5,994 | $0 | $0 |
| Option awards | $0 | $0 | $0 |
- No performance-based metrics (e.g., TSR, revenue/EBITDA targets) are disclosed for director compensation; recent years show a shift to all-cash director pay (no equity grants in 2023–2024) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committees |
|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed | — | — |
- Related-party context on the board (not specifically Lu): CEO Jeremiah Young’s father-in-law is Director John P. Gilliam; Chair Laura F. Shunk’s law firm represents the company on IP matters .
Expertise & Qualifications
- International markets, new product/business development; senior strategy experience in photovoltaics .
- Legal and finance education; bilingual (English/Mandarin) .
- Compensation committee member, contributing to pay structure oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | 143,519 | 143,519 | 143,519 |
| Ownership (% of class) | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Options exercisable/unexercisable | Not disclosed for Lu | Not disclosed for Lu | Not disclosed for Lu |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Tenure since 2014 with strategy and international commercialization expertise enhances oversight of growth initiatives .
- Consistent ownership of ~143.5K shares (~3.1–3.2% of shares), signaling alignment with shareholders .
- Compensation Committee participation provides direct influence on pay-for-performance design .
- Attendance improved to perfect in 2024 after one absence in 2023, reflecting engagement .
-
Watch items and potential red flags (board-level context):
- Compensation Committee chair (Dr. Ungar) not seeking reelection in 2025, creating leadership transition risk for pay oversight; committee reconstitution will be important to monitor .
- No Lead Independent Director; governance best practices often prefer a lead independent role when the Chair is not designated as independent .
- Related-party proximity on board: familial tie between CEO and Director Gilliam; Chair’s law firm provides services to the company—these can raise perceived independence concerns even if permitted and disclosed .
- Director pay mix shifted from cash+stock (2022) to all cash (2023–2024), modestly reducing ongoing equity-based alignment for directors; Lu’s substantial pre-existing share ownership mitigates this .
-
Say-on-Pay and shareholder sentiment (context for comp oversight): Prior say-on-pay approval was ~98% in 2022; the company will re-evaluate after the 2025 vote .
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Independence: Lu is a non-employee director; while audit committee independence is explicitly affirmed for its members, the proxy does not separately state independence determinations for compensation committee members; no related-party transactions were disclosed for Lu .