Betsy Bugg Holloway, Ph.D.
About Betsy Bugg Holloway, Ph.D.
Independent director of ServisFirst Bancshares (SFBS) since 2023; age 55. She is Vice President for Samford University and, since July 2022, serves as Vice President for Advancement and Marketing, leading marketing, branding, and philanthropic initiatives. The Board deems her independent and cites extensive business experience, civic engagement in Alabama, and leadership/operational expertise as qualifications .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samford University | Vice President | Past ten years (through 2025) | Executive leadership in higher ed; cited for innovative leadership and operational expertise |
| Samford University | Vice President for Advancement & Marketing | Since July 2022 | Leads marketing, branding, and philanthropic initiatives |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama | Director; Executive Committee member; Chair, Nominating Committee | Current | Governance/nominating leadership |
| Founders Advisors | Board of Advisors member | Current | Advisory role |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director; 6 of 7 SFBS directors are independent .
- Board tenure: Director since 2023; also a director of ServisFirst Bank .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (member); Corporate Governance & Nominations (member). Not designated the “financial expert” (that role is noted for another director) .
- Attendance: Board met 8 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting via webcast .
- Committee activity: Audit Committee met 4 times in 2024; CG&N Committee met 2 times .
- Executive sessions and lead independent director in place; Board committees composed entirely of independent directors .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board retainer | $50,000 | 2024 non-employee director annual retainer |
| Audit Committee member fee | $8,000 | 2024 committee member fee |
| CG&N Committee member fee | $4,000 | 2024 committee member fee |
| Total Cash (2024) | $62,000 | Reflects retainer+committee fees; matches director comp table |
| Fees earned or paid in cash (2024) | $62,000 | Holloway’s 2024 cash compensation |
Performance Compensation (Director Equity)
| Year | Grant date | Instrument | Shares granted | Grant-date fair value | Vesting | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | May 20, 2024 | Time-based restricted stock | 921 | $59,976 | One-year vesting | 2024 director grant mechanics and value |
| 2025 | May 19, 2025 | Award (Form 4) | 784 | — (price $0 on Form 4) | Noted as award; director equity is time-based | Form 4: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1430723/000143072325000019/0001430723-25-000019-index.htm |
- Director equity is time-based (not performance-conditioned) with a one-year vest for 2024 grants; the company currently does not grant director stock options .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Public/Private | Role | Committee roles | Potential interlock/conflict notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama | Private | Director | Exec Committee; Chair Nominating | No related-party transactions disclosed beyond ordinary-course banking for directors/officers under company policy |
| Founders Advisors | Private | Board of Advisors | — | No related-party transactions disclosed beyond ordinary-course policy |
Related-party framework: Aggregate insider/affiliate indebtedness at SFBS Bank was ~$42.4 million (2.6% of equity) as of 12/31/2024; transactions must be on market terms and are reviewed under a Related Party Transactions Policy. No related-party loans were past due/nonaccrual/TDR in 2024 .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Leadership and operating experience: Senior university leadership with responsibility for advancement, marketing, branding, and philanthropy .
- Governance: Chair of the Nominating Committee and executive committee member at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama .
- Academic credential: Ph.D. (as titled) .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of 3/26/2025) | 5,089 shares; less than 1% of shares outstanding |
| Post-2025 award holdings (Form 4) | 5,873 shares after 784-share May 19, 2025 award; price $0 (director award) |
| Shares pledged | None disclosed for Holloway (pledges noted for certain other directors, not for Holloway) |
| Hedging/Pledging policy | Hedging prohibited; pledging prohibited unless approved by the Insider Trading Compliance Officer |
| Ownership guidelines | No formal stock ownership guidelines; Board states director and executive ownership levels (other than new hires) far exceed even rigorous guidelines |
Insider Trades (Form 4)
| Transaction date | Filing date | Type | Shares | Price | Post-transaction ownership | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2024 | May 21, 2024 | Award (A) | 921 | $0.00 | 5,089 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1430723/000143072324000006/0001430723-24-000006-index.htm |
| May 19, 2025 | May 21, 2025 | Award (A) | 784 | $0.00 | 5,873 | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1430723/000143072325000019/0001430723-25-000019-index.htm |
Governance Assessment
- Committee influence: Holloway sits on Audit and Corporate Governance & Nominations—two oversight-centric committees—supporting risk oversight, audit integrity, board refreshment, and nomination processes; not designated as the audit “financial expert,” which resides with another director .
- Independence/attendance: Classified as independent with at least 75% meeting attendance in 2024 alongside all directors; presence at 2024 annual meeting noted. These are positive board effectiveness signals .
- Alignment: Balanced director pay mix—$62k cash and $59,976 equity in 2024—drives modest at-risk, time-based ownership; insider policy bans hedging and restricts pledging, reinforcing alignment. Ownership stood at 5,089 shares as of the 2025 record date; additional 784 shares awarded in 2025 per Form 4 .
- Conflicts/related party: Company discloses no related-party transactions requiring Rule 404(a) disclosure beyond ordinary-course banking on market terms; no pledging disclosed for Holloway (some pledging disclosed for other directors), limiting conflict optics for her specifically .
- Shareholder sentiment context: Say-on-pay passed with ~97.3% approval in 2024, signaling broad investor support of SFBS compensation practices (executive context, but relevant to overall governance climate) .
RED FLAGS: None specific to Holloway identified in the proxy—no attendance shortfalls, no related-party transactions, no pledging disclosed for her. Company permits pledging with approval, which is a general governance caution, but no such approval disclosed for Holloway .