Christopher Melton
About Christopher Melton
Christopher Melton, age 53, is an independent Class I director of Safe and Green Development Corporation (SGD), appointed April 11, 2023, with a term expiring at the 2028 annual meeting; he serves as Audit Committee Chair and sits on the Nominating & Governance Committee . He holds a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from UC Berkeley (1995), completed UCLA Anderson’s Director Education Program (2014), earned an MIT certificate in cybersecurity for managers (2021), and a Cornell certificate in AI strategy (2023) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVN International Corp. | Specialist Land Advisor | Since Jun 2019 | Licensed real estate salesperson in SC and GA |
| Callegro Investments, LLC | Principal; Co-founder | 2012–Jun 2019 | Specialist land investor; principal through Jun 2019 |
| TNT Capital Advisors | Chief Investment Officer & Analyst | Feb 2018–Jun 2019 | Capital advisory; Florida-based |
| MSK Commercial Services | Sales Agent | Feb 2018–Jun 2019 | Commercial real estate |
| Kingdon Capital Management | Portfolio Manager | 2000–2008 | Ran ~$800M in media/telecom/Japan; opened Japan office |
| JPMorgan Investment Management | Vice President; Equity Research Analyst | 1997–2000 | Helped manage ~$500M in REIT funds |
| RREEF Funds (DB AM division) | Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst | 1995–1997 | Real estate investment management |
External Roles
| Company | Ticker | Role | Start Date | Committees / Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFB Construction Holdings | JFB | Director | Mar 2025 | External public board; finance/markets expertise |
| Safety Shot Holdings, Inc. (formerly Jupiter Wellness) | SHOT | Director | Aug 2019 | Board and audit committee member per issuer disclosure |
| SRM Entertainment, Inc. | SRM | Director | Jun 2023 | Board and audit committee member per issuer disclosure |
| Safe & Green Holdings Corp. | SGBX | Director | Since Nov 4, 2011 | Board and audit committee member per issuer disclosure |
Board Governance
- Board structure: SGD’s board is staggered in three classes; Melton is a Class I director with term to 2028 .
- Independence: Board determined Melton to be independent under Nasdaq rules; all current members of Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance committees are independent; Audit and Compensation committees meet heightened SEC/Rule 16b-3 standards .
- Committees:
- Audit Committee: Melton (Chair), John Scott Magrane, Jr., Peter DeMaria .
- Nominating & Governance Committee: Current members include Bjarne Borg, Peter DeMaria, Christopher Melton, and Jeffrey Tweedy (Chair) .
- Board/committee activity and attendance: In FY 2024, Board met 8 times; Audit 5; Compensation 5; Nominating & Governance 1. Each incumbent director other than Mr. Blumenfeld and Mr. Tweedy attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings—Melton met the ≥75% threshold .
- Anti-hedging/pledging: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging, short sales, public options trades, and pledging/margin accounts in Company securities .
Fixed Compensation
| Item (FY 2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash Fees (retainer) | $80,000 |
| Stock Awards (grant date fair value) | $64,535 |
| Total | $114,535 |
Non-employee director compensation program (quarterly selection, FY 2024):
| Option | Cash | RSUs | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $20,000 | 20,000 RSUs | RSUs vest after 3 months of continued service |
| B | $10,000 | 30,000 RSUs | RSUs vest after 3 months of continued service |
| C | $0 | 40,000 RSUs | RSUs vest after 3 months of continued service |
Notes:
- Directors could elect each quarter among Options A–C; fair values for stock awards use closing price at grant date (ASC 718). As of Dec 31, 2024, none of the directors had outstanding unvested options or RSUs .
- 2023 Equity Plan caps non-employee director awards at 50,000 shares per calendar year (adjusted for reverse split); evergreen increases occurred Jan 1, 2024 and Jan 1, 2025 .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Performance-based director awards | None disclosed; 2024 RSUs are time-based and vest after 3 months of service |
| Clawback policy | Compensation Committee oversees creation/revision and application of any clawback policy; specific triggers not disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Industry | Potential Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Safe & Green Holdings Corp. (SGBX) | Modular structures | SGD and SGBX executed intercompany settlement Jan 30, 2025; independence review found no transactions/relationships that would render independent directors not independent; monitor related-party exposure if dual roles persist |
| Safety Shot (SHOT); SRM Entertainment (SRM); JFB Construction (JFB) | Beverage/consumer; toys/souvenirs; construction | Multiple concurrent public boards may raise time-commitment considerations; audit committee roles suggest high governance workload |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial literacy and expertise; selected for real estate and finance experience .
- Audit Committee leadership (Chair), providing oversight of reporting and auditor independence .
- Education: BA UC Berkeley (1995); UCLA Anderson Director Education Program (2014); MIT cybersecurity certificate (2021); Cornell AI strategy certificate (2023) .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | Ownership % | Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record Date (Q2 2025 Proxy) | 5,625 | <1% | 3,264,625 |
| Nov 18, 2025 (Q3 2025 Proxy) | 5,625 | <1% | 8,882,672 |
Policy and compliance:
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy in place; prohibits margin/pledge and derivative hedges .
- Section 16 compliance: No late Form 4 filings disclosed for Melton in FY 2024; late filings noted for other parties (SGBX entity; Villarreal; Brune) .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent director and Audit Committee Chair; Audit Committee met PCAOB/SEC standards and recommended inclusion of audited financials in 2024 Form 10-K .
- Attendance at or above the company’s ≥75% expectation in 2024 meetings; active committee participation .
- Anti-hedging/pledging policy enhances alignment and reduces risk of misaligned incentives .
- Director compensation includes equity grants (ASC 718 fair value), supporting ownership alignment .
-
Risks and RED FLAGS (to monitor):
- Low direct ownership: 5,625 shares (<1%); alignment may rely on RSU cadence rather than meaningful stake .
- Multiple public-company directorships and audit committee roles (SHOT, SRM, SGBX, JFB) increase time demands; potential governance bandwidth risks .
- Related-party exposure: SGD and SGBX intercompany settlement; while Board’s independence review found no disqualifying relationships, dual-board service (if ongoing) warrants continued monitoring .
-
Committee effectiveness:
- Audit Committee chaired by Melton and functioning per PCAOB/SEC requirements, indicating robust oversight .
- Nominating & Governance Committee responsibilities include ESG oversight, governance guidelines, and annual Board evaluations; Melton’s membership supports governance processes .