MaryAnn Wright
About MaryAnn Wright
Independent Class II director at Solid Power (SLDP) since 2022; age 63. Former senior automotive and energy storage executive with Johnson Controls and Ford, bringing expertise in vehicle systems, advanced powertrain, and energy storage technologies. Education: B.A. in Economics & International Business and M.S. in Engineering (University of Michigan); M.B.A. in Finance (Wayne State University) . Board tenure at SLDP ~3 years as of April 10, 2025; identified on SLDP’s skills matrix across automotive, battery/energy tech, manufacturing, M&A/strategy, risk/regulatory, sustainability, international operations, and HR domains .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Controls International | Group VP, Engineering & Product Development | 2013–2018 | Led engineering/product development for large automotive supplier . |
| Johnson Controls – Saft | CEO; VP & GM – Hybrid Systems (JCI) | 2007–2013 | Ran JV and hybrid systems business; energy storage systems leadership . |
| Collins & Aikman | EVP, Engineering, Product Dev., Commercial & Program Mgmt (Office of the Chair) | 2006–2007 | Executive turnaround/operations role . |
| Ford Motor Company | Director, Sustainable Mobility Technologies & Hybrid/Fuel Cell Vehicle Programs | 1988–2005 | Led advanced vehicle/powertrain programs . |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 Automotive, Inc. | Director | Current public company board . |
| Micron Technology, Inc. | Director | Current public company board . |
| Brunswick Corporation | Director | Current public company board . |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined all directors except Rainer Feurer (BMW nominee) and CEO John Van Scoter are independent; Wright is independent .
- Committee assignments (2024): Member, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee (4 meetings in 2024); Member, Human Resources & Compensation (HRC) Committee (4 meetings in 2024). No chair roles .
- Attendance: Board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings .
- Annual meeting participation: All directors attended the 2024 annual meeting; expected attendance in 2025 as well .
- Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging by directors and officers (alignment positive) .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Covered directors expected to hold ≥5× annual cash retainer; directors in compliance or on track as of 12/31/2024 .
- Governance processes: Annual board/committee self-evaluations; governance committee oversees director selection, independence, ESG oversight, conflicts; HRC administers clawback policy; audit committee oversight of financial reporting and cybersecurity .
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component | Policy Amount (USD) | 2024 Earned – Wright (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board cash retainer | 50,000 | – |
| Committee member fees – Governance | 7,500 | – |
| Committee member fees – HRC | 7,500 | – |
| Committee chair adders (for reference) | Audit 20,000; Gov 15,000; HRC 15,000 | – |
| Chair/Lead Independent (for reference) | +40,000 | – |
| Total 2024 fees earned – Wright | – | 65,000 |
Notes: Wright’s $65k reflects $50k retainer + two committee memberships ($7.5k each) .
Performance Compensation (Director equity)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant value (policy) | $145,000 grant-date value; vests by the earlier of 1 year or the day before the next annual meeting; accelerates on change in control . |
| Initial RSU grant (new director policy) | $250,000 grant-date value; vests in 12 equal quarterly installments over 3 years . |
| 2024 Stock awards – Wright | $139,197 grant-date fair value (Annual Award granted May 22, 2024) . |
| Options | None for Wright (no director options shown) . |
| Clawback/Recovery | HRC committee administers incentive compensation recovery policy . |
| Performance metrics | Director equity is time-based; no performance metrics disclosed for director awards . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | Group 1 Automotive; Micron Technology; Brunswick Corporation . |
| Potential interlocks with SLDP ecosystem | None identified in proxy; SLDP related-party transactions involve BMW and Ford (major holders/partners). Wright’s prior employment at Ford (ended 2005) is historical, not a current related person transaction . |
| Compensation committee interlocks | None reported for 2024 . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Identified skills: Automotive industry; battery and energy technology development; manufacturing/operations; M&A/strategic planning; risk/legal/regulatory; sustainability/corporate responsibility; international operations; human resources; other public company board experience; audit/financial. IT/cybersecurity is not marked for Wright in the matrix .
- Board tenure: ~3 years as of April 10, 2025 .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned (including RSU treatment per SEC rules) | 168,789; less than 1% of shares outstanding . |
| Breakdown | 59,197 shares held directly; 24,958 RSUs vested but not settled; 84,634 RSUs scheduled to vest within 60 days of 3/24/2025 . |
| Shares outstanding (for context) | 182,258,205 as of 3/24/2025 . |
| Director RSUs outstanding at 12/31/2024 | 81,886 vested / 86,903 unvested . |
| Ownership guidelines | Directors: ≥5× annual cash retainer; all covered directors in compliance or on track as of 12/31/2024 . |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited by Insider Trading Policy . |
| Section 16(a) compliance | No late filings noted for Wright in 2024; one late Form 4 cited for another director (Erik Anderson) . |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths and positive signals:
- Independent director with deep domain expertise in automotive, energy storage, and manufacturing; broad public board experience supports oversight of SLDP’s commercialization and partner programs .
- Active governance roles on Governance and HRC committees (conflict oversight, board composition, compensation/clawback, succession planning). Committees met 4x each in 2024; all directors achieved ≥75% attendance .
- Strong alignment policies: no hedging/pledging; director ownership guideline (≥5× retainer) with compliance/on-track status; director equity is time-based RSUs aligning to shareholder value with change-in-control acceleration .
- No compensation committee interlocks or related-person transactions involving Wright disclosed .
-
Watch items:
- Multiple concurrent public boards (three) may increase time commitments; however, no attendance shortfalls reported and SLDP notes ≥75% attendance for all directors in 2024 .
- Historical Ford employment vs. Ford’s current >5% ownership and JDA with SLDP; not a related-person transaction for Wright but warrants continued governance vigilance; audit committee oversees related-party transactions per policy .
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Related-party context (company-level):
- BMW and Ford are significant holders and JDA partners; amendments in 2024 extended terms and milestone frameworks, with audit committee approval per policy . No indication Wright was conflicted or involved in approvals.
Overall, Wright appears to contribute materially to board effectiveness through governance and compensation oversight, with independence, solid attendance, and ownership alignment policies reinforcing investor confidence .