Bobbie Byrne
About Dr. Bobbie Byrne
Dr. Bobbie Byrne, age 57, has served as an independent director of Spok Holdings, Inc. since 2020. She is EVP and Chief Information Officer at Advocate Health (CIO since 2017), with prior leadership roles as Chief Medical Officer (2017) and CIO (2009–2017) at Edward‑Elmhurst Health. She is board‑certified in Pediatrics and Clinical Informatics, holds an M.D. and B.A. from Northwestern University, and an M.B.A. from Kellogg. Her tenure on Spok’s board is approximately five years, and she is currently a member of the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance Committees .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health | EVP & CIO | 2017–present | Oversees IT applications, information security, infrastructure, clinical informatics, data warehousing and BI across the system . |
| Edward‑Elmhurst Health | Chief Medical Officer | 2017 | Responsible for quality and safety, clinical research, IT, and patient experience . |
| Edward‑Elmhurst Health | CIO | 2009–2017 | Oversaw Epic and Lawson implementations . |
| Certification Commission for Healthcare IT | Clinical Director | 2009 | Clinical leadership and certification activities . |
| Eclipsys, Inc. (now Allscripts) | SVP, Clinical Solutions | 2005–2009 | Clinical solutions leadership in healthcare IT . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health | EVP & CIO | 2017–present | Current operating role; deep health system IT oversight . |
| American Academy of Pediatrics | Physician Advisory Council for Informatics | Not disclosed | Active informatics work; board‑certified in Pediatrics and Clinical Informatics . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit (member), Compensation (member), Nominating & Governance (member). All board committees consist solely of independent directors; Audit Committee has a designated financial expert (Todd Stein) .
- Independence: The Board determined Dr. Byrne is independent; it specifically reviewed her relationship with Advocate Health in making independence determinations .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held five meetings in 2024; directors (including Dr. Byrne) attended 100% of Board and committee meetings during their service periods, and all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting. The Board holds executive sessions at every meeting .
- Chair structure: Independent Chair (Christine Cournoyer); separate Chair and CEO roles .
Fixed Compensation (Non‑Executive Director)
| Component | 2024 Amount ($) |
|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | 65,000 |
| Stock Award (Restricted Stock; grant date fair value) | 100,000 |
| Total | 165,000 |
- Director pay structure: Annual cash retainer ($45,000), plus committee membership fees (Audit $10,000; Compensation $6,000; Nominating & Governance $4,000). Restricted stock vests after one year or on change‑in‑control; directors do not receive meeting fees .
Performance Compensation
- No performance‑based compensation is disclosed for non‑executive directors; director equity is time‑based restricted stock (quarterly grants) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Other public company directorships: None disclosed for Dr. Byrne in the proxy biography .
- Compensation Committee interlocks: None. In 2024, no member of the Board or Compensation Committee, and none of Spok’s executive officers, served on the board or compensation committee of any entity with reciprocal executive overlaps .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Healthcare IT leadership: CIO experience overseeing complex health system IT, cybersecurity and data operations .
- Clinical credentials: M.D.; board‑certified in Pediatrics and Clinical Informatics; clinical practice experience at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and North Shore University Healthcare .
- Business qualifications: M.B.A. (Kellogg) and operating leadership across health systems and healthcare IT vendors; informatics governance contributions via AAP .
- Board competencies: Governance and risk oversight in healthcare communications as Spok transitions toward software; committees fully independent .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (shares) | 36,900 | As of April 3, 2025; <1% of shares outstanding . |
| DSUs outstanding | 5,637 | As of Dec 31, 2024 . |
| Restricted Stock outstanding | 6,530 | As of Dec 31, 2024 . |
| Stock Ownership Guidelines | $195,000–$201,000 required (Chair: $294,000) | Measured annually; all non‑executive directors met guidelines as of Dec 31, 2024 . |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited | Applies to directors and executive officers . |
Related‑Party Exposure (Potential Conflict)
| Counterparty | 2023 Revenue ($) | 2024 Revenue ($) | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health | 0.7 million | 1.4 million | Advocate Health is a current customer; Dr. Byrne is EVP & CIO there . |
- Oversight and independence: The Board reviewed Dr. Byrne’s relationship with Advocate Health as part of its independence determinations; Audit Committee oversees risks from related‑party transactions and compliance .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent director with deep domain expertise in healthcare IT and clinical informatics; active committee participation across Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance .
- Strong attendance and engagement (100% in 2024) and routine executive sessions enhance oversight quality .
- Alignment mechanisms: meaningful equity grants, stock ownership guidelines met, and prohibitions on hedging/pledging support shareholder alignment .
- Committee independence and formal charters; Audit Committee financial expert designated; robust cybersecurity oversight via Audit Committee .
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Watchpoints / Red Flags
- Related‑party proximity: Advocate Health customer revenue increased to $1.4 million in 2024 (from $0.7 million in 2023). While independence was affirmed, continued monitoring of transaction review processes and recusal practices is prudent to mitigate perceived conflicts .
- Director pay relies primarily on time‑based equity; absence of performance‑based director metrics is common but offers limited pay‑for‑performance linkage at the board level .
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Overall signal: Governance posture appears investor‑friendly (independent chair, fully independent committees, robust attendance, ownership alignment), with a specific related‑party nexus that is disclosed and overseen but warrants ongoing scrutiny given Byrne’s executive role at Advocate Health and the customer revenue trend .
Insider/Ownership Notes
- Latest filing reference: Dr. Byrne’s beneficial ownership disclosure references a Form 4 filed April 1, 2025; proxy beneficial ownership table reflects current shares and committee‑wide ownership statistics .