Betty Jo Rocchio
About Betty Jo Rocchio
Betty Jo Rocchio, age 57, was appointed to TELA’s Board on October 9, 2025 as a Class I independent director with a term expiring at the 2026 Annual Meeting. She is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Nurse at Advocate Health (since November 2024), and previously served as SVP/Chief Nurse Executive at Mercy, with earlier system leadership roles in perioperative performance and nursing optimization; she holds a DNP (Ohio State), MS Health Sciences (LaRoche), Certificate of Anesthesia (St. Francis), BSN and Associate in Business Management (Franciscan University). The Board determined she is independent; no related-party transactions or family relationships were disclosed.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health | Executive Vice President, Chief Executive Nurse (CEO’s cabinet; overseeing enterprise nursing) | Nov 2024 – present | Enterprise oversight of 165,000 FTEs incl. 42,000 RNs; strategic nursing leadership |
| Mercy Health System | Senior Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive | Oct 2020 – Nov 2024 | System-wide nursing leadership |
| Mercy Health System | System Vice President, Chief Nursing Optimization Officer | Apr 2018 – Oct 2020 | Optimization initiatives across nursing functions |
| Mercy Health System | System Vice President, Perioperative Performance Acceleration | Jul 2013 – Mar 2018 | Perioperative performance transformation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocate Health (nonprofit integrated health system) | EVP, Chief Executive Nurse | Nov 2024 – present | Non-public; no related-party transactions with TELA disclosed |
Board Governance
- Class I director term expires at 2026 Annual Meeting; appointed Oct 9, 2025; Board determined independence under Nasdaq rules; no related-party transactions or family relationships disclosed.
- Committee assignments not specified in appointment filing; Board committees (Audit, Compensation, Nominating & Corporate Governance) are fully independent; independent directors meet in executive sessions.
- 2024 meeting attendance benchmark: each then-serving director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; Rocchio was not on the Board in 2024.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $45,000 | Non-employee directors; paid quarterly in arrears |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit: $20,000; Compensation: $15,000; Nominating & Corporate Governance: $10,000 | Policy-level amounts; Rocchio’s specific committee roles not disclosed |
| Committee member retainers | Audit: $10,000; Compensation: $7,500; Nominating & Corporate Governance: $5,000 | Policy-level amounts |
| Non-Executive Chair retainer | $35,000 | Policy-level amount; Chair currently Doug Evans |
Performance Compensation
| Grant/Plan | Shares/Structure | Vesting | Change-in-Control Terms | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Equity Award (Options) | 17,550 options | 36 equal monthly installments | Vests in full upon change in control per policy; subject to service | Granted Oct 9, 2025 |
| Initial Equity Award (RSUs) | 11,925 RSUs | 3 equal annual installments | Vests in full upon change in control per policy; subject to service | Granted Oct 9, 2025 |
| Annual Equity Award (from 2026) | 11,700 options; 7,950 RSUs | Earlier of 1-year anniversary, subsequent annual meeting, or change in control; subject to service | Accelerated upon change in control | Commences at 2026 Annual Meeting |
Notes:
- Director equity awards for non-employee directors were increased (starting Jan 1, 2025) to align with market benchmarks. Initial equity increased to 17,550 options and 11,925 RSUs; annual equity increased to 11,700 options and 7,950 RSUs.
- Option strike prices and grant-date fair values for Rocchio’s grants were not disclosed in the 8-K.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Type | Role | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | 8-K states independence and no related-party transactions; no public company boards disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Senior provider-operations expertise across perioperative transformation, nursing optimization, and enterprise nursing leadership; aligns with TELA’s customer base of hospital systems and surgeons.
- Advanced clinical and leadership education: DNP (Ohio State), MS Health Sciences (LaRoche), Certificate of Anesthesia (St. Francis), BSN and Associate in Business Management (Franciscan University).
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (as of Apr 1, 2025) | Not applicable; Rocchio appointed after record date; not listed in 2025 security ownership table |
| Outstanding awards | Initial option (17,550) and RSU (11,925) grants disclosed; vesting per policy |
| Hedging/Pledging | Directors prohibited from hedging and pledging company securities under Insider Trading Policy |
| Ownership guidelines | Corporate Governance Guidelines address director compensation and governance; specific numeric director ownership guidelines not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and clean related-party profile: Board explicitly determined independence; no Item 404 related-party transactions or family relationships – positive for investor confidence.
- Alignment via equity-heavy director pay: Increased initial and annual equity awards starting 2025 strengthen skin-in-the-game, with standard time-based vesting and change-in-control acceleration consistent with small-cap medtech practice.
- Board effectiveness: Addition of a senior health system nursing executive broadens provider-operations perspective; complements existing Board’s audit/compensation leadership and fully independent committees.
- Red flags: None observed specific to Rocchio; hedging/pledging prohibited company-wide; clawback policy applies to executive officers (not directors) and is compliant with SEC/Nasdaq.
Compensation structure context:
- Director compensation policy benchmarked by external consultants (Radford/Aon) and adjusted in 2024–2025 to market levels; cash retainers remained modest while equity components increased, indicating emphasis on long-term alignment over guaranteed cash.