Irene Davis
About Irene Davis
Irene Davis, age 65, is a Class II director at Alpha Teknova, Inc. (TKNO), serving on the board since 2015; her current term expires at the 2026 annual meeting. She previously served as Teknova’s Chief Operating Officer from October 2018 until her retirement in March 2021, with prior roles at the company since 2008 including Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Operations and Sales, and Director of Production; before Teknova, she co-owned a general contracting business for 23 years. Ms. Davis is not independent under Nasdaq rules due to her prior employment with Teknova.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Teknova, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | Oct 2018 – Mar 2021 | Retired; prior operational leadership roles since 2008 |
| Alpha Teknova, Inc. | VP Operations; VP Operations & Sales; Director of Production | 2008 – 2018 | Built deep knowledge of Teknova operations |
| General contracting business | Co-owner | Approx. 23 years (pre-2008) | Entrepreneurial/operations background |
External Roles
No other public company directorships or external board roles are disclosed for Ms. Davis in the company’s proxy statements.
Board Governance
- Committee memberships: Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee member; committee chaired by independent director Alexander Vos. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held 4 meetings in FY2024.
- Independence: Not independent under Nasdaq rules due to prior employment with Teknova. The company is a “controlled company” under Nasdaq standards and avails itself of exemptions for Compensation and Nominating/Governance committee composition.
- Attendance: In FY2024, the board met 9 times and each director attended at least 75% of board and applicable committee meetings.
- Board classification/tenure: Class II director; term expires at the annual meeting to be held in 2026.
Fixed Compensation
| Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Option Awards ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irene Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Context—Director Compensation Policy for Independent Directors (FY2024):
| Compensation Element | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $40,000 |
| Non-executive Chair additional retainer | $40,000 |
| Committee chair cash retainers | Audit $20,000; Compensation $15,000; Nominating/Governance $10,000 |
| Committee member cash retainers | Audit $10,000; Compensation $7,500; Nominating/Governance $5,000 |
| Annual RSU grant (independent directors) | Fixed 20,000 RSUs in 2024 (vest in 1 year) |
Note: Non-employee, non-independent directors did not receive annual retainers for board or committee service in FY2024.
Performance Compensation
| Program Feature | Design/Metric | Irene Davis Status |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant for independent directors | 20,000 RSUs granted in 2024; vest 1 year; sized by share count policy; ASC 718 valuation | Not eligible (non-independent); 0 RSUs outstanding as of 12/31/2024 |
| Initial option grant for new independent directors | Option sized at 0.20% of shares outstanding; 1/3 vest at 1 year, remainder monthly over next 24 months | Not applicable; no option awards outstanding as of 12/31/2024 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Interlock Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No other public company boards disclosed for Ms. Davis in TKNO proxies |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Board skills matrix indicates Ms. Davis brings Life Science Products & Supplies, Executive/Management Leadership, Public Company Board Experience, Risk Oversight, Legal/Governance, IT/Tech/Cybersecurity, ESG/Sustainability, Strategy/Business Development, US Commercial Strategy & Operations, Innovation Management, and Transactional Experience (Debt/Equity, M&A).
- Teknova-specific operational leadership and institutional knowledge from prior executive roles.
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned (Number) | Ownership (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irene Davis (aggregate) | 3,575,559 | 6.7% (of 53,440,810 shares outstanding) | Shared voting/dispositive power with spouse Ted Davis |
| Directly held by Irene Davis | 1,687,140 | — | Direct ownership |
| Directly held by Ted Davis (spouse) | 1,888,419 | — | Attributed via shared power |
| Outstanding option awards (Irene) | — | — | None outstanding as of 12/31/2024 |
| Outstanding stock awards (Irene) | — | — | None outstanding as of 12/31/2024 |
Governance Assessment
- Alignment: Zero director compensation in 2024 combined with significant beneficial ownership (6.7%) supports strong financial alignment with shareholders.
- Independence and controlled company considerations: Ms. Davis is non-independent and sits on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee that is not fully independent under the “controlled company” exemption; the committee is chaired by an independent director. This structure can reduce perceived board independence but remains compliant with Nasdaq’s controlled company framework.
- Attendance and engagement: Board-level disclosure indicates she met or exceeded the 75% attendance threshold in 2024, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met 4 times, pointing to minimum engagement standards being met.
- Related-party history: The company previously leased a Massachusetts warehouse from Meeches LLC, controlled by Ted and Irene Davis; the lease was terminated in May 2023 after incurring approximately $104,000 in rent expense for FY2023 (monthly base $22,893). While terminated, this historical related-party transaction is a governance sensitivity for investors.
RED FLAGS
- Controlled company governance exemptions (board not majority independent; Nominating/Governance not fully independent) may weaken board independence optics; mitigated partially by independent committee chair.
- Prior related-party lease with entity controlled by Ms. Davis and her spouse (terminated in 2023).
- Family relationship with large shareholder (Ted Davis) and shared voting/dispositive power over 3.58M shares.
Signals Positive to Investor Confidence
- Strong ownership alignment given large beneficial stake and absence of director cash/equity compensation in 2024.
- Committee activity and minimum attendance thresholds met.