Jaqueline Herrera
About Jaqueline Herrera
Independent director of Energy Fuels Inc. (UUUU) since 2022; age 50; based in Naperville, IL. Currently Vice President of Sales at Ecolab Inc.; 27+ years in water treatment and process improvements across oil refining, petrochemicals, chemicals, mining/mineral processing, and food & beverage sectors. Education: B.S. in Metallurgical and Industrial Engineering (Universidad Nacional Politécnica “Antonio José de Sucre”), M.S. in Materials Science (Universidad de Oriente), MBA in Operations (University of Phoenix). Completed Wharton’s “Corporate Governance: Maximize effectiveness in the Board Room”; fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English; U.S. patent holder in flotation reagents.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nalco Water (Ecolab) | Increasingly senior management roles including sales-operations and global industry development (base metals, iron ore) | 1998–2019 | Led global base metals initiative with focus on copper/moly; worked across bauxite/alumina in Americas & Caribbean; patent holder (functionalized silicones for froth flotation) |
| Ecolab Inc. (Food & Beverage Division) | Vice President of Sales | 2019–Present | Commercial leadership in F&B water/process solutions |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UNICEF; Water for People | Volunteer | Provided education/technical expertise in drinking water treatment in remote Latin American communities |
| Society of Women Engineers | Member | Active member |
| Non-profit (name not disclosed) | Board member | Focused on leadership development for youth in disadvantaged financial conditions |
| Other public company directorships | None disclosed | No other public company boards listed in proxy biography |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Governance & Nominating (member) and Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (member). Not on Audit or Compensation.
- Independence: Determined independent by the Board under NYSE American Section 803A and NI 52-110; 10 of 11 directors are independent; all committee chairs and the Board Chair are independent.
- Attendance: 16 of 18 Board meetings in 2024; Board held 18 meetings; independent directors held in-camera sessions after 14 of 17 meetings; combined Board/committee attendance for 2024 was 96.91%.
- Tenure: Director since 2022.
- Board structure context: Board size 11, majority independent; Board Chair is independent.
Fixed Compensation (Director)
| Component (2024) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash fees earned | $52,410 |
| Meeting fees | None (no additional fees for meeting attendance) |
| Role premia (chair fees) | Not applicable (not a chair) |
| Total cash | $52,410 |
Notes: Standard 2024 director fee schedule included $52,410 annual board retainer; committee chair retainers (non‑Audit) $56,967; Audit Chair $63,803; Board Chair $76,666; no additional meeting fees.
Performance Compensation (Director)
| Equity Elements (2024) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Share-based awards (RSUs) – grant date fair value | $95,290 (time‑based RSUs) |
| Options | Nil |
| Value of share-based awards vested in 2024 | $43,892 |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding at 12/31/2024 | 21,297 units; $109,254 market value (at $5.13) |
Vesting mechanics for director RSUs: 50% vests on January 27 on/after the first anniversary of grant; 25% on January 27 of the second anniversary; 25% on January 27 of the third anniversary. Upon vest, each RSU converts 1:1 into a common share.
Policy infrastructure: Company has a clawback policy that meets/exceeds legal requirements (see proxy reference).
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Ms. Herrera in proxy biography |
| Committee roles at other issuers | Not disclosed |
| Interlocks with competitors/suppliers/customers | No related-party transactions disclosed; Company requires pre-approval for Item 404 transactions and conducts annual D&O screening. |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Domain expertise: Water treatment/process improvement across mining and industrial end-markets; global metals (copper, molybdenum), bauxite/alumina sector experience.
- Governance and leadership: Wharton corporate governance program; active in professional societies; non-profit board experience.
- Technical credentials: Metallurgical/industrial engineering and materials science degrees; patent in flotation chemistry.
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned (direct) | 28,391 |
| Percent of shares outstanding | 0.01% (out of 214,837,845 shares outstanding as of Apr 17, 2025) |
| Shares acquirable within 60 days | 0 |
| Unvested RSUs (12/31/2024) | 21,297; Market value $109,254 (at $5.13) |
Ownership alignment policies:
- Director ownership guideline: 2x annual retainer; must retain 50% of shares from equity until compliant. Company states all directors are currently in compliance.
- Hedging/derivatives: Prohibited for insiders (includes publicly traded options) to preserve alignment.
- Section 16 compliance: Company reports all required Section 16 filings were timely for 2024, except two named officers; no delinquency noted for Ms. Herrera.
Governance Assessment
Strengths for investor confidence
- Independent director with directly relevant mining/process-water expertise; serves on GN and EHSS committees where her operating background is additive.
- Clear independence determination; independent Board/committee leadership; frequent in-camera sessions support robust oversight.
- Compensation mix is equity-heavy (RSUs exceed cash fees), supporting alignment; RSUs are time‑based and straightforward.
- Ownership policy (2x retainer) and anti‑hedging rules strengthen alignment; all directors in compliance.
- No related-party transactions or legal proceedings disclosed involving Ms. Herrera; governance processes (D&O screening, Item 404 pre-approval) in place.
Watch items
- Attendance at 16 of 18 Board meetings (2024) is below perfect; not a red flag in isolation, but worth monitoring for trend and committee attendance specifics.
- Senior operating role at Ecolab implies meaningful time commitments; GN Committee concluded directors were not over-boarded in 2024, but continued monitoring of engagement remains prudent.
No evidence in the proxy of conflicts, pledging, related-party exposure, or performance-conditioned director equity; director equity is time‑based RSUs with transparent vesting.