Lisa Wright
About Lisa Wright
Lisa Wright (age 50) is an independent director of Vericel Corporation and President & CEO of Community Health Choice, Inc.; she joined Vericel’s board in 2021. She brings payer and provider-side expertise, with a track record in healthcare operations and financial performance; education includes a B.A. in communication from the University of Kentucky and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health Choice, Inc. | President & CEO | 2020–present | Leads a managed care organization (Medicaid/CHIP/DSNP; marketplace), ~430,000 members; deep payer/provider operations expertise . |
| WellCare Health Plans | North Regional Medicare President | 2018–2020 | Medicare regional leadership . |
| UnitedHealthcare | President, DSNP/Medicare-Medicaid/Nursing Facilities (Texas) | 2014–2018 | Led duals and nursing facility lines of business . |
| Anthem | Various roles | Early career | Progressive roles in payer operations . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | None | — | No current public company directorships . |
| Houston-area non-profits | Board member | Not disclosed | Serves on several non-profit boards . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Governance & Nominating Committee member; committee chaired by Heidi Hagen; members include Lisa Wright and Paul Wotton; all members are independent under Nasdaq rules; the committee held 4 meetings in FY2024 and led board education on cybersecurity, data privacy, and SEC compliance .
- Board independence and structure: 6 of 7 director nominees are independent; non-employee directors meet in executive session without management at each regularly scheduled Board and committee meeting .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held 5 meetings in FY2024; each director attended at least 80%, and all but one attended 100%; all directors attended 100% of the committee meetings on which they served; all directors attended the May 2024 annual meeting .
- Policies: Prohibition on hedging or pledging of company shares; updated clawback policy adopted in 2023 to comply with law and Nasdaq rules; robust stock ownership guidelines with compliance by all directors as of Dec 31, 2024 .
| Committee | Role | Meetings in FY2024 | Independence | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance & Nominating | Member (Lisa Wright) | 4 | All members independent | Board education; governance oversight; nominations process . |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 55,000 | Elected to defer $41,250 of earned fees effective Dec 28, 2023 under the Deferred Compensation Plan . |
Performance Compensation
| Year | Award Type | Grant Date | Number of Shares/Units | Grant-Date Fair Value ($) | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | RSUs (time-based) | May 1, 2024 | 3,200 | 150,656 | Vests on date of Annual Meeting (deferred settlement election) | Deferred settlement of 3,200 RSUs elected Dec 28, 2023 . |
| 2024 | Stock options | 2024 (standard annual grant) | — | 219,242 | Per plan; outstanding options summarized below | Valuation per ASC 718 . |
| Standard initial grants (policy) | Stock options | Upon appointment | 4,000 | — | Vest monthly over 3 years; terminate upon earliest of option expiry, 24 months post-service end, or change in control per agreement . | |
| Standard initial grants (policy) | RSUs | Upon appointment | 1,600 | — | Vest 1/3 annually over 3 years . |
- Clawback: Board adopted an enhanced compensation clawback policy in 2023; applies to recoupment of erroneously awarded incentive compensation per law/Nasdaq .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited for directors and executive officers .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None . |
| Related-party transactions | None reportable in FY2024; Audit Committee oversees and pre-approves any related-party transactions; annual D&O questionnaires used to identify potential conflicts . |
| Potential interlocks/conflicts | Ms. Wright is a payer-side CEO; no disclosed transactions between Vericel and her employer; policy preference is to avoid related-party transactions . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Payer/provider domain expertise and healthcare economics; operational and financial performance experience across leading healthcare organizations .
- CEO/GM leadership; experience with Medicaid/CHIP/DSNP and Medicare programs .
- Education: B.A. University of Kentucky; M.B.A. University of Maryland .
- Independence: Classified as independent; Vericel board since 2021 .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Options Exercisable within 60 Days | RSUs Vesting within 60 Days | Beneficially Owned Shares | % of Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Wright | 31,627 | 3,200 | 44,278 | <1% (“*”) |
- Shares outstanding used for calculation: 50,135,864 as of March 7, 2025 .
- Unvested RSUs and unexercised options held as of Dec 31, 2024: RSUs 3,200; options 31,627 .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: 3x annual cash retainer; all non-employee directors in compliance as of Dec 31, 2024 .
- Hedging/pledging prohibition: In force for directors and officers .
Governance Assessment
- Alignment signals: Equity-heavy director compensation with substantial RSU and option grants; ownership guidelines at 3x retainer with full compliance; prohibition on hedging/pledging enhances alignment .
- Independence and engagement: Lisa Wright serves on the Governance & Nominating Committee; committee and board are majority independent; strong attendance (Board 5 meetings, all directors ≥80% and committees 100%) and regular executive sessions without management .
- Risk controls: Updated clawback policy (2023) and structured oversight of related-party transactions; no reportable related-party transactions in FY2024 .
- Potential conflicts: While Ms. Wright’s payer-side role could create theoretical sensitivities, no transactions with related parties were reported; Audit Committee pre-approves RPTs if any arise .
- Compensation structure: Time-based equity for directors; availability of deferral elections (cash and RSUs) indicates long-term orientation; Lisa Wright deferred $41,250 cash and 3,200 RSUs granted May 1, 2024 .
RED FLAGS observed: None disclosed regarding related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or attendance; say-on-pay and interlocks not implicated for this director based on available disclosures .