Jaynie Miller Studenmund
About Jaynie Miller Studenmund
Independent Trustee of WEA since 2004; born 1954. Background includes COO of Overture Services, Inc. (2001–2004), President/COO of PayMyBills (1999–2001), and EVP for consumer and business banking across three national financial institutions (1984–1997), bringing finance and operating expertise to the board . The board’s skills matrix cites her business and finance expertise and experience as president, board member and COO, supporting governance oversight responsibilities .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overture Services, Inc. | Chief Operating Officer | 2001–2004 | Senior operating leadership at a publicly traded internet search marketing company |
| PayMyBills | President and Chief Operating Officer | 1999–2001 | Consumer fintech operations leadership |
| Three national financial institutions | Executive Vice President, Consumer & Business Banking | 1984–1997 | Senior banking leadership across multiple institutions |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. and Pacific Premier Bank | Director | Since 2019 | Not disclosed |
| EXL (operations management and analytics) | Director | Since 2018 | Not disclosed |
| LifeLock, Inc. | Director (former) | 2015–2017 | Not disclosed |
| CoreLogic, Inc. | Director (former) | 2012–2021 | Not disclosed |
| Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. | Director (former) | 2012–2018 | Not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Independence: She is an Independent Trustee; Audit and Governance Committees are composed solely of independent trustees, and each committee is chaired by an Independent Trustee (Performance Committee includes interested trustees but is chaired by an Independent Trustee) .
- Committee leadership: Governance and Nominating Committee Chair in 2025; member roles on Audit, Contracts, and Performance Committees .
- Engagement and attendance: Each Trustee attended at least 75% of meetings of the Board and committees served in FY2024 and FY2023 .
- Meetings held: FY2024—Board (8), Audit (6), Governance (3), Performance (5), Contracts (2); FY2023—Board (5), Audit (7), Governance (3), Performance (5), Contracts (2) .
| Committee | Role | Independence | Meetings FY2023 | Meetings FY2024 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | Member | Independent committee per NYSE standards | 7 | 6 | ≥75% |
| Governance & Nominating Committee | Chair (2025); Member (2024) | Independent committee | 3 | 3 | ≥75% |
| Executive & Contracts Committee | Member | Independent committee | 2 | 2 | ≥75% |
| Investment & Performance Committee | Member | Mixed members; chaired by an Independent Trustee | 5 | 5 | ≥75% |
| Board | Trustee | Majority independent; Chairperson independent | 5 | 8 | ≥75% |
Fixed Compensation
- Independent trustees receive an annual retainer plus meeting fees; additional compensation for leadership roles (Board Chair; Audit, Governance, Performance, Contracts Chairs). No pension or retirement benefits .
| Metric | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Aggregate Compensation from WEA ($) | 3,457 | 1,131 |
| Total Compensation from Fund Complex ($) | 337,000 | 347,000 |
| Pension/Retirement Benefits Accrued ($) | 0 | 0 |
| Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement ($) | 0 | 0 |
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based compensation metrics are disclosed for trustees; compensation structure is retainer/meeting-fee based, with chair role premiums; no equity awards or performance targets are described in the proxy .
| Compensation Metric | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Equity awards (RSUs/PSUs) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Options awards | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Performance metrics (TSR, revenue, ESG) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Clawbacks/COC provisions | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Current public company boards: Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. and Pacific Premier Bank (since 2019); EXL (since 2018) .
- Prior public company boards: LifeLock (2015–2017); CoreLogic (2012–2021); Pinnacle Entertainment (2012–2018) .
- WEA governance notes emphasize independence of committees and oversight of conflicts via committee structure and independent counsel; no specific related-party transactions are disclosed for Studenmund in the proxy excerpts reviewed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Board skills disclosure: business and finance expertise; experience as president, board member, and COO; supports critical evaluation, risk oversight, and interaction with advisers and auditors .
- Operating credentials: executive leadership roles in internet services and consumer fintech, plus senior banking experience .
Equity Ownership
- As of December 31, 2024: Dollar range of equity securities in WEA—None; Aggregate dollar range across Franklin Templeton “family of investment companies”—Over $100,000 .
- As of December 31, 2023: Dollar range of equity securities in WEA—None; Aggregate dollar range—Over $100,000 .
- All trustees and officers as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of WEA’s outstanding shares at year-end 2024 and 2023 .
| Ownership Metric | As of 12/31/2023 | As of 12/31/2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Dollar range of WEA shares (personal) | None | None |
| Aggregate dollar range across Franklin Templeton family | Over 100,000 | Over 100,000 |
| Group ownership (trustees & officers) | <1% of outstanding shares | <1% of outstanding shares |
Insider Trades
| Period (filing date range) | Form 4 filings by Jaynie Miller Studenmund (WEA) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-01 to 2025-11-20 | None found | Insider-trades skill query by filing date returned no records for “Studenmund” at WEA in this range (insider-trades skill; 2025-11-20 run) |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Long-standing independent trustee since 2004; chairs Governance Committee in 2025; member of Audit, Performance, and Contracts Committees—all with independent leadership—supporting robust oversight of auditor independence, nominations, contracts, and performance . Meeting engagement: at least 75% attendance in FY2023 and FY2024 across Board and assigned committees, with active committee meeting cadence (Board 5→8; Audit 7→6; Governance 3→3; Performance 5→5; Contracts 2→2) .
- Alignment considerations: Personal dollar-range holding in WEA is “None,” while aggregate holdings in the broader Franklin Templeton family exceed $100,000; this suggests alignment at the fund-complex level rather than fund-specific exposure .
- Compensation signals: Total fund-complex compensation increased year-over-year ($337,000→$347,000), consistent with leadership responsibilities and committee service; pension benefits are zero, and proxy compensation is retainer/meeting-fee based without disclosed performance metrics or equity awards .
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: Committee compositions emphasize independence (Audit and Governance solely independent; all committees chaired by independents), with performance oversight acknowledging inclusion of interested trustees but retaining independent chair; no specific related-party transactions involving Studenmund are identified in the proxy excerpts reviewed .