Sara Perkins Salehpour
About Sara Perkins Salehpour
Independent director of Winchester Bancorp, Inc. (WSBK); practicing dentist since 2006, most recently at Porter Square Family Dental (Cambridge, MA) and Perkins Family Dental (Arlington, MA). Director since 2023; age 46. Background brings small-business owner perspective and healthcare/customer insights; board class was nominated and elected to new three‑year terms at the Nov. 12, 2025 annual meeting. The board has determined all directors except the CEO are independent under Nasdaq standards; thus Dr. Salehpour is independent. High shareholder support at the 2025 meeting (FOR 6,819,292; WITHHELD 90,141; 1,068,150 broker non‑votes).
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Square Family Dental (Cambridge, MA) | Dentist | Most recent; practicing since 2006 | Small‑business operator; customer health perspective |
| Perkins Family Dental (Arlington, MA) | Dentist | Most recent; practicing since 2006 | Small‑business operator; customer health perspective |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed in biography/proxy. |
Board Governance
- Board structure and independence: Separate independent Chair and CEO; majority‑independent board; independent directors meet in executive sessions. All directors other than the CEO are independent.
- Meetings and attendance: FY ended June 30, 2025 – Board held 4 regular and 5 special meetings; Audit met 7 times; Compensation met 4 times; Nominating & Corporate Governance met 2 times. No director attended fewer than 75% of aggregate board and committee meetings.
| Committee | Membership (relevant to Dr. Salehpour) | Chair | FY2025 Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Not listed as member | Alan G. Macdonald | 7 |
| Compensation | Member (Perkins Salehpour); members: Merritt (Chair), Macdonald, Cotter, David P. Hood, Perkins Salehpour | Edward Merritt | 4 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Not listed as member | David P. Hood | 2 |
Fixed Compensation
| Director (FY ended June 30, 2025) | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Perkins Salehpour | 8,900 | — | 8,900 |
Director fee program (effective Jan 1, 2025; board meets quarterly):
| Role | Fee |
|---|---|
| Chairperson of the Board | $25,000 per year |
| Clerk of the Board | $1,000 per meeting |
| Member of the Board | $750 per meeting |
| Board of Investments – Member | $20,000 per year |
| Audit Committee – Chair | $1,500 per meeting |
| Audit Committee – Member | $800 per meeting |
| Nominating & Compensation Committees – Chair | $1,200 per meeting |
| Nominating, Compensation, CRA Committees – Member | $700 per meeting |
Notes:
- Split‑Dollar Life Insurance Plan applies only to Director Carson; no similar perquisites disclosed for Dr. Salehpour.
Performance Compensation
| Performance‑linked Element | Status | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Equity awards to directors (RSUs/PSUs/options) | None disclosed for directors in FY2025 | — |
| Cash incentive tied to performance metrics | None disclosed for directors | — |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company board roles disclosed; no interlocks noted for Dr. Salehpour. |
Context on related‑party services (not involving Dr. Salehpour): the Bank utilizes Curtis Law Office (Director Geoffrey A. Curtis), total legal fees $2,030 in FY2025. Independence review also considered directors’ ordinary‑course loans/deposit accounts; the board still determined independence for all non‑executive directors.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Small‑business operator perspective (dental practices), local market knowledge, and customer health insights beneficial for a community bank board.
- Independent director contributing to Compensation Committee oversight; Compensation Committee engages an independent consultant (McLagan, Aon) for benchmarking.
Equity Ownership
As of Record Date (Sept 30, 2025):
- Beneficial ownership: 35,000 shares; includes 25,000 shares held by Dr. Salehpour’s company; reported as less than 1% of shares outstanding (9,295,376).
Initial statement (Form 3) as of Apr 30, 2025:
- 10,000 shares directly; 25,000 shares indirectly (by company). No derivative securities disclosed.
| Metric | Apr 30, 2025 (Form 3) | Sep 30, 2025 (Proxy Record Date) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Shares | 10,000 | — |
| Indirect Shares (by company) | 25,000 | — |
| Total Beneficial Ownership | 35,000 | 35,000; includes 25,000 by company |
| % of Outstanding Shares | — | <1% (based on 9,295,376) |
Insider filings:
| Date | Filing | Transaction | Direct Shares | Indirect Shares | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/30/2025 | Form 3 | Initial ownership | 10,000 | 25,000 (by company) | No derivatives reported |
Shares pledged: No pledging disclosed. Hedging: No disclosures specific to director hedging.
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness and independence: Dr. Salehpour is an independent director with strong shareholder support in 2025 elections, reinforcing investor confidence in board composition and refreshment. Separate Chair/CEO structure and regular executive sessions enhance oversight.
- Committee role: Active member of the Compensation Committee, which uses an independent consultant (McLagan, Aon) and maintains standard practices (CEO excluded from his pay deliberations), supporting pay governance quality.
- Attendance and engagement: The board and committees were active in FY2025; no director fell below the 75% attendance threshold, mitigating concerns about engagement.
- Alignment: Meaningful personal stake (35,000 shares; includes 25,000 via company) aligns interests with shareholders; no equity grants or special perquisites to directors that could dilute alignment.
- Conflicts/related parties: No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Dr. Salehpour; independence judgments accounted for ordinary‑course banking relationships. A small dollar legal services payment to another director’s firm was disclosed and is immaterial.
RED FLAGS
- None identified specific to Dr. Salehpour: no attendance issues, no related‑party exposure, no pay anomalies, and strong election support.