Aaron Skonnard
ZIONS BANCORPORATION, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION /UT/About Aaron B. Skonnard
Aaron B. Skonnard, age 52, has served as an independent director of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. since 2019. He is a co-founder and former CEO of Pluralsight, Inc., and a founder and board member of Silicon Slopes, bringing technology and information security expertise and an entrepreneurial perspective to the Board . All members of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee—which includes Skonnard—are determined independent under the committee charter .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pluralsight, Inc. | Co-founder; chairman & CEO (earlier); former CEO (current description) | CEO noted in 2019–2024 proxies; described as “former CEO” in 2025 proxy | Leads with technology and information-security expertise; perspective of a public-company CEO |
| Silicon Slopes (nonprofit) | Founder and board member | Not disclosed | Community engagement; Utah startup and tech ecosystem involvement |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Public Company? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Slopes | Founder and board member | Not disclosed | No | Nonprofit; governance and community leadership |
| Pluralsight, Inc. | Co-founder; former CEO | Not disclosed | Pluralsight was publicly traded historically; current proxy references “former CEO” | Technology SaaS; domain expertise relevant to bank’s tech oversight |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments:
- Current (2025): Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Prior (2023, 2022, 2021): Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Independence and attendance:
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee members are independent, supporting Skonnard’s independent status .
- All directors attended at least 75% of total Board and applicable committee meetings in 2024; the Board held 7 meetings and 33 total Board/committee meetings; independent directors held three executive sessions .
- Board composition signals:
- Director independence: 82%; all standing committee memberships (excluding Executive Committee) are 100% independent; Lead Independent Director in place .
Committee Membership Over Time
| Committee | 2021 | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compensation | ✓ | ||
| Audit | |||
| Risk Oversight | |||
| Executive |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2019 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | $43,167 | $102,500 |
| Stock Awards ($) | $91,481 | $120,018 |
| Option Awards ($) | $0 | $0 |
| Total ($) | $134,647 | $222,518 |
| Meeting Fees | $0 (structure shows no meeting fees) | $0 |
Director compensation structure (nonemployee directors) was revised effective April 26, 2024: cash retainer increased to $80,000 from $75,000; committee member fees adjusted; annual restricted stock grant increased to $120,000 from $105,000 .
Director Compensation Structure Change in 2024
| Element | Jan 1–Apr 25, 2024 | Apr 26–Dec 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (all nonemployee directors) | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Lead Director | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Audit Committee chair/member | $37,000 / $22,000 | $37,000 / $22,000 |
| Risk Oversight chair/member | $32,000 / $17,000 | $37,000 / $22,000 |
| Compensation chair/member | $20,000 / $10,000 | $20,000 / $10,000 |
| Nominating & Governance chair/member | $20,000 / $10,000 | $20,000 / $10,000 |
| Technology Advisory Group | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Meeting fee | $0 | $0 |
| Restricted stock grant value | $105,000 | $120,000 |
Performance Compensation
- Equity awards are time-based restricted stock (no performance metrics) with immediate vesting; no director stock options outstanding .
- Grant details for Skonnard:
| Attribute | 2019 Grant | 2024 Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Grant date | May 31, 2019 | April 26, 2024 |
| Shares granted | 2,124 | 2,874 |
| Vesting | Vested immediately on grant date | Vested immediately on grant date |
| Fair value per share | $43.07 | $41.76 |
| Plan | 2015 Omnibus Incentive Plan | 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- No other public company directorships are disclosed for Skonnard in Zions’ proxy biographies; external board role noted is Silicon Slopes (nonprofit) .
- Lead Independent Director is Stephen D. Quinn; committee chairs disclosed across the Board, but Skonnard is not indicated as a chair .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology, cyber/data, and digital transformation expertise; information security awareness .
- C-suite leadership and strategic planning experience from Pluralsight CEO role; entrepreneurial and philanthropic perspective .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2021 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned | 8,647 | 30,752 |
| % of class | <1% (asterisked as less than one percent) | <1% (asterisked as less than one percent) |
| Pledged shares | None disclosed for Skonnard; pledging restricted by policy | |
| Anti-hedging policy | Hedging prohibited; directors/executives have no hedging agreements |
Notes:
- As of Dec. 31, 2024, the proxy footnote states no shares held by directors and officers as a group (other than those attributed to Harris H. Simmons) served as collateral or may have been subject to pledge, supporting no pledging by Skonnard .
- Robust stock ownership guidelines are in place for directors, but individual compliance metrics are not disclosed by director .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent status with service on Nominating & Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees—positions central to board effectiveness and talent/compensation oversight .
- Solid engagement: Board met 7 times in 2024; all directors met ≥75% attendance; independent executive sessions held (3) .
- Relevant domain expertise in technology and information security added to a highly regulated banking environment .
-
Potential conflicts and mitigations:
- Related-party transactions: Zions licensed Pluralsight’s platform ($603,000 in 2020; ~$625,000 in 2022 and 2023) while Skonnard was an executive officer/shareholder of Pluralsight. The Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee approved/ratified these under the Related Party Transactions Policy; terms were arms-length and determined not to impair Skonnard’s independence. Nonetheless, this is a recurring vendor relationship and should be monitored. RED FLAG: recurring related-party vendor exposure; Mitigated by committee oversight and independence determination .
- Section 16(a) reporting: One late Form 4 for Skonnard in 2023 due to Bank error; not indicative of willful noncompliance but noteworthy for monitoring .
-
Alignment:
- Increased share ownership to 30,752 as of March 3, 2025, with no pledging and anti-hedging policy in force—positive alignment signals, though the ownership level remains <1% of outstanding shares .
-
Compensation signals:
- Shift toward higher guaranteed cash and equity for directors in 2024 (retainer and RSU value increased; risk oversight member fees raised), consistent with market updates; director equity remains time-based without performance metrics. No options; immediate vesting on grant—neutral signal for at-risk pay emphasis .
Overall, Skonnard’s independent status, committee roles, and tech expertise support board effectiveness; recurring related-party transactions with Pluralsight constitute the principal governance sensitivity but are disclosed, reviewed under policy, and explicitly determined not to impair independence .