Brad Dacus
About Brad Dacus
Brad Dacus, age 61, has served on Zion Oil & Gas’s Board since December 1, 2019 and is an independent director under NASDAQ/OTC criteria. He is a lawyer licensed in Texas and California, and the president/founder of Pacific Justice Institute, with a background in media and public policy engagement; he holds a BBA in Finance from Texas A&M (1986) and a JD from the University of Texas (1991). The Board highlights his extensive experience in media and public relations as valuable to the company’s governance and stakeholder communications .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) | Founder & President | 1997–present | Built large affiliate-attorney network; extensive religious liberty/parental rights litigation |
| Electronic Data Systems | Accounting/financial management program participant | Post-1986 (1 year) | Finance training |
| U.S. Senate (Sen. Phil Gramm) | Legislative Assistant | Pre-law school; after EDS stint | Policy and legislative experience |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | Fellowship program | Circa 1991–1992 (1 year) | Litigation training |
| Rutherford Institute | Opened Western Regional Development Office; coordinated litigation across 14 states | 1992–1997 | Attorney network development and case coordination |
External Roles
| Organization/Platform | Role | Dates | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dacus Report (radio) | Weekly host on 170+ stations | Ongoing | Public communications reach |
| U.S. House of Representatives / California Legislature | Testified on religious freedom and parental rights | Various dates (not specified) | Legislative engagement |
| California Baptist University | Honorary Doctorate of Religious Freedom and Family Rights | Awarded (date not specified) | Recognition of advocacy |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee Co-Chair; both committees comprised entirely of independent directors .
- Independence: Determined independent under NASDAQ/OTC rules; Board maintains majority independence with all key committees independent .
- Attendance and engagement: The Board held 4 meetings in 2024, Audit Committee met 5 times, and Nominating met once; each director, including Dacus, attended 100% of Board and committee meetings on which they served .
- 2025 shareholder vote support: Brad Dacus was re-elected Class II director with 537,751,225 votes “For,” 14,433,047 “Against,” and 18,086,273 “Abstain” (broker non-votes 182,037,964) .
| Committee | Role | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | Member | 2024–2025 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Co-Chair | 2024–2025 |
Fixed Compensation
| Component (Directors, 2024) | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Board retainer (cash) | $18,000 | $1,500 per month |
| Committee chair/co-chair fee (cash) | $12,000 | $1,000 per month for chair/co-chair |
| Total cash (Brad Dacus) | $30,000 | As reported in Director Compensation table |
| Reimbursement | — | Travel/lodging reimbursed (policy disclosure) |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Grants (Directors, 2024) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Option/stock awards to Brad Dacus in 2024 | None disclosed; his director row shows no option awards for 2024 |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed; program consists of cash fees and option grants (when granted) without stated performance metrics |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards (past five years disclosure) | None disclosed for Brad Dacus; biographical section lists no public company directorships |
| Nonprofit/other roles | President/founder of PJI; public/media advocacy roles as listed above |
| Identified interlocks with competitors/suppliers/customers | None disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Legal expertise: Licensed attorney in Texas and California; extensive litigation and advocacy experience .
- Policy and public relations: Legislative testimony and national media presence; Board notes value in media/public relations perspective .
- Education: BBA (Finance) from Texas A&M; JD from University of Texas .
Equity Ownership
| Ownership Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares owned | 1,000 (jointly with spouse) | |
| Options (exercisable or exercisable within 60 days) | 1,675,000 | |
| Total beneficial ownership | 1,676,000 | |
| Shares outstanding at record date (context) | ~1,031,000,000 | |
| Pledging/hedging policy | Hedging, short sales, pledging prohibited; exceptional pledging may be approved by CEO and CLO/CCO in sole discretion |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; co-chair role on Nominating & Corporate Governance and membership on Audit enhance board oversight of governance and financial integrity; 100% meeting attendance evidences strong engagement; robust shareholder support in 2025 director election signals investor confidence in his role .
- Alignment: Director pay is modest and primarily cash-based with occasional options; Dacus held 1.675M options outstanding and minimal common shares, suggesting incentive tied to equity appreciation but without disclosed performance metrics; no RSUs/PSUs or performance conditions noted for director compensation .
- Potential red flags/monitoring points: Company insider policy allows exceptional pledging with management approval—monitor for any approved pledges (none disclosed); large board (13) with Executive Chairman structure may concentrate influence—mitigated by a Lead Independent Director and independent committee structure; no related-party transactions disclosed, with Audit Committee oversight and formal policy in place .
- Shareholder feedback context: Directors on the 2024 ballot received ~95% approval; historical say-on-pay support was 88.6% in 2023—supports overall governance/compensation acceptance, though focused on executives rather than directors .