Committee Composition
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees the audits of the financial statements of the Company, as well as the accounting and financial reporting process of the Company, including oversight of (i) the integrity of the Company’s financial statements, (ii) the Company’s independent auditors’ qualifications and independence, (iii) the performance of the Company’s independent auditors and the Company’s internal audit function and (iv) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Audit Committee are independent directors under the Company’s Director Independence Criteria and within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ rules, and that each member of the Audit Committee has the ability to read and understand fundamental financial statements. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the rules of the SEC, thereby satisfying NASDAQ’s “financial sophistication” requirement, and is independent as defined by NASDAQ with respect to audit committee members.
Compensation Committee
The role of the Compensation Committee is to assure that our executive officers are compensated effectively in a manner consistent with our stated compensation strategy, internal equity considerations, and competitive practice. The primary responsibilities include: Review and approve our stated compensation strategy; annually review and determine the individual elements of total compensation for the Chief Executive Officer; review and approve individual elements of total compensation for our executive officers; assure that our annual and long-term bonus and incentive compensation plans are administered in a manner consistent with our compensation strategy; make recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans and approve, subject, where appropriate, to submission to stockholders, all new equity-related incentive plans for executive officers; review and approve all stock option and other equity awards; and evaluate its performance under its charter on an annual basis. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is an independent director in accordance with NASDAQ listing standards and the Company’s Director Independence Criteria, an outside director for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), and a non-employee director for purposes of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
Corporate Governance Committee
The responsibilities of the Corporate Governance Committee include identifying and recommending to the Board of Directors appropriate director nominee candidates and providing oversight with respect to corporate governance matters. The Corporate Governance Committee also reviews director compensation and makes recommendations as to the terms and conditions of such compensation to the Board. The Board of Directors has determined that each of the current members qualifies as an independent director under applicable NASDAQ rules and the Company’s Director Independence Criteria.