John A. Clerico
John A. Clerico serves as our Lead Director and has served on our Board of Directors since February 2003. Since 2000, when Mr. Clerico co-founded ChartMark Investments, Inc., a registered investment advisor providing portfolio management, investment consulting and financial planning solutions to individuals, small businesses and institutions, he has served as its chairman and as a registered financial advisor. From February 2006 until 2012, Mr. Clerico served on the board of directors of Global Industries, Ltd., a provider of solutions for offshore oil and gas construction, engineering, project management and support services, with prior service on its audit, compensation and finance (chair) committees. In 2008, Mr. Clerico resigned from these committees upon his appointment as chairman of the board and interim chief executive officer. He stepped down as Global Industries, Ltd.’s interim chief executive officer in 2010 but continued to serve as chairman of its board through 2011, when Global Industries, Ltd. was acquired by Technip S.A. From 1992 to April 2000, he served as an executive vice president and chief financial officer and on the board of directors of Praxair, Inc., a supplier of industrial gases and coatings and related healthcare services and technologies. From 1983 until its spin-off of Praxair in 1992, he served as an executive officer in various financial and accounting areas of Union Carbide Corporation. Mr. Clerico serves on the board of directors of Educational Development Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed trade publisher and distributor of children’s books, where he serves as lead independent director as well as on its audit (chair), nominating and corporate governance (chair), compensation (chair) and executive committees. He also previously served on the board of MacroSolve, Inc., a provider of consulting services related to the development, marketing and financing of mobile app businesses, where he also served on its audit (chair) and compensation committees.
Mr. Clerico brings executive leadership experience and skills to the Board of Directors. He has held the positions of chairman of the board, chief executive officer, co-chief operating officer, chief financial officer and treasurer at various points of his career. His extensive experience in industries (chemical and industrial gases) with a high risk profile give him a unique perspective on risk oversight. In addition, his prior service as chair of both our Board’s Audit and Compliance Committee and Compensation Committee lend important continuity to the Board’s financial, audit, compliance and compensation oversight functions. Finally, having formed and operated his own investment company, Mr. Clerico also brings the investor perspective to the Board’s review activities.