SANTA BARBARA, CA – The National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) announced at its annual meeting on Wednesday that NIRI members elected four new directors to four-year terms: Darin Arita, CFA, IRC; Katie Royce, CFA; Brook Wootton, MBA, IRC; and Rich Yerganian. NIRI members also elected Tim Quast to serve a two-year term as associate member director.

NIRI President and CEO Gary A. LaBranche, FASAE, CAE, said, “I am pleased to welcome these highly regarded IR practitioners to the NIRI Board of Directors. They will play a crucial role in helping the Board ensure the future of NIRI as we embark on our next 50 years.”

“I also would like to thank the directors who are stepping down after their dedicated service to NIRI: Hala Elsherbini; Shep Dunlap; Julie Dewey, IRC; Michael Becker; and Immediate Past Chair Lee Ahlstrom, IRC,” LaBranche added. “We are grateful for their contributions to the IR profession.” 

NIRI members also approved the election of Ruth Venning, IRC, executive director, investor relations, at Horizon Therapeutics plc, to serve as Chair-Elect for 2020. She will succeed Melissa Plaisance, group vice president, Treasury & IR, at Albertsons Cos., who has assumed the role of Board Chair.

Welcoming Our New Board Members

Darin Arita, CFA, IRC, is senior vice president and head of investor relations, at Prudential Financial, Inc.  Darin is a board member of the NIRI New York chapter.

Katie Royce, CFA, is global head of IR at Cognizant Technology Solutions. Katie is a member of the Steering Committee for NIRI’s Senior Roundtable and is president of NIRI New York.

Brook Wootton, MBA, IRC, previously served as vice president for IR for InfraREIT, Inc., until the company was sold in May 2019.  She serves on the board at NIRI Houston and is a member of NIRI’s Senior Roundtable.

Rich Yerganian is vice president of IR, at Cerence Inc.  Rich has served as president of NIRI Boston, as a committee member for two NIRI annual conferences, and as an IRC certification committee member.  He also is a member of NIRI’s Senior Roundtable.

Tim Quast is president of ModernIR, a financial technology company that analyzes complex market data.  A NIRI member since 1995, Tim is a frequent speaker at NIRI chapter events on modern equity trading. Tim also served as vice chair for the 2019 NIRI Annual Conference.
 


About the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI)
Founded in 1969, NIRI is the professional association of corporate officers and investor relations consultants responsible for communication among corporate management, shareholders, securities analysts and other financial community constituents. NIRI is the largest professional investor relations association in the world with more than 3,000 members representing over 1,600 publicly held companies and $9 trillion in stock market capitalization. Through its collaborative community, NIRI advances engagement in the capital markets and drives best practices in corporate disclosures, governance, and informed investing. 

 

Contact: Ted Allen, 703-562-7681