Corporate Governance

Governance at a Glance

Chair
Member
Board Members Audit Executive Compensation Environmental, Social, Nominating and Governance Land

Steven J. Hilton

Phillippe Lord

Peter L. Ax

Audit
Environmental, Social, Nominating and Governance
Land

Dennis V. Arriola

Environmental, Social, Nominating and Governance

Dana C. Bradford

Audit
Executive Compensation
Land

Louis E. Caldera

Executive Compensation

Deb Henretta

Audit
Environmental, Social, Nominating and Governance

Joseph Keough

Audit
Land

P. Kelly Mooney

Executive Compensation
Environmental, Social, Nominating and Governance

Michael R. Odell

Executive Compensation

Raymond Oppel

Executive Compensation
Land
Steven J. Hilton

Steven J. Hilton

Mr. Hilton is the Executive Chairman of Meritage Homes and has been a director since 1996. Mr. Hilton led Meritage Homes for 35 years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until his retirement as CEO effective January 1, 2021. In 1985, Mr. Hilton cofounded Arizona-based Monterey Homes, the predecessor company to Meritage Homes. Under Mr. Hilton’s leadership, Monterey became publicly traded in 1997.

Mr. Hilton received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Arizona. He serves as Chairman of the Board for Banner Health Foundation as well as a board member for Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN) Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Foundation. He also previously served as a board member for Western Alliance Bancorporation, (NYSE: WAL) until June 2022. Mr. Hilton brings extensive and intimate knowledge of the Company to the Board as its co-founder and through over 35 years of experience in leading the Company.

Phillippe Lord

Phillippe Lord

Mr. Lord became the CEO of Meritage Homes on January 1, 2021. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Meritage Homes from 2015 to 2020. From 2012 to 2015, Mr. Lord was President of the West Region at Meritage Homes. Mr. Lord began his Meritage Homes career in 2008 by creating the Company’s strategic operations and market research department, which analyzes land acquisitions, product and pricing. 

Prior to joining Meritage Homes, Mr. Lord held leadership positions with Acacia Capital, Centex Homes and Pinnacle West Capital. Mr. Lord received a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business from Colorado State University and completed his master's coursework in Economics at the University of Arizona. As CEO of the Company, Mr. Lord is uniquely qualified to serve as a member on our Board.

Peter L. Ax

Peter L. Ax

Mr. Ax has been a director since September 2000 and is the Company's lead independent director. He is the CEO of UpscriptHealth, a telemedicine-based software platform which facilitates pharmaceutical manufacturers selling medications direct-to-consumer. He is also the managing partner of Phoenix Capital Management, an operationally focused venture capital firm. Mr. Ax is the former chairman and chief executive officer of SpinCycle, Inc., a public reporting consolidator and developer of coin-operated laundromats. Previously, Mr. Ax served as head of the Private Equity Placement Division and senior vice president of Lehman Brothers in New York and has served in various operating roles for enterprises operated by Phoenix Capital Management. Mr. Ax also served on the board of directors of iGo, Inc. (formerly, NASDAQ: IGOI) from 2007 to January 2022. Mr. Ax holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from the University of Arizona, and a B.S.B.A. from the University of Arizona, and has been a certified public accountant. Mr. Ax possesses extensive skills and experience relating to, among other things, capital markets and corporate finance.

Dennis V. Arriola

Dennis V. Arriola

Mr. Arriola is currently an Operating Partner at Sandbrook Capital, a private equity firm focused on transforming energy infrastructure investments. Prior to joining Sandbrook Capital, he served as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Executive Committee of Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) from July 2020 to May 2022, and was the Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) from January 2017 to June 2020. Mr. Arriola has been serving as a director and member of the Audit & Finance Committee and Human Resources & Compensation Committee for ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) since September 2022 and as a director and member of Audit Committee and Public Affairs Committee for Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) since May 2020.

Mr. Arriola holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University. He has substantial knowledge and leadership experience in environmental, social and governance ("ESG"), operations and finance, and brings additional perspective to the Board in sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion ("DEI").

Dana C. Bradford

Dana C. Bradford

Mr. Bradford has been a director since August 2009.  In 2012, Mr. Bradford cofounded and was appointed and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C3 Brands, the parent company to a number of consumer brands.  From 2005 to 2012, Mr. Bradford was the President and Managing Partner of McCarthy Capital Corporation, a private equity firm. He also serves as a director on the boards of Southwest Value Partners, a San Diego-based real estate company and Customer Service Profiles, an Omaha-based provider of customer satisfaction data and analytics. Mr. Bradford formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Vornado Air, a Wichita-based consumer brands company and formerly served as a director on the boards of McCarthy Groups, Ballantyne, NRG Media, Guild Mortgage and Gold Circle Films.

Mr. Bradford earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Creighton University. Mr. Bradford brings additional perspective to the Board relating to real estate and corporate finance matters.

Louis E. Caldera

Louis E. Caldera

Mr. Caldera has been a director since December 2021. Mr. Caldera is a private investor and corporate director. He has been serving as a director of DallasNews Corp (formerly Belo Corp) since 2001, where he also chairs the compensation and management development committee, and has been serving as a director of Granite Construction Inc since 2021. Mr. Caldera is also currently serving as a senior advisor to Belay Associates, LLC, a private equity firm, and its affiliate Everest Consolidator Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: MTNT.U). Mr. Caldera has held several leadership positions in education, including Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law from September 2018 to June 2021, and Professor of Leadership and a Senior Fellow of the George Washington University Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute from 2016 to 2018.  He has also served in government as Secretary of the Army in the Clinton Administration and as an Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Military Office in the Obama Administration. Mr. Caldera began his career as an army officer, corporate lawyer, and California state legislator. He is the co-founder and co-chair of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonprofit organization, and serves on the board of the Latino Corporate Directors Association.

Mr. Caldera holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy. He has significant knowledge and experience in the leadership of large organizations, corporate governance including environmental, social and sustainability governance, and in legal, regulatory and policy matters.

Deb Henretta

Deb Henretta

Ms. Henretta has been a director since March 2016. Ms. Henretta retired from Procter & Gamble, Co. ("P&G") in 2015. Throughout her 30 years at P&G, she held various senior positions throughout several sectors, serving as President of Global e-Business while concurrently serving as President/Senior Executive Officer of Global Beauty;  President of Global Baby Care; and Vice President of Fabric Conditioners and Bleach. She has been a director at Corning, Inc. since 2013, at Nisource Inc. since 2015, and at American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) since 2019. Ms. Henretta is a Partner at Council Advisors (formerly G100 Companies) where she assisted in establishing a New Director Board Excellence Program that includes director education on board oversight and governance, including digital transformation and cyber security.

Ms. Henretta graduated summa cum laude from St. Bonaventure University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She earned her Master of Arts in Advertising from Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications and holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from St. Bonaventure University. Ms. Henretta brings additional perspective to the Board relating to technology, cyber security and diversity and inclusion.

Joseph Keough

Joseph Keough

Mr. Keough has been a director since June 2019.  He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Wood Partners, one of the nation's largest multifamily real estate companies.  Before joining Wood Partners, Mr. Keough was Chief Operating Officer of Fuqua Capital, the office for the Atlanta-based Fuqua family. Mr. Keough had also been a Senior Vice President in the office and multifamily division of Cousins Properties, a publicly traded REIT, as well as a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group.  Mr. Keough is also on the board of directors of Interface, Inc. (NASDAQ: IFSIA).  

Mr. Keough earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and received his Bachelor degree in Finance and Economics from Babson College.  Mr. Keough brings a 23-year track record of strong business leadership, deep understanding of real estate and first-hand experience driving organizational transformation. 

P. Kelly Mooney

P. Kelly Mooney

Ms. Mooney has been a director since March 2020. Ms. Mooney is the Founder and CEO of Equipt Women, a public benefit corporation dedicated to connecting, empowering and upskilling young professional women. She was previously a co-owner of Resource/Ammirati, a digital marketing and customer experience innovation firm, and held various positions of leadership including Chief Executive Officer from January 2011 to September 2017; President from June 2001 to January 2011; and Chief Experience Officer and Director of Intelligence from March 1995 to May 2001. During that tenure, she advised dozens of Fortune 500 executives on customer growth strategy and digital transformation to increase shareholder value. In 2016, Resource/Ammirati was sold to IBM to become part of IBM iX, one of the world’s largest digital consultancies. Ms. Mooney joined IBM iX in September 2017 and served as Chief Experience Officer until June 2018. She advises consumer and technology-focused entrepreneurs on leadership, strategy and innovation.

Ms. Mooney has also served as a board member of Sally Beauty Supply Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SBH), an international specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies and J. Jill Inc. (NYSE: JILL), an omnichannel women's apparel brand. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from The Ohio State University. Ms. Mooney brings additional perspective on innovation, sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

Michael R. Odell

Michael R. Odell

Mr. Odell has been a director since December 2011. Since 2017, he has been Board Member, President and CEO of Marubeni Automotive Aftermarket Holdings ("Marubeni"), a holding company for investments in the automotive aftermarket. He also currently serves as Board Member, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marubeni subsidiaries XL Parts, and The Parts House, both automotive parts distributors. From 2015 through 2016, he served as President of Eastern Auto Parts Warehouse, an automotive parts distributor. From 2008 through 2014, he served as President, CEO and board member of The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, a NYSE-listed company. Mr. Odell joined Pep Boys in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sears Retail & Specialty Stores, a $26 billion division of Sears Holdings Corporation. 

Mr. Odell started his career as a CPA with Deloitte & Touche LLP. Mr. Odell holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business.  Mr. Odell has deep service, retail and distribution experience, with a broad background in strategic planning, leadership, sales, operations and finance.

Raymond Oppel

Raymond Oppel

Mr. Oppel has been a director since December 1997. Mr. Oppel is a licensed real estate broker and currently is active as a private investor in real estate development. He was the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Oppel Jenkins Group, a regional homebuilder in Texas and New Mexico, which was purchased in 1995 by public homebuilder KB Home. 

Mr. Oppel has over 30 years of experience in the homebuilding business. Mr. Oppel possesses extensive knowledge about the real estate industry in general and the homebuilding industry in particular.

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