Herbert Hughes has been a director since July 9, 2019, and Board Chair since June 17, 2022. He served as Lead Independent Director from December 2021 through June 16, 2022. Mr. Hughes also is Chair of the Audit Committee and is its financial expert. He also is a member of the Compensation Committee, a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee, and Chair of its Succession Planning Subcommittee. Mr. Hughes previously served as Chair of an Ad Hoc Committee during 2021 and 2022 overseeing the establishment of the Company's stock repurchase program. Mr. Hughes has over three decades of experience in finance, risk management, operational management, and derivatives modeling as an advisor and leader of a diverse range of businesses and is an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. Since March 2017, Mr. Hughes has been Chief Financial Officer of Wormhole Labs Inc. ("Wormhole Labs"), a metaverse emerging technology company using mixed and augmented applications in enterprise and consumer markets and has served on its board of directors. On December 27, 2023, Wormhole Labs filed a voluntary petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas. On December 4, 2024, Wormhole Labs, Inc. emerged from bankruptcy and Mr. Hughes continues as a manager and Chief Financial Officer of the reorganized company. At Wormhole Labs, Mr. Hughes is responsible for financial reporting, capital structure and formation, and SaaS and ecommerce negotiations, and has worked with the Chief Technology Officer on issues related to the development of Wormhole's cybersecurity program. Since September 2023, Mr. Hughes has been Chief Financial Officer of Wormhole Information Technology Systems (WITS), and a member of its Board. At WITS, Mr. Hughes is responsible for financial reporting, capital structure, and SAAS and enterprise negotiations. WITS is owned in part by Wormhole Labs and builds augmented reality-based enterprise software for power grid companies and other enterprises. As of November 2024, Mr. Hughes joined the board of Mission Arizona Health Acquisitions, Inc., a private nutritional health company. Mr. Hughes has held executive level positions in several industries including technology, hospitality, asset management, oil and gas exploration and production, and oil industry services. Through his professional investment and advisory positions, Mr. Hughes has gained valuable experience with some of the unique challenges related to leadership and growth of an early-stage technology business. Mr. Hughes received a B.A. from Harvard University, and is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe and the National Congress of American Indians. Mr. Hughes is the Company's first independent Board Chair. During his tenure as Chair of the Audit Committee, the Company eliminated material weaknesses in its financial processes and controls, the Audit Committee has established and implemented a robust oversight program to monitor financial and enterprise risk, facilitate timely and reliable financial reporting, systems, and controls and, in fiscal 2023, added breadth and depth to risk oversight by the Audit Committee through regular engagement with the management team to ensure there is ongoing monitoring and tracking of key risk areas. As Board Chair, Mr. Hughes has worked closely with the Corporate Secretary, the CEO, the CFO, other members of management, and the chair of each board committee to improve information flow to the Board of Directors and deepen understanding of the Company's business drivers as well as to improve communication of the needs, expectations, and decisions of the Board and its committees to management. This has improved the Board's efficiency, focus, and efficacy. Mr. Hughes prioritizes shareholder engagement and management input, seeking to improve the transparency and responsiveness of the Board