CEO Michael Reed was paid $4,085,499 in fiscal year 2025: executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
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Each company listed discloses TDAY in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named TDAY in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Reed | $903,462 | $0 | $1,499,999 | $0 | $1,634,994 | $0 | $47,044 | $4,085,499 |
| CEO | ||||||||
| Douglas Horne | 200,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95,570 | 0 | 1,725,013 | 2,020,583 |
| Former CFO | ||||||||
| Trisha Gosser | 595,143 | 0 | 370,000 | 0 | 413,448 | 0 | 3,500 | 1,382,091 |
| CFO | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Reed | $4,085,499 | $4,492,082 | $3,862,232 | −406,583 |
| Douglas Horne | 2,020,583 | 2,437,171 | 2,498,242 | −416,588 |
| Trisha Gosser | 1,382,091 | — | — | — |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trisha Gosser | RSU | 88,729 | — | $456,954 |
| Michael Reed | RSU | 273,224 | — | 1,407,104 |
| Trisha Gosser | RSU | 20,786 | — | 107,048 |
| Michael Reed | RSU | 359,712 | — | 1,852,517 |
| Michael Reed | RSU | 226,758 | — | 1,167,804 |
| Trisha Gosser | RSU | 24,317 | — | 125,233 |
The primary objectives of the executive compensation program are to attract and retain executives with the requisite skills and experience to achieve the business mission and improve long-term stockholder value, and to motivate executives to achieve key business objectives and drive operating performance.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Meridian Compensation Partners LLC |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-01 | 105,249,093 | 1,728,651 | 69,268 | 98.38% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-06-02 | 93,927,203 | 3,819,572 | 1,223,656 | 96.09% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-06-03 | 100,188,916 | 2,379,781 | 98,331 | 97.68% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-06-05 | 94,831,950 | 12,540,989 | 293,148 | 88.32% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-06-06 | 86,077,102 | 13,944,543 | 239,034 | 86.06% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-06-07 | 77,112,420 | 14,642,111 | 349,240 | 84.04% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-01 | 98.38%a |
| 2025 | 2025-06-02 | 96.09%b |
| 2024 | 2024-06-03 | 97.68%c |
a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
c. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin M. SheehanIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit (Chair) · Compensation · Finance (Chair) | $160,000 | $124,998 | — | — | $0 | $284,998 |
| Debra A. SandlerIndependent | 103,950 | 124,998 | — | — | 17,000 | 245,948 |
| Amy ReinhardIndependent | 116,050 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 241,048 |
| John Jeffry Louis IIIIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating/Governance · Finance | 116,050 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 241,048 |
| Barbara W. WallIndependent · Nominating/Governance (Chair) · Transformation · Finance | 116,050 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 241,048 |
| Laurence TaricaIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Governance · Transformation · Not standing for re-election | 103,950 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 228,948 |
| Theodore P. JanulisIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Nominating/Governance | 103,950 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 228,948 |
| Maha Al-EmamIndependent · Audit · Transformation · Technology | 100,000 | 124,998 | — | — | 0 | 224,998 |
| Michael E. ReedEmployee director · Board Chair | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $100,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $125,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 20,000 / 20,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $300,000 |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $920,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $999,984 |
| All other compensation | $17,000 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,936,984 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA Today Co. | 2025 | Michael Reed | $903,462 | $1,499,999 | $0 | $1,634,994 | $4,085,499 |
Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, Michael Reed | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Compensation Tables” · page 35. As printed: 4,085,499. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c8 · span 1272373–1272382 |
| 2 | Section 01, Douglas Horne | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Compensation Tables” · page 35. As printed: 2,020,583. Filing ↗machine: r9 · c8 · span 1293530–1293539 |
| 3 | Section 01, Trisha Gosser | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Compensation Tables” · page 35. As printed: 1,382,091. Filing ↗machine: r6 · c8 · span 1286887–1286896 |
| 4 | Section 08, Kevin M. Sheehan | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 284,998. Filing ↗machine: span 1555030–1555417 |
| 5 | Section 08, Debra A. Sandler | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 245,948. Filing ↗machine: span 1568095–1568483 |
| 6 | Section 08, Amy Reinhard | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,048. Filing ↗machine: span 1565455–1565842 |
| 7 | Section 08, John Jeffry Louis III | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,048. Filing ↗machine: span 1562645–1563032 |
| 8 | Section 08, Barbara W. Wall | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,048. Filing ↗machine: span 1572903–1573291 |
| 9 | Section 08, Laurence Tarica | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 228,948. Filing ↗machine: span 1570499–1570887 |
| 10 | Section 08, Theodore P. Janulis | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 228,948. Filing ↗machine: span 1559829–1560216 |
| 11 | Section 08, Maha Al-Emam | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 224,998. Filing ↗machine: span 1557426–1557813 |
| 12 | Section 08, Michael E. Reed | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 13 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-06-01 | 0001579684-26-000040 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.38% (votes for as printed: 105,249,093). Filing ↗ |
| 14 | Section 06, 2025 vote | Form 8-K | 2025-06-02 | 0001579684-25-000035 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.09% (votes for as printed: 93,927,203). Filing ↗ |
| 15 | Section 06, 2024 vote | Form 8-K | 2024-06-04 | 0001579684-24-000035 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.68% (votes for as printed: 100,188,916). Filing ↗ |
| 16 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | — | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 17 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | — | Cash 920,000 + equity 999,984 + all other 17,000 = 1,936,984, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,936,984 |
| 18 | USA Today Co. (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-17 | 0001579684-26-000022 | CEO total compensation as printed in USA Today Co.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,085,499. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c8 · span 1272373–1272382 |
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