Named directors, not board payroll
Search queries for “highest paid board members” want people. The existing highest-paid corporate boards page ranks company-level board payroll after dropping one-time $1M+ director rows. This page ranks named non-employee directors from coded DEF 14A director compensation tables.
Joan E. Herman: $2,696,718 at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS).
Source: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. DEF 14A filed 23 Apr 2026 (accession 0001140361-26-016388).
The cited named-director cut
| Director | Company | FY | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joan E. Herman | Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) | 2025 | $2,696,718 |
| Frank D. Yeary | Intel Corporation (INTC) | 2025 | $2,158,100 |
| Joseph Klein, III | Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) | 2025 | $2,072,480 |
| Gregory D. Smith | Intel Corporation (INTC) | 2025 | $1,806,400 |
| Charles Songhurst | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 2025 | $1,743,750 |
| John Elkann | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 2025 | $1,723,667 |
| Dana White | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 2025 | $1,723,000 |
| Dina Powell McCormick | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 2025 | $1,563,892 |
| Patrick Collison | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 2025 | $1,548,226 |
| Barbara G. Novick | Intel Corporation (INTC) | 2025 | $1,490,400 |
Each total is the director-compensation row from that company’s DEF 14A — not an estimate and not a full-board sum. For company-level board spend, use highest-paid corporate boards or the dated board pay 2026 ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest-paid board member?
Joan E. Herman received $2,696,718 as a non-employee director of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) for FY2025, per Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. DEF 14A filed 23 Apr 2026 (accession 0001140361-26-016388).
Is this the same as highest-paid corporate boards?
No. /learn/highest-paid-corporate-boards ranks full-board payroll after dropping one-time $1M+ director rows. This page ranks named people from the director compensation table.
Where do the numbers come from?
Each row is the director-compensation total from a coded DEF 14A. The cited #1 is Joan E. Herman at Ionis, accession 0001140361-26-016388.