The Green Bay Packers announced today that for the first time, the Annual Meeting and the opening practice of Packers Training Camp, presented by Bellin Health, will take place on the same day, July 22.
With the early beginning to training camp due to the team kicking off the season in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6, shareholders can enjoy practice at Ray Nitschke Field at 10:30 a.m. and then plan to attend the meeting in Lambeau Field at 3 p.m. As the Atrium will be open to the public throughout the day, instructions regarding parking and entry for the meeting will be shared with shareholders as those details are finalized.
The Packers will present two candidates for shareholder vote at the Annual Meeting to join the Packers Board of Directors: Michael Alexander and Bill Jartz. The candidate information will be included in proxy information being sent in June to more than 539,000 shareholders in advance of the Annual Meeting. The two candidates were presented to the organization's Board of Directors at its meeting this month.
Alexander is the chancellor of UW-Green Bay, a role he has served in since 2020, overseeing enrollment growth of 17.4% at the institution. Jartz is a television news anchor for WBAY-TV, having started in the business more than 40 years ago. A Clintonville native, Jartz also has served as public address announcer at Lambeau Field during Packers home games since 2005.
"We're excited to present two nominees for a vote of our shareholders," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "Michael's leadership at UW-Green Bay has enhanced the university's role as a community resource and his perspective will be a valuable addition to the Board. Bill has shared his talents with our community for decades as a newscaster and on gamedays at Lambeau Field and we are looking forward to having his voice on our Board, as well. Bill's experience playing football at Northwestern University will also be helpful to us."
The shareholders meeting also will see three members take on emeritus status: Tom Cardella (originally elected in 2010), Susan Finco (2000) and Johnnie Gray (2009).
"We are especially grateful for Susan's incredible impact on our organization as Lead Director. Her talent and leadership has helped us be successful both on and off the field," Murphy said. "We appreciate Tom's leadership on the Foundation committee and Johnnie's many valuable contributions during their time on the Board. They have provided key viewpoints from their experiences and we thank them for all they've done for the Packers."
Proposed to succeed Finco as Vice President and Lead Director is Mike Simmer, retired CEO of BMO Harris Bank Green Bay, who has been a member of the Board since 2005 and Executive Committee since 2017. He has served as Treasurer since 2018. Proposed to become Treasurer is Karl Schmidt, president and CEO of Belmark Inc., who has been a member of the Board since 2017 and Executive Committee since 2021. Proposed to become a member at large on the Executive Committee is Michael Barber, retired Chief Diversity Officer for General Electric, who has been a member of the Board since 2021.
"I'm looking forward to working with Mike Simmer as Lead Director," Murphy said. "His leadership abilities from his time in the financial industry make him an excellent fit for this role. Mike did an outstanding job as our treasurer. Karl will also add great insight as treasurer and ensure our organization's finances remain in great shape.
"I am also pleased to welcome Michael Barber to the Executive Committee. He built an impressive career in operations, engineering and product management and the perspective he gleaned from his time at GE will be an excellent asset to us."
Shareholders will be provided four Annual Meeting tickets for each Shareholder account, including accounts that have a joint or custodial registration. Shareholders receiving meeting materials electronically will be able to access print-at-home tickets upon voting their shares. New Shareholders are reminded to look for their materials to arrive in the mail or electronically mid-June, whichever method they selected upon purchasing their shares, and are asked to vote their shares promptly.
Information about the Annual Meeting, which will be updated as the date approaches, also can be found online at packers.com/community/shareholders or packersowner.com.
The Packers also are asking Shareholders who have not received any communications from the organization in the last 12 months to contact Shareholder Services to update their address, including street and email addresses. Shareholder Services can be reached at 855-8GO-PACK (855-846-7225) or shareholderservices@packers.com. Information is also online at packersowner.com.
