Board: Spring Branch Independent School District

Chris Earnest is a partner at Pay Governance and a trusted advisor to boards, compensation committees, and executive leadership teams on executive and director compensation matters. With more than 20 years of experience, Earnest helps organizations design compensation programs that support business strategy, reinforce governance priorities, and align leadership incentives with long-term shareholder and stakeholder value creation.

He advises public and private companies across a broad range of industries, including energy, engineering and construction, retail, technology, telecommunications, mining, and other sectors. Earnest is recognized for bringing a practical, boardroom-oriented perspective to complex compensation and governance issues.  His work helps directors and senior executives balance market competitiveness, performance alignment, investor expectations, and evolving governance standards.