Law opens boardroom doors

Jill Riepenhoff and Doug Haddix of The Columbus Dispatch used U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proxy statements to examine the boards of directors of 30 companies based in central Ohio. They found huge increases in compensation and an increase in directors serving on multiple boards since the 2002 passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Companies defend the large raises because of new requirements and potential liability under Sarbanes-Oxley, which was passed in the wake of financial scandals at Enron and WorldCom. The newspaper ran large graphics with key findings and profiles of well-known board members, their compensation and other details.