Dana W. Etra

Managing Director & Head of Boston Office


Profile image of Dana W. Etra
Boston, MA
P: 781.591.3398

Dana Etra joined the firm in 2013 when the Boston office opened. She has broad experience in executive and board compensation, advising a diverse range of organizations on all aspects of compensation strategy and program design, including corporate governance considerations and tax, accounting, securities law, and other regulatory implications. 

Dana works with clients of all sizes and industries, including large publicly-traded companies, smaller publicly-traded companies, private companies, and tax-exempt organizations, as well as companies planning an IPO. She supports many companies with overlapping industry profiles and talent markets and works with clients to create custom, company-specific compensation philosophies and holistic remuneration programs that support strategic compensation objectives. She specializes in designing effective short- and long-term incentive plans and assisting clients with cross-industry compensation issues.

Dana serves as a guest lecturer on executive compensation and governance-related topics to various professional groups (e.g., NASPP, New England Compensation Consortium) and has published articles through WorldatWork. Prior to joining the firm, she was a consultant at Pearl Meyer & Partners.

Relevant Experience

  • IPO Planning & Compensation Design
  • Startup & Private Companies
  • Mergers and Spin-Offs
  • Pharma / Biotech
  • Medical Devices and Equipment
  • Contract Research / Manufacturing
  • Technology
  • Nonprofit Organizations and "Intermediate Sanctions" Reasonableness Opinions

Speaking Engagements and Presentations

Event | October 19, 2023
New York, NY

Evolving Executive Compensation - Revisiting our Guiding Principles
By Steven L. Cross, Dana W. Etra
Register

Event | February 28, 2023
Ponte Vedra, FL

Compensation Committee Peer-to-Peer Workshop
By Dana W. Etra, Matt Lum
Register

Event | November 9, 2022
Cambridge, MA

2022 Corporate Governance Roundtable
By Dana W. Etra, Managing Director & Head of Boston Office
Learn More

Event | July 19, 2022
Boston, MA

Compensation Planning Through Volatility: Balancing Competitive Market Dynamics and Compensation Program Stability
By Dana W. Etra, Managing Director & Head of Boston Office

Publications

Article | March 21, 2023
Preparing for Pay Versus Performance
By Corporate Board Member with FW Cook Thought Leadership By Dana W. Etra and Michael J. Kenney
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Blog | December 29, 2020
ISS Publishes 2021 FAQs on Compensation Policies and Equity Plans
By Joe Sorrentino, Dana W. Etra
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Blog | August 16, 2018
Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act Update
By Dana W. Etra, Managing Director & Head of Boston Office
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Research Report | March 31, 2016
Executive Severance and Change-In-Control Practices
By Dana W. Etra, Tamar Garoon, Erin Bass-Goldberg
Read More