Good morning, and welcome to Ardent Health's 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. I'm Mark Sotir, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ardent. Thank you for joining us today. I will be serving as chairman of the meeting, and I now call the meeting to order. Present with us today, either online or in person, are each of the other directors of Ardent: Peter Bulgarelli, Peter Bynoe, Suzanne Campion, Rob DeMichiei, William Goodyear, Ellen Havdala, Edmondo Robinson, Rahul Sen, Robert Webb, and Marty Bonick, who is also our President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition to these directors, the following officers of the company are in attendance: Steve Petrovich, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Dave Caspers, Chief Operating Officer, and Rebecca Kirkham, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer. Mr. Petrovich will serve as secretary of the meeting today.
Also present online for today's meeting is Andrew Brock of Ernst & Young LLP, the company's independent public accounting firm, and Ken Frank of The Carideo Group, who will be serving as the inspector of elections for today's meeting. On the meeting website is an agenda for the meeting and a list of rules of conduct for the annual meeting. To conduct an orderly meeting, we ask that participants abide by these rules. Our first action in the general order of business today will be to review the proposals to be considered. Next, we will vote on these proposals and then receive a report about the voting results. After the formal business of the meeting has been conducted, we will adjourn the meeting.
Please note that Mr. Petrovich has a list of stockholders of record as of March 26th, 2026, in alphabetical order, entitled to vote at this meeting, with the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. I've written confirmation that on April 8th, 2026, Broadridge mailed to the stockholders of record at the close of business on March 26th, 2026, notice of the meeting and availability of proxy materials. A notarized affidavit of mailing and a list of stockholders entitled to vote have been received and can be viewed on the meeting website. A copy of the notice of the meeting and an affidavit of mailing will be incorporated into the minutes of this meeting.
The inspector of election has informed us that there are stockholders represented at this meeting, either in person or by proxy, holding shares of common stock representing 69.02% of the shares entitled to vote, which is sufficient for a quorum and for transacting the business of this meeting. I find a quorum is present for the purpose of conducting business at this meeting, and I declare that this meeting is legally convened and ready to transact business. All holders of the company's common stock as of the close of business on March 26th, 2026, are entitled to vote at this meeting, either in person or by proxy. The first item of business on our agenda is the election of 11 directors.
The following individual is nominated as directors to hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal: Mark Sotir, Martin Bonick, Peter Bulgarelli, Peter Bynoe, Suzanne Campion, Robert DeMichiei, William Goodyear, Ellen Havdala, Edmondo Robinson, Rahul Sen, and Robert Webb. The secretary advises me that there were no nominations by stockholders submitted to the company prior to this meeting in accordance with the company's bylaws. I declare the nominations closed. The second item of business is a proposal to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers. The final proposal to consider today is the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026.
I now declare that the polls for this meeting can be open. If you've previously voted by proxy, you do not need to vote today, unless you wish to change your vote. If there's any stockholder present who has not yet voted or wishes to change their vote, please cast your votes using the voting buttons on the meeting website and following the instructions. I'll pause now to allow for voting. All stockholders have now had the opportunity to submit their proxies or ballots, and I announce the polls for this meeting are closed. Will the secretary please report the results of the vote as provided by the Inspector of Elections?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have been informed by the inspector of elections that on the proposal for the election of 11 directors, a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of the shares of common stock entitled to vote at this meeting were in favor of the election of Mark Sotir, Marty Bonick, Peter Bulgarelli, Peter Bynoe, Suzanne Campion, Robert DeMichiei, William Goodyear, Ellen Havdala, Edmondo Robinson, Rahul Sen, and Robert Webb. The proposal to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the company's named executive officers received the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares of common stock present and entitled to vote at this matter.
Finally, the proposal to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young as Ardent's independent registered public accounting firm for 2026 received the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares of common stock present and entitled to vote on this matter.
Thank you. The chair declares that all the business matters brought before this meeting have been properly voted upon and determined. I hereby direct the results of the voting to be incorporated into the minutes of this meeting. The business for which this meeting has been held is now complete, and I declare that this meeting is adjourned. If you're a stockholder, please remember that David Stiblo in our Investor Relations department is always available to answer stockholder questions. We want to thank everyone who joined us today for today's meeting and to thank you for your continued interest in Ardent.
This now concludes the meeting. Thank you for joining, and have a pleasant day.