Company: DTK
Filing Date: 2025-03-13
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000936340-25-000081
Chunk: 15

Company: DTE ENERGY CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-13
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 15
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 of all candidates, the Corporate Governance Committee recommends a slate of director nominees for election at the annual meeting of shareholders. The slate of nominees may include both incumbent and new nominees.

Potential candidates are reviewed and evaluated by the Corporate Governance Committee, and selected candidates are then interviewed by one or more Corporate Governance Committee members. An invitation to join the Board is extended by the Board itself, through the Chairman and the Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Since the previous annual meeting of shareholders, the Corporate Governance Committee screened director candidates and recommended to the Board that Cassandra Santos be elected as a director. Ms. Santos was recommended as a potential candidate by a search firm. Ms. Santos was elected by the Board to serve for a term effective February 6, 2025 and expiring at the 2025 annual meeting.

Under our Bylaws, a group of up to 20 shareholders owning 3% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock continuously for at least three (3) years may nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials a candidate for the Board of Directors (a Shareholder Nominee), provided that the shareholder(s) and the nominee satisfy the requirements specified in the Bylaws. The total number of Shareholder Nominees that the Company must include in the Company’s proxy materials in a given year shall not exceed 20% of the number of directors in office at the time of the nomination.

#### Composition of the Board
Our Governance Guidelines and our Bylaws state that the exact size of the Board will be determined by resolution of the Board from time to time. Our Board currently has thirteen members. As noted on page 8, James H. Vandenberghe's retirement from the Board will be effective as of May 8, 2025, at which time the size of the Board will be reduced to twelve.

#### DTE ENERGY2025 PROXY STATEMENT17

#### Director Independence and Categorical Standards
As a matter of policy and in accordance with New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listing standards, we believe that the Board should consist of a majority of independent directors. The Board must affirmatively determine that a director has no material relationship with the Company, either directly or indirectly, or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the Company. The Board has established the following categorical standards for director independence, which are more stringent than the NYSE independence standards for former Company executives:

A director for whom any of the following is true will not be considered independent:

■ A director who is currently