UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

N/A

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

September 13, 2019

Dear Stockholder:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, you are cordially invited to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Resources Connection, Inc., to be held at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, on October 15, 2019, at the Company’s headquarters in Irvine, California. The formal Notice of the Annual Meeting appears on the following page. The attached Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement describe the matters we expect to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting.

During the Annual Meeting, stockholders will have the opportunity to ask questions. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, it is important your shares be represented. Regardless of the number of shares you own, please sign and date the enclosed proxy card and promptly return it to us in the enclosed postage-prepaid envelope. Alternatively, as discussed in the Question and Answer section of the Proxy Statement, you may be eligible to vote electronically over the Internet or by telephone. If you are a stockholder of record and you sign and return your proxy card without specifying your choices, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Directors contained in the Proxy Statement.

We look forward to seeing you on October 15, 2019, and urge you to return your proxy as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Kate W. Duchene

Chief Executive Officer

RESOURCES CONNECTION, INC.

17101 ARMSTRONG AVENUE

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA 92614

(714) 430-6400

NOTICE OF 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

PROXY STATEMENT

We are sending this Proxy Statement (“Proxy Statement”) to you, the stockholders of Resources Connection, Inc. (“RGP” or “the Company”), a Delaware corporation, as part of our Board of Directors’ solicitation of proxies to be voted at our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“Annual Meeting”) to be held at the Company’s headquarters in Irvine, California, at 1:30 p.m., Pacific Time, on October 15, 2019, and at any postponements or adjournments thereof. This Proxy Statement and accompanying form of proxy were first sent to stockholders on or about September 13, 2019.

We are enclosing a copy of our 2019 Annual Report to Stockholders (“Annual Report”), which includes our fiscal 2019 financial statements. Our Annual Report is not, however, part of the proxy materials.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to Be Held on October 15, 2019.

This Proxy Statement and our Annual Report are also available electronically on the Company’s website at https://ir.rgp.com/financials-filings/annual-reports-and-proxies. The other information on our corporate website does not constitute part of this Proxy Statement.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What am I voting on?

At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders will be voting on the following proposals:

1. the election of three director nominees (Anthony C. Cherbak, Neil F. Dimick and Kate W. Duchene) to our Board of Directors, each for a three-year term expiring at the annual meeting in 2022 and until his or her respective successor is duly elected and qualified;

2. the approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan;

3. the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2020; and

4. the approval, on an advisory basis, of the Company’s executive compensation.

Our stockholders will also consider any other business properly raised at the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.

How does the Board of Directors recommend I vote on each of the proposals?

Our Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR election to our Board of Directors of each of the three nominees for director named in Proposal 1 of this Proxy Statement; FOR the approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as outlined in Proposal 2 of this Proxy Statement; FOR the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2020, as outlined in Proposal 3 of this Proxy Statement; and FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the Company’s executive compensation, as outlined in Proposal 4 of this Proxy Statement.

Who can attend the Annual Meeting?

All stockholders of the Company as of the close of business on August 23, 2019, the record date, can attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held through a broker, bank or nominee (that is, in “street name”), you are considered the beneficial holder of such shares and if you would like to attend the Annual Meeting, you must either (1) write Alice J. Washington, our General Counsel, at 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614; or (2) bring to the meeting a copy of your brokerage account statement or a “legal proxy” (which you can obtain from the broker, bank or nominee that holds your shares). Please note, however, that beneficial owners whose shares are held in “street name” by a broker, bank or nominee may vote their shares at the Annual Meeting only as described below under “Who is entitled to vote at the meeting?”

Who is entitled to vote at the meeting?

Stockholders of record, as of the close of business on August 23, 2019, the record date, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” through a broker, bank or nominee and held such shares as of the close of business on the record date, the proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker, bank or nominee together with a voting instruction form. Because a beneficial owner is not the stockholder of record, you may not vote these shares in person at the meeting unless you obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, bank or nominee that holds your shares, giving you the right to vote the shares in person at the meeting. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend you submit your proxy or voting instructions in advance of the Annual Meeting so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting.

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How do I vote?

You can vote on matters that properly come before the meeting in one of two ways: (1) by submitting a proxy or voting instructions by mail, or (2) by voting in person at the meeting.

If your shares are registered in the name of a broker, bank or other nominee, you will receive a voting instruction form from your broker, bank or other nominee that can be used to instruct how your shares will be voted at the Annual Meeting. You may also be eligible to submit voting instructions electronically over the Internet or by telephone. A large number of banks and brokerage firms are participating in the Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”) online program. If your bank or brokerage firm is participating in Broadridge’s program, your voting instruction form will provide instructions for such alternative methods of voting. If you submit your voting instructions via the Internet or by telephone, you do not have to return your voting instruction form by mail.

If your proxy card or voting instruction form does not reference Internet or telephone information, please complete and return the paper proxy card or voting instruction form. Sign and date each proxy card or voting instruction form you receive and return it in the postage-paid envelope.

If you return your signed proxy card but do not mark the boxes showing how you wish to vote, your shares will be voted FOR election to our Board of Directors of each of the three nominees for director named in Proposal 1 of this Proxy Statement; FOR the approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as outlined in Proposal 2 of this Proxy Statement; FOR the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2020, as outlined in Proposal 3 of this Proxy Statement; and FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the Company’s executive compensation, as outlined in Proposal 4 of this Proxy Statement. See “What happens if my shares are held by a broker?” below for information on how your shares will be voted if you are a beneficial owner and did not submit voting instructions to the broker, bank or other nominee who holds your shares.

You have the right to revoke your proxy or voting instruction form at any time before your shares are voted at the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, you may revoke your proxy by:

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” by a broker, bank or nominee, you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, bank or nominee, or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from your broker, bank or nominee giving you the right to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

Please note that attendance at the Annual Meeting will not by itself constitute revocation of a proxy.

What is the deadline for voting my shares?

If you are a stockholder of record, please mark, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card, which must be received before the polls close at the Annual Meeting in order

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for your shares to be voted at the meeting. If you are a beneficial owner, please follow the voting instructions provided by the bank, broker or other nominee who holds your shares.

How will voting on any other business be conducted?

Other than the proposals described in this Proxy Statement, we know of no other business to be considered at the Annual Meeting. However, if any other matters are properly presented at the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof, your proxy, if properly submitted, authorizes Alice J. Washington, our General Counsel, or Jennifer Y. Ryu, our Interim Chief Financial Officer, to vote in their discretion on those matters.

Who will count the votes?

American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, our transfer agent, will count the votes.

Who will bear the cost of soliciting votes?

The solicitation of proxies will be conducted by mail, and the Company will bear all attendant costs. These costs include the expense of preparing and mailing proxy solicitation materials and reimbursements paid to brokerage firms and others for their expenses incurred in forwarding solicitation materials to beneficial owners of the Company’s common stock. The Company may conduct further solicitation personally, telephonically, through the Internet or by facsimile through its officers, directors and employees, none of whom will receive additional compensation for assisting with the solicitation. At this time, the Company does not anticipate engaging the services of a proxy solicitor. The Company may incur other expenses in connection with the solicitation of proxies.

What does it mean if I receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form?

It probably means your shares are registered differently and are in more than one account. Please complete, sign and return each proxy card or voting instruction form you receive or, if available, submit your proxy or voting instructions electronically via the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions set forth on each proxy card or voting instruction form, to ensure all your shares are voted.

How many shares can vote?

As of the close of business on the record date, 31,970,213 shares of our common stock, including unvested shares of restricted stock, were outstanding. Each share of our common stock outstanding and each unvested share of restricted stock with voting rights on the record date is entitled to one vote on each of the three director nominees and one vote on each other matter presented for consideration and action by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting.

What is the voting requirement for each of the above matters?

Proposal 1. Election of Directors.    Once a quorum has been established, under our Third Amended and Restated Bylaws (our “Bylaws”), each director nominee must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in order to be elected to our Board of Directors (that is, the number of shares voted “FOR” the director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast “AGAINST” that director nominee). Each stockholder will be entitled to vote the number of shares of common stock held as of the close of business on the record date by that stockholder for each director nominee. Stockholders will not be allowed to cumulate their votes in the election of directors.

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If any of the director nominees named in Proposal 1, each of whom is currently serving as a director, is not elected at the Annual Meeting by the requisite majority of votes cast, under Delaware law, the director would continue to serve on the Board of Directors as a “holdover director.” However, under our Bylaws, any incumbent director who fails to receive a majority of the votes cast must tender his or her resignation to the Secretary of the Company promptly following certification of the election results. In such circumstances, the Board of Directors, taking into account the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors, must decide whether to accept or reject the resignation and publicly disclose its decision, including the rationale behind any decision to reject the tendered resignation, within 90 days following certification of the election results.

Other Proposals.    Once a quorum has been established, under our Bylaws, approval of Proposals 2, 3 and 4 each requires the affirmative vote of stockholders holding a majority of those shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the matter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, please be advised that each of Proposals 3 and 4 is advisory only and not binding on the Company or our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors will consider the outcome of the vote on each of these items in considering what actions, if any, should be taken in response to the advisory votes by stockholders.

What constitutes a quorum?

In order to transact business at the Annual Meeting, a quorum must be present. Under Delaware law and our Bylaws, a quorum is present if a majority of the shares of our common stock outstanding on the record date are present, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Because there were 31,970,213 shares outstanding as of the close of business on the record date, holders of at least 15,985,107 shares of our common stock will need to be present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting for a quorum to exist to transact business at the Annual Meeting.

What happens if my shares are held by a broker?

If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” by a broker, the broker, as the record holder of the shares, is required to vote those shares in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give instructions to the broker, the broker will nevertheless be entitled to vote the shares with respect to “routine” matters but will not be permitted to vote the shares with respect to “non-routine” matters. The ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm in Proposal 3 is considered a routine matter and may be voted upon by your broker if you do not give instructions. However, brokers do not have discretionary authority to vote your shares on your behalf for any of the other items to be submitted for a vote of stockholders at the Annual Meeting (the election of directors, approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan or the advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation. Accordingly, if you are a beneficial owner that has not submitted voting instructions to your broker and your broker exercises its discretion to vote your shares on Proposal 3, your shares will be treated as broker non-votes with respect to Proposals 1, 2 and 4 (the election of directors, approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation, respectively). There will not be any broker non-votes on Proposal 3 (ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2020).

How will “broker non-votes” and abstentions be treated?

Broker non-votes with respect to Proposals 1, 2 and 4 (the election of directors, approval of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the advisory vote on the Company’s

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executive compensation) are counted for the purposes of calculating a quorum. However, broker non votes are not deemed to be a vote cast with respect to Proposal 1 or entitled to vote for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved Proposal 2 and Proposal 4 and, therefore, will not be counted in determining the outcome of such matters.

A properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the election of one or more director nominees in Proposal 1 will not be considered a vote cast with respect to the director or director nominees indicated and, therefore, will not be counted in determining the outcome of the director nominee’s election to the Board of Directors. For the remaining Proposals, a properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the proposal has the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the matter. In all cases, a properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” will be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.

When must notice of business to be brought before an annual meeting be given and when are stockholder proposals and director nominations due for the 2020 annual meeting?

Advance Notice Procedures.    Under our Bylaws, business, including director nominations, may be brought before an annual meeting if it is specified in the notice of the meeting or is otherwise brought before the meeting by or at the discretion of our Board of Directors or by a stockholder entitled to vote who has delivered notice to our corporate Secretary (containing certain information specified in our Bylaws) not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting (for next year’s annual meeting, no earlier than the close of business on June 17, 2020, and no later than the close of business on July 17, 2020). These requirements are separate from and in addition to the requirements of the SEC that a stockholder must meet in order to have a stockholder proposal included in next year’s proxy statement.

Stockholder Proposals for the 2020 Annual Meeting.    Written notice of stockholder proposals to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and form of proxy relating to the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders must be received no later than May 16, 2020. In addition, all proposals will need to comply with Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), which lists the requirements for the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials.

How do I obtain a copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K that Resources Connection, Inc. filed with the SEC?

A copy of the Company’s most recent Annual Report has been included with this Proxy Statement. If you desire another copy of our Annual Report or would like a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC (including the financial statements and the financial statement schedules), we will provide one to you free of charge upon your written request to our Investor Relations Department at 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, California 92614, or from our Investor Relations website at https://ir.rgp.com/financials-filings/annual-reports-and-proxies.

How may I obtain a separate set of proxy materials?

If you share an address with another stockholder, you may receive only one set of proxy materials (including this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report) unless you have provided contrary instructions. If you wish to receive a separate set of proxy materials, please request the additional copies by contacting our Investor Relations Department at

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17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, California 92614, or by telephone at 714-430-6400. A separate set of proxy materials will be sent promptly following receipt of your request.

If you are a stockholder of record and wish to receive a separate set of proxy materials in the future, or if you are a stockholder at a shared address to which we delivered multiple copies of this Proxy Statement or the Annual Report and you desire to receive one copy in the future, please contact our Investor Relations Department at 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, California 92614, or by telephone at 714-430-6400.

If you hold shares beneficially in street name, please contact your broker, bank or nominee directly if you have questions, require additional copies of this Proxy Statement or our Annual Report, or wish to receive multiple reports by revoking your consent to house holding.

PROPOSAL 1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Board of Directors consists of eleven directors. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides for a classified Board of Directors consisting of three classes of directors, each serving staggered three-year terms. At this year’s Annual Meeting, we will be electing three directors, each to serve a term of three years expiring at our 2022 Annual Meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.

Each of the nominees, Anthony C. Cherbak, Neil F. Dimick and Kate W. Duchene, is presently a member of our Board of Directors, having served on the Company’s Board since 2009, 2003 and 2018, respectively. The Board of Directors, acting upon the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, recommends the stockholders vote in favor of the election of the nominees named in this Proxy Statement to serve as members of our Board of Directors. (See “Director Nominees” below).

In recommending director nominees for selection by the Board, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee considers a number of factors, which are described in more detail below under “Board of Directors —Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.” In considering these factors, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board consider the fit of each individual’s qualifications and skills with those of the Company’s other directors in order to build a Board of Directors that, as a whole, is effective, collegial and responsive to the Company and its stockholders.

The eight directors whose terms do not expire at the Annual Meeting are expected to continue to serve after the Annual Meeting until such time as their respective terms of office expire and their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or they otherwise retire. (See “Continuing Directors” below.)

If at the time of the Annual Meeting any of the nominees should be unable or unwilling for good cause to serve if elected, the persons named as proxies on the proxy card will vote for such substitute nominee or nominees, if any, as our Board of Directors recommends or, if no substitute nominee is recommended by our Board of Directors, for the remaining nominees, leaving a vacancy, unless our Board of Directors chooses to reduce the number of directors serving on the Board. Each of the nominees has consented to be named in this Proxy Statement and to serve if elected.

Following is biographical information about each nominee and each director. This description includes the principal occupation of and directorships held by each director for at least the past five years, as well as the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the Board’s conclusion that each nominee and director should serve as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors.

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Director Nominees

The individuals standing for election are:

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The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote FOR election to the Board of Directors of each of the three director nominees set forth above.

Continuing Directors:

The following persons are the members of our Board of Directors whose terms of office do not expire until after the Annual Meeting and who are therefore not standing for re-election at the Annual Meeting:

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth information about our current executive officers. Each of our executive officers serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors:

Kate W. Duchene.    Effective December 14, 2016, Ms. Duchene was named our President and Chief Executive Officer. Biographical information regarding Ms. Duchene is set forth above under the caption “Proposal 1. Election of Directors.”

Timothy L. Brackney.    Effective April 3, 2019, Timothy L. Brackney was named our President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his appointment as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Brackney served as our President North America & EVP, Revenue from 2017 to April 2019. From 2014 to 2017, Mr. Brackney served as our SVP, West Region. He led the North Pacific Region from 2011 to 2014. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Brackney was a Regional Managing Director for the Company. Before that time, he served as Regional Director and Managing Director of our Portland, Oregon office.

Jennifer Y. Ryu.    Effective August 14, 2019, Jennifer Y. Ryu was named our Interim Chief Financial Officer. Prior to her appointment as Interim Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Ryu served as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting, a position she held since April 2019. From February 2014 to April 2019, Ms. Ryu was the Chief Accounting Officer of Young’s Holdings. Prior to joining Young’s Holdings, Ms. Ryu spent seven years with Kaiser Aluminum as their Director of External Reporting.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Leadership Structure

The Board believes it is important to retain its flexibility to allocate the responsibilities of the offices of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in any way that is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders at a given point in time. The Board believes that the decision as to who should serve as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and whether these offices should be combined or separate, should be assessed periodically by the Board, and that the Board should not be constrained by a rigid policy mandating that such positions be separate. The Company currently separates the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, with Mr. Murray currently serving as Chairman of the Board. Ms. Duchene serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is the individual with primary responsibility for managing the Company’s day-to-day operations with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Company. This leadership structure permits Mr. Murray to focus on providing guidance to our Chief Executive Officer and to set the agenda for, and preside over, meetings of the Board of Directors. Mr. Murray, also our Company’s founder, has served as Chairman of the Board in a non-employee director status since his retirement as an employee and executive officer of the Company in August 2015. While Mr. Murray may be considered independent under the listing requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) because he has not served as an employee of the Company for over three years, under corporate governance best practices and ISS and Glass Lewis proxy voting policies, a former Chief Executive Officer and founder would not be considered independent. Therefore, the Board has designated A. Robert Pisano to serve as Lead Independent Director, with responsibilities that are similar to those typically performed by an independent

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chairman. The Company’s Lead Independent Director is appointed annually by the independent directors on the Board. Coupled with the Chairman position, this combined structure provides independent oversight while avoiding unnecessary confusion regarding the Board’s oversight responsibilities and the day-to-day management of business operations.

The responsibilities of our Chairman and our Lead Independent Director are summarized in the table below.

The Board believes the Company’s corporate leadership structure ensures that strong, independent directors continue to effectively oversee the Company’s management and key issues related to executive compensation, the evaluation of our Chief Executive Officer and succession planning, strategy, risk, and integrity.

Director Independence

As required by the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Committee Charters, our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Crawford, Mr. Dimick, Mr. Kistinger, Mr. von Maltzan, Mr. Pisano, Ms. Sarkis, Ms. Shih and Mr. Wargotz is an

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“independent director” under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. While Mr. Murray has not been employed in any capacity by the Company since August 31, 2015 and could be considered an “independent director” under Nasdaq Listing Rules as of September 1, 2018, the Board of Directors has determined him to be independent as under corporate governance best practices, a former Chief Executive Officer and founder should not be considered independent. Mr. Cherbak served as our Chief Executive Officer until October 2016 and is also providing consulting services to the Company during the Chief Financial Officer transition, and Ms. Duchene is currently employed as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; accordingly, neither qualifies as an “independent director” under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. There were no transactions, relationships or arrangements involving any of the Company’s directors which the Board considered in making its independence determination.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Company’s standing Board committees consist of (1) an Audit Committee, (2) a Compensation Committee, and (3) a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Each committee of the Board is comprised entirely of independent directors under the Nasdaq Listing Rules and, for members of the Audit Committee, the applicable rules of the SEC. As referenced above, the Board of Directors also designates a Lead Independent Director to serve as a representative for the independent directors and to facilitate communications among the independent directors and management. The following identifies the current members of each of the Company’s standing Board committees and indicates the number of meetings held by each committee during fiscal 2019:

Attendance at Meetings

Our Board of Directors met six times during fiscal 2019. All directors attended at least 75% of the aggregate of Board of Directors meetings and meetings of the committees upon which he or she serves. The Company’s policy is that directors should make themselves available to attend the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders. All then members of our Board attended our 2018 annual meeting of stockholders.

Committee Charters

The Board of Directors annually reviews and approves the charter of each of the committees. The Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Charters were reviewed and approved on July 25, 2019, and are available on the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance.

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Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

The current members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee are Mr. Pisano (Chairperson), Ms. Crawford, Mr. Kistinger and Ms. Shih. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee met four times during fiscal 2019.

Governance-Related Duties.    The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for overseeing the corporate governance principles applicable to the Company, and the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is reviewed by the entire Board of Directors annually. See “Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics” below. In addition, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee annually reviews the Company’s compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules and reports the conclusions of such review to the Board.

Nominating-Related Duties.    The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is also responsible for overseeing the process of nominating individuals to stand for election or re-election as directors. In doing so, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Board with respect to the composition of the Board, tenure of Board members, and qualifications, skills and attributes for new directors. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee may also retain a professional executive search firm, on an as-needed basis, to assist in the identification and recruitment of independent Board candidates. The Company did not retain a professional executive search firm during fiscal 2019 for Board member recruitment activities. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider stockholder suggestions of persons to be considered as nominees, as further described below under “— Selection of Director Candidates.” Any director candidates recommended by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Company’s policy regarding such recommendations will be given consideration by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, consistent with the process used for all candidates and in accordance with the Company’s policy regarding such recommendations.

Board Composition & Succession Planning.    Given the tenure and longevity of the Board, coupled with the Company’s business transformation, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee requested that management develop a Board composition, refreshment and succession plan to evolve the Board of Directors over the next 1-2 years. Management, together with the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, has begun the process of considering and interviewing several exceptional director candidates. Management will continue to work with the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee towards the Board’s refreshment and succession planning goals during fiscal 2020.

Selection of Director Candidates.    The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s process for identifying and evaluating new director candidates is as follows: If determined appropriate, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee may retain a professional executive search firm to assist the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee in managing the overall process, including the identification of new director candidates who meet certain criteria set from time to time by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. All potential new director candidates, whether identified by the search firm, stockholders or Board members, are then reviewed by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, our executive officers, and at times by the search firm. In the course of this review, some candidates are eliminated from further consideration because of conflicts of interest, unavailability to attend Board or committee meetings or other relevant reasons. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee then decides which of the remaining candidates most closely match the established criteria, described in the subsequent paragraph, and are therefore deserving of further

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consideration. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee then discusses these new director candidates, decides which of them, if any, should be pursued, gathers additional information if desired, conducts interviews and decides whether to recommend one or more of the candidates to the Board of Directors for nomination. In connection with this review, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also reviews and considers each of the incumbent directors for continuing Board membership after his or her term expires. The Board discusses the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee’s recommended candidates, decides if any additional interviews or further background information is desirable and, if not, decides whether to nominate one or more candidates. Those nominees will then be named in the proxy statement for election by the stockholders at the annual meeting (or, if between annual meetings, the nominees may be appointed by the Board itself to fill any vacancies on the Board).

In order to be recommended by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, a candidate must meet the following selection criteria, as described in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines: personal integrity, intelligence, relevant business background, independence, expertise in areas of importance to the Company’s objectives, and sensitivity to the Company’s corporate culture and responsibilities. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee does not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees, but looks for individuals with specific qualifications so that the Board as a whole may maintain an appropriate mix both of experience, background, expertise and skills, and of age, gender, and ethnic and racial diversity. These specific qualifications may vary from one year to another, depending upon the composition of the Board at that time.

Below, we identify and describe the key experience, qualifications, attributes and skills the Committee considers important in light of Resources Connection’s business:

Director Candidates Recommended by Stockholders.    The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider individuals for nomination to stand for election as directors who are recommended to it in writing by any stockholder of the Company. Any stockholder wishing to recommend an individual as a nominee for election at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2020 should send a signed letter of recommendation, to be received before May 16, 2020, to the following address: Resources Connection, Inc., 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614: Attn: Alice J. Washington, General Counsel. Recommendation letters must state the reasons for the recommendation and contain

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the full name and address of each proposed nominee as well as brief biographical information setting forth past and present directorships, employment, occupations and civic activities. Any such recommendation should be accompanied by a written statement from the proposed nominee consenting to be named as a candidate and, if nominated and elected, consenting to serve as a director. Our Bylaws include additional requirements regarding nominations of persons at a stockholders’ meeting other than by the Board of Directors. See “Questions and Answers — When must notice of business to be brought before an annual meeting be given and when are stockholder proposals and director nominations due for the 2020 annual meeting?”

Compensation Committee

The current members of the Compensation Committee are Ms. Sarkis (Chairperson), Mr. Dimick, Mr. Pisano and Mr. Wargotz, each of whom satisfies the additional independence requirements specific to Compensation Committee members under applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules. The Compensation Committee met eight times during fiscal 2019.

The Compensation Committee is responsible for discharging the Board of Directors’ responsibilities relating to the compensation of the Company’s NEOs. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation arrangements, plans, policies and programs that apply to our NEOs. Pursuant to the written charter of the Compensation Committee, its principal responsibilities include, among other things:

The Compensation Committee’s charter permits it to delegate duties and responsibilities to sub-committees or the Company’s management. However, the Compensation Committee has no current intention to delegate any of its authority with respect to determining senior officer compensation to any sub-committee or to management. The Compensation Committee takes into account our Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations regarding the corporate goals and objectives, performance evaluations and compensatory arrangements for the Company’s executive officers other than the Chief Executive Officer. In particular, the Compensation Committee considered the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations regarding the appropriate base salaries and annual incentive compensation opportunity payouts under the EIP for fiscal 2019 for our NEOs (other than for our Chief Executive Officer whose base salary and annual incentive compensation was determined by the Compensation Committee).

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Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee is authorized in its sole discretion to retain compensation consultants to assist it in carrying out its duties. The Compensation Committee has the authority to approve any compensation consultant’s fees and other retention terms. The Compensation Committee determines whether to retain a compensation consultant on an annual basis in light of the status of the management team and the business needs of the organization at the relevant time. The Compensation Committee did not engage a compensation consultant during fiscal 2019 to provide advice or recommendations on the amount or form of executive and director compensation. In order to assist the Compensation Committee’s evaluation of executive compensation, however, during fiscal 2019, the Company subscribed to Equilar’s Insight Data Platform which is a web-based provider of historical information, products and proprietary survey data regarding executive compensation. The Compensation Committee used the data from Equilar generally as background information to assist in its decision making process.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors consists of four directors, Mr. Dimick (Chairperson), Mr. Kistinger, Mr. von Maltzan and Mr. Wargotz, each of whom satisfies the enhanced independence standards applicable to Audit Committee members pursuant to the Nasdaq Listing Rules and applicable rules promulgated under the Exchange Act. All four members of the Audit Committee qualify as financial experts. The Audit Committee met eight times during fiscal 2019.

The Audit Committee reviews our auditing, accounting, financial reporting and internal control functions, appoints and engages, on behalf of our Board of Directors, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and oversees the Company’s risk assessment and risk management policies, particularly the management of financial risks, and also receives regular reports from our Vice President of Internal Audit, who directly reports to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. Additionally, the Audit Committee reviews and approves the provision of services by our independent registered public accounting firm, as described under “Proposal 3. Ratification of the Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Fiscal Year 2020” below, under the caption “All Other Fees”, to ensure such services are compatible with maintaining the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm. In discharging its duties, the Audit Committee:

The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

The Board has an active role, as a whole and through its committees, in overseeing management of the Company’s risks. The Board’s role in the risk oversight process includes receiving regular reports from members of senior management on areas of

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material risk to the Company, including operational, financial and strategic risks. Also, the involvement of the Board in reviewing, approving and monitoring our fundamental financial and business strategies, as contemplated by our corporate governance documents, is critical to the determination of the types and appropriate levels of risk the Company undertakes. The Board’s committees, all comprised solely of independent directors, assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. The Compensation Committee oversees the management of risks relating to our executive compensation plans and arrangements. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee oversees the management of risks associated with the composition of the Board of Directors and other types of corporate governance risks within its area of responsibility. The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s risk assessment and management policies, particularly the management of financial risks and also receives regular reports from our Vice President of Internal Audit, who directly reports to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee also oversees risks related to cybersecurity. While each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, the entire Board is regularly informed through the committee reports regarding such risks. This process enables the Board and its committees to coordinate the risk oversight role, particularly with respect to risk interrelationships.

Our Board of Directors believes the processes it has established for overseeing risk would be effective under a variety of leadership frameworks and, therefore, do not materially affect its choice of leadership structure as described under “Board Leadership Structure” above.

Risk Assessment of Compensation Programs

We have reviewed our compensation programs across the Company to determine whether they encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking, and we have concluded that they do not.

In particular, as to our compensation arrangements for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee takes risk into account in establishing and reviewing these arrangements. The Compensation Committee believes that our executive compensation arrangements do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking for several reasons. First, the base salaries of our NEOs are fixed in amount and thus do not encourage risk taking. Second, while our annual incentive program focuses on achievement of short-term or annual goals and short-term goals may encourage the taking of short-term risks at the expense of long-term results, the annual incentive program is only one component of our overall compensation program and balanced by the focus of our long-term incentive awards on driving longer-term stockholder gains. Third, the Compensation Committee retains authority to exercise its discretion in determining the amount to award under the qualitative component of our NEO annual incentive program based on its subjective assessment of the Company’s performance, the executive’s individual performance, and any other factors the Compensation Committee may consider — including exposure to risk and risk management. Fourth, annual incentive awards are capped pursuant to our plan so that our NEOs are not able to achieve unlimited reward for taking significant risk. The Compensation Committee believes that the annual incentive program appropriately balances risk and the desire to focus executives on specific short-term goals important to our success, and that it does not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking over a short or long term measure.

In addition, a significant portion of the compensation provided to our NEOs is in the form of stock options that are important to help further align each executive’s interests with those of our stockholders. The Compensation Committee believes that these awards do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking since the ultimate value of the

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awards is tied to our stock price, and since awards are generally granted on an annual basis and subject to long-term vesting schedules to help ensure that NEOs always have significant compensation opportunities tied to long-term stock price performance.

Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Corporate Governance Guidelines.    Our Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines, which direct our Board’s actions with respect to, among other things, the Board’s responsibilities, Board composition and selection of directors, Board meetings, the Board’s standing committees and procedures for appointing members of these committees, stockholder communications with the Board, Board compensation, conduct and ethics standards for directors, and indemnification of directors. A current copy of our Corporate Governance Guidelines is posted on the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of our website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.    The Company has also adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to everyone in the Company, including all of its directors, executive officers and employees. A current copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is posted on the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance. In addition, waivers from, and amendments to, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that apply to our directors and executive officers, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or persons performing similar functions, will be timely posted on the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance to the extent required by applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules.

Board Evaluation Process

The Board annually conducts a self-evaluation to determine whether it and its Committees are functioning effectively. This review is overseen by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

Communications with the Board

Our Board of Directors provides a process for stockholders to send communications to the Board of Directors, to individual directors or to groups of directors, including non-management directors as a group. Communications should be sent to the Company’s corporate headquarters at 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614, addressed to the attention of the specific group or individual or, if the communication is intended for all non-management directors, to the Chairperson of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee or the Chairperson of the Audit Committee and marked “Confidential, Intended for Recipient’s Review Only.” Upon receipt of any such communication, the material is forwarded directly to the addressee. If the communication is not directed to a specific individual, the material is forwarded to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee who reviews the content to determine its relevance and appropriate audience. The Company also maintains a Corporate Integrity Hotline, monitored by the Chairperson of the Audit Committee, so that any employee, stockholder or other interested party may use this vehicle to anonymously report problems or concerns involving ethical or compliance violations or complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. Information about the hotline is posted on the Investor Relations, Corporate Governance page of our website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance. The toll free number for the Corporate Integrity Hotline is (866) 588-5733.

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Under our director compensation policy, annual compensation for the members of our Board of Directors who are not employed by us or any of our subsidiaries (referred to herein as a “non-employee directors”) consists of an annual cash retainer, an additional cash retainer for non-employee directors serving in certain positions as described below, and an annual equity award. In the case of a non-employee director who is newly elected or appointed to our Board of Directors, such director is eligible to receive a prorated cash retainer and an equity award, with the proration based on the number of calendar days remaining in the calendar year that the director first serves as a non-employee director. Our Board of Directors reserves the right to modify the director compensation policy from time to time.

Cash Compensation

Pursuant to the terms of our director compensation policy, each non-employee director then in office receives an annual cash retainer (“Annual Board Retainer”) and an additional cash retainer for holding certain positions (“Additional Retainers”). The following table sets forth the schedule of Annual Board Retainer and Additional Retainers as in effect during fiscal 2019:

Each such retainer is paid at the start of each calendar year, and as a result, covers different fiscal years. Newly elected or appointed non-employee directors will receive a pro rata portion of the Annual Board Retainer and any applicable Additional Retainers, with the proration based on the number of calendar days remaining in the calendar year that the director first serves as a non-employee director or held the particular position, as the case may be. Non-employee directors are also generally reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses they incur serving as directors.

Equity Compensation

Annual Equity Awards for Continuing Board Members

On the first trading day of each calendar year, each non-employee director then in office will automatically be granted an award of restricted stock (or, as discussed below, restricted stock units) with respect to shares of the Company’s common stock with a

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grant value of approximately $100,000 (the “Annual Equity Award”). The number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to such restricted stock (or restricted stock unit) award will be determined by dividing the Annual Equity Award grant value of $100,000 by the per-share closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant and rounding down to the nearest whole share. Directors who own Company stock in excess of ten times the applicable guideline level under our stock ownership guidelines, set forth below under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors”, are permitted to elect a vested cash payment in lieu of the annual equity award. In fiscal 2019, Mr. Murray elected to receive cash in lieu of his annual equity award.

Initial Equity Awards for New Directors

Each newly elected or appointed non-employee director is granted an initial award of restricted stock (or, as discussed below, restricted stock units) on joining the Board of Directors. The number of shares subject to such restricted stock (or restricted stock unit) award will be determined by dividing the Annual Equity Award grant value of $100,000 (pro-rated based on the number of calendar days remaining in the calendar year that the director first serves as a non-employee director) by the per-share-closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant (rounded down to the nearest whole share).

An employee or former employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries who ceases or has ceased to be so employed and becomes a non-employee director will be eligible for an initial equity award grant, and will also be eligible for cash compensation and annual equity awards on the same basis as other non-employee directors, as described above.

Provisions Applicable to All Non-Employee Director Equity Awards

For fiscal 2019, each equity award granted to the non-employee directors was made under and subject to the terms and conditions of the Company’s 2014 Plan. Non-employee director equity awards will be evidenced by, and subject to the terms and conditions of, an award agreement in the form approved by the Board to evidence such type of grant pursuant to the 2014 Plan. Each award will vest in equal annual installments over the four-year period following the grant date. Non-employee directors are also entitled to cash dividend and stockholder voting rights with respect to outstanding and unvested restricted stock awards.

Restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards are generally forfeited as to the unvested portion of the award upon the non-employee director’s termination of service as a director of the Company for any reason. However, in the event the non-employee director ceases to serve as a director due to his or her mandatory retirement as may be required pursuant to the Company’s retirement policy as then in effect for members of the Board, each restricted stock and restricted stock unit award held by the director that is then outstanding and otherwise unvested will generally become immediately vested and nonforfeitable. Restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards granted to non-employee directors, to the extent then outstanding and unvested, will become fully vested and nonforfeitable in the event of a change in control event.

Directors Deferred Compensation Plan

Our non-employee directors may elect, pursuant to our Directors Deferred Compensation Plan, to defer payment of all or a portion of their compensation for service on the Board.

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In the case of a deferral of an equity award, the non-employee director is granted restricted stock units in lieu of restricted stock. Restricted stock units granted in lieu of a restricted stock award are subject to the four-year vesting requirement noted above.

In the case of a deferral of cash compensation, the director receives a number of restricted stock units equal to (1) the amount of the cash compensation being deferred, divided by the per-share closing price of a share of our common stock on the date that the cash compensation would have been paid but for the deferral. Restricted stock units credited in lieu of cash compensation are fully vested.

Restricted stock units credited with respect to deferrals by non-employee directors (“deferred stock units”) cannot be voted or sold. Deferred stock units accrue dividend equivalents, credited in the form of additional stock units, if and when dividends are paid on our common stock. The dividend equivalent stock units are subject to the same vesting and payment terms as the stock units to which they relate. Deferred stock units generally become payable, in a lump sum or a series of installment payments as elected by the director, when the director no longer serves on the Board. Deferred stock units are settled in cash, based on the value of a share of common stock at the time of payment.

All non-employee directors, other than Ms. Shih and Messrs. Cherbak and Pisano, elected to defer their equity award for the 2019 plan year. None of the directors elected to defer their cash compensation for the 2019 plan year.

On August 12, 2019, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Cherbak to assist Ms. Ryu in connection with her transition into the role of interim Chief Financial Officer.    The consulting agreement provides for Mr. Cherbak to render services for up to 20 hours per week for a period of one year. The Company agreed to pay Mr. Cherbak $300 per hour for his consulting services. Mr. Cherbak will also continue to be compensated as a non-employee director.

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION — FISCAL 2019

The following table presents information regarding the compensation paid for fiscal 2019 to our non-employee directors. The compensation paid to Ms. Duchene, our President and Chief Executive Officer is presented below in the “Executive Compensation Tables for Fiscal 2019 — Summary Compensation Table — Fiscal 2017 — 2019” and the related explanatory tables. Ms. Duchene did not receive separate compensation for her service on the Board of Directors.

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Aggregate Outstanding Equity Awards

The following table presents the aggregate number of outstanding unexercised options to acquire shares of Company common stock, number of unvested shares of Company restricted stock and unvested Company restricted stock units, and number of vested Company deferred stock units, held by each of our non-employee directors as of May 25, 2019.

Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors

We maintain Stock Ownership Guidelines for the non-employee members of the Board of Directors. Please see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Stock Ownership Guidelines for NEOs” below for information on the guidelines applicable to our executive officers.

All of our non-employee directors should own Company common stock equal in value to the lesser of two times the annual board retainer or 10,000 shares. Stock that counts towards satisfaction of the ownership guidelines (“Qualifying Shares”) includes:

All individuals covered by these guidelines should satisfy the applicable share ownership guidelines within five years of first becoming subject to them. If a covered individual’s guideline level of ownership changes as a result of a change in position or change in retainer, the individual should satisfy the applicable guidelines within a five-year period beginning in January following the year of such change. The Company’s Stock Ownership Guidelines are available on the Investor Relations — Corporate Governance page of the Company’s website at https://ir.rgp.com/corporate-governance.

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As shown in the table below, each of our non-employee directors (other than Mr. von Maltzan who joined the Board in 2018 and still has time to satisfy the guidelines) currently meets both the minimum share ownership and dollar amount guidelines (even though only one of the guidelines must be met).

Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Status

POLICY REGARDING TREATMENT OF RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company’s policies and procedures for the review, approval or ratification of related-party transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of SEC Regulation S-K are set forth in the written charter of the Audit Committee. Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee must review and approve all proposed related-person transactions that are subject to disclosure pursuant to Item 404 of SEC Regulation S-K before the Company is permitted to enter into any such transaction. In fiscal 2019, there were no reportable related-party transactions under Regulation S-K.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table contains information about the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of August 23, 2019, for:

Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each person or entity named below is c/o Resources Connection, Inc., 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Except as indicated

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by footnote, and except for community property laws where applicable, the persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by them. Except as otherwise indicated below, the percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 31,970,213 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding as of August 23, 2019.

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DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS

Section 16 of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers (as defined under Section 16), directors and persons who beneficially own greater than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. We are required to disclose any failure of these executive officers, directors and 10% stockholders to file these reports by the required deadlines. Based solely on our review of the copies of such forms received by us, or written representations from certain reporting persons that no report on Form 5 was required for such persons, we believe that, for the reporting period covering fiscal 2019, with the exception of a Form 3A filed by Mr. Brackney on August 27, 2019 to report the ownership of 100 shares of our common stock that was inadvertently omitted from his initial Form 3 filing, all executive officers and directors complied, on a timely basis, with all their reporting requirements under Section 16(a) for such fiscal year.

PROPOSAL 2. APPROVAL OF THE 2019 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

General

At the 2019 Annual Meeting, stockholders will be asked to approve the Company’s 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2019 ESPP which was approved, subject to stockholder approval, by the Board of Directors on June 29, 2019.

The 2019 ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. It provides each of our eligible employees with an opportunity to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at a discount through accumulated payroll deductions. The Board of Directors believes that maintaining an ESPP will help us retain and motivate eligible employees and will help further align the interests of eligible employees with those of our stockholders.

Key Features of our current stock purchase program are as follows:

We previously maintained the 2014 ESPP. The 2014 ESPP terminated on June 30, 2019 following the approval of the 2019 ESPP by the Board of Directors and the completion of the last offering period under the 2014 ESPP.

Summary Description of the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The principal terms of the 2019 ESPP are summarized below. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2019 ESPP, which has been filed as Annex A to the copy of this Proxy Statement that was filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission and can be reviewed on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.rgp.com. A copy of the 2019 ESPP may also be obtained without charge by writing the Company’s General Counsel, Resources Connection, Inc., 17101 Armstrong Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614.

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Offering Periods and Purchase Dates.    Shares of the Company’s common stock are offered under the 2019 ESPP through a series of offering periods. Offering periods are generally six months in duration, but the administrator may provide in advance that a particular offering period will be of a different duration. However, an offering period may not be shorter than three months and may not be longer than 27 months. When an eligible employee elects to join an offering period, he or she agrees to contribute a portion of his or her compensation to the plan for that period. Amounts contributed to the 2019 ESPP constitute general corporate assets of the Company and may be used for any corporate purpose. On the last day of the offering period, all payroll deductions collected from the participant during that offering period are automatically applied to the purchase of the Company’s common stock, subject to certain limitations. The price paid for the purchase of a share of stock under the 2019 ESPP at the end of each offering period is generally 85% of the lower of (a) the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the first trading day of that offering period or (b) the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the last trading day of that offering period, provided that the administrator may establish another purchase price prior to an offering period by applying a discount amount, not to exceed 15%, to either (a) the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the first trading day of that offering period or (b) the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the last trading day of that offering period.

Participants in the 2019 ESPP generally may not accrue rights to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans (as described in Section 423 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code) of the Company and its subsidiaries at a rate exceeding $25,000 (based on the fair market value of the stock at the beginning of the applicable offering period) for each calendar year in which the purchase right is outstanding.

Shares Available.    If stockholders approve the 2019 ESPP proposal, a maximum of 1,825,000 shares of the Company’s common stock may be delivered pursuant to the 2019 ESPP. This share limit is subject to customary adjustments in the case of stock splits, reorganizations, mergers and other similar unusual or extraordinary corporate events.

Eligibility and Participation.    All persons who are employed by the Company or designated subsidiaries at the start of an offering period, including officers and employee directors, who have been employed for at least 90 days, are generally eligible to participate in the 2019 ESPP for that offering period. An eligible employee may become a participant by completing a stock purchase agreement authorizing payroll deductions and filing it with the Company’s payroll office prior to the applicable enrollment date. Payroll deductions are generally limited to 15% of each participant’s compensation. A participant generally cannot purchase more than 3,000 shares of common stock under the 2019 ESPP with respect to any one offering period, provided that the administrator may adjust such limit prior to the start of an offering period, without stockholder approval. A participant generally may elect to terminate and/or withdraw his or her contributions during an offering period. Participation ends automatically on a participant’s termination of employment. If a participant’s participation in the 2019 ESPP terminates during an offering period, he or she will no longer be permitted to make contributions to the ESPP for that Offering Period and the contributions previously credited to his or her 2019 ESPP account generally will be refunded to the participant in cash. However, a participant’s termination from participation will not have any effect upon his or her ability to participate in any succeeding offering period, provided that the applicable eligibility and participation requirements are again then met. As of August 23, 2019, approximately 2,950 employees of the Company and its designated subsidiaries were eligible to participate in our 2019 ESPP.

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No employee can participate in the 2019 ESPP if, after entering the offering period, he or she would be deemed to own stock of the Company possessing more than five percent of the total combined voting power of all of the Company’s outstanding stock.

Transfer Restrictions.    A participant’s rights with respect to purchase rights under the 2019 ESPP, as well as contributions credited to his or her 2019 ESPP account, may not be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Administration, Amendment and Termination of the Plan.    The 2019 ESPP is administered by the Board of Directors or by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors. Currently, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors administers the 2019 ESPP. Our Board of Directors may amend, modify or terminate the plan at any time and in any manner, and to construe and interpret the 2019 ESPP, provided that the existing rights of participants are not materially adversely affected thereby. The 2019 ESPP administrator also may, from time to time, without stockholder approval and without limiting our Board of Director’s amendment authority, designate those subsidiaries of the Company whose employees may participate in the 2019 ESPP and, subject only to certain limitations under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, change the 2019 ESPP’s eligibility rules. Decisions of the 2019 ESPP administrator with respect to the 2019 ESPP are final and binding on all persons. Stockholder approval for any amendment will only be required to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code or to the extent otherwise required by law. If stockholders approve the 2019 ESPP and unless previously terminated by our Board of Directors, no new offering periods will commence on or after July 16, 2029, or, if earlier, when no shares remain available for options under the 2019 ESPP.

Federal Income Tax Consequences of the ESPP

Following is a general summary of the current federal income tax principles applicable to the 2019 ESPP. The following summary is not intended to be exhaustive and, among other considerations, does not describe the deferred compensation provisions of Section 409A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to the extent an award is subject to and does not satisfy those rules, nor does it describe state, local or international tax consequences.

The 2019 ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Participant contributions to the 2019 ESPP are made on an after-tax basis. That is, a participant’s contributions are deducted from compensation that is taxable to the participant and for which the Company is generally entitled to a tax deduction.

Generally, no taxable income is recognized by a participant with respect to either the grant or exercise of his or her option under the 2019 ESPP. The Company will have no tax deduction with respect to either of those events. A participant will generally recognize income (or loss) only upon a sale or disposition of any shares that the participant acquires under the 2019 ESPP. The particular tax consequences of a sale of shares acquired under the 2019 ESPP depend on whether the participant has held the shares for a “Required Holding Period” before selling or disposing of the shares. The Required Holding Period starts on the date that the participant acquires the shares under the 2019 ESPP and ends on the later of (1) two years after the first day of the offering period in which the participant acquired the shares, or (2) one year after the purchase date on which the participant acquired the shares.

If the participant holds the shares for the Required Holding Period and then sells the shares at a price in excess of the purchase price paid for the shares, the gain on the sale

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of the shares will be taxed as ordinary income to the participant to the extent of the lesser of (1) the amount by which the fair market value of the shares on the first day of the offering period in which the participant acquired the shares exceeded the purchase price of the shares, or (2) the gain on the sale of the shares. Any portion of the participant’s gain on the sale of the shares not taxed as ordinary income will be taxed as long-term capital gain. If the participant holds the shares for the Required Holding Period and then sells the shares at a price less than the purchase price paid for the shares, the loss on the sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the participant. The Company will not be entitled to a tax deduction with respect to any shares held by the participant for the Required Holding Period, regardless of whether the shares are eventually sold at a gain or a loss.

The participant has a “Disqualifying Disposition” if the participant disposes of the shares before the participant has held the shares for the Required Holding Period. If the participant sells the shares in a Disqualifying Disposition, the participant will realize ordinary income in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the date on which the participant acquired the shares and the purchase price paid for the shares, and the Company generally will be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction. In addition, if the participant makes a Disqualifying Disposition of the shares at a price in excess of the fair market value of the shares on the purchase date, the participant will realize capital gain in an amount equal to the difference between the selling price of the shares and the fair market value of the shares on the purchase date. Alternatively, if the participant makes a Disqualifying Disposition of the shares at a price less than the fair market value of the shares on the purchase date, the participant will realize a capital loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the purchase date and the selling price of the shares. The Company will not be entitled to a tax deduction with respect to any capital gain realized by the participant.

Specific Benefits Under the 2019 ESPP

Participation in the 2019 ESPP is voluntary and is dependent on each eligible employee’s election to participate and his or her determination as to the level of payroll deductions. Accordingly, future purchases under the 2019 ESPP are not determinable. If the 2019 ESPP had been in effect for fiscal 2019, we do not expect that the number of shares purchased by participants in the plan during that year would have been materially different than the number of shares purchased under the 2014 ESPP. For the six-month offering periods ending in June 2019 and December 2018, the number of shares of common stock purchased under the 2014 ESPP was 215,379 and 192,293, respectively. However, because benefits under the 2019 ESPP may change based on any number of variables, including, without limitation, the fair market value of the Company’s common shares at various future dates, the number of our employees who elect to participate in the 2019 ESPP, and the amount employees elect to contribute, it is not possible to determine the benefits that will be received by employees if the proposed 2019 ESPP is approved by the stockholders. The closing market price for a share of the Company’s common stock as of August 23, 2019 was $16.33 per share.

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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table sets forth, for the Company’s compensation plans under which equity securities of the Company are authorized for issuance, the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to outstanding options, warrants, and rights, the weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants, and rights, and the number of shares remaining available for future award grants as of May 25, 2019:

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal is required for approval of the 2019 ESPP. The Board of Directors believes that approval of the 2019 ESPP will promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders and continue to enable the Company to attract, retain and award persons important to its success.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 2 TO APPROVE THE 2019 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

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PROPOSAL 3. RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC

ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has appointed the accounting firm of RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to conduct the annual audit of the Company’s financial statements for fiscal year 2020. If the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee may reconsider whether or not to retain RSM US LLP. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may appoint a different independent auditor at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders.

A representative of RSM US LLP will be available at the Annual Meeting to answer any appropriate questions concerning the independent registered public accounting firm’s areas of responsibility, and will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so.

Fees

The following table shows information about RSM US LLP’s fees for services provided to the Company in fiscal year 2019 and 2018.

Audit Committee Policy Regarding Pre-Approval of Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

As set forth in its charter, the Audit Committee has the sole authority to review in advance, and grant any appropriate pre-approval of: (1) all auditing services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm and (2) all non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm as permitted by Section 10A of the Exchange Act, and in connection therewith to approve all fees and other terms of engagement. Such pre-approval can be given as part of the Audit Committee’s approval of the scope of the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm or on an individual basis. The pre-approval of non-auditing services can be delegated by the Audit Committee to one or more of its members, but the decision must be presented to the full Audit Committee at the next scheduled meeting. In fiscal 2019 and 2018, all fees of RSM US LLP were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2020.

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The following report of the Audit Committee does not constitute soliciting material and shall not be deemed filed with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act or incorporated by reference in any document so filed.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

To the Board of Directors of Resources Connection, Inc.:

As set forth in more detail in the Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee’s primary responsibilities fall into three categories:

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with the Company’s management and its independent registered public accounting firm, RSM US LLP, the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended May 25, 2019, known as the Audited Financial Statements. Management advised the Audit Committee that the Audited Financial Statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the Audit Committee discussed with RSM US LLP the matters required by PCAOB Auditing Standard 1301 (previously Auditing Standard No. 16), Communications with Audit Committees.

The Audit Committee also has received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from RSM US LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and the Audit Committee discussed with that firm its independence from the Company. The Audit Committee also discussed with the Company’s management and RSM US LLP such other matters, and received such assurances from that firm, as the Audit Committee deemed appropriate.

Management is responsible for the Company’s internal controls and the financial reporting process. RSM US LLP is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company’s financial statements and the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and issuing a report thereon.

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Based on the foregoing review and discussions and a review of the reports of RSM US LLP with respect to the Audited Financial Statements, and relying thereon, the Audit Committee recommended to the Company’s Board of Directors the inclusion of the Audited Financial Statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 25, 2019.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

Neil Dimick, Chairperson

Robert Kistinger

Marco von Maltzan

Michael Wargotz

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following discussion of named executive officer compensation contains descriptions of various employment-related agreements and employee compensation plans. These descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text or detailed descriptions of the agreements and plans that we have filed as exhibits to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 25, 2019 filed with the SEC on July 19, 2019.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Introduction

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) describes the Company’s compensation philosophy, explains the objectives of our compensation programs and sets forth the elements of the compensation paid or awarded to, or earned by our Chief Executive Officer and the other NEOs identified in the Summary Compensation Table — Fiscal Years 2017-2019. This CD&A also provides the Company’s analysis of these policies and decisions.

The Company’s NEOs for fiscal 2019 were:

Fiscal 2019 Executive Summary

The Compensation Committee is responsible for setting the compensation of the NEOs. In determining elements of compensation for fiscal 2019 for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee considered the Company’s business results as discussed in more detail in this CD&A. The following are certain highlights of our business results for fiscal 2019:

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Highlights of the executive compensation program for fiscal 2019 include:

Compensation Governance

The Board appoints each executive officer of the Company. The Compensation Committee has responsibility for setting the compensation of our NEOs. The Compensation

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Committee has sole authority to determine the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer. In setting the compensation of the NEOs other than the Chief Executive Officer, the Compensation Committee considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer. See “Board of Directors — Compensation Committee” above for a discussion of the powers and responsibilities of the Compensation Committee and the role that our President and Chief Executive Officer plays in compensation decisions. Except as otherwise noted in this CD&A, the Compensation Committee’s decisions are subjective and the result of its business judgment, which is informed by the experiences of the members of the Compensation Committee.

Compensation Philosophy

Our compensation philosophy is to deliver NEO compensation that will allow us to attract and retain highly qualified executives while maintaining a strong relationship between executive pay and Company performance. In a professional services business, we believe talent is the Company’s “critical” asset. The Company must maintain a compensation program that allows us to compete against public and private firms for exceptional talent around the globe utilizing an appropriate mix of cash and equity reward elements. In structuring our current executive compensation programs, we are guided by the following principles:

We have implemented this pay for performance philosophy through the following program design.

Compensation Program Design

While embracing the Company’s compensation philosophy, the Compensation Committee has designed the executive compensation programs to achieve the following objectives: (1) serve to reinforce the Company’s goals and business objectives, with an eye toward longer-term prosperity and success; (2) pay for performance in a manner that supports growth and innovation without encouraging excessive risk; (3) align the interests of management and stockholders by weighting a significant portion of total reward opportunities on long-term performance awards; (4) allow the Company to attract, retain and motivate key executives by providing competitive compensation with an appropriate mix of fixed and variable elements; and (5) appreciate the culture of the Company in recognizing and supporting outstanding team-based performance and behaviors that demonstrate our core values. As described in more detail below, the material elements of our current executive compensation programs for NEOs include a base salary; an annual, cash-based incentive compensation opportunity; a long-term equity incentive opportunity and potential severance, and other benefits payable in connection with a termination of employment or change in control. We believe that each element of our executive

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compensation program helps us to achieve one or more of our compensation objectives, as illustrated by the table below:

Use of Compensation Consultant

During fiscal 2019, the Compensation Committee did not engage an independent compensation consultant. Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee has the authority in its sole discretion to retain an independent consultant as it deems appropriate and necessary. The Compensation Committee did not make significant changes to the compensation program design during the fiscal year and, therefore, determined it was not in the best interests of the Company, nor necessary, to incur the additional costs of engaging such services for fiscal 2019. However, in order to assist the Compensation Committee in conducting its annual review of peer group and other relevant data, the Company subscribed to the services of Equilar’s Insight Data Platform, a web-based provider of executive compensation benchmarking, data and analytics. The data included executive compensation information for comparable executives at the companies noted in “Use of Peer Group Data” below. The Compensation Committee used this data generally as background information to assist in its decision making process.

Use of Peer Group Data

The individual compensation elements of our program are intended to create a total compensation package for each NEO that we believe achieves our compensation objectives and provides competitive compensation opportunities relative to companies in our comparative peer group.

In fiscal 2019, as is its annual practice, the Compensation Committee reviewed the composition of the Company’s peer group to help ensure its alignment with the Company’s size, practice areas, business model delivery and geographic reach. The Compensation Committee reviews the composition of the peer group each year and approves any change to the peer group. After a review of both our peers in the marketplace and those that major advisory firms, such as ISS, include in our services sector peer group, the Compensation Committee determined that all the companies that constituted our peer group for our fiscal 2018 executive compensation decisions would be the same for our fiscal 2019 executive compensation decisions. For fiscal 2019, the peer group consisted of the following ten professional services companies and we believe it reflects the competitive landscape in which the Company operates and competes for talent.

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Peer Group Companies

The chart below contains information on revenues, market capitalization and employee head count for our named peer group.⁽¹⁾

In addition to the peer group data, the Compensation Committee also reviews summary statistical information from survey data about general industry practices in private companies and partnerships with which we compete for talent. In reviewing this information, the Compensation Committee does not focus on any one company included in the surveys to make its decisions.

Our compensation evaluation process generally involves comparing the base salaries, annual incentive compensation opportunities, total cash compensation and long-term equity incentive opportunities provided to our NEOs to similar compensation opportunities provided to comparable executives at our peer group companies. Although these benchmarks and other survey data represent useful background, the Compensation Committee exercises its judgment and discretion in setting individual executive compensation packages. This data is used by the Compensation Committee, not to set specific targets vis-à-vis peer company executives, but to assess as background data in determining what it considers in its judgment to be fair and reasonable pay practices for our NEOs. Our Company operates what we believe is a unique compensation program that reinforces a team-based culture and rewards NEOs for company and team-based results as well as particular individual achievements.

Role of Stockholder Say-on-Pay Votes

The Company’s stockholders are provided with an opportunity to cast an annual advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation program through the say-on-pay

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proposal. At the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders held in October 2018, approximately 97.8% of the votes cast supported the Company’s say-on-pay proposal. The Compensation Committee believes this strong result affirms stockholders’ support of the Company’s approach to its executive compensation program. The Compensation Committee did not change its approach to executive compensation or executive compensation program design for fiscal 2019, and believes the executive compensation program in place, as in prior years, includes a number of features that further the goals of the Company’s executive compensation program and reflect current best practices. The Compensation Committee will continue to consider the outcome of the Company’s say-on-pay proposals when making future compensation decisions for the NEOs.

Elements of Pay for Named Executive Officers

Base Salary

The Compensation Committee generally reviews the base salary paid to each NEO on an annual basis. Under each NEO’s employment or letter agreement, the Compensation Committee may increase the NEO’s then current base salary on its review, but it may not reduce the base salary level.

In determining whether base salary increases for fiscal 2019 for the NEOs were appropriate, the Compensation Committee considered the base salary levels of other employees within the Company, each NEO’s length of service, the Company’s general financial performance and growth, and the base salaries and total cash compensation earned by comparable executives at the Company’s peer group companies (based on their published data). Based upon the foregoing, the Compensation Committee determined that the 2018 base salary levels for Ms. Duchene and Messrs. Mueller and Bower remained appropriate and their base salaries were not adjusted for 2019. The Compensation Committee determined that a $500,000 base compensation was appropriate for Mr. Brackney’s new position of President and Chief Operating Officer.

Column (c) of the “Summary Compensation Table — Fiscal 2017 — 2019” in the “Executive Compensation Tables for Fiscal 2019” section below shows the base salary paid to each NEO for fiscal 2019.

Annual Incentive Compensation

The Compensation Committee’s annual incentive compensation plan is the EIP. Each of the NEOs participated in the EIP for fiscal 2019.

The EIP sets forth each participant’s target annual incentive compensation opportunity and the overall annual incentive structure and mechanics, which includes both a quantitative and qualitative component, used to determine the participant’s incentive cash award for the fiscal year. For fiscal 2019, the Compensation Committee set the following annual incentive compensation opportunities under the EIP:

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Each NEO’s target and maximum annual incentive percentages were generally determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion based on its subjective assessment of several factors, including comparable annual incentive opportunities in effect for comparable executives at our peer group companies (based on their published data), total cash compensation and equity awards earned by comparable executives at our peer group companies (based on their published data), internal comparability with percentage targets of other executives within the Company, and the Company’s objective of creating appropriate at-risk incentives to reinforce our team-based management culture and maximize stockholder value. The Compensation Committee also determined that these levels provided for fair and competitive rewards to the NEOs after reviewing historical data regarding the peer group companies and using its own subjective judgment and knowledge of the industry’s pay practices.

Pursuant to the terms of the EIP for fiscal 2019, to trigger any award for any participant, the Company must achieve at least 6.5% “adjusted EBITDA margin” (as defined below). If that goal is attained, 70% of each participant’s incentive opportunity under the EIP is determined based on quantitative components and 30% of each participant’s incentive opportunity under the EIP is determined based on qualitative components. As noted above, the quantitative component of the EIP constitutes 70% of each participant’s target annual incentive compensation opportunity and is determined based on the Company’s revenue and “adjusted EBITDA margin” results for the fiscal year. These quantitative measures are equally weighted, each representing 35% of the participant’s total target annual incentive opportunity. The “adjusted EBITDA margin” measure is our earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation expense, expressed as a percentage of revenue. The Compensation Committee adjusted the weighting for fiscal 2019 by increasing the qualitative percentage to 70% over 65% from fiscal 2018. This increased the NEOs incentive to meet the revenue and adjusted EBITDA thresholds. The Compensation Committee selected these quantitative performance measures for the EIP because it believes such measures are closely correlated to our annual business objectives and growth in stockholder value, and are straightforward to administer, understandand communicate.

With respect to the quantitative award components, the Company must achieve at least 75% of the revenue performance target for the participants to receive any payment of the portion of their annual incentive linked to that performance metric and the Company must achieve at least 75% of the adjusted EBITDA margin performance target for the participants to receive any payment of the portion of their annual incentive linked to that performance metric. Specifically, for each quantitative performance measure, a threshold payment will be made if the Company achieves performance levels equal to 75% of the target performance level amount, the target payment will be made if the Company achieves performance levels equals to 100% of the target performance level and the maximum payment will be made if the Company achieves performance levels equal to 140% or more of the target performance levels. For each performance measure, the threshold payout and target payout are equal to 35% and 100%, respectively, of the target annual incentive compensation opportunity attributable to the performance measure for each of the participants, and the maximum payout is equal to 225% and 150% of the target amount attributable to the performance measure for Ms. Duchene, and Messrs. Mueller, Brackney and Bower, respectively. The amounts payable for performance levels in between the threshold, target and maximum performance levels are determined based on a straight line interpolation.

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The following table sets forth the target performance levels established by the Compensation Committee for the EIP for fiscal 2019. As shown in the table, the Company achieved 101.0% of the revenue target and 98.5.0% of the adjusted EBITDA margin target for fiscal 2019 (based on adjusted EBITDA of $64.6 million for fiscal 2019).

The remaining 30% of each participant’s target annual incentive compensation opportunity is determined based on qualitative measures determined by the Compensation Committee. Such factors generally include the Compensation Committee’s subjective assessment of the Company’s financial performance for the year as a whole (as opposed to the quantitative performance components which measure performance against pre-established targets), the individual participant’s performance for the year with respect to other stated strategic, operational and human capital objectives defined for each individual, and other qualitative team-based performance assessments. The Company believes this mix of predominantly quantitative components coupled with a smaller qualitative component provides appropriate incentives to achieve pre-established goals while giving the Compensation Committee some flexibility to reward other achievements.

For fiscal 2019, the Compensation Committee based its qualitative award determination for the participants on its subjective assessment of the Company’s financial performance, including revenue growth, management of operating costs, and realized transformation initiatives, including establishing a digital innovation group to evolve into a more digital business and a major refreshment of our brand. The Compensation Committee also gave consideration to improved sales leadership, including, greater discipline and price governance; improved client service performance, including client retention, client penetration and continuity, expansion of global accounts and strategic business model expansion; and human resources management, including, employee retention, development and growth of leadership and management skills, and effective team stewardship of the Company’s culture. There was no specific weighting of these particular factors. The considerations for the fiscal 2019 EIP awards included the following:

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Based upon all of the foregoing, as well as its general assessment of competitive compensation practices, the Compensation Committee decided the following under the EIP for fiscal 2019:

The amounts paid to each participating NEO in respect of his or her annual incentive compensation opportunity under the EIP for fiscal 2019 are presented in column (d) of the “Summary Compensation Table — Fiscal 2017 — 2019” below.

Long-Term Incentive Awards

The Company’s view is that the NEOs’ long-term compensation should be directly linked to the value provided to our stockholders. The NEOs’ long-term compensation is currently awarded in the form of stock options having an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date. Stock options are our preferred form of equity award for executives because, as the vehicle is directly tied to stockholder return, the options will not have any value unless the shares of the Company’s common stock appreciate in value following the grant date. If the stock price does not appreciate, the executive does not realize any value from the option. We believe that with the functional focus organizational structure, pay for performance incentive structure and investments in digital innovation, we have significant growth ahead of us. As such, we believe that stock options — which only convey real value with share price appreciation — continue to be the most appropriate equity vehicle to use in our reward programs to align executive and stockholder interests.

Stock option grants to our NEOs typically vest in a series of installments over a four-year vesting period. We believe this four-year vesting period provides an incentive for the NEOs to remain in our employ, and also focuses the NEOs on the long-term performance and business objectives of the Company for the benefit of our stockholders. We believe

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the four-year vesting period is consistent with compensation practices in the market generally and strikes an appropriate balance between the interests of the Company, our stockholders and the individual NEOs in terms of the incentive, value creation and compensatory aspects of these equity awards.

The size of equity award granted to each of our NEOs is a decision made by the Compensation Committee in the exercise of its business judgment. In making this determination, the Compensation Committee considers its general assessment of the Company’s revenue achievement and return on equity, client retention, Company morale, success in developing a productive management team, corporate governance, performance and risk management. The Compensation Committee also takes into account the total cash compensation paid to the NEOs in our immediately preceding fiscal year, the number and value of options previously granted to the NEOs, dilution effects on our stockholders, the need to make sure that an appropriate number of shares would be available for option awards to less-senior employees, the number and value of long-term equity awards made to comparable executives at our peer group companies (based on their published data), and the goal of providing the NEOs with total long-term equity compensation and total compensation amounts that we think are appropriate and competitive. We believe the size of each NEO’s stock option award is consistent with our compensation objectives of paying for performance and putting a significant portion of the NEOs’ total compensation “at risk.”

After a review of the factors described in the preceding paragraph, the Compensation Committee approved equity awards, in the form of stock options, to the NEOs in fiscal 2019. The Compensation Committee approved the grant of options to purchase 85,000, 45,000, 50,000 and 20,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for Ms. Duchene and Messrs. Mueller, Brackney and Bower, respectively.

The Board and management fully support the pay for performance principle advocated by ISS, Glass Lewis and other advisory services, and that principle has long been the cornerstone of our executive compensation program. We believe that stock options are performance-based given that our stock price must appreciate after the grant of the awards in order for the awards to have any value. Our Board and management are fully committed to increasing earnings per share thereby positioning the Company to increase dividends in the future and create an environment for improved stockholder returns.

Perquisites

During fiscal 2019, the NEOs were eligible to participate in the Company’s retirement, and health and welfare programs that are generally available to other employees in the Company. In addition, each NEO received a modest automobile allowance or car expense reimbursement. The Compensation Committee believes these modest perquisites are consistent with competitive practices and help us attract and retain talent.

Other Compensation

On June 8, 2018, in recognition of his service and contribution to revenue growth, the Company forgave $82,045 of an outstanding loan balance owed by Mr. Brackney to the Company that was made in connection with his move to California in 2010. The loan supported his ability to enter the real estate market in California. This forgiveness was in accordance with the loan forgiveness schedule detailed in the loan agreement between Mr. Brackney and the Company, which provided that a portion of the loan would be forgiven each year.

On April 1, 2019, in connection with Mr. Brackney’s promotion to President and Chief Operating Officer and his continued exceptional service, the Company agreed to forgive

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the remaining outstanding loan balance of $527,344.70, which the Company had previously negotiated with Mr. Brackney to support his ability to enter into the real estate market in California when he agreed to move from Oregon to Northern California in 2010.

On May 20, 2019, Mr. Brackney was paid a supplemental bonus of $12,691 to help offset the medicare tax liability that arose as a result of the forgiveness of his loan balance as described above.

Mr. Bower retired as the Company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer effective as of April 22, 2019, and continued as an Executive Advisor to the Company through May 18, 2019. Mr. Bower retired from the Company effective as of May 18, 2019 and, in connection with his retirement, he entered into a consulting agreement with the Company to provide advice and support in connection with the transition of his responsibilities. The consulting agreement has a term that is scheduled to continue until May 19, 2021. The consulting agreement provides that Mr. Bower would receive a pro-rated bonus for fiscal 2019 and a consulting fee of $200 per hour for his services during the term of the consulting agreement. Mr. Bower’s equity awards granted by the Company continue to vest during the term of the consulting agreement. Either party may terminate the term of the consulting agreement for any violation of the agreement with two weeks’ notice.

Events since Fiscal 2019

In connection with its annual review of each NEO’s base salary, using the factors described above under “Elements of Pay for Named Executive Officers — Base Salary,” the Compensation Committee determined that Ms. Duchene’s annual base salary should be increased to $700,000 for fiscal 2020, effective as of July 25, 2019.

On August 6, 2019, the Company and Mr. Brackney entered into a Retention Bonus Recovery Agreement (“Retention Agreement”) under which Mr. Brackney received a Retention Bonus in the amount of $500,000. Under the terms of the Retention Agreement, if Mr. Brackney ceases to be employed by the Company prior to May 26, 2024, he is obligated to repay a prorata amount of the Retention Bonus. No repayment is required, however, if Mr. Brackney is terminated by the Company without Cause of if he terminates his employment for Good Reason (as those terms are defined in his Employment Agreement with the Company).

Change In Control and Severance Benefits

Employment Agreements.    The Company believes that severance protections can play a valuable role in attracting and retaining high caliber talent. In the competitive professional services industry in which we operate, where executives are commonly being recruited by both more established companies and by start-up ventures, severance and other termination benefits are an effective way to offer executives financial security to offset the risk of accepting an opportunity with another company. Pursuant to their employment agreements or employment letters, as applicable, in effect during fiscal 2019, each of the NEOs would be entitled to severance payments, in the case of Ms. Duchene and Messrs. Mueller and Brackney, if the executive’s employment was terminated by the Company without cause or by the executive for good reason, and in the case of Mr. Bower, if the executive’s employment was terminated by the Company without cause. Because we believe that a termination by an executive for good reason (or constructive termination) is conceptually the same as an actual termination by the Company without cause, we believe it is appropriate to provide severance benefits following such constructive termination of the executive’s employment. The level of severance benefits for our Chief Executive Officer differs from the other NEOs because of the scope

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and responsibility of the position and the competitive pay practices for the role. The NEOs’ severance benefits are generally the result of negotiations with the executive and set at levels we believe are reasonable and consistent with our objective of attracting and retaining team-oriented executives.

The NEOs’ employment agreements or employment letters, as applicable, are described in further detail in the narrative following the “Description of Employment Agreements — Cash Compensation” section and in the “Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control” section below.

Stock Ownership Guidelines for NEOs

We maintain ownership guidelines for our NEOs. Under the stock ownership guidelines:

Stock that counts towards satisfaction of the ownership guidelines (“Qualifying Shares”) includes:

All executive officers covered by these guidelines should satisfy the applicable share ownership guidelines within five years of first becoming subject to them. If a covered individual’s guideline level of ownership changes as a result of a change in position or compensation, the individual should satisfy the applicable guidelines within a five-year period beginning in January following the year of such change. Each of our NEOs has a period of time to satisfy the guidelines. Ms. Duchene satisfies the stock ownership guidelines that were applicable to her prior to her appointment as our CEO and has until January 2022 to satisfy the additional stock ownership guidelines applicable to the CEO. Mr. Mueller and Mr. Bower have until the end of 2021 to satisfy the stock ownership guidelines applicable to other NEOs. Likewise, Mr. Brackney has until April 2024 to satisfy the stock ownership guidelines. The table below shows the ownership of Qualifying Shares held by each of our NEOs as of the record date.

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Insider Trading Policy Summary

The Company’s directors, officers and employees worldwide annually acknowledge the Company’s Insider Trading Policy which advises that if the director, officer or employee is in possession of material, non-public information relating to Resources Connection, it is the Company’s policy that neither the director, officer or employee, nor any person related, may buy or sell securities of Resources Connection, Inc. or engage in any other action to take advantage of, or pass on to others, that information. This policy also applies to trading in the securities of any other company, including our customers or suppliers, if the director, officer or employee has material, non-public information about that company which was obtained in the course of his or her employment with the Company or Board membership.

Tax Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Federal income tax law generally disallows a tax deduction to publicly-held companies for compensation paid to a current or former NEO that exceeds $1 million during the tax year. Certain stock options granted by the Company before November 2, 2017, as well as certain amounts payable to former executives pursuant to a written binding contract that was in effect on November 2, 2017, may qualify for an exception to the $1 million deductibility limit. There can be no assurance that any compensation the Company intended to be deductible will in fact be deductible. Although the potential deductibility of compensation is one of the factors the Compensation Committee notes when designing the Company’s executive compensation program, the Compensation Committee has the flexibility to take any compensation-related actions it determines are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, including awarding compensation that will not be deductible for tax purposes.

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The following report of the Compensation Committee does not constitute soliciting material and shall not be deemed filed with the SEC under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or incorporated by reference in any document so filed.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the disclosures contained in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this Proxy Statement. Based upon this review and our discussions, the Compensation Committee has recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section be included in this Proxy Statement.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Jolene Sarkis, Chairperson

Neil Dimick

A. Robert Pisano

Michael Wargotz

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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

The Compensation Committee members whose names appear on the Compensation Committee Report above served as members of the Compensation Committee for all of fiscal 2019. No member of the Compensation Committee at any time during fiscal 2019 was an executive officer or employee of the Company during or prior to fiscal 2019 , or had any relationships requiring disclosure by the Company under the SEC’s rules requiring disclosure of certain relationships and related-party transactions. None of the Company’s executive officers served as a director or a member of the Compensation Committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity, the executive officers of which served as a director or member of the Compensation Committee during fiscal 2019.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES FOR FISCAL 2019

Summary Compensation Table — Fiscal 2017 — 2019

The following table presents information regarding compensation of our NEOs for services rendered during fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Unless otherwise noted, the footnote disclosures apply to fiscal 2019 compensation. For an explanation of the amounts included in the table for fiscal 2017 and 2018, please see the footnote disclosures in our Proxy Statement for the corresponding fiscal year.

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Description of Employment Agreements — Cash Compensation

We have entered into employment agreements or employment letter agreements with each of the NEOs. The salary and bonus terms of each agreement are briefly described below. Provisions of these agreements relating to outstanding equity incentive awards, if any, and post-termination of employment benefits are discussed below under the applicable sections of this Proxy Statement.

Kate W. Duchene.    On December 19, 2016, we entered into a new employment agreement with Ms. Duchene in connection with her appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer. The December 2016 agreement supersedes Ms. Duchene’s prior employment agreement with the Company dated as of July 17, 2008. The December 2016 agreement provides for a three-year term of employment commencing on December 19, 2016 and ending with the close of business on December 18, 2019, with the term automatically being extended for one year unless either party provides notice that the term will not be extended. The agreement provides for Ms. Duchene to receive an annualized base salary of $583,000, subject to annual review by the Board of Directors. Based on its review, the Board of Directors has the discretion to increase (but not reduce) the base salary each year. Ms. Duchene’s annual base salary was increased to $700,000 as of July 25, 2019. The agreement also provides for Ms. Duchene to participate in any annual incentive plans maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally, and that she will be eligible to receive equity award grants on such terms and conditions as determined from time to time by the Board. In addition, the agreement provides that Ms. Duchene is entitled to participate in any retirement, health and welfare and other fringe benefit plans and programs maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally.

Herbert M. Mueller.    On August 17, 2016, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Mueller. The agreement provided for a three-year term of employment commencing on August 29, 2016 and ending with the close of business on August 28, 2019, with the term automatically being extended for one year unless either party provides notice that the term will not be extended. The agreement provides for Mr. Mueller

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to receive an annualized base salary of $375,000, subject to annual review by the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee, based on the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer, has discretion to increase (but not reduce) the executive’s base salary each year. The agreement also provides for the executive to participate in any annual incentive plans maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally, and that he will be eligible to receive equity award grants on such terms and conditions as determined from time to time by the Board. In addition, the agreement provides that the executive is entitled to participate in any retirement, health and welfare and other fringe benefit plans and programs maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally. Mr. Mueller separated from employment with the Company effective as of August 14, 2019.

John D. Bower.    We entered into an employment letter with Mr. Bower effective August 29, 2016 which provided for an annualized base salary of $250,000. In February 2018, we entered into an amended employment letter agreement with Mr. Bower to provide for an increase in base salary effective as of September 10, 2017 to a new annualized base salary rate of $265,000, to provide that Mr. Bower would receive an annual automobile allowance of $15,000, and to provide that Mr. Bower will be eligible for annual incentives under the EIP effective as of Fiscal 2018. Mr. Bower retired as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer effective as of April 22, 2019 and retired from the Company effective as of May 18, 2019.

Timothy L. Brackney.    On April 3, 2019, we entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Brackney in connection with his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer. The April 2019 agreement supersedes Mr. Brackney’s prior employment agreement with the Company dated as of October 5, 2018. The April 2019 agreement provides for a three-year term of employment commencing on April 3, 2019 and ending with the close of business on April 2, 2022, with the term automatically being extended for one year unless either party provides notice that the term will not be extended. The agreement provides for Mr. Brackney to receive an annualized base salary of $500,000, subject to annual review by the Board of Directors. Based on its review, the Board of Directors has the discretion to increase (but not reduce) the base salary each year. The agreement also provides for Mr. Brackney to participate in any annual incentive plans maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally, and that he will be eligible to receive equity award grants on such terms and conditions as determined from time to time by the Board. In addition, the agreement provides that Mr. Brackney is entitled to participate in any retirement, health and welfare and other fringe benefit plans and programs maintained by the Company for its global senior management executives generally.

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal 2019

The following table presents information regarding (i) the stock options granted to NEOs in fiscal 2019, and (ii) potential threshold, target and maximum amounts payable under the NEOs’ annual incentive compensation opportunity under the EIP for fiscal 2019. The material terms of each of these compensation opportunities are described below and in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section above.

Description of Plan-Based Awards

For information on the stock options and non-equity incentive plan awards granted to our NEOs for fiscal 2019, please see the discussion in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section above under the heading “Elements of Pay for Named Executive Officers — “Long-Term Incentive Awards” and “Annual Incentive Compensation.” Also see the “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” section below for the consequences of certain change in control or other corporate transactions or certain terminations of employment with respect to these awards.

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2019 Year-End Table

The following table presents information regarding the outstanding equity awards held by each NEO as of May 25, 2019, the end of fiscal 2019.