Adam Lair oversees the firm's California practice with Suzanne Mellen, and is currently based in both San Francisco and New Orleans. Adam has been involved with appraisals and consulting for hotel and commercial real estate since 2002. The hundreds of assignments under his belt include existing and proposed properties throughout the United States. Adam oversees some of the firm's most complex consulting and valuation engagements. Adam excels at complex financial analyses for commercial real estate assets. His standout accomplishments at HVS include a feasibility study for a proposed full-service resort hotel outside of Atlanta and the appraisal of the Westin New Orleans Canal Place in the city’s historic French Quarter. Adam has also written on the post-Katrina, post-recession growth of the New Orleans hotel market. He graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University and studied under scholarship at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. He has also completed an advanced set of courses in the analysis and valuation of real estate through the Appraisal Institute. Adam holds the designation of MAI as a Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute and is a state-certified general appraiser.

Mr. Cordish has a B.A. and a Masters in Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. He has an LLB degree from the University of Maryland Law School and was on the Board of Editors of the Law Review. His career has included service in law, government, and commercial businesses. He served in both the Carter and Reagan Administrations as head of the Urban Development Action Grant Program.

Mr. Cordish has served on numerous national, state, and local boards, including professional, civic, and charitable. He has acted as a pro bono consultant to Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University Maryland, Stevenson University, and other non-profit entities. Mr. Cordish was the recipient of the Johns Hopkins Real Estate Program’s Leadership Award, the David M. Sampson Award by the Greater Baltimore Urban League, the Baltimore WaveMaker Lifetime Achievement Award by the Urban Land Institute, and the Daily Record’s Most Admired CEO Award. Mr. Cordish is the recipient of numerous other regional and national honors and awards.

Recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, R. Donahue (Don) Peebles Jr. is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation.

In an era where social responsibility and inclusion are often seen as buzz-phrases, Mr. Peebles is actively influencing change and creating opportunities that positively impact communities, through Real Estate investment and development. The Peebles Corporation is among the leading privately held real estate and development companies in the United States, with a multi-billion dollar project portfolio, spanning key markets in the nation including: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Washington D.C. Mr. Peebles and The Peebles Corporation's uniqueness is guided by the company’s own principles of Affirmative Development (TM) to empower women and minorities in closing the wealth gap – with the aim of developing not just land or buildings, but also opportunities for people.

Mr. Peebles is an industry leader in large scale real estate development through Public-Private Partnerships. Through construction excellence, sustainable materials, historic preservation and innovative design, every project is strategically selected to achieve transformative results for the company and community.

Mr. Peebles is an avid supporter of mentoring underprivileged youth to expose them to the value of entrepreneurship. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, is on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York, was a two-time former member of President Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee, and the former Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mr. Peebles is a frequent guest commentator on CNBC, CNN, FOX News and FOX Business Network. He has written two books entitled The Peebles Principles and The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth, which provide the fundamentals for individuals striving to succeed in real estate. The books articulate Mr. Peebles optimism and belief that everyone’s career goals are achievable. Growing up as a child raised by a single parent, in a middle-class home, to achieving multimillionaire status by the age 27, Mr. Peebles believes that dreams really can come true.

Leslie Hale has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2007, Executive Vice President of Real Estate & Finance since 2013 and Chief Operating Officer since 2016. Ms. Hale is responsible for all financial matters and daily operations across RLJ. She is intricately involved in the company’s investment decision-making and long-term strategic planning. In addition, Ms. Hale oversees the execution of all asset and corporate level transactions, investor relations, and the management of the Company’s Asset Management and Design and Construction functions.

Ms. Hale joined RLJ in 2005 as its Director of Real Estate and Finance, with responsibility for obtaining financing for all assets and managing the execution process for each financing and real estate transaction. She was promoted to Vice President in 2006 and her responsibilities were expanded to include all treasury functions. In this role, she successfully created and oversaw the portfolio management arm of RLJ. Prior to her tenure at RLJ, she held several positions within General Electric Capital Corp. (GE), including Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of GE Commercial Finance, and Associate Director in the GE Real Estate – Strategic Capital Group. Before GE, Ms. Hale was an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co., advising clients across industries on mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance matters. Prior to attending business school, Ms. Hale worked for GE Real Estate in both the Large Transactions Group and the European Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

Ms. Hale earned a BBA degree with a concentration in Finance from Howard University, graduating summa cum laude. Ms. Hale earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Goldman Sachs and Robert F. Toigo Fellow. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Macy’s, Inc. and as a trustee of Howard University.

Ron Pohl is Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Best Western® Hotels & Resorts. He joined the brand in 2007, serves on the company’s executive committee and leads the brand’s operations and development efforts for North America and Asia. Pohl’s responsibilities include key departments within the hotel company, including customer care, member services, revenue management, education and training, design, supply, and global quality assurance. He was instrumental in repositioning the three core brands, Best Western®, Best Western Plus® and Best Western Premier® as well as launching the newest brands: Vīb®, Glō® , BW Premier Collection® , Executive Residency by Best Western® and BW Signature CollectionSM by Best Western. Pohl also played a key role in launching the company’s newly launched franchise model – SureStay Hotel Group®.

Prior to joining Best Western, Pohl spent 25 years with Boykin Management Company and Marriott Corporation. With Boykin, he served in a number of senior-level positions in the areas of marketing, sales, and revenue management, and ultimately Senior Vice President of Operations. Pohl earned awards for sales leadership, website development, and outstanding customer service.

He currently serves on the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Board of Directors and previously served on the board of directors for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland.

Throughout his career, Pohl has earned a number of awards for sales leadership, website development, and outstanding customer service. In 2017, he was named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year – Large Companies category by the Best in Biz Awards. Judged by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America, Pohl received the award as result of his commitment to excellence, innovative vision, and investment in employees’ professional development. Pohl also received the prestigious American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute Arthur Landstreet Award in 2016.

Kathleen (Kat) Chiechi Flores, executive vice president at Trump Hotel Group, is

responsible for a variety of functions across the portfolio including Sales, Marketing,

Innovation, Branding and Communication. She is charged with driving the innovation

and evolution of products and services across the business and has been instrumental

in the launch of the Company’s recently announced 4-star brand SCION and 3-Star

brand American IDEA Hotels.

Flores joined Trump Hotels from The Assemblage, a hospitality concept blending social

clubs and innovative work environments, where she served as managing director.

There, she was responsible for the development and administration of the nascent

brand concept.

Previously, she served as chief administrative officer for Hampshire Hotels

Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where she was responsible for strategy and

performance management and the shared services of sales and marketing, revenue

management, e- commerce, information technology and human resources.

Prior to joining Hampshire, Flores was executive vice president of Human Resources

and Communication at Wyndham Hotel Group, charged with oversight of the

organization's global human resources strategy, including talent selection, talent

management, workforce planning and administration of more than 4,000 employees.

She also led the business’ global communication strategy.

In addition, she has held senior-level roles with WhiteFence, ZipRealty and Kaplan, Inc.

She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia School of

Business, a Master of Education degree from the University of San Francisco, and a

Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of California, Irvine. She is based in

New York City.

Mr. Trivedi joined La Quinta in 2000 and has served as the Company’s Executive Vice President since 2006 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer since 2009. Prior to joining us, from 1992 to 2000, Mr. Trivedi served as Vice President of Franchise Operations at Cendant Corporation and in a variety of key management roles in the hotel industry, including Cendant Corporation. Mr. Trivedi is active in numerous civic and industry organizations including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). Mr. Trivedi graduated from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda with an M.S. in Math and Business.

Ken Greene is President, Americas for Radisson Hotel Group

(formerly Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group). He responsible for

leading operations, development and technical services in the

Americas. Greene reports to John Kidd, Chief Executive Officer

and Chief Operating Officer, Radisson Hospitality, Inc.

In his role, Greene is focused on the performance, and

expansion of the Americas portfolio which includes over 700

hotels in operation and under development across the

company’s core brands: Radisson Blu ® , Radisson ® , Radisson

RED, Park Inn ® by Radisson, Park Plaza ® and Country Inn &

Suites ® by Radisson. In addition, he oversees the company’s

managed portfolio in the Americas, ensuring operational

excellence and optimizing performance.

Prior to joining Radisson Hotel Group, Greene was the Chief

Executive Officer of Greenehouse Consulting, a Toronto-based

start-up that provides management consulting and advisory

services on company strategy, branding, and real estate

transactions. Prior to that, he was the President and Chief

Executive Officer for Delta Hotels and Resorts, where he

transformed the company by repositioning it as a leader in the

Canadian upscale, full-service hotel segment.

From 2001-2012, Greene held various positions at Wyndham

Worldwide, including President and Managing Director, helping

to establish Wyndham’s Asia Pacific regional headquarters.

Jonathan P. Mehlman has served as a director of Hospitality Investors Trust, Inc. since March 2017, and also serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President. Previously, Mr. Mehlman served as executive vice president and chief investment officer of the Company from its formation in July 2013 until December 2014. Mr. Mehlman has 22 years of experience in the real estate investment banking and capital markets with significant focus in the hospitality sector. Within the real estate industry, Mr. Mehlman has acted as a Mergers and Acquisitions advisor, investment banker and lender and has many years of experience coordinating transaction activity for public and private global hotel brands and U.S. hotel REITs. From August 2012 until January 2013, Mr. Mehlman was co-head of the real estate advisory group at KPMG before joining AR Capital, LLC (“AR Capital”), the predecessor to AR Global Investments, LLC (“AR Global”), in January 2013 as an executive vice president and managing director. During his tenure as an executive officer of the Company until the Initial Closing in March 2017, when we transitioned to self-management, Mr. Mehlman also served in the same capacity as an executive officer of the Former Advisor and the Former Property Manager. From September 2009 through August 2011, Mr. Mehlman was co-head of the lodging and gaming investment banking business for Citadel Securities. From August 2008 to September 2009, Mr. Mehlman served as head of the real estate advisory group at HSBC. From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Mehlman led the hospitality investment banking effort for Citigroup Global Markets. From 1993 to 2005, he worked at Deutsche Bank Securities and its predecessor company, Bankers Trust Company, in the real estate investment banking group, specializing in the business development and client coverage within the hospitality sector and for real estate private equity sponsors. Mr. Mehlman received his bachelor of arts in history of art from the University of Michigan as well as a master in business administration with a focus in real estate and finance from the University of North Carolina.

Mr. Abdo is the CEO and President of Abdo Development, a District of Columbia development and construction company that has built its reputation as a pioneering, innovative developer of award-winning residential, commercial, hospitality and retail development. Founded by Mr. Abdo in 1996, the company has a strong philosophy in smart growth and adaptive reuse.

To date, the company has completed over thirty significant development projects, totaling nearly 1B dollars and approximately 2 million square feet, and has received critical acclaim from both the community and the press for its responsible approach to development and is considered a leader in the renewal of Washington’s historic districts.

Mr. Abdo currently sits on the board of the Institute of Current World Affairs, and is an Honorary Trustee of Arena Stage. He is also a former board member of The Bank of Georgetown, Fight for Children, DC Building Industry Association, The DC Preservation League, the DC Chamber of Commerce, The College of Wooster Alumni Board and others.

A long-time D.C. resident, Mr. Abdo also served as a board member and chair of the Development Committee for the Washington Convention & Sports Authority Board, which was responsible for the development of the $537 million convention center hotel.

Mr. Abdo has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Trendsetter of the Year, Washingtonian of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and CEO of the Year.

Maki Nakamura Bara, President & Co-Founder of The Chartres Lodging Group, LLC and Chairman of the Board for affiliated management company, Sightline Hospitality, is a leading expert in investing in and repositioning urban hotels and resorts. Since the formation of Chartres Lodging in 2002, she has acquired and repositioned approximately $5 billion of lodging assets in the U.S. and Japan and completed more than $1 billion in the redevelopment of these assets. In recognition of her extensive experience in the lodging sector, particularly in acquisitions, asset management, development management and her role in the growth of the two companies, Ms. Nakamura Bara was recognized as the top "40 Under 40" by M&A Advisor, received the ''Best Executive" Stevie Award for Women in Business, was named a "Woman of Influence” in commercial real estate by Real Estate Southern California magazine, was a three-time honoree of Bisnow’s Power Women LA and recently honored as one of Hotel Management’s 2021 Influential Women in Hospitality. She is also a frequent speaker at various industry conferences. Ms. Nakamura Bara’s previous experience includes participating in the formation and growth of the lodging activities of Lend Lease Real Estate and Strategic Hotel Capital. She has also worked at Oxford Capital Partners, Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers in the hospitality consulting division. Ms. Nakamura Bara is a graduate of UCLA and is fluent in spoken Japanese.

Mr. Brillembourg is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ experience specializing in developing

companies that take advantage of market opportunities in emerging technology, demographic and economic macro

trends. Since 1999 he has been Founder, Chairman and CEO of Brillembourg Holdings. After spending a decade in

tech startups and another decade with various hotel investments, he saw that with his four children becoming full

fledge millennials, consumption patterns of the millennial generation were going to fundamentally change the

hospitality and technology industry.

Brillembourg, is a holding company focused on the hospitality and technology fields, operates three divisions:

Brillembourg Hospitality: a private equity investor in digital native and millennial hospitality concepts.

Brillembourg Ventures: a venture capital investor in hospitality tech and fintech/Blockchain.

Brillembourg Capital: an advisory group focused in the convergence of hospitality and technology.

From 2006 to 2016, Brillembourg Hospitality (Bricapital) has acquired, invested and exited hotel properties across

six nations, including The Raleigh Hotel in South Beach, sold to SBE; the Isle de France Hotel in Saint Barths, sold to

LVMH; Cap Juluca Hotel in Anguilla sold to Belmond Hotels, and One Bal Harbour Hotel, which was sold to individual

investors. The existing hotel portfolio includes the Viceroy Hotel Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Currently, Mr. Brillembourg is launching The Loop Hotels, a new ventured-backed hospitality concept focusing on

the needs of millennials for fully experiential travel and an integrated tech experience, that includes actions sports,

e-sports and immersive experiences.

From 2001 to 2005, Brillembourg Ventures was a top investor in Emida Technologies, where Mr. Brillembourg was

founder and CEO. Emida is a Fintech processor of electronic mobile prepaid topup in Latin America and the Caribbean

with operations in 30 countries. In 2007, Emida merged with Debisys to form one of the largest country-footprint

prepaid network in the Americas. He has been a member of the Board and shareholder of Emida from 2005 to the

present. Currently, taking full advantage of his tech startup background, knowledge of the crypto community, and

hotel investing experience, he spent the past few years researching the creation of an upcoming holistic protocol

system to assist hotel owners with growth through crypto economic and blockchain models.

In 1995 to 2001, Brillembourg Capital, financed Mr. Brillembourg first company, CycleLogic, Inc., where he was

founder and CEO. CycleLogic, the largest provider of mobile Internet outsourcing services for operators throughout

Latin America. CycleLogic was acquired in September ‘99 by StarMedia Networks (a NYSE company), the largest

Internet media company in the Latin market at the time. He co-managed Starmedia Mobile until it was sold to

Bellsouth in 2001. Brillembourg Capital now advises multiple hospitality and tech oriented companies in the

Blockchain space.

Mr. Brillembourg is a member of the Babson College Advisory Board at Babson (Wellesley, MA), where he is a

Director of the SaludArte Foundation. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Babson.

Naveen Kakarla is the President and Chief Executive Officer and also on the Board of Directors

of HHM, which manages over 120 hotels in the Northeast, Florida, and California. These hotels

range from three to five star properties in urban and leisure resort destinations.

Naveen is responsible for HHM’s investment and fund management, acquisitions and

development, finance and accounting, human resources, and capital projects. He prior led

HHM’s New York City region and also oversaw its construction and technical services division.

Prior to joining Hersha in 2005, Naveen worked with a private equity firm and its portfolio

companies on early stage investments and "roll ups" in various industries. Naveen had been an

active real estate investor in the multifamily space prior to joining Hersha.

Outside the real estate sector, Naveen was previously a partner specializing in corporate and

securities law at the national law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C., and was previously associated

with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer Feld, LLP in Washington D.C. Naveen earned a Bachelor of Arts

from Austin College and a law degree from Cornell Law School.

Rob Palleschi is the Chief Executive Officer of G6

Hospitality, the parent company of the iconic

brands Motel 6 and Studio 6. Rob joined G6

Hospitality in February 2017 as the new Chief

Development Officer. In this role, Rob was

responsible for leading the strategic growth of

the enterprise’s franchise development group,

driving forward business partnerships, and

identifying ways to best leverage the company’s

successful domestic platform with international

growth. He successfully led G6 through

year-over-year growth within franchising and

also expansion into India.

A seasoned leader with more than 30 years of

experience in the hospitality and food &

beverage industries, Rob has a proven track

record of successfully developing and executing

global strategies that focused on revenue

growth, product quality and guest experience.

Prior to G6 Hospitality, Rob served as the Chief

Executive Officer of TGI Fridays and spent 12

years at Hilton Worldwide as global head of

full-service brands where he was responsible for

global growth and brand performance for Hilton,

DoubleTree, and Curio by Hilton brands.

A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Rob is

actively involved in key industry organizations,

including AAHOA and AHLA.

Danny Hughes is President of the Americas for Hilton and is based out of the company’s global

headquarters in McLean, Virginia.

In this role, Mr. Hughes is responsible for Hilton’s interests in the company’s largest region, spanning

more than 5,620 hotels, 16 brands, and 27 countries across North, Central and South America. He is

directly responsible for hotel operations and the coordination of functional leaders across

development, brand management, revenue generation, human resources, communications, finance

and owner relations in the region.

A 35-year hospitality industry veteran, Mr. Hughes has developed a deep knowledge of the region

and the business functions supporting it. His most recent role was SVP and Commercial Director in

the Americas, where he led more than 4,000 Team Members and drove growth for Hilton’s portfolio

of industry-leading brands. His leadership was central to strengthening the company’s revenue and

distribution strategies, while delivering outstanding experiences for Hilton’s guests.

Mr. Hughes also previously served as SVP, Caribbean and Latin America, where he was

responsible for the operations of all Hilton-managed properties throughout the region. He has

previously held the role of Area Vice President, Caribbean, Central America and Cancun, and

worked in several management positions with Hilton across the globe.

He currently serves on the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Board of Directors and

HotelPAC Advisory Committee, the D.C. Policy Center’s Board of Directors, and is a Corporate

Board Member for Jobs for America’s Graduates.

Mr. Hughes received a degree in Hotel and Food Services Management from Bournemouth

University in the United Kingdom. He currently resides in Vienna, Virginia.

Ian Carter is President, Global Development, Architecture, Design &

Construction for Hilton. Mr. Carter was Chief Executive Officer of Hilton

International prior to its re-acquisition by the company in 2006.

Prior to joining the company, Mr. Carter served as Officer and President of

Black & Decker Corporation, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. In this

role, he was responsible for all operations outside of the Americas. Prior to Black & Decker, Mr.

Carter spent more than a decade with General Electric Plastics, ultimately serving as President of

General Electric Specialty Chemical.

Mr. Carter serves on multiple boards and organizations including:

 Visit Florida – Member of the Board of Directors for the state’s official tourism marketing

corporation which serves as a key resource for travel planning to visitors across the globe.

 Boston University School of Hospitality Administration- Vice Chair of the Board of Advisors.

 Board of Burberry Group plc – Non-Executive Director of the FTSE 100 British luxury fashion

house, which manufactures clothing, fragrance and fashion accessories.

 Del Frisco Restaurant Group (DFRG) – Chairman of the Board. DFRG owns and operates

three contemporary, high-end, complementary restaurant concepts.

 Dame Maureen Thomas Foundation for Young People – President of this charitable trust that

raises funds to support young people in the areas of health and education across Europe.

Mr. Carter is a graduate of the University of West London, School of Business and Management,

and received an honorary doctorate from the University for his industry accomplishments and

ongoing support of the development of future hospitality leaders.

Michael is Founder, President & CEO of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, an award winning, nationally recognized operator specializing in full service upper upscale and luxury hotels, golf resorts, destination spas and distinguished restaurants. Crescent currently operates over 100 hotels and resorts and over 200 restaurants and bars in the U.S. and Canada. Crescent is one of the few elite management companies approved to operate full-service luxury brands under the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt affiliations. Crescent also operates a collection of iconic and lifestyle independent hotels and resorts within the Latitudes, Lifestyles by Crescent Collection. Crescent's clients include premier hotel REITs, private equity firms and major developers.

Prior to founding Crescent, Michael served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Destination Hotels & Resorts who operated signature assets including Hotel del Coronado, Eden Roc Resort and Royal Palms Resort & Spa. Prior to Destination, Michael served as Chief Operating Officer for Sunstone Hotel & Resorts and Senior Vice President of Operations for Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

Earlier in his career, Michael served as an award-winning General Manager for premier hotels with Hilton, Westin, and Sheraton brand affiliations. Michael serves on full-service Owners Advisory Boards for Marriott and Hilton, the Board of Directors of the American Hotel Lodging Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, numerous educational and philanthropic organizations and previously several publicly traded hotel companies.

Austin Flajser is in charge of day-to-day operations of The Carr Companies with over 40

executive suite, hotel, commercial and retail assets under management in 8 markets across

the country. These assets account for over $180M in annual operating revenue and over

$200M of new projects currently in the development pipeline. Austin received his Bachelor

of Science from Vanderbilt University, his Masters in Real Estate from Georgetown

University and his Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from

Cornell University.

Jennifer A. Dakin is a Senior Vice President and Team Leader in Wells Fargo Bank’s Hospitality Finance

Group in Washington, D.C. She has 19 years of lending experience in all property types of commercial

real estate and has focused primarily on the lodging space for the past nine years.

Ms. Dakin started her banking career in the Corporate Management Training program at KeyBank

National Association in 1997 and subsequently worked in various lines of business at KeyBank, including

mezzanine finance, structured finance and loan sales and syndication. In 2002, she moved to

Washington, D.C. to join the KeyBank Institutional Real Estate Finance Group where she provided

financing to REITS, opportunity funds and large private real estate companies in Washington,

Philadelphia and New York.

In 2004, Ms. Dakin joined the Wells Fargo Bank Real Estate Banking Group where she was a commercial

lender marketing all product types (office, industrial, retail, multi-family and hotels) and concentrated on

customers in the greater Washington D.C. area. In 2008, Ms. Dakin helped to establish Wells Fargo’s

Hospitality Finance Group and has primarily focused on East Coast customers. Since its formation, the

Wells Fargo Hospitality Finance Group has hired a team of over 50 professionals who currently manage

nearly an $11B in commercial loan portfolio. Her current customer base includes opportunity funds and

large private real estate companies that are headquartered on the East Coast.

Ms. Dakin was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She currently resides in Dupont Circle in

Washington, D.C.

Ms. Dakin received her B.A. in Economics in 1997 from Trinity College and an M.B.A., with a

concentration in Finance and International Management, in 2001 from Case Western Reserve University.

Michael (“Mike”) J. Deitemeyer serves as Interstate Hotels & Resorts’ president and chief executive officer, and is responsible for the Company’s overall performance, hotel operations, and global growth. With a history of success, he oversees our nearly 500-hotel portfolio spanning 92,700 rooms and 30,000 associates across 10 countries. In addition, he serves on our Board of Directors.

Prior to joining us in 2017, Mike was an executive with Omni Hotels, including being president for 13 years. He is a noted highly respected industry leader, including board-level membership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Global Hotel Alliance. Mike is known for his extensive experience and dedication to delivering superior quality, award-winning service, and exceptional guest experiences. He is committed to achieving world-class operational and financial successes.

Mike is a graduate of Fitchburg State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis in Accounting.

Corry Oakes is a Founding Partner, the President and Chief Executive Officer of OTO Development. He serves on the Franchise Advisory Council for Hyatt Place by Hyatt and is the President for the AC by Marriott Advisory Council. Mr. Oakes was previously the Chief Operating Officer and President of Extended Stay America, Inc, a NYSE listed lodging chain with 475 locations, representing three national brands in 42 states. Extended Stay America, Inc. was the fastest growing owner-operated hotel chain in lodging history prior to selling to Blackstone in 2004 for over $3.1 billion dollars. Mr. Oakes had responsibility for all aspects of the development and operation of the company.

John is the Founder, President and CEO of Oxford Capital Group, LLC, a national real estate investment and development firm focusing on large scale hospitality, mixed-use, senior housing, multifamily, urban retail, parking, and other operationally intensive forms of real estate. Oxford Hotels & Resorts, LLC, its wholly owned management affiliate, specializes in developing, operating and branding distinctive, high design lifestyle hotels, rooftops and other food & beverage venues around the country. Oxford, its affiliates and principals have been involved in approximately $3 billion of transactions, including approximately 13,000 hotel rooms. Noted national projects include Godfrey Hotel-Hollywood, Godfrey Hotel-Boston, Metropolitan Hotel and Lexington Hotel – New York City, National Conference Center-Lansdowne, VA, Residence Inn and Spring Hill Suites in Charleston, SC, and Godfrey Hotel & Cabanas-Tampa Bay. Included in his 17 Chicago area projects (13 of which are hotels) are the recently topped off 56 story Essex on the Park luxury apartment building, and his soon to open Hotel Julian-Millennium Park. Other Chicago projects include Langham Chicago, LondonHouse Chicago, Godfrey Chicago, Hotel Essex, Hotel Felix, Hotel Cass, Hotel Versey, Claridge House, Hyatt Magnificent Mile, Renaissance North Shore, Doubletree North Shore, and Hyatt House Northwest. Additional rooftop and food and beverage venues include IO, LH, SX-Sky Bar, ALK, WTR and Spa Boutique. John and/or Oxford have been nominated for and/or won numerous awards including: Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Arthur Rubloff Humanitarian Award, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Crain’s “40 under 40” and Who’s Who, Developer of the Year, Development of the Year, Redevelopment of the Year, National Hotel Transaction of the Year, Historic Redevelopment of the Year and the Top Hotel in the Continental US. He earned a BA from The University of Michigan and an MBA from University of Chicago. He also studied at Northwestern University, Harvard Business School (YPO’s Presidents’ Program) and Oxford University (Christ Church).

Asad Kazim joined UBS in 2010 and is currently a Managing

Director in the Real Estate, Lodging, and Leisure Group.

During his career at UBS, Mr. Kazim has completed over $50

billion in M&A, equity capital markets, and debt capital markets

transactions.

Prior to joining UBS, Asad was a Portfolio Manager and Global

Strategist at Deutsche Bank (RREEF). While at RREEF, Asad

participated in over $500bn of global capital raising in the real

estate, lodging and home building sectors.

Asad allocated in excess of $10bn of capital across the US, Asia,

Europe and Australia, investing in all sectors of real estate with a

top quartile performance track record.

Mari Balestrazzi is Vice President of Americas Design Services for Hyatt Hotels Corporation where she

oversees design for Hyatt's portfolio of full service brands. Prior to her role at Hyatt, Mari was Senior

Vice President of Design at Morgans Hotel Group where she was responsible for overseeing all design for

the company. Previously, Mari was Director of Design for St. Regis Hotels at Starwood Hotels and Resorts

and Studio Director for Aero Studios Limited in New York City where she oversaw new construction and

renovation projects for both private residences and commercial projects, including 60 Thompson and

Giorgio Armani’s private residence in New York.

Gary Sims joined RLH Corporation in 2018 as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating

Officer overseeing all franchise operations, sales, hotel management and human resources.

Sims has over 30 years of experience with notable brands around the globe including over ten

years of franchise and management sales experience at Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Prior to joining RLH Corporation Sims was managing director at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in

southern California, a 650-room luxury golf resort with two 18-hole golf courses, 40,000 square

foot spa, 17 court tennis center and 120,000 square feet of meeting space. He led all operations

and strategy for the resort, driving incremental revenue and exceptional service.

Prior to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Sims served as senior vice president of operations for

Pyramid Hotel Group since 2013. There, he oversaw 12 hotels and resorts across the United

States and Caribbean, providing operational support, owner relations, capital planning, sales

and marketing.

Sims also served as area managing director, Las Vegas for Hilton Hotels Worldwide. In his role,

he was directly responsible for all Hilton managed properties in Las Vegas consisting of five

properties and 3,800 rooms. He also managed the La Quinta Resort and PGA West, an 800

room Resort in La Quinta California. Sims has additionally held senior positions at Nikki Beach

Hotels and Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts, working in brand development and

negotiating management and franchise agreements throughout the world.

Chuck Lathem, equity owner and Managing Director, is the head of Clarion Partners’ Hospitality Investments Group. He is responsible for the oversight of the firm’s portfolio of investments in the hospitality sector; and also managing relationships with hotel operators and partners. During the course of his career, he has completed the acquisition and/or development of hotels totaling more than $3.5 billion, including $1.5 billion since joining Clarion Partners. His prior real estate investment management experience includes managing and restructuring the Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ $2 billion real estate portfolio. Chuck joined Clarion Partners in 2006 and began his career in the real estate industry in 1981. He is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association and the Hospitality Asset Managers Association.

Rani oversees Virgin Hotels growth in North America and works closely with capital partners and strategic investors to increase management agreements and equity positions for new and existing properties.

Rani was most recently the Principal at Cedar Funds, a New York City based hotel and real estate development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel assets. Prior to launching Cedar Funds, he worked in key positions in the hotel and real estate industries for over 19 years. He was regional Director of Development MEA, with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he was responsible for actively expanding IHG’s premier hotel brands, including InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, and Holiday Inn. In this position, he oversaw and contributed to the growth of 19 hotels worth over $1.8 B in real estate value. Prior to IHG, Mr. Gharbié worked for Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised key clients on real estate investment and development projects valued at $4.2 B.

Rani is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Master in Real Estate program in New York. He holds a Master degree from that program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montréal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

David started his ground-up career holding various positions for hospitality giants, Hilton and

Marriott in his native U.K. before taking his first General Manager position in 2001 for Thistle

Hotels. Three years later, David was recruited by then Ian Schrager Hotels as General Manager

of St Martins Lane in London. Quickly thereafter in 2004, David was promoted to Regional Vice

President for Europe overseeing both Sanderson and St Martins Lane where he successfully

worked on repositioning Sanderson as a market leader. In just two years the hotel was voted

“2006 hippest hotel in Europe” by TripAdvisor readers and travel experts, while Travel Weekly

pronounced it one of the coolest brands in the UK.

David’s successful work in London led to his promotion to Senior Vice President of Operations

at the corporate offices in New York. In this position, he oversaw the day-to-day operations for

eleven Morgans Hotel Group properties comprised of 3073 rooms. In 2009, David assumed the

role of Managing Director at The Ian Schrager Company. Working directly with Ian, David

developed the operational structure for two new brand concepts and oversaw the sale and

handover of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York.

Most recently David was the Chief Operating Officer for Andre Balazs Properties, a position he

held from 2011-2014. Aside from directly supporting the company’s founder Andre Balazs, he

oversaw the management of nine uniquely positioned hotels including the Standard brand and

the iconic Mercer in New York, Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and opened the highly-

acclaimed Firehouse in London.

In 2014 David launched Salt Hotels with his partner Kevin O’Shea and is currently The Chief

Executive overseeing the 4 hotels located in Provincetown - Cape Cod, Shelter Island - New

York and Asbury Park – New Jersey. Salt Hotels has a further 3 hotels under development.

Salt’s properties have received worldwide critical acclaim from leading travel experts and

publications including; Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List, The World’s Greatest Hotels, Boston

Magazine “Best of Boston” Travel and Leisure IT List, USA Today best new Hotel in America..

In 2016 David entered a Joint Venture with Williams Sonoma Inc. to form west elm Hotels.

David is a principal of the company and is responsible for Culture, Employee & Guest

Experience and works hand in hand with the west elm design team to create unique hotel

experiences in each location. west elm Hotels currently have 5 hotels in development in Detroit,

Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Charlotte and Portland ME.

Michael L. Blank is a Principal at Woodmont Lodging. Mr. Blank has over 20 years of lodging industry experience including real estate investments, capital markets, hospitality and tourism consulting and hotel operations.

Prior to co-founding Woodmont Lodging in 2015, Mr. Blank was an executive at RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE: RLJ) where he had portfolio analysis, transaction, and corporate finance responsibilities. Most recently, Mr. Blank managed the company's Business Intelligence function, which was responsible for portfolio data analysis.

During his tenure at RLJ, Mr. Blank formalized and expanded RLJ’s business analytic function, enhancing the data collection and reporting processes of over 125 hotels and 16 different management companies. Mr. Blank also held positions in Asset Management with oversight of a portfolio of focused-service Marriott and Hilton branded hotels and in Investment and Portfolio Analysis underwriting over $2.4 billion in potential lodging transactions. Additionally, he managed the successful closing of multiple acquisitions and dispositions.

Prior to joining RLJ in 2010, Mr. Blank worked in acquisitions and dispositions at Host Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HST) and in equity research at FBR Capital Markets covering publicly-traded lodging REITs. Mr. Blank also had roles at PKF Consulting and at the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel.

Mr. Blank earned his undergraduate degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and earned his MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Mr. Blank has served as a guest lecturer at both Georgetown University and American University.

Cindy’s career began in corporate marketing and senior operations roles for Hilton International. After starting up the data mining and analytics firm, Driving Revenue, and selling it to Pegasus Solutions, Cindy spent twelve years as managing partner of The Estis Group providing strategic marketing consulting to the hospitality industry. Co-author of the 2012 Distribution Channel Analysis: A Guide for Hotels and over a dozen other industry publications on the topic of marketing technology, Cindy has been honored as one of the 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing, was inducted into the prestigious Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame and named as one of Cornell University’s 90 Influential Hotelies. She is currently a member of the HITEC Advisory Council, the HSMAI Foundation Board of Trustees, leads the AH&LA Consumer Innovation Forum and the HSMAI Resort Best Practices Initiative and holds a board seat for The Knowland Group. She launched Kalibri Labs in 2012 offering the hospitality industry data analytics to evaluate net revenue performance and manage the rising cost of customer acquisition. Cindy holds a BS degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and an MBA from The American University.

Cindy's favorite travel memory was watching the majesty of ostriches race across the savanna in Kenya. Cindy’s favorite quote: “Discovery consists of seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi.

With the guiding mantra of “beautiful design is good business,” Roger co-founded The Gettys Group with Andrew Fay in 1988. He now leads the development strategy and analysis for this award-winning and influential global hospitality design, procurement, branding and consulting firm.

A true hospitality visionary, Roger’s vision and forward-thinking approach has grown The Gettys Group into a global company with six offices in the U.S., Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He frequently shares his industry insights on the redevelopment, renovation and repositioning of hotels for various publications and organizations.

A graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Roger’s vast knowledge, combined with his civic work with such groups as the Urban Land Institute, the International Society for Hospitality Consultants and the White House Conference Delegate for Small Business, has earned him Hospitality Design Magazine’s prestigious Platinum Circle Award, an honor widely recognized for praising exceptional achievement in the hospitality design industry.

Jason Fudin is the CEO and Co-founder of the hospitality living platform, Placemakr. He is a well-

respected entrepreneur in the industries of real estate, hospitality, travel, and business. Before co-

founding Placemakr, Jason was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Vornado Realty Trust. At

Vornado, Jason worked on large asset repositioning and developing innovative commercial real estate

concepts for the organization. Over his career at Vornado, Jason has managed commercial real estate

development projects valued at over $2 billion.

Fueled by a desire for disruption, Jason co-founded Placemakr, an innovative, venture-backed, tech-

enabled real estate company. Here Jason has emerged as a pioneer in the urban, high-rise real estate

space, raising over $350M in capital to develop his vision of a flexible real estate model, one that blends

multifamily and hospitality use into one property.  Throughout his career, Jason has become a voice for

change in the real estate sector, often turning to his vision of the future in institutional real estate

development and investment, proptech, alternative lodging, homes, and hospitality space.

Fran Taloricco started in hotel operations after graduating from Penn State (B.S. – Economics)

in May of 1991 joining Coakley & Williams, a Washington DC based hotel Management

Company. Fran served as a Director of Sales for a 171 room hotel in suburban Philadelphia for

2 years.

In 1993, he then joined HFS (Hospitality Franchise Systems), today known as Wyndham Hotels

in the capacity of Director of Franchise Sales representing the Ramada, Days Inn and Howard

Johnson brands in the Mid-Atlantic area of the US.

In 1995, he joined Choice Hotels International as a Director of Franchise Sales representing the

Clarion, Quality Inn, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands in the Mid-Atlantic US. In 2001, he

was promoted to Regional Vice President of Franchise Sales overseeing the Northeastern and

Mid-Atlantic US sales teams.

In 2013, he joined Roedel Companies, a hotel specific construction and ownership group as Vice

President of Development assisting the principals in acquiring hotels and soliciting hotel

projects for renovation and construction.

In 2014, he was recruited by Best Western to join their North American Development Team and

in 2 and a half years, closed 37 hotel contracts. In the Summer of 2017, he was promoted to

Managing Director for the East Coast and now manages the 8 person staff that covers the

Eastern US and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

Additionally, he started a bicycle shop in the fall of 2011 that today now employs 6 people and

has annual sales of over a million dollars. His business has been named the top bicycle retailer

in Bucks County 5 consecutive years. In 2017, he was recognized by the regional newspaper

(Daily Intelligencer) as one of the most influential local business leaders for the year.

Simon combines more than 30 years of communications expertise with a focus on providing business guidance for clients. He has worked on a bewilderingly wide range of clients in the U.S., Europe and globally in categories including hospitality, real estate, travel, and food and beverage. Simon brings knowledge and inspiration from various disciplines to bring innovation to destination brands – CO OP’s unique strategic approach to brand creation.

As Partner and Chief Innovation Officer, Simon is charged with executive oversight for strategic deliverables on all projects. At CO OP he has been the lead behind nearly every hospitality project, working on rationalizing global brands and creating innovative local hero brands.

Simon began his career in advertising in London where he was responsible for a bewildering range of projects from Nestle’s beverage NPD program to globalizing Viagra, from creating new beer brands to reviving traditional fashion companies, from exotic destinations to pragmatic car rental services.

In every category, Simon seeks to unlock the full potential of brands by identifying opportunities others overlook.

Greg O’Stean is the Chief Development Officer - North America for Interstate Hotels &

Resorts. Greg is responsible for driving overall business growth across North America. Prior to

joining Interstate, Greg held executive roles with Loews Hotels, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group,

Piper Jaffray, GE Capital, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Greg is a proven hotel industry

leader, with a rich history of delivering exceptional results and leading teams to achieve

extraordinary growth.

A global leader in third-party hotel management, Interstate Hotels & Resorts’ depth of

experience across all lodging segments and asset classes drives results in each of its managed

hotels worldwide. For more information on Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit

www.InterstateHotels.com.

Matt Wexler is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Foxhall Partners. Mr. Wexler oversees Foxhall's acquisition activities, asset management, community & neighborhood partnerships and debt and equity relationships. Mr. Wexler has over fifteen years of experience in commercial real estate acquisitions, joint ventures and mixed-use development in the Washington, DC market.

Previously, Mr. Wexler was Vice President of Investments at the Bethesda, MD office of CIM Group. Mr. Wexler also served as a Senior Investment Analyst for The JBG Companies, a Chevy Chase, MD-based development firm, where he started his career in commercial real estate.

Matt is a member of the D.C. Real Estate Group and the Urban Land Institute, which has invited him to speak at its fall annual meeting, its capital markets interchange and a panel on Adams Morgan neighborhood investment. He is also a board member of the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District as well as the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management alumni club of Washington. Mr. Wexler holds a B.A., graduating Magna Cum Laude and with distinction, from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in Real Estate and Finance from the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management.

Dilip Petigara serves as chief executive officer. He has more than 23 years of experience in both the hospitality and finance industries. Petigara joined Access Point Financial from a real estate and capital advisory service firm which focused on hospitality. Prior to his advisory role, he served as senior vice president of Specialty Finance Group (SFG). His responsibilities included management of loan operations, internal credit approval, closing/funding and asset management with specific focus on support to participations, syndications and reporting to warehouse lenders. Prior to SFG, Petigara served as assistant vice president and senior underwriter at GMAC Commercial Mortgage – Asset Backed Lending Division.

Petigara has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Temple University, a Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law and a Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the University of Miami – School of Law.

Will Obeid is VP & Head of Hospitality at Kushner Companies. In this role, Mr. Obeid pursues hotel

acquisition and development opportunities in urban and leisure markets across the United States. Prior

to joining Kushner, Mr. Obeid was President & CEO of Gemini Real Estate Advisors LLC. At Gemini, Mr.

Obeid grew the company’s portfolio to include $1.5 billion of assets in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Gemini’s hospitality assets included full-service, upper-upscale, and select-service hotels in New York

City, Boston, and Miami Beach. Mr. Obeid also created and launched two original boutique hotel brands

– The Gem and The Jade. Earlier in his career, Mr. Obeid worked as an investment banker at CitiGroup

Smith Barney, and The Blackstone Group. Mr. Obeid graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in

Economics from the University of Michigan.

Steve joined Friedlander Misler in 2016. He has more than thirty years of experience representing clients in connection with sophisticated commercial transactions with an emphasis in hospitality, real estate and finance. Steve was in-house counsel for Marriott International, Inc. for five years where he represented the hotel operations group for two years and the hotel development group for three years. During his time at Marriott, Steve was the lead attorney in connection with nearly one hundred hotel acquisition projects, specializing in select service transactions. In addition, Steve handled all of the legal work in connection with the creation of Marriott’s frequent traveler program, drafted the revised version of the Marriott hotel franchise agreement and negotiated all of the Marriott Hotel telecommunication and computer acquisition agreements. Steve also negotiated numerous hotel management agreements for both Marriott full service and limited service hotels.

After joining three of Washington, DC’s most respected law firms, Steve formed his own law firm and established a residential real estate settlement company, which has been consistently ranked as one of the top five settlement companies in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia area. He specializes in complex transactions and crafting creative solutions to difficult problems. He represents real estate developers, lenders, hotel developers and management companies and is recognized for his negotiation of hotel and restaurant franchise and management agreements. In addition, Steve drafts and negotiates joint venture and operating agreements for diverse ownership structures. He also negotiates debt, preferred equity and mezzanine finance agreements in an array of real estate and hotel transactions.

Steve has spoken at various conferences regarding hotel transactions, franchise agreements and management agreements. He has guest lectured on the topic of distressed hotel properties at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Steve served as a board of director member for the Washington Hebrew Home. He has been actively involved with the Winston Churchill High School PTSA. Steve also coached basketball for several select youth teams.

Mark Lomanno is a Partner and Senior Advisor for Kalibri Labs, a hospitality data analytics company that focuses on helping hotels improve profit contribution by evaluating performance based on revenue net of customer acquisition costs. In addition he advises several start-up and investment companies in the hospitality and data space, including Duetto Research, Aspire Marketing, Venturism and FireLight Camps, where he also sits on the Board of Directors. In that role he takes an active role in helping to shape the respective company’s strategic direction, creating and enhancing new research solutions and building relationships with hospitality brands, owners and operators.

Lomanno is the former President and CEO of Smith Travel Research (STR), the hotel industry’s global lodging authority on current trends in hotel supply, demand, occupancy, average room rates and RevPar. Under Lomanno’s leadership, the number of hotels sending performance data to and subscribing to the various STR product offerings grew to tens of thousands of hotels globally, representing over 5 million hotel rooms. During his tenure, STR and STR Global became the world’s foremost and most reliable and accurate sources of historical lodging performance trends, global hotel census databases and hotel development and construction databases.

In 2011, Lomanno co-authored “Distribution Channel Analysis: A Guide for Hotels”, which is believed to be the most comprehensive study on the lodging industry’s on-line environment. This study was the culmination of research on distribution practices, the distribution landscape and hotel performance based on booking channel mix. Specific attention was focused on various aspects of hotel Internet bookings including rooms booked through the various OTC sites. In addition, the study also focused on the nature of the search process that consumers undertake prior to booking hotel rooms, and the price they pay for the room. Prior to distribution, study results were delivered at two leading hotel industry conferences, The International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show (“IHMRS”) held in New York, NY in November 2011 and the Americas Lodging and Investment Summit, held in Los Angeles, CA. in January 2012. Thereafter, over 20,000 copies of the over 200 page report were downloaded in the first 2 weeks of availability.

Mr. Lomanno serves on the advisory board of The School of Tourism & Hospitality Management at Temple University, where he also teaches a graduate level course entitled “New media and Distribution”. In addition, he serves on the advisory board of The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, The School of Hospitality at The Pennsylvania State University, and University of Delaware’s school Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. Mr. Lomanno is a named Research Fellow at Cornell University, an active member in the Hotel Development Council of the Urban Land Institute and is a named Conti Professor at Pennsylvania State University. Because of his in-depth understanding and knowledge of current industry issues Mr. Lomanno is asked to give numerous speeches at industry conferences, industry seminars and company meetings throughout the year.

Mr. Lomanno holds an MS degree in Marketing from LaSalle University and an MBA from Temple University. He lives in Cape May, NJ with his wife and is an avid Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies fan.

Mark’s favorite quote: “Well done is always more important than well said” - unknown

Her real love for hospitality design and her passion to create fabulous yet functional spaces was the true motivator to establish RD Jones & Associates in 1996. Rebecca has more than 30 years of specialized experience in Hospitality, restaurant and multifamily interior architecture and design. A true Texan at heart, she received her BFA degree from Texas Tech University and studied at Parsons School of Design in NYC. She spent 12 years working in New York with a sole focus on Hospitality before starting her name sake firm. As owner and principal of the firm, she continues to set the design direction and tone for all interior projects. Her experience in all types of renovation and new construction influences not only the creative process but the functional and operational process which she believes are the essential foundations of good design. Rebecca strives to create cutting edge design that is timeless. She has chosen for the firm to be sized appropriately so she can maintain her hands on style in oversight and development of RDJA projects. Her personal attention allows the firm to retain the high level of design and detail that the company is noted for. Rebecca desires to individually craft each environment, creating captivating architecture and décor. Most important to RDJA¹s mission is to create value for each project, embrace the clients needs, adhere to the projects budgetary constraints and build long term working relationships.

Marc Magazine’s hotel experience began when his family owned the renowned Hay Adams Hotel in

Washington, DC. As General Manager Marc had the hotel accepted into The Leading Hotels of the

World. His hospitality experience includes economic and market-based consulting, financing, investment

analysis, venture structuring, management selection, contract negotiation and strategic planning. Before

joining Savills to lead its hospitality practice in the US, Marc was a Principal of Humboldt Hospitality

Advisors, LLC, a full service hospitality company he co-founded with Tom Baker and Justin Magazine.

Before Humboldt, Marc was Senior Vice President with CBRE and led its Hotel Practice in the Mid-

Atlantic region.

Marc has had a lead role in over $4.5 billion in hotel transactions involving properties throughout the US,

Canada and the Caribbean. Marc is known for his creativity and ability of structuring highly complicated

transactions. Marc and his team recently sold a three property portfolio in Washington DC to three

separate buyers. He is Past President of Big Brothers of the National Capital Area and is currently on the

Board of Trustees for The National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO. He is also on the advisory board for

the University Of Denver’s Hotel School. Marc was previously a Faculty member of Georgetown

University for their Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate where he taught Hotel Valuation.

Corey Wilk is a real estate lawyer with significant experience serving clients in the hospitality and retail industries. He has significant experience related to the acquisition, disposition, financing and leasing of property, and he frequently provides counsel related to liquor licensing, hotel management agreements and hotel franchise agreements. Chambers USA sources are impressed, stating that Corey is a “highly rated new partner” and has done “impressive work with investors and management companies and also advises on retail and restaurant-related commercial and real estate transactions.” Corey has also been recognized in the nationwide Chambers rankings in the Leisure & Hospitality Field annually between 2013 and 2016.

Kimberly Wachen is a Partner with the law firm of Arent Fox Schiff and co-chair of AFS’s

hospitality group. Kimberly finds creative solutions to complex problems to benefit her

clients and close transactions efficiently. She is recognized as one of the top real estate

lawyers in the country by Chambers USA, Legal 500, Super Lawyers, American Lawyer,

Washingtonian Magazine and other leading industry publications. She represents hotel

owners on the development, purchase, sale, management, franchising and financing of

hotels and mixed-use projects located throughout the United States. She is particularly

skilled in negotiating joint venture agreements and financing arrangements, including

acquisition, construction and mezzanine loans, and take-out financing, for large real

estate projects. As a result of representing franchisors, hotel owners and hotel

operators, Kimberly is better able to anticipate issues and suggest practical resolutions

of solutions when negotiating hotel transactional documents.

Daniel H. Lesser brings more than 30 years of expertise in a wide range of hospitality operational, investment counseling, valuation, advisory, and transactional services. He provides services to corporate, institutional, and individual clients as well as public agencies on all facets of hospitality real estate including: litigation support and expert testimony, site evaluation, highest and best use analysis, appraisals for mortgage, acquisition, and portfolio management, workout strategies, operational analysis, property tax assessment appeal evaluations, economic impact studies, deal structuring, and fairness opinions. Mr. Lesser is a leading authority on hotel feasibility and valuation, and is highly sought after to speak at lodging and real estate events, as well as lectures at prestigious institutions of higher education, including Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University. He is widely published and quoted, and serves as a quarterly columnist for HotelNewsNow.com and GlobeSt.com. Most recently, Mr. Lesser created and served as the Senior Managing Director - Industry Leader of the Hospitality & Gaming Valuation Advisory Services Group at CB Richard Ellis Hotels (CBRE). Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Lesser founded and led the Hospitality & Gaming Group at Cushman & Wakefield and was a founding member of the team at HVS International. Mr. Lesser has also held operational and administrative positions with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Eurotels - Switzerland. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, and also attended the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland and Baruch College - City University of New York. Mr. Lesser holds the following professional designations: MAI (Member of the Appraisal Institute), FRICS (Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), CRE (Counselor of Real Estate), and CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator). Mr. Lesser is a member of and has served on numerous committees for the Counselors of Real Estate, the Appraisal Institute, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Board of Directors of the New York City Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society. He is a former Advisory Board member and member of the Fundraising Subcommittee for the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Mr. Lesser is a founding member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC), the hotel industry “think tank.” Furthermore, Mr. Lesser served as an Honorary Committee Member of the annual UJA - Federation New York Hotel & Hospitality Division Dinner, and is a member of the AIPAC Real Estate Division.

Gary Magenta is passionate about helping leaders and organizations

transform their business, change how they engage their people, and deliver

exceptional results.

Gary is the Chief Change Architect of Root Inc., a consulting company

that helps organizations execute their strategy through people. During his

17 years at Root, Gary has partnered with CEOs and executive teams at

Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations throughout North America and

Europe, bringing a holistic view of their businesses, their people, and the

customers they serve.

Whatever the challenge, Gary brings more than 30 years of business

experience to every project, supported by a realistic outlook, a durable

“street sense” for creating results, and a sense of humor that puts things

into perspective.

Gary is the author of 720 Haircuts — Creating Customer Loyalty that Lasts

a Lifetime and The Un-Bossy Boss, and is the host of the video talk show

series, The Pot Stirrer. He is a frequent speaker at client events, industry

conferences, and business strategy and human resources seminars. He has

been recognized with a Stevie American Business Award for Executive of

the Year.

Gary lives in Chicago, Illinois, and Fort Myers Beach, Florida, with his wife

and has two grown sons. He is a Google fanatic and an unapologetic reality

show junkie.

Real estate attorney Tara Gorman represents sellers, owners and licensors in the acquisition, disposition, finance, development, management and leasing of major hospitality, resort and commercial properties. Her property deal portfolio includes domestic and international hotels, office buildings, condo-hotels, water parks, casinos, restaurants and retail stores. Additional areas of practice depth include telecommunications and finance.

In her counsel, Tara leads clients through the many agreements covering the operations, sales and acquisitions that keep her clients competitive. These range from numerous management and licensing and branding agreements to website service, telecom licensing and lease agreements.

Tara is a Professor in Residence with the Hospitality and Tourism Law Program at American University Washington College of Law and serves on the advisory board of Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. She frequently speaks and writes on emerging real estate issues, including on brand standards in hotel management agreements and best practices in hotel sale negotiations.