EJF ACQUISITION CORP - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Independent Director
• Leader
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Chief Executive Officer of the BitFury Group

Brian is a globally recognized leader in financial technology and financial services. Mr. Brooks has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the BitFury Group since November 2021. From June 2021 to August 2021, Mr. Brooks served as the Chief Executive Officer of Binance.US, a leading United States-based digital asset marketplace and one of the world's largest and most innovative crypto platforms. Prior to joining Binance.US in May 2021, Mr. Brooks served as Acting U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, where he was the administrator of the federal banking system and the chief executive of the 3,500-employee federal agency responsible for chartering and supervising banks comprising 70 percent of all banking activity in the United States. Brian was often referred to as the "first fintech Comptroller" and "CryptoComptroller" for his focus on financial innovation. Recognized by Crunchbase as one of the top 10 influencers globally, Brian was called "the most transformative Comptroller in recent history" (Consumer Bankers Association), a "forward-looking visionary" (CoinDesk), and "one of the most creative thinkers ever to lead a regulatory agency" (LendIt Academy). Mr. Brooks's background before leading the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency included serving as Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase, the largest digital asset exchange in the United States; executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Fannie Mae, the $3.2 trillion housing finance giant; vice chairman of OneWest Bank, the turnaround vehicle organized by then-future Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to acquire Indymac Bank and other financial crisis-era bank failures; and Washington, D.C. managing partner of global law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP. Mr. Brooks' other board services include: a director of Springcoin, Inc., a blockchain-enabled digital credit bureau; a director of Interfirst Mortgage, a Chicago-based mortgage originator; and a director of Valor Latitute Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company focused on Latin American fintech opportunities. Mr. Brooks previously served as a director of the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), a $3.2 trillion asset public company that is the world's largest investor in a single-family and multifamily mortgage assets. He also previously served as a director of Avant Holding Company, Inc., a marketplace lending and loan origination technology platform. He has also been an advisor to and/or early-stage investor in EarnUp, TextIQ, FlyHomes, and other technology companies. He holds an A.B. cum laude from Harvard University and a J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago.

Job Titles:

• Independent Director
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Senior Advisor of the Carlyle Group

Campbell ("Cam") R. Dyer is currently a Senior Advisor of The Carlyle Group ("Carlyle"), which he joined in July 2002 and where he was previously the Global Co-Head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications and Business Services Sector. Mr. Dyer currently serves on the boards of ProKarma, Inc., a portfolio company of Carlyle where he was the Chair of the Compensation Committee from October 2016 to January 2021, APC Workforce Solutions, LLC, a portfolio company of Carlyle where he was the Chair of Compensation Committee from August 2017 to January 2021, and Cadence Rx, a pharmacy benefit management services technology platform. Mr. Dyer also serves on the Advisory Boards of Crosslake Technologies, a leading provider of tech due diligence and advisory services to private equity firms and their portfolio companies, and WSC & Company, a private investment firm focused on acquiring businesses through the traditional search fund model. Mr. Dyer recently served on the boards of ION Group, Dealogic, and CommScope Holding Company, Inc. Prior to joining Carlyle in 2002, Mr. Dyer worked at Bain & Company and Bowles Hollowell Connor & Co. Mr. Dyer received his BS from Washington & Lee University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• President and Chief Executive Officer of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

Colvin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the nation's first community development corporation. He has led the successful resurgence of Restoration, which serves over 50,000 people annually through its programs, events and facilities. Restoration Plaza serves as Central Brooklyn's town square receiving more than 1.5 million visits annually. Restoration has attracted over $650 million to the community, assisted over 25,000 job seekers secure employment, provided financial coaching to more than 8,000 households, and developed over 2,000 units of affordable housing. Under Colvin's leadership, Restoration has adopted a new strategic direction focused on disrupting and closing the racial wealth gap. Restoration has also expanded community programming by deepening the organization's capacities and outcomes related to health, arts and culture, workforce development, financial counseling and coaching, and mixed income housing development. Prior to joining Restoration, Colvin served as the founding president and chief executive officer of Bridge Street Development Corporation, a community development corporation affiliated with Bridge Street AWME Church. Colvin launched Bridge Street's programs focused on promoting homeownership, technology education and entrepreneurship. Before embarking on his career in community development, he practiced law for over 17 years primarily as a litigation attorney in the public and private sectors, including the United States Department of Justice, Verizon, and the New York City Corporation Counsel. Colvin earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Colvin is Chair of Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center, Inc. which serves more than 350 youngsters, and is a member of the boards of directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carver Federal Savings Bank, New York City Workforce Investment Board, Center for New York City Neighborhoods (CNYCN), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He recently served as a member of the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform. He has also served on advisory boards for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and several financial institutions.

Job Titles:

• Chief Accounting Officer
• Member of the Executive Team
• Secretary
• Chief Accounting Officer, EJF Acquisition Corp. Chief Financial Officer, EJF Capital LLC

Erika Gray serves as our Chief Accounting Officer and Secretary. Ms. Gray joined EJF in 2018 and currently serves as EJF's Chief Financial Officer and is a member of the Executive Committee. Ms. Gray joined EJF from Ernst & Young where she worked eight years in the Financial Services Audit practice. Ms. Gray graduated from Wake Forest University with a BS and MS in Accounting.

Job Titles:

• Managing Director
• Member of the Investment Team

Ms. Ceresini joined EJF in 2013 and is responsible for the structuring, execution and monitoring of EJF's private bank debt investments as well as the implementation of equity financings for bank issuers. In addition, she leads the execution of EJF's securitization strategies including bank subordinated debt and bank and insurance trust preferred securities. She has also managed the resolution of the firm's TARP portfolio. She has 25 years of experience working with banks and a variety of other financial institutions. Previously, Ms. Ceresini was a Managing Director at Promontory Interfinancial Network and spent 19 years at FBR Capital Markets, most recently in the Financial Institutions investment banking group where she was responsible for the structuring and execution of the firm's most complex transactions. Prior to investment banking, Ms. Ceresini was a senior analyst in the community bank research group at FBR. Ms. Ceresini holds a BS in Finance from Illinois State University.

Job Titles:

• Independent Director
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Senior Advisor

Joan currently serves as a Senior Advisor on Corporate Governance & ESG Programs at Nasdaq. On January 1, 2021 Joan retired from her role as the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ), where she was responsible for the Nasdaq Global Corporate Governance Program and Global Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program. Joan is a former Board Member of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in San Francisco and Managing Director of the Nasdaq Educational Foundation. In July 2021, Joan was elected to the Board of Tigo Energy, a private company providing smart module technology for the solar industry. Joan is the recipient of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for Corporate Governance and the 2020 Best Proxy Statement for a Large Cap Company. Joan is a frequent advisor, contributor, writer and panelist on current and emerging public company Corporate Governance, ESG and Ethical issues. Prior to joining Nasdaq in 2001, she was the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary at the NASD (now FINRA) from 1994 - 2001 responsible for the management of NASD's Corporate Governance Programs and the Director of Human Resources from 1986 - 1994, having joined NASD as a Management Trainee in the fall of 1982. She began her career as a Research Associate/ Writer at the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. and Business Analyst at Bentley, Barnes & Lynn, an advertising agency in Chicago, Illinois. Joan holds a Master of Science, with honors, in Industrial & Labor Relations from Loyola University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree (B.A./B.S.) in Economics and Communications from Dominican University. In connection with her undergraduate degree, Joan studied Economics extensively at the London School of Economics. A longstanding member of the Society of Corporate Governance Professionals, Joan is also a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Forum and a longstanding member of the Economic Club of Washington D.C. Joan has served for decades, on the Board and Audit Committees of several non-profit organizations in Washington D.C. and New York focused on serving underserved children and families. Ms. Conley is a long-standing mentor of entrepreneurial women and men.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Member of the Executive Team

Kevin Stein serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Stein has been affiliated with EJF since 2018 and is a Senior Managing Director in EJF's Private Equity Group. Mr. Stein currently serves on the boards of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCOM), where he serves as Audit Committee Chairman, and Ocwen Financial Corp (NYSE: OCN). He was previously Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Resolution Analytica Corp., a buyer of commercial deficiency judgments from depositories, and a Senior Managing Director of KCK-US, Inc., a family office focused on private investments in financial services. Prior to joining KCK-US, Inc., he was Managing Director of the Financial Institutions Group of Barclays advising banks, specialty finance companies and financial sponsors. Mr. Stein was a Partner and Group Head of the Depository Investment Banking Practice of FBR Capital Markets & Co. From 1994 to 2004, he was a member of the management team of GreenPoint Financial Corporation, a $25 billion retail bank and housing finance company based in New York. During his tenure at GreenPoint, Mr. Stein's roles included Executive Vice President of Mortgage Banking, Chief Information Officer and Division Director of Retail Banking. Prior to joining GreenPoint, he was an Associate Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Division of Resolutions, leading failed bank resolution activities. Mr. Stein is Audit Committee Chairman and since 1996, a Director of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the first community development corporation in the United States. He received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and his BS from Syracuse University.

Job Titles:

• Chairman
• Member of the Executive Team
• Chairman of Our Board of Directors

Manny Friedman serves as Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Friedman co-founded EJF, which has been at the forefront of regulatory, event-driven investing in financials and real estate. Over the course of his 40+ year career in capital markets and asset management, Mr. Friedman has structured and built numerous innovative investment strategies that have focused on some of the most powerful trends in the financial sector driven by regulatory change. Prior to forming EJF, Mr. Friedman was a founder and the former Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of FBR. At FBR, Mr. Friedman assisted in designing property and mortgage REIT vehicles. Throughout the 1990s, Mr. Friedman was active in building out FBR's alternative asset management platform. He was also instrumental in the creation of hedge, private equity and venture capital funds at FBR, and maintains an extensive network of contacts within the CDO (collateralized debt obligations), hedge fund and private equity fund communities. Mr. Friedman received his BA in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his JD from Georgetown University.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Founder and Principal of Taradin Services Limited

Mark is the Founder and Principal of Taradin Services Limited, an investor and strategic advisor in private equity. Mark began his career as an attorney with Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop), leaving to co-found two technology start-ups acquired by public companies: Serus acquired by Netopia Inc (later acquired by Motorola), and TimeMarker acquired by Prime Holdings. He then became an active early-stage investor in, and/or advisor to several other companies including Magma Inc (later Real Image Technology acquired by Technicolor), TomatoBank (acquired by RBB Bancorp, a minority deposit institution and CDFI), and Omniture (acquired by Adobe). Mark joined Marriott International first in the Zurich office as a Vice President of Development focused on M&A and finance, and then in headquarters in Bethesda. He was named Managing Director of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, a joint venture between Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Bulgari (now part of LVMH), and served on the Corporate Steering Committee of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. He left Marriott International to join JWM Family Enterprises and Thomas Point Ventures, private investment vehicles of the Marriott family. Mark now manages a range of investment activities primarily through Taradin Services Ltd. Since 2001, Mark has served as an Independent Director of several EJF-affiliated companies. Mark holds degrees from the University of Southern California (BS), Brigham Young University (JD) and The London School of Economics & Political Science (MSc).

Job Titles:

• Member of the Executive Team
• Vice Chairman

Neal Wilson serves as Vice Chairman and is a member of our board of directors. In addition to serving as the Co-Chief Executive Officer for EJF, Mr. Wilson currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of EJF Investments Manager LLC, the external manager to a closed-end fund listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: EJFI). Prior to forming EJF, Mr. Wilson served as a senior managing director for both the Alternative Asset Investments and Private Wealth Management groups at FBR. Prior to joining FBR, he was a senior securities attorney at Dechert LLP and a Branch Chief in the Division of Enforcement at the SEC in Washington, D.C. He served on the boards of trustees of Sidwell Friends School (Washington, DC) and Hood College for five and nine years, respectively. He chaired the endowment investment committee at Hood College during his entire tenure on the board and served on the endowment investment committee of Sidwell Friends for over 10 years. He also served as a member of the board of trustees for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools Employee Pension for nine years until 2013 and in 2014 received a Distinguished Service Award from Montgomery County for his contributions. Mr. Wilson served as Co-Chair and Honorary Chair, in 2014 and 2020 respectively, of the Bridges Gala for the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities' Bridges from School to Work Program. He received his BA from Columbia University and his JD from the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Titles:

• Independent Director
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Founder of 32 Advisors

Robert is the Founder of 32 Advisors, a holding company which includes the direct investing arm 32 Ventures and the bi-partisan economic insights platform Strategic Worldviews. Prior to forming 32 Advisors, Robert spent 18 years at UBS, a global financial services firm. There he held several senior positions including Chairman and CEO of UBS Americas and President and Chief Operating Officer of the Investment Bank. He joined UBS in 1994 after spending 10 years at Salomon Brothers. Robert held three Presidential appointments under President Obama; as a member of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009-2011, the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness from 2011-2013 and the Export Council from 2014-2016. In 2012 Robert was on the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Border Infrastructure Task Force. Robert serves on the Board of Directors of the Obama Foundation, on the Undergraduate Executive Board of the Wharton School, on the Economic Advisory Council for the Center for American Progress and on the board of the Partnership for NYC. He formerly served as Vice Chairman of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, on the board of trustees of the Children's Aid Society, on the Athletics Board of Overseers at the University of Pennsylvania and on the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Roundtable. Robert was named to Worth Magazine's 100 Most Powerful People in Finance multiple times, including most recently in 2018. In 2012-2013, he hosted the show "Impact Players" on the Reuters Channel on YouTube TV. In December 2016, Robert joined Fox News/Fox Business as a TV contributor. Robert is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a B.S. in Economics. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he played on the varsity football team that won IVY League Championships in both the 1982 and 1983 seasons and was an honoree into the Ivy Football Association in 2013. In May 2014, Robert received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Wharton School. He currently resides in Purchase, NY and grew up in Marblehead, MA and is in the town's Athletics Hall of Fame. His wife, Carol, is a Director of Events & Strategic Partnerships at Sandy Hook Promise.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Investment Team
• Senior Managing Director

Mr. Stelmach joined EJF in 2015 and is responsible for the analysis of U.S. and residential housing opportunities as well as assisting in the analysis of the insurance sector. Prior to joining EJF, Mr. Stelmach spent 12 years at FBR as a senior analyst in the financial services research group. With over a decade of equity research experience, Mr. Stelmach has covered a broad array of companies and sectors throughout the financial services and housing industries, including government-sponsored entities, mortgage banking companies, small- and large-cap banks, homebuilders, mortgage and title insurance, broker-dealers and the single-family rental sector. Prior to FBR, Mr. Stelmach worked on the U.S. bank research team at UBS Securities LLC helping to cover mid- and large-cap banks. In 2013, Mr. Stelmach was recognized in The Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street awards as the No. 2−ranked equity analyst overall in the U.S. and No. 1 analyst in the home construction and furnishings sector. Mr. Stelmach has also provided expert testimony before the United States House of Representatives regarding U.S. housing policy, as well as advising a number of government agencies on policies and regulations affecting both housing and capital markets. Mr. Stelmach received his BS in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• Partner

Ted is a Partner and the founder of Credit for BC Partners. Mr. Goldthorpe was most recently the President of Apollo Investment Corporation, Chief Investment Officer of Apollo Investment Management, and Senior Portfolio Manager, U.S. Opportunistic Credit. Mr. Goldthorpe joined Apollo in April 2012 and oversaw the Opportunistic Credit platform within Apollo aggregating over $20 billion in Assets Under Management. His most recent focus was on the Direct Origination business. He was named to the firmwide Senior Management Committee in 2014. Previously, Mr. Goldthorpe was employed by Goldman Sachs & Co. since 1999. He most recently ran the Bank Loan and Distressed Investing Desk and prior to that was a Managing Director in the Special Situations Group, running both their Middle Market Private Equity business and the Canadian business (CSSG). Prior to that, Mr. Goldthorpe worked in the High Yield Distressed business, the Merchant Banking Division and the Investment Banking Division. Mr. Goldthorpe has previously served on the boards of SPARTA Insurance Holdings, Inc., Flatiron Re, JHT Holdings, Baxa Healthcare, Shelter Bay, Fairway Energy, amongst others, and was a board observer for First Solar, amongst others. He currently serves on the board of Crescent Point Energy, KITS Eyecare, BC Partners Lending Corporation, Mount Logan Capital and Portman Ridge Corporation. Mr. Goldthorpe received a B.A. in Commerce from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He is a frequent guest lecturer at leading Universities including Columbia, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), University of Virginia, New York University, Queen's University, and Stanford University. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Canadian Olympic Foundation, HerJustice, the New School and is on the Smith School of business Global Advisory board at Queen's University.

Job Titles:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Member of the Executive Team

Thomas Mayrhofer serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Mayrhofer joined EJF in 2018, currently serves as EJF's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and is a member of the Executive Committee. Mr. Mayrhofer has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining EJF, Mr. Mayrhofer was a Partner and Managing Director at The Carlyle Group ("Carlyle"). In addition to holding the position of Chief Financial Officer of Carlyle's Corporate Private Equity Segment, Mr. Mayrhofer served on the Investment Committee for Carlyle's Buyout and Growth Capital funds. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Mayrhofer worked at Arthur Andersen LLP. He graduated from The College of William & Mary with a BBA in Accounting and serves on the Advisory Board for William & Mary's Accounting Programs.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Member of the Directors & Advisors Team
• President of Blend Labs, Inc

Tim is President of Blend Labs, Inc., a Silicon Valley consumer banking enterprise software company serving banks, credit unions, mortgage originators, and fintech lenders. Before joining Blend in January 2019, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Fannie Mae from June 2012 to October 2018. Under his leadership, Fannie Mae returned to sustained profitability, delivered more than $176 billion in dividends to taxpayers, and introduced new technologies to the housing finance system to make mortgage lending faster, safer and more transparent. Tim has had a long career in financial services. Before becoming CEO of Fannie Mae, he served as General Counsel from 2009 to 2010, and as Chief Administrative Officer from 2010 to 2012. He was the General Counsel of Bank of America from 2004 to 2008, and previously held a variety of senior roles at Deutsche Bank AG, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc. Tim serves on the boards of directors of LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), the largest online marketplace lender, and Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAIC), a technology integrator for the civilian, defense and national security agencies of the federal government. Tim also serves as a member of the FDIC Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee, and as an advisor or board member to a number of private companies, including Blend Labs, Inc., Bilt Technologies, Inc., TextIQ, Inc., Valon Technologies, Inc., and Zibo, Inc. Tim holds an AB with distinction from Cornell University and a JD cum laude from New York University.