ELME COMMUNITIES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Compensation Committee
- Member of the Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee
- Compensation
- Retired President
Vice Adm. Anthony L. Winns (RET.) is Retired President, Latin America-Africa Region, Lockheed Martin Corporation ("Lockheed"), a position he has held since January 2013. Between October 2011 and January 2013, Mr. Winns was Vice President, International Maritime Programs, at Lockheed. Between July 2011 and October 2011, Mr. Winns was a defense industry consultant. Mr. Winns retired in June 2011 after 32 years of service in the United States Navy. He served as Naval Inspector General from 2007 to his retirement. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Winns served as Acting Director and Vice Director of Operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Winns served as Deputy Director, Air Warfare Division for the Chief of Naval Operations. Prior to 2003, Mr. Winns served in other staff and leadership positions in Washington, D.C., including at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. He also served as commanding officer of several major commands, including the Pacific Patrol/Reconnaissance task force, the USS Essex, an amphibious assault carrier, and a naval aircraft squadron. Mr. Winns also serves as a director on the board of the Navy Mutual Aid Association. Mr. Winns brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
General enterprise management and strategic planning experience from his 10 years of service as a commanding officer of various military units (including a naval vessel) and 11 years of service in senior staff positions in the Pentagon;
Government contracting experience from his three years of service managing U.S. Navy procurement programs as Deputy Director, Air Warfare Division for the Chief of Naval Operations (WashREIT is a federal contractor and many of WashREIT's largest tenants and potential future tenants are federal contractors);
Washington, D.C. area defense industry experience from his 16 years of service in staff positions in the Pentagon and current service as President, Latin America-Africa Region, Lockheed Martin Corporation; and
General familiarity with D.C. area real estate by virtue of living and working in the Washington, D.C. region for more than 25 years.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Compensation Committee
- Member of the Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee
- Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of STAG Industrial, Inc
- Compensation
Benjamin S. Butcher serves as the Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of STAG Industrial, Inc., a position he has held since July 2010. Prior to the formation of STAG Industrial, Inc., Mr. Butcher oversaw the growth of STAG Capital Partners, LLC and its affiliates, serving as a member of their Board of Managers and Management Committees, from 2003 to 2011. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Butcher was engaged as a private equity investor in real estate and technology. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Butcher served as a Director at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he sourced and executed transactions for the Principal Transactions Group (real estate debt and equity). From 1993 to 1997, he served as a Director at Nomura Asset Capital, where he focused on marketing and business development for its commercial mortgage-backed securities group. Mr. Butcher brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
General business management and strategic planning experience from his service as chief executive of STAG Industrial, Inc. and his previous service with STAG Capital Partners, LLC and its affiliates;
REIT industry experience from his service as chief executive of STAG Industrial, Inc. since July 2010;
Real estate investment banking and capital markets experience from his five years as an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston and Nomura Asset Capital; and
Financial and accounting acumen from his five years in investment banking, his experience as a private equity investor and with STAG Capital Partners, LLC, and his service as a public company executive with STAG Industrial, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Corporate Counsel Learn
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Development and Multifamily Learn
- Managing Director, Head of Residential Division
Mr. Murn joined WashREIT in April 2013 as Managing Director, Head of Residential Division. Prior to joining WashREIT, he was Director of Development at The Tower Companies, where he was responsible for metro DC area projects including The Blairs, White Flint Mall, and Tower Oaks. His previous experience was as Vice President of Multifamily Development and Team Leader at Kettler, Inc.; as Director of Acquisitions & Development, Northeast Investment Group at Archstone-Smith Trust (now Archstone); and as Director of Capital Markets at Charles E. Smith Residential Realty, Inc. Mr. Murn began his professional career as a banker with Citizens Bank of Maryland and First Horizon Construction Lending. He holds a Master of Science in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Business Administration from Loyola College, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond. Mr. Murn is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and Johns Hopkins Real Estate Forum.
Job Titles:
- Lead Director
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Compensation Committee
- Audit
Edward S. Civera served as the Chairman of the Board of Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc., a publicly traded pharmacy benefit management company (formerly known as HealthExtras, Inc.), from 2005 until his retirement in December 2011. In 2012, he served as a senior advisor to management and the Board of Directors of Catalyst Health Solutions in connection with the sale of the company. Mr. Civera also served as Chairman of the MedStar Health System, a multi-institutional healthcare organization, until his retirement from the board in November 2013. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Civera was the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Chief Executive Officer of United Payors & United Providers, Inc. ("UP&UP"), a publicly traded healthcare company that was sold in 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Civera spent 25 years with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP), most recently as Managing Partner, focused on financial advisory and auditing services. Mr. Civera is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Civera brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
General business management and strategic planning experience from his ten years as a public company chief executive or chairman at UP&UP and Catalyst Health Solutions;
REIT industry experience from his involvement as an independent director of The Mills Corporation from 2005 to 2006 leading its reorganization and sale as Chairman of the Special Committee and member of the Executive Committee;
Executive and real estate industry experience from his involvement in real estate matters as Chairman of MedStar Health;
Financial and accounting acumen from his 25 years in public accounting and his service as a public company executive; and
General familiarity with D.C. area real estate by virtue of living and working in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore corridor for more than 25 years.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee
- Audit
- Lead Audit Partner
Ellen M. Goitia is a Certified Public Accountant and served as the partner-in-charge for KPMG LLP's ("KPMG") Chesapeake Business Unit Audit practice and a member of the firm's audit leadership team from October 2011 until her retirement in May 2016. As the partner-in-charge of the Chesapeake Business Unit Audit practice, Ms. Goitia had ultimate operational oversight for five offices in Maryland, DC and Virginia, with responsibilities including business unit financial performance, resource management, human resources, quality client service, and risk management. Ms. Goitia was admitted to the KPMG partnership in 1993 and had more than 30 years of experience as a professional with the firm, including experience as lead audit partner for a variety of publicly traded and private companies. She has served clients on a wide range of accounting and operational issues, public security issuances and strategic corporate transactions. Ms. Goitia was a speaker, panelist and moderator for KPMG's Audit Committee Institute as well as for other governance programs external to KPMG. In addition, Ms. Goitia served as an independent member of the Nominating Committee of KPMG's Board of Directors from 2009 until 2011, and has served on several nonprofit organizations' boards. Ms. Goitia brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
General business management and strategic planning experience from her 5 years as the partner-in-charge of the Chesapeake Business Unit Audit Practice of KPMG and over 30 years as a professional at KPMG;
Understanding of and familiarity with public companies and public company boards from her service as lead audit engagement partner at a major accounting firm;
Executive and real estate industry experience from his involvement in real estate matters as Chairman of MedStar HealthPublic company accounting, financial statements and corporate finance expertise from over 20 years of service as lead audit engagement partner at a major accounting firm;
General familiarity with D.C. area real estate by virtue of living and working in the Washington, D.C. region for more than 35 years.
Job Titles:
- Professional Engineer
- Senior Director, ESG
- Senior Director, ESG Learn
Eric Tilden leads Elme Communities' Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts throughout the company, focusing on initiatives such as greenhouse gas emissions reduction, climate risk, positive governance, social impact, human capital, and wellness. He spearheads the firms reporting, including GRESB, TCFD, and SASB, as well as manages overall ESG program development and implementation, working across stakeholders from the Board of Trustees to individual community teams.
Eric is a licensed Professional Engineer and has collaborated with project teams on a wide variety of
sustainability and energy projects across the building life cycle. Prior to joining WashREIT, Eric led
Cushman & Wakefield's Energy & Sustainability Services team within the U.S. Investor Services sector, overseeing carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and ESG projects and initiatives across the continental US. Before focusing on ESG, Eric was a Civil Engineer in Napa Valley, working on many of the well-known wineries including Opus One, Stag's Leap, and Silver Oak, the first winery in the world to pursue the Living Building Challenge.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Research
- Vice President, Research Learn
Mr. A. Grant Montgomery joined Elme Communities in July 2014 and serves as Vice President, Research. He provides market intelligence for strategic initiatives that optimize acquisitions, development and dispositions. Prior to joining Elme Communities, he served for nine years as a Senior Vice President and Apartment Practice Director at Delta Associates, a Washington, DC real estate and economic consulting firm. In this role he managed multifamily, retail and office market studies throughout the U.S. and was the research director and primary author of the firm's Mid-Atlantic multifamily reports. Previously Mr. Montgomery held roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers and McShea & Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Wake Forest University and a Master of Science in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins University.
Job Titles:
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee
- Audit
Ms. Banner has 36 years of professional, managerial, and board experience, including 22 years in public accounting, 14 years as a sitting CEO, concurrent with 20 years serving on public company boards. She is the Executive Director of the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Forum for Emerging Enterprises and Private Business. Previously, she served as CEO of Schaad Companies, a privately held real estate company, and SchaadSource, LLC, a related privately held shared services company. Ms. Banner spent 22 years in public accounting, practicing in the tax area with Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young LLP) in Florida and PYA, P.C. in Tennessee. She has been a director of Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC) since 2003, a member of the board of directors of Truist Bank since 2013, and a member of the board of directors of Uniti Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNIT) since 2015. Ms. Banner is interested in digital transformation of business and has been a public speaker and consultant globally on the board's role in digital transformation. In 2019, she was named an honorary Fellow of the MIT Center for Information Systems Research.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
- Vice President, Investments Learn
Mr. Andrew E. Leahy joined Elme Communities in November 2014 and serves as Vice President, Investments. In this role he oversees the firm's Investment activity (Acquisitions & Dispositions) across asset classes: Office, Retail, & Multifamily. Prior to joining Elme Communities, Mr. Leahy was Senior Director, National Office Acquisitions at Rockefeller Group Investment Management Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. where he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting, structuring, and closing real estate investments in major US markets. From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Leahy worked in Acquisitions at Fidelity Real Estate Group, a unit of Fidelity Investments investing in multiple asset classes throughout the US on behalf of a series of closed-end, value-add funds. Mr. Leahy began his career at The Blackstone Group. He holds a BSBA in Finance from Georgetown University and a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia University with a dual concentration in Real Estate and Finance & Economics.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
- Vice President, Investments Learn
Mr. Daniel P. Chappell joined Elme Communities in June 2014 and serves as Vice President, Investments. In this role, he is responsible for underwriting for new investment opportunities and asset dispositions, transaction due diligence, and closing activities across asset classes: Office, Retail, & Multifamily. Prior Elme Communities, Mr. Chappell worked in the Multifamily group at Federal National Mortgage Association, where he focused on non-performing multifamily assets located in several major metropolitan markets throughout the United States and assisted with potential note sales and lender loss sharing settlements. Before that, Mr. Chappell had a successful seven-year career at Navigant Consulting, Inc. in the Financial Services Disputes group where he headed teams of analysts and industry experts in the re-underwriting and valuation of the underlying assets of mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Mr. Chappell holds a B.S. in Business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with triple-majors in Finance, Marketing, and International Studies and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgetown's McDonough School of Business where he graduated with honors.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- President
- President and CEO Learn
Mr. Paul T. McDermott was elected to the Board of Trustees and named President and Chief Executive Officer of WashREIT in October 2013. In 2018, Mr. McDermott was elected Chairman of the Board of WashREIT. Prior to joining WashREIT, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Rockefeller Group Investment Management Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. from June 2010 to September 2013. Prior to joining The Rockefeller Group, he served from 2006 to 2010 as Principal and Chief Transaction Officer at PNC Realty Investors. Between 2002 and 2006, Mr. McDermott held two primary officer roles at Freddie Mac -- Chief Credit Officer of the Multifamily Division and Head of Multifamily Structured Finance and Affordable Housing. From 1997 to 2002, he served as Head of the Washington, D.C. Region for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- CFO Learn
Mr. Riffee joined WashREIT in February 2015. Prior to joining WashREIT, Mr. Riffee served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT), a NYSE office REIT. In this role he oversaw all financial functions, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury, capital markets and investor relations. Additionally, Mr. Riffee oversaw the legal department and information technology at COPT. Before joining COPT in 2006, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for CarrAmerica Realty Corporation, a national NYSE public office REIT. At CarrAmerica, he developed excellent financial and IT teams, successfully implementing technology and processes to improve efficiency, planning and results at the company. Previously Mr. Riffee held roles with Marriott International and Burlington Northern and practiced as a CPA with KPMG Peat Marwick. He is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce of the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investor Relations
- Vice President, Investor Relations Learn
Ms. Amy Hopkins joined Elme Communities in July 2019 as Vice President, Investor Relations. She has overall responsibility for external communications with key stakeholders and the investment community at large. Prior to joining Elme Communities, Ms. Hopkins served in a leadership role within the Investor Relations and Capital Allocation Strategy team at Booz Allen Hamilton. From 2013 to 2016 she was Senior Equity Research Analyst at Compass Point Research & Trading covering financial services companies. Prior to that, Ms. Hopkins was a Vice President in the Valuation Advisory Services practice at Duff & Phelps where she provided business and asset valuation opinions for financial reporting, tax, and investment and risk management purposes. She also served in investment-oriented roles at FBR Capital Markets and Freddie Mac. Ms. Hopkins received her BBA in Finance with a minor in Economics from James Madison University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Marketing and Communications
- Vice President, Marketing and Communications Learn
Ms. Deanna Schmidt joined Elme Communities in September 2017 and serves as Vice President, Marketing and Communications. In this role, she is responsible for corporate and property marketing, branding, and media relations. Prior to Elme Communities, Ms. Schmidt worked at both JBG Smith and Vornado/Charles E. Smith driving marketing projects such as the company rebrand, new development positioning and branding, and residential and office marketing. She led award-winning marketing for projects such as The Bartlett apartments in Pentagon City and Crystal City Design Lab. Before that, Ms. Schmidt worked at JLL in various roles both in the District and in San Francisco. Ms. Schmidt holds a BA in English from Virginia Tech.
Job Titles:
- CIO
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Ms. Susan Gerock joined Elme Communities in April 2016 and serves as Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. In this capacity, she is responsible for the leadership, integrative management, and direction for company information systems including corporate-wide planning, budgeting for information technologies, and coordination and integration of all company information technology matters. Ms. Gerock has over 28 years of management and information technology experience in commercial real estate, manufacturing and retail.
Prior to joining Elme Communities, Ms. Gerock held various roles at Corporate Office Properties Trust, her most recent serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. She previously served as a Senior Information Technology Director for CarrAmerica and as an Information Technology Director for Archstone-Smith. Ms. Gerock holds an undergraduate degree from The College of William & Mary and holds a Master of Science, Management of Information Technology degree from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce. Ms. Gerock serves on the Board of Directors of 826DC.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Finance Learn
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Compensation Committee
- Audit
Thomas H. Nolan, Jr. previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. (NYSE: SRC) from September 2011 until May 2017. Mr. Nolan previously worked for General Growth Properties, Inc. ("GGP"), serving as Chief Operating Officer from March 2009 to December 2010 and as President from October 2008 to December 2010. He also served as a member of the board of directors of GGP from 2005 to 2010. GGP filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in April 2009 and emerged from bankruptcy in November 2010. Mr. Nolan was a member of the senior management team that led GGP's reorganization and emergence from bankruptcy, which included the restructuring of $15.0 billion in project-level debt, payment in full of all of GGP's pre-petition creditors and the securing of $6.8 billion in equity commitments. From July 2004 to February 2008, Mr. Nolan served as a Principal and Chief Financial Officer of Loreto Bay Company, the developer of the Loreto Bay Master-planned community in Baja, California. From October 1984 to July 2004, Mr. Nolan held various financial positions with AEW Capital Management, L.P., a national real estate investment advisor, and from 1998 to 2004, he served as Head of Equity Investing and as President and Senior Portfolio Manager of The AEW Partners Funds. Mr. Nolan currently serves on the Board of Directors of RW Holdings NNN REIT. Mr. Nolan brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
General business management and strategic planning experience from his service as chief executive of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. and his previous service with GGP;
REIT industry experience from his service as chief executive of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. and his previous service with GGP;
Real estate asset management experience in multiple asset classes from his 20 years with AEW Capital Management, L.P.; and
Financial and accounting acumen from his 20 years with AEW Capital Management, L.P. and his previous service with GGP and as chief executive of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Chief Accounting Officer
- Controller
- Treasurer
- Vice President
- Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, and Treasurer Learn
Mr. Drew Hammond joined Elme Communities in October 2012 as Controller. In July 2015, he was named Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller and was named Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer in January 2018. In his current capacity, he has overall responsibility for accounting operations, including accounts payable, payroll, corporate accounting and real estate accounting. He also oversees financial reporting, technical accounting, income taxes, REIT compliance and treasury.
Prior to joining Elme Communities, he held various roles at CapitalSource, Inc., a commercial financial lending company, from 2003 - 2012. He served as Controller beginning in 2007, where he had primary oversight of accounting operations, accounts payable, expense reporting, financial reporting, equity accounting, payroll and accounting for debt, equity investments and derivatives. Prior to serving as Controller, he served as Assistant Controller and Manager of Financial Reporting. Prior to joining CapitalSource in 2003, Mr. Hammond was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP from May 2002 to December 2003, and held various positions in the assurance practice at Arthur Andersen LLP from 1995 to 2002. Mr. Hammond earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from Washington and Lee University and is a certified public accountant.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee
- Private Investor
- Audit
William G. Byrnes has been a private investor since 2001. He was on the Board of Directors of CapitalSource Inc., a commercial lender operating principally through its subsidiary CapitalSource Bank from 2003 until its sale in April 2014, serving in various capacities including Presiding Independent Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee and, most recently, Chairman of the Board. He founded and was Managing Member of, Wolverine Partners, LLC which operated MUTUALdecision, a mutual fund research business, from September 2006 to October 2012. Mr. Byrnes was co-founder of Pulpfree d/b/a BuzzMetrics, a consumer-generated media research and marketing firm, and served as its Chairman from June 1999 until its sale in September 2005. He was on the Board of Directors and chairman of the Audit Committee of LoopNet, Inc., an information services provider to the commercial real estate industry, from September 2006 until its sale in April 2012. Mr. Byrnes spent 17 years with Alex Brown & Sons, most recently as a Managing Director and Head of the investment banking financial institutions group. He has been a full-time and adjunct professor and member of the Board of Regents at Georgetown University and currently sits on its Entrepreneurship Advisory Group. Mr. Byrnes brings the following experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to the Board:
Real estate investment banking and capital markets experience from his 17 years as an investment banker with Alex Brown & Sons;
REIT industry experience from his involvement over the last 15+ years as an independent director of three publicly-traded REITs and an institutional fund focused on investing in REITs;
Retail and residential real estate industry experience from his involvement as an independent director of Sizeler Property Investors from 2002 to 2006;
Financial and accounting acumen from his 17 years in investment banking and his service as a public company director; and
General familiarity with D.C. area real estate by virtue of living and working in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore corridor for more than 40 years.