Corporate Governance - Extended Stay America | Extended Stay America, Inc.

Corporate Governance - Extended Stay America

Executive Officers

Bruce N. Haase

President / Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Haase has served as Chief Executive Officer, President and director of the Corporation since November 2019, Chief Executive Officer and President of ESH REIT since November 2019 and as director of ESH REIT since April 2018. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Haase was the Chief Executive Officer of WoodSpring Hotels, LLC, a leading economy extended stay lodging brand. Mr. Haase led the design, launch and franchising of the WoodSpring Suites brand, including the conversion of properties from the company’s Value Place brand. Mr. Haase previously served in a series of executive positions with Choice Hotels International, Inc. including Executive Vice President, Global Brands, Marketing & Operations (from 2008 to 2012), Senior Vice President, Domestic Brand Operations & International Division (from 2007 to 2008), Senior Vice President, International Division (from 2000 to 2007), and Vice President, Finance & Treasurer (in 2000). Prior to joining Choice, Mr. Haase held a series of positions with The Ryland Group, Inc., Caterair International Corporation, Marriott Corporation, and Goldman, Sachs, & Company.

Brian Nicholson

Chief Financial Officer

Brian T. Nicholson has served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation and ESH REIT since May 2018. Mr. Nicholson previously served as Chief Financial Officer of The Fresh Market, Inc. from September 2016 to May 2018, where he also served as Interim Chief Executive Officer from June 2017 to September 2017. From September 2015 to July 2016, Mr. Nicholson was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Driven Brands, Inc. From June 2012 to September 2015, Mr. Nicholson was the Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis for the Corporation. He previously served in finance, strategy, and consulting roles for The Fresh Market, Inc. and ScottMadden, Inc.

Christopher Dekle

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Christopher N. Dekle has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Corporation and ESH REIT since June 2018. Mr. Dekle has previously served as Deputy General Counsel, Vice President and Assistant Secretary from October 2013 to June 2018. He previously served as General Counsel and Vice President from April 2010 to October 2013, as Assistant General Counsel from January 2007 to April 2010, and Corporate Counsel from July 2005 to December 2007 at HVM LLC. From 2003 to 2005, he was General Counsel for Employers Life Insurance Corporation. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Dekle was in private practice.

Kevin A. Henry

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Kevin A. Henry has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of the Corporation since August 2014. From December 2010 to August 2014, Mr. Henry served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Snyder’s-Lance, Inc., a national snack food company. From January 2010 to December 2010, he served as Chief Human Resources Officer of Lance, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Henry served in a variety of positions at Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, a beverage manufacturer and distributor, including as Chief Human Resources Officer from 2007 to 2010 and Senior Vice President of Human Resources from 2001 to 2007.

Howard J. Weissman

Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

Howard J. Weissman has served as Chief Accounting Officer of the Corporation and ESH REIT and Corporate Controller of ESH REIT since May 2015 and Corporate Controller of the Corporation since November 2013. He previously served as Corporate Controller at HVM LLC from December 2011 to November 2013. From May 2009 to December 2011, Mr. Weissman worked at Campus Crest Communities, Inc., serving as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller. From July 2007 through May 2009, Mr. Weissman was Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of EOP Operating Limited Partnership, LP, the private company successor to Equity Office Properties Trust, a commercial office real estate company owned by The Blackstone Group. From May 2003 through May 2007, Mr. Weissman served in a variety of positions with CarrAmerica Realty Corporation, a commercial office real estate company, including as Assistant Controller, Vice President of Shared Services and Controller.

Randy Fox

Executive Vice President, Property Operations

Mr. Fox has more than 35 years of hotel business experience, including most recently as Chief Operating Officer of InTown Suites and Uptown Suites, an extended stay brand with approximately 200 locations across more than 20 states. He served as Executive Vice President of Operations for WoodSpring Hotels from 2012 to 2016. He earlier spent more than 12 years at Red Roof Inn, including as Senior Vice President of Operations from 2007 to 2012 and Regional Vice President of Operations from 1999 to 2007. He has a bachelor of science in business administration from Franklin University.

Kelly Poling

Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer

Poling has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Commerce Officer since January 2020. Poling was most recently Chief Executive Officer of Premier Worldwide Marketing, the exclusive worldwide representative for Karisma Hotels & Resorts, and previously served as Executive Vice President, Marketing and Consumer Revenue from 2017 to 2019. From 2014 to 2017, Poling served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for WoodSpring Hotels, and earlier in her career, spent seven years at Choice Hotels International, leading the corporate strategy, marketing and e-commerce teams. Poling has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The George Washington University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael L. Kuenne

Senior Vice President – Chief Customer Experience Officer

Michael L. Kuenne is the Senior Vice President – Chief Customer Experience Officer at Extended Stay America since January 2020 and is part of the organization’s leadership team with responsibility for Quality Assurance, Guest Relations & Brand Reputation, Brand Standards, Brand Programs, Training and Enterprise Procurement. Previously, Mr. Kuenne held multiple leadership positions in the company’s Technology, Operations and Human Capital organizations. Prior to joining Extended Stay America, Mike held various roles in the Technology practice for The North Highland Company, as well as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, both consultancies focused on Strategic Planning, Change Management and Operations efficiency. He also held multiple management positions with Wells Real Estate Funds, later listed as Piedmont Office Real Estate Trust, a diversified Class ‘A’ office REIT with over 5B in assets. Mr. Kuenne holds a Bachelor's degree in International Business & Political Science from Lehigh University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.

Nancy Templeton

Senior Vice President – Chief Information Officer

Nancy Templeton is the Senior Vice President – Chief Information Officer at Extended Stay America since January 2020 and is part of the organization’s leadership team with responsibility for all functions in IT and associated Operating and Capital budgets. Previously, Mrs. Templeton held progressive leadership roles within the IT organization. Prior to joining Extended Stay America in 2015, Mrs. Templeton spent nearly 25 years at Belk, Inc. focused mainly in Merchandising Systems where she had responsibility for implementing large 3rd party applications and management of in-house and offshore support teams. Prior to her departure, she led a team that was responsible for a 100+MM Financial and Assortment Planning system implementation. Mrs. Templeton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Sciences/Statistics from Clemson University.

Board of Directors

Bruce N. Haase

President / Chief Executive Officer

Douglas G. Geoga

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Geoga has served as Chair of the Board of the Corporation since July 2013 and as Chair of the Board of Directors of ESH REIT since November 2013. Mr. Geoga served as a non-voting member and the Non-Executive Chair of our predecessor entities, ESH Hospitality Holdings LLC (“Holdings”) and ESH Strategies Holdings LLC (“Strategies Holdings”), from October 2010 to November 2013. Mr. Geoga is President and Chief Executive Officer of Salt Creek Hospitality, LLC, a privately-held firm engaged in making investments in the hospitality industry and providing related advisory services. Mr. Geoga also serves as a consultant to Atlantica Investment Holdings Limited, which through affiliated companies is the second largest manager of hotels in Brazil. Since 2002, Mr. Geoga has served, and from November 2002 to December 2009, Mr. Geoga’s primary occupation was serving, as principal of Geoga Group, LLC, an investment and advisory consulting firm focused primarily on the hospitality industry. Until July 2006, Mr. Geoga’s primary occupation was serving as the President of Global Hyatt Corporation and as the President of Hyatt Corporation and the President of AIC Holding Co., the parent corporation of Hyatt International Corporation, then both privately-held subsidiaries of Global Hyatt Corporation which collectively operated the Hyatt chain of hotels throughout the world. In addition, from 2000 through 2005, Mr. Geoga served as President of Hospitality Investment Fund, LLC, a privately-held firm which was engaged in making investments in lodging and hospitality companies and projects.

Chairman of the Board

Ellen Keszler

Member

Ms. Keszler has served as a director of the Corporation since February 2018. Ms. Keszler has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Sky Associates, a management and strategy consulting firm focused on the technology and travel industries, since 2008. Previously, Ms. Keszler served as President of Travelocity Business from 2003 to 2007. From 2000 to 2003, Ms. Keszler served as Senior Vice President—North American Division of Sabre Travel Network. From 1987 to 2000, Ms. Keszler held various finance roles at Sabre Holdings, American Airlines and JCPenney. These functions included financial planning, strategic analysis, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, and financial operations. Additionally, she serves as an advisor to numerous travel technology startup companies.

Financial Expert

Jodie W. McLean

Member

Ms. McLean has served as a director of the Corporation since June 2017. Ms. McLean has served as the Chief Executive Officer of EDENS, a private commercial real estate company that develops, owns, and operates retail community shopping centers in primary markets across the country, since 2015. She joined EDENS in 1990 and has held various positions including Chief Investment Officer from 1997 to 2015 and also President from 2002 to 2015.

Financial Expert

Kapila K. Anand

Member

Ms. Anand has served as a director of the Corporation since July 2016 and as a director of ESH REIT since May 2017. Ms. Anand served as an audit partner and later an advisory partner at KPMG LLP from 1989 until her retirement in March 2016. Ms. Anand joined KPMG LLP in 1979 and served in a variety of roles in addition to her role as a partner, including the National Partner-in-Charge, Public Policy Business Initiatives (from 2008 to 2013) and segment leader for the Travel, Leisure, and Hospitality industry and member of the Global Real Estate Steering Committee (each from 2013 to 2016).

Chair of the Compensation Composition

Richard F. Wallman

Member

Mr. Wallman has served as a director of the Corporation since July 2013 and as a director of ESH REIT from November 2013 to May 2016. He previously served as a non-voting member of the board of managers of Holdings and Strategies Holdings from May 2012 to November 2013. Mr. Wallman served as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Honeywell International Inc., a provider of diversified industrial technology and manufacturing products, and its predecessor AlliedSignal, from March 1995 until his retirement in July 2003. Mr. Wallman has also served in senior financial positions with IBM and Chrysler Corporation.

Financial Expert

Thomas F. O'Toole

Member

Mr. O’Toole has served as a director of the Corporation since May 2017. Since September 2018 he has held the positions of Executive Director of the Program for Data Analytics and Clinical Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. He held the position of Senior Fellow and Clinical Professor of Marketing at Kellogg from November 2016 to September 2018. He has also served as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company since January 2017. Mr. O’Toole served as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of United Airlines from January 2015 to December 2016, and President of MileagePlus Holdings, LLC from April 2012 to December 2016, of United Continental Airlines, Inc., a global air carrier. Mr. O’Toole joined United Airlines in 2010, serving as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Loyalty from 2012 to 2015, Chief Operating Officer of Mileage Plus Holdings, LLC from 2010 to 2012 and Chief Marketing Officer in 2010. At United Airlines, he was responsible for brand development, marketing, ancillary revenue, ecommerce, digital channels, loyalty, co-brand credit cards, customer data analytics and related functions. Prior to that, he served as an advisor with Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, a management and technology consulting firm, from 2009 to 2010. Mr. O’Toole served in various positions of increasing responsibility at Hyatt Hotels Corporation from 1995 to 2008, including as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Information Officer from 2006 to 2008.

Committee Composition

	Audit Composition	Compensation Composition	Nominating & Corporate Governance Composition
Kapila K. Anand		Compensation Composition
Ellen Keszler	Audit Composition		Nominating & Corporate Governance Composition
Jodie W. McLean	Audit Composition	Compensation Composition
Thomas F. O'Toole		Compensation Composition	Nominating & Corporate Governance Composition
Richard F. Wallman	Audit Composition		Nominating & Corporate Governance Composition

= Chairperson = Member = Financial Expert

Governance Documents

Title	Documents
Audit Committee Charter	Add Files Audit Committee Charter 174 KB
Compensation Committee Charter	Add Files Compensation Committee Charter 147.5 KB
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter	Add Files Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter 145.5 KB
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics	Add Files Code of Business Conduct and Ethics 265.2 KB
Corporate Governance Guidelines	Add Files Corporate Governance Guidelines 122.7 KB
Amended and Restated Bylaws	Add Files Amended and Restated Bylaws 224.7 KB

Any interested party wishing to communicate with the Company’s Board of Directors, or any of independent directors, may do so by sending a written communication:

Office of General Counsel

C/O Extended Stay America Directors

11525 N. Community House Road, Suite 100
Charlotte, North Carolina 28277

Any communication addressed to Mr. Geoga or any other independent director that is received at the principal office of Extended Stay America shall be delivered or forwarded to Mr. Geoga or the other independent directors as soon as practicable.