Corporate Governance - ESH Hospitality
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.
David Clarkson
Chief Financial Officer
David Clarkson has served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation and ESH REIT since September 2020. Mr. Clarkson, previously served as Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasurer of the Company from September 2015 and Treasurer from May 2013 until September 2020. Mr. Clarkson served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company from January 2018 until May 2018. Mr. Clarkson served as Director of Corporate Finance from May 2011 until May 2013. Prior to joining the Company in 2011, Mr. Clarkson was Vice President of Finance and Development for The Clarkson Group, a real estate company focused primarily on limited service hotel development. Between 1996 and 2004, Mr. Clarkson held various positions in finance and revenue management for the Corporation’s predecessor, Extended Stay America, Inc. Mr. Clarkson is a graduate of Dartmouth College, holds an MBA from the University of Miami, and is a CFA charterholder.
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.
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.
Judi Bikulege
Chief Investment Officer
Judi Bikulege is Chief Investment Officer of Extended Stay America since March 2020. Ms. Bikulege is responsible for all acquisitions, dispositions, and value enhancement of the corporate-owned Extended Stay Americas real estate portfolio. A thirty-nine-year hospitality veteran, Ms. Bikulege has a diverse background, which includes finance, mergers and acquisitions, development, asset management, risk management, and operations. She has played an instrumental role in over $8 billion of hotel acquisitions and dispositions and has successfully placed over $5 billion of debt and refinancing. She has been extensively involved in taking two hospitality companies public and has been a senior member relating to the development of a hospitality management company. Prior to joining Extended Stay America in March 2017, Ms. Bikulege was a private consultant focusing with an emphasis on the hospitality industry. Her engagements included asset management, real estate valuations, and the acquisition and subsequent merger of two prominent hotel management companies. She also served as Executive Vice President of Capital Markets for Gencom leading all debt and equity efforts of the company relating to new acquisitions and restructuring of its existing real estate portfolio, as well as Senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Morgan Hotel Group (formerly known as Ian Schrager Hotels) and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for Patriot American Hospitality. Earlier in her career, Ms. Bikulege held financial and operational positions at Fine Hotels and Richfield Management Company. Ms. Bikulege holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Houston.
Board of Directors
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.
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
Lisa Palmer
Member
Ms. Palmer has served as a director of ESH REIT since August 2014. Ms. Palmer has served as Chief Executive Officer of Regency Centers Corporation since January 2020, and has been President since January 2016. She also serves as a director of Regency since January 2018. From January 2016 to August 2019, Ms. Palmer served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Regency. Before that Ms. Palmer served in a variety of positions with Regency Centers Corporation, including as Senior Manager of Investment Services (from 1996 to 1999), Vice President of Capital Markets (from 1999 to 2003), Senior Vice President of Capital Markets (from 2003 to 2013) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (from 2013 to 2015). Prior to joining Regency, Ms. Palmer worked with Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting Strategic Services, and as a financial analyst for General Electric.
Financial Expert
Kapila K. Anand
Member
Ms. Anand has served as a director of ESH REIT since May 2017 and as a director of the Corporation since July 2016. 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).
Financial Expert
Neil Brown
Member
Mr. Brown has served as a director of ESH REIT since May 2017. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ArchCo Residential LLC, a multifamily development company active in select markets across the United States which he established in March 2013. From September 2010 to February 2013, Mr. Brown served as Chief Development Officer of Archstone, a former developer of apartment communities in the United States. He also served on Archstone’s Executive Committee and on its Investment Committee. Prior to joining Archstone in 1996, he started the Florida regional office of JPI, a real estate development and investment management company, and served as its Regional Vice President and Regional Partner. Prior to JPI, Mr. Brown was a Partner with Trammell Crow Residential, a multifamily real estate developer. Mr. Brown served in the United States Army for four years, attaining the rank of Captain.
Steven Kent
Member
Mr. Kent has served as a director of ESH REIT since May 2017. Mr. Kent founded Brewster Bay Advisors, LLC in 2016, to act as a thought partner and advisor to board members, CEOs, CFOs, and heads of corporate development in regard to capital markets. In January 2017, Mr. Kent joined the faculty at the NYU School of Professional Studies, Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism as Director of Industry Relations and as a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor. He also joined the adjunct faculty at Boston University School of Hospitality. Prior to that, Mr. Kent served in a variety of positions with Goldman, Sachs & Co. Inc., including as founder of the firm’s Global Hospitality Investment Research Practice in 1993, Managing Director in the Leisure & Hospitality Group (from 2003 to 2016) and Vice President (from 1993 to 2003) and Associate (from 1990 to 1993) in the Emerging Growth & Hospitality Group. From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Kent served as a research analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Kent received a CFA in 1993.
Financial Expert
Simon Turner
Member
Mr. Turner has served as a director of ESH REIT since March 2020. Mr. Turner is Founder and Principal of Alpha Lodging Partners in 2017. He previously served as President, Global Development of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide from May 2008 to October 2016. Mr. Turner served as a Principal of Hotel Capital Advisers, Inc. from June 1996 to April 2008. From 1987 to 1996, he served as a director of Investment Banking at Salomon Brothers Inc., based in both New York and London. Prior to this, he held management and operating positions at various other international hospitality firms. Mr. Turner is currently an adjunct lecturer at NYU’s Hospitality and Tourism program and has also lectured frequently at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, as well as the university’s executive education program, and at Columbia University’s real estate graduate program.