Board of Directors
MARTIN E. STEIN, JR., age 71, has been our Executive Chairman of the Board since January 1, 2020, having served as a director of the Board since 1993 and its chairman since 1998. Mr. Stein served as Chief Executive Officer from our initial public offering in 1993 until his retirement on December 31, 2019. He was our President and Chief Executive Officer from 1993 until 1998 and President of our predecessor’s real estate division beginning in 1981 and Vice President from 1976 to 1981. He is a director, member of the Compensation Committee and chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of FRP Holdings, Inc., a publicly held real estate company. Mr. Stein is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and has an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. Mr. Stein has led our Company since prior to it being a public company. In addition to his leadership skills, he has extensive experience in the real estate industry. He is a past chair of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”) and a member of the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”), the International Council of Shopping Centers (“ICSC”) and the Real Estate Roundtable. Mr. Stein is a former trustee of Washington and Lee University and ULI.
C. RONALD BLANKENSHIP, age 74, has served on our Board since 2001 and has been our Lead Director since 2019. He also currently serves as a director of Civeo Corporation, a provider of work-force accommodations. Mr. Blankenship has not held any other public company directorships during the past five years. Mr. Blankenship served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Verde Realty from January 2009 and as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from January 2012 to December 2012 when Verde Realty merged with Brookfield Asset Management. Upon completion of the merger, Mr. Blankenship continued as the Chief Executive Officer of Verde Realty until August 2013. Prior to 2009, he served as Co-Chairman of Verde Group beginning in 2003. From 1998 until 2003, he was Vice Chairman of Security Capital Group Incorporated, which was sold to GE Capital Corporation in 2002. He was Chief Operating Officer of Security Capital from 1998 to 2002 and Managing Director from 1991 until 1998. Prior to 1997, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Archstone Communities Trust. Mr. Blankenship was formerly a trustee of Prologis Trust and was formerly a director of Archstone Communities Trust, BelmontCorp, InterPark Holdings Incorporated, Storage USA, Inc., CarrAmerica Realty Corporation and Macquarie Capital Partners, LLC. Mr. Blankenship serves as a director of Pacolet-Miliken Enterprises, Inc., a private investment company, Berkshire Residential Investments, a private real estate investment management company, and Merit Hill Holdings, LP, a privately held owner and operator of self-storage facilities. While he was with Security Capital Group, Security Capital Group had controlling interests in 18 public and private real estate operating companies, eight of which were listed on the NYSE. Prior to joining Security Capital, Mr. Blankenship was a regional partner at Trammell Crow Residential and was on the management board for Trammell Crow Residential Services. Before Trammell Crow, Mr. Blankenship was the Chief Financial Officer and President of office development for Mischer Corporation, a Houston-based real estate development company. Mr. Blankenship is a certified public accountant and a graduate of the University of Texas. Mr. Blankenship has extensive experience in the REIT industry including cross-border experience. He is an expert in real estate development, acquisitions, financing and operations. He also has extensive experience in public company governance, capital allocation, human capital management and executive compensation.
BRYCE BLAIR, age 65, has served on our Board since October 2014. Mr. Blair currently serves as the Principal of Harborview Associates, LLC, a company which holds and manages investments in various real estate properties. He serves as a director of PulteGroup, Inc., one of the largest home builders in the U.S., in which he served as Chairman from 2017 until December 31, 2022. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Navitas Capital, a venture capital firm focused on technology for the real estate sector. Mr. Blair served as Chairman, from 2017 to 2021, and director, from 2013 to 2021, of Invitation Homes, Inc. He previously served as Chairman, from 2002 to 2013, and Chief Executive Officer, from 2001 to 2012, of AvalonBay Communities, Inc., a real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and management of multi-family apartments. He is the past Chairman of Nareit where he also served on the Executive Committee and Board of Governors. He serves on the advisory board of the Boston College Real Estate Center and Urban Action and the advisory board of Home Start, a non-profit focused on ending homelessness in the greater Boston area. He previously served on the advisory board of the MIT Center for Real Estate. He received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Blair has substantial experience in real estate development and investment, including more than ten years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a public real estate investment trust. In such capacity, Mr. Blair was responsible for day-to-day operations and was regularly involved in the preparation and review of complex financial reporting statements. He is a past member of ULI where he served as a Trustee and was past Chairman of the Multi-Family Council. Mr. Blair is a past member of the Young Presidents Organization and a former member of the World Presidents Organization.
KRISTIN A. CAMPBELL, age 62, has served on our Board since January 2023. Ms. Campbell serves as Senior Advisor of BarkerGilmore, LLC, a leading in-house legal and compliance executive search, coaching and advisory firm. Ms. Campbell served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief ESG Officer of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., a global hospitality company, from June 2011 to September 2023, where she led Hilton’s global legal, compliance, government affairs and ESG functions. Prior to Hilton, Ms. Campbell was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Staples, Inc. from 2007 to 2011 with an overall span of 18 years at Staples. Prior to Staples, she worked at several law firms, including Goodwin Proctor and Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster. Ms. Campbell has served as director of Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP) since 2016. She is a member of the Advisory Board of LegalMation and a member of the Board of Crete Mechanical Group. She is a former member of the Advisory Board of New Perimeter. Ms. Campbell is a graduate of Arizona State University and holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School. She has extensive experience in legal, compliance, ESG, retail, real estate, public board and leadership.
DEIRDRE J. EVENS, age 60, has served on our Board since 2018. Ms. Evens served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, IT Asset Lifecycle Management of Iron Mountain from January 2022 to December 2023. Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Records and Information Management, North America of Iron Mountain Incorporated from July 2018 to January 2022. Prior to that, she served as its Chief of Operations from January 2018 to June 30, 2018 and as its Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President from July 21, 2015 to January 2018. Prior to her service with Iron Mountain, Ms. Evens served as an Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Clean Harbors, Inc. from 2011 to July 2015, overseeing all aspects of human resources and employee development for a global workforce of more than 13,000 employees. From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Evens served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Sales & Marketing for Clean Harbors. Prior to her service with Clean Harbors, Ms. Evens served as Senior Vice President, Member Insight at BJ’s Wholesale Club from 2006 to 2007, responsible for strategy, member analytics, market research and segment marketing. Before that time, Ms. Evens held a series of positions of increasing responsibility at Polaroid Corporation from 1986 to 2006, including her role as Senior Vice President of Strategy. Ms. Evens holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. She has a strong background in corporate strategy, global risk, addressing technological change, cyber issues, sales, general management, marketing and human capital management.
THOMAS W. FURPHY, age 57, has served on our Board since May 2019. Mr. Furphy serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Consumer Equity Partners, a venture capital and venture development firm. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Replenium, Inc., a private e-commerce software company. Since July 2023, Mr. Furphy has served as a Luminary (senior advisor) to Accenture, a Dublin company that specializes in information technology services and consulting. Previously, Mr. Furphy served as Vice President of consumables and AmazonFresh at Amazon from 2005 to 2009, where he was responsible for the underlying strategy, development and execution of the company’s grocery and health and beauty businesses. Prior to Amazon, Mr. Furphy was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Notiva, a leading provider of web-based trade settlement software for retailers and their trading partners. Prior to Notiva, from 1991 to 1999, he held various senior management roles at Wegmans Food Markets. Mr. Furphy previously served as Chairman of Ideoclick, Inc., a private full service ecommerce agency. He also previously served as a board member of Fairway Group Holdings Corp, a private parent company of Fairway Market, a grocery store operator, and BevyUp, a digital retail-selling platform, which was acquired by Nordstrom in March 2018. Mr. Furphy is a graduate of Hartwick College. He has extensive experience in retail, addressing technological change, cyber issues, marketing, finance and leadership.
KARIN M. KLEIN, age 52, has served on our Board since May 2019. Ms. Klein is the founding partner of Bloomberg Beta, a venture capital firm which invests in technology companies that help businesses work smarter, with a focus on machine intelligence, since 2013. Prior to launching Bloomberg Beta, Ms. Klein was responsible for strategy and business development for Bloomberg L.P. from 2010 to 2013, including serving as head of new initiatives. Prior to Bloomberg, from 2000 to 2010, Ms. Klein served in various roles at Softbank Corp., a multinational telecommunications and technology company, including the role of director of corporate development. Before Softbank, she also held investing and operating roles at several investment companies and co-founded a children’s education business. She serves as a director of Paramount Group, Inc. She previously served as a member of the board of trustees of Harvey Mudd College. Ms. Klein is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds an M.B.A from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. She has extensive experience in media, addressing technological change, cyber issues, investments, finance, accounting, strategy and leadership.
PETER D. LINNEMAN, age 72, has served on our Board since March 2017. He served as director on the Board of Equity One, Inc. from 2000 until its merger with us. From 1979 to 2011, Dr. Linneman was a Professor of Real Estate, Finance and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and is currently an Emeritus Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate there. Dr. Linneman is currently a Principal of Linneman Associates, a real estate advisory firm, and a Principal of American Land Funds, a private equity firm. Dr. Linneman is currently serving as a director of AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. and Equity Commonwealth. He previously served as director of Atrium European Real Estate Ltd., Bedford Property Investors, Inc., JER Investors Trust, Inc., Paramount Group, Inc. and was Chairman of Rockefeller Center Properties. Dr. Linneman holds both a masters and a doctorate degree in economics from the University of Chicago. Dr. Linneman has significant experience in financial and business advisory services, investment activity and as member of numerous public and private boards, including many real estate companies.
DAVID P. O’CONNOR, age 59, has served on our Board since August 2011. Mr. O’Connor is a private investor and serves as Managing Partner of High Rise Capital Partners, LLC and non-executive Co-Chairman of HighBrook Investment Management, LP, a real estate private equity firm. He was the cofounder and Senior Managing Partner of High Rise Capital Management, L.P., a real estate securities hedge fund manager which managed several funds from 2001 to 2011. From 1994 to 2000, he was Principal, Co-Portfolio Manager and Investment Committee Member of European Investors, Inc., a large dedicated REIT investor. Mr. O’Connor serves as director of Prologis, Inc., a global leader in industrial real estate and previously served as director of Paramount Group, Inc., an owner-operator and manager of high-quality office properties. He has not held any other public company directorships during the past five years. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Boston College, the investment committees of endowments for Boston College and Columbia University (Teacher’s College), serves on the executive committee of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, serves as a director of the American Friends of the National Gallery London, a U.S. endowment and is a National Trustee of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. He is a frequent speaker at REIT investment forums and conferences and has served as an Adjunct Instructor of Real Estate at New York University. Mr. O’Connor is a graduate of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and has an M.S. degree in Real Estate from New York University. Mr. O’Connor is an experienced and successful real estate securities investor as well as hedge fund manager. He has extensive knowledge and experience in real estate securities and capital markets.
LISA PALMER, age 56, has served on our Board since 2018. Ms. Palmer became our Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2020, and has served as our President since January 1, 2016 to date. Previously, she served as our Chief Financial Officer from January 2013 to August 12, 2019. Prior to that, served as Senior Vice President of Capital Markets from 2003 until 2013. She served as Senior Manager of Investment Services in 1996 and assumed the role of Vice President of Capital Markets in 1999. Prior to joining Regency, Ms. Palmer worked with Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting Strategic Services, as a consultant and financial analyst for General Electric. She serves as a director of Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Brooks Rehabilitation, a private healthcare organization. She currently serves a Chair of United Way of Northeast Florida, an executive member of Nareit, a member of ULI, and a member of the Board of Trustee of Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC). She previously served a director of ESH Hospitality, Inc., a subsidiary of Extended Stay America, Inc. Ms. Palmer is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Palmer has extensive knowledge of the shopping center and real estate industries and has extensive experience in finance and capital markets, operations, public board strategy and governance.
JAMES (‘Jim”) H. SIMMONS, III, age 57, has served on our Board since June 2021. Mr. Simmons currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of Asland Capital Partners, a private company that owns and operates multifamily, mixed-use and retail assets in New York City, New York since 2019. He also serves as head of Asland’s Investment Committee, which is responsible for the strategic direction and investment strategy of the firm. Prior to Asland, Mr. Simmons served as Managing Partner – Real Estate of Ares Management, a global alternative investment manager operating three integrated businesses across credit, private equity and real estate from 2013 to 2018. Prior to Ares, he served as Partner of Apollo Real Estate Advisors from 2002 to 2013. Prior to Apollo, Mr. Simmons served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation. He previously served as director of Apollo Strategic Growth Capital (NYSE: APSG). Mr. Simmons serves as a member of Princeton University National Annual Giving Committee, a member of the Princeton University President’s Advisory Council and vice-chair of the Real Estate Executive Council. Mr. Simmons is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a M.S. from Virginia Tech and a M.B.A. from Northwestern University. He has extensive experience in real estate transactions, investments, finance, marketing, strategy and leadership.