IRVINE, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunstone Hotel
Investors, Inc. (the "Company" or "Sunstone") (NYSE: SHO), the
owner of Long-Term Relevant Real Estate® in the hospitality sector,
today announced a series of actions that reaffirm the Company's
commitment to stockholder-friendly corporate governance, board
refreshment, diversity, and inclusion. First, Keith P. Russell and Thomas A. Lewis, Sunstone Directors since 2004
and 2006, respectively, will not stand for re-election to the Board
of Directors at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders.
Second, the Board of Directors unanimously nominated Kristina M. Leslie and Verett Mims to stand for election to the Board
at the Company's 2021 annual meeting.
John Arabia, President &
Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Doug and I, along with all the
Sunstone Directors, thank Keith and Tom for their numerous
contributions over the past two decades. Keith and Tom have
been terrific resources, trusted advisors and consummate
fiduciaries focused on protecting the interests of our
stakeholders. They have had a significant impact on the
success of our Company and will be missed." Mr. Arabia
continued, "I also look very forward to welcoming Kris and Verett
to our Board of Directors. Both are proven executives in
their respective fields, bring diversity of thought and perspective
to the Board, and will be immediately additive to our Company."
Douglas M. Pasquale, Chairman of
the Board, added, "We're grateful to Keith and Tom for their
combined 32 years of service to Sunstone. We have enjoyed
working alongside them, have benefited from their insights, and
wish them well. At the same time, we are pleased to put
forward Kris and Verett as nominees to the Board and look forward
to their meaningful contributions."
About Kristina M.
Leslie:
Ms. Leslie began her career at Paramount Communications in
New York, serving in a variety of
financial management roles, including treasury, investor relations
and strategic planning. Following the acquisition of Paramount by
Viacom, Ms. Leslie served as Director of Strategic and Financial
Planning for Viacom. In 1996, Ms. Leslie relocated to California to join DreamWorks, then in its
infancy, as Head of Strategic Planning and Corporate Finance, where
she oversaw financial planning, strategic partnerships and all
investor and banking relationships. She became Chief Financial
Officer of DreamWorks in 2003 and led the $840 million initial public offering of
DreamWorks Animation in 2004. She continued to serve as DreamWorks'
Chief Financial Officer until her retirement in 2007.
Over the past 15 years, Ms. Leslie has served on a number of
public and private boards and currently serves as a director of CVB
Financial Corp., Justworks, Inc., A Place for Rover, Inc. and Blue
Shield of California. Ms. Leslie
earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University and her Master of Business
Administration in Finance from Columbia
University.
About Verett Mims:
Ms. Mims brings 27 years of expertise in finance, banking and
corporate treasury from complex, global and multinational
companies. Ms. Mims currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer
of Blum Capital Partners, L.P., a long-term strategic equity
investment management firm. Previously, Ms. Mims spent 18 years at
The Boeing Company including 16 years serving the Corporate Finance
Committee as the Assistant Treasurer, Global Treasury reporting on
the firm's financial exposures. During her time at Boeing, Ms. Mims
had specific oversight of the foreign exchange, commodity and
inflation hedging portfolio and the domestic and international
banking infrastructure. Prior to joining Boeing, Ms. Mims served as
a sales trader for various banks including Citibank, NationsBank,
and Bank of Montreal, where she
advised and marketed tailored risk management solutions to
corporations.
Ms. Mims holds a Master of Business Administration from the
Stanford University Graduate School of
Business, a Master of Science in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a
Bachelor of Science in Physics from Southern
University and A&M College.
About Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. is a lodging real estate
investment trust ("REIT") that as of the date of this release has
interests in 17 hotels comprised of 9,017 rooms. Sunstone's
business is to acquire, own, asset manage and renovate or
reposition hotels considered to be Long-Term Relevant Real Estate®,
the majority of which are operated under nationally recognized
brands, such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. For further
information, please visit Sunstone's website at
www.sunstonehotels.com.
For Additional Information:
Bryan Giglia
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.
(949) 382-3036
Aaron Reyes
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.
(949) 382-3018
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SOURCE Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.