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Senior Management
David J. Neithercut President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Neithercut, 57, is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a Trustee of Equity Residential. He assumed the CEO title on January 1, 2006 and has served as President since May of 2005. From January 2004 to May 26, 2005 he served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy, leading the company's Transactions, Portfolio Management, Development, Condominium and Research groups.
From 1995 until August 2004, he served as Equity Residential’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role he was responsible for all of the company’s capital market activities and participated in debt and equity offerings as well as merger and acquisition activity with a combined value in excess of $10 billion.
Prior to joining Equity Residential, Mr. Neithercut was Senior Vice President of Finance for Equity Group Investments. Prior to joining Equity Group, Mr. Neithercut held positions with the Commercial Mortgage Banking division of Draper & Kramer, Inc. and the real estate department of Continental Bank, N.A.
Mr. Neithercut is a member of the Board of Directors of General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP), a leading owner and operator of shopping malls, a member of the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council, a member of the Urban Land Institute and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Mr. Neithercut holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Mark J. Parrell Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Parrell, 46, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Equity Residential. He was named to this position in October 2007. From August 2005 until October 2007, Mr. Parrell served as the company's Senior Vice President and Treasurer. In this role he was responsible for capital markets, mortgage servicing and tax and treasury functions for the company. From July 1999 to July 2005, he served as Vice President and First Vice President in the company's capital markets group with responsibility for financial planning and modeling as well as $2.0 billion in preferred stock and debt issuances. Mr. Parrell is a director of Aviv REIT, Inc.
Mr. Parrell holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Alan W. George Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer
Mr. George, 55, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Equity Residential, a position he has held since 2001. In this position, Mr. George oversees the acquisition and disposition activity of the company as well as portfolio management and construction services.
Mr. George joined Equity in 1992 as Vice President – Asset Management. In 1993 he was named Vice President – Acquisitions and 1998 became Executive Vice President – Acquisitions.
Mr. George holds a B.A. from Beloit College. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council and a member of the Urban Land Institute.
John Powers Executive Vice President - Human Resources
John Powers, 65, is Executive Vice President of Human Resources, a position he has held since December 2005. From October 2000 until December 2005, Mr. Powers was Senior Vice President - Human Resources. In this role Mr. Powers has responsibility for company-wide Human Resources, Educational Services and Corporate Communications. Prior to joining Equity Residential in 2000, Mr. Powers had spent 14 years with Chiquita Brands International. Mr. Powers holds a BA from Virginia Commonwealth University.
David S. Santee Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Santee, 54, is Executive Vice President and Chief Oerating Officer, a position he has held since April 2013. Mr. Santee was previously the company's Executive Vice President of Operations with responsibility for the company's Revenue, Marketing, Information Technology, Facilities ad Procurement groups, a position he has held since 2006.
Mr. Santee began his career in the apartment industry in 1983 and joined Equity Residential in1994 as a Regional Vice President in Bethesda, Maryland. In that capacity, he established a regional operating center for the company's growing portfolio on the Eastern Seaboard. In 1998 Mr.
Santee was promoted to Executive Vice President of Equity Residential's Eastern Division where he was responsible for the day to day operations for 70,000 apartment units. Prior to joining Equity Residential, Mr.
Santee was a Regional Vice President for Summit Properties, an owner and manager of apartment properties.
Mr. Santee holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from West Virginia University.
Mr. Santee has served on the Boards of various local and regional organizations of apartment owners and manager over the course of his career.
Bruce C. Strohm Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Bruce C. Strohm, 58, has been Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the company since March 1995 and the Corporate Secretary of the company since March 2011.
Mark N. Tennison Executive Vice President - Development
Mr. Tennison, 52, joined Equity Residential on March 8, 2004 as Executive Vice President - Development. In this role, Mr. Tennison oversees all of the company's development activities.
Frederick C. Tuomi Executive Vice President, Property Management
Board of Trustees
Samuel Zell Chairman
Samuel Zell, 71, is the founder of Equity Residential and has been Chairman of the company's Board since March 1993. Mr. Zell is Chairman and President of Equity Group Investments, LLC and Chairman of Tribune. He is Chairman of the Board of real estate company Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (formerly known as Manufactured Home Communities, Inc.), Anixter International Inc., a distributor of electrical and cable products, and Covanta Holding Corporation.
Gerald A. Spector Vice Chairman
Mr. Spector, 66, has served as Vice Chairman of the Equity Residential’s Board of Trustees since January 1, 2008 and has served as a Trustee of the company since 1993. In December 2007 Mr. Spector retired from his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company, a position he held since February 1995. Mr. Spector was Executive Vice President and Treasurer of the company from March 1993 through February 1995.
Mr. Spector had been an officer of Equity Financial and Management Co. since January 1973, most recently serving as Executive Vice President from November 1994 through January 1996. Mr. Spector was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Equity Financial and Management Company from September 1990 through November 1994. Mr. Spector had been an officer of Equity Group Investments, Inc. since January 1988, most recently serving as Vice President from November 1994 through January 1996. Mr. Spector was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Equity Group Investments, Inc. from January 1991 through January 1994.
Mr. Spector was a Director of Equity Group Investments, Inc. and Equity Financial and Management Company from January 1990 until January 1996, and a Director of Manufactured Homes Communities, Inc. from December 1992 through May 1995.
Mr. Spector holds a BSBA from Roosevelt University and also attended the University of Illinois.
Charles L. Atwood Lead Director
Charles L. Atwood, 64, has been an Equity Residential Trustee since July 2003 and Lead Trustee since March 2009. He formerly served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., a private gaming and hospitality company and was Vice Chairman of its public predecessor company until its sale in January 2008. Mr. Atwood served as Harrah's Chief Financial Officer from 2001 to 2006. Mr. Atwood received his M.B.A. in finance from Tulane University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
John W. Alexander
John W. Alexander, 66, has been a Trustee of the company since May 1993 and is the president of Mallard Creek Capital Partners, Inc., an investment company with interests in real estate and development entities. He is also a partner of Meringoff Equities, a real estate investment and development company.
Linda Walker Bynoe
Linda Walker Bynoe was appointed as an Equity Residential Trustee on December 16, 2009.
Ms. Bynoe, 60, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Telemat Ltd, a privately-held project management and consulting firm based in Chicago, Illinois. In this role she advises clients in numerous industry sectors on strategic planning, capital restructuring and financial reporting.
Ms. Bynoe serves as a director of The Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS); Anixter Inc. (NYSE: AXE); Fidelity Life Association and Prudential Retail Mutual Funds. She holds a B.S. from Northeastern University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business.
Mary Kay Haben
Mary Kay Haben, 56, has been a Trustee of the Company since July 2011. Ms. Haben served as the President-North America for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a leading confectionary company, until her retirement in February 2011. At Wrigley, Ms. Haben drove growth through new product, and packaging innovation, as well as marketing efforts in emerging social media. Prior to joining Wrigley in 2007, Ms. Haben held various executive positions during her 27-year career at Kraft Foods Inc. These included leading significant business divisions and functions for Kraft, driving bottom line growth through marketing innovation and brand positioning efforts as well as acquisitions, and productivity initiatives. She serves as a director of Bob Evans Farms, Inc. She is a former director of Liz Claiborne, Inc. Ms. Haben received an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Bradley A. Keywell
Mr. Keywell, 43, was appointed to the Equity Residential Board of Trustees on April 8, 2011. He is a managing partner of Lightbank, a venture fund, and Meadow Lake Management LLC, an investment and advisory firm. He is also a co-founder and director of Groupon, Inc., a global online collective buying and social commerce business; a director of MediaBank LLC, a provider of integrated media procurement technology and Echo Global Logistics, Inc. a public transportation management firm. From 2002 to 2003, Mr. Keywell worked for Equity Group Investments, L.L.C., where he identified investment opportunities and served as board liaison to several portfolio companies.
John E. Neal
John E. 'Jack' Neal, 63, has been a Trustee of the company since July 1, 2006. Mr. Neal is a private investor who has spent his career in the financial services industry with a primary focus on real estate financing. He led Bank One's real estate lending and corporate banking businesses until the company was merged with JP Morgan Chase. Prior to Bank One, he led the real estate lending businesses at Kemper Financial Services and Continental Bank. He serves as a Trustee of the Calamos Mutual Funds as well as serving on the boards of private companies in a wide array of industries. He received a bachelor's degree and MBA from Harvard University.
David J. Neithercut
Mr. Neithercut, 57, is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a Trustee of Equity Residential. He assumed the CEO title on January 1, 2006 and has served as President since May of 2005. From January 2004 to May 26, 2005 he served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy, leading the company's Transactions, Portfolio Management, Development, Condominium and Research groups.
From 1995 until August 2004, he served as Equity Residential’s Chief Financial Officer. In this role he was responsible for all of the company’s capital market activities and participated in debt and equity offerings as well as merger and acquisition activity with a combined value in excess of $10 billion.
Prior to joining Equity Residential, Mr. Neithercut was Senior Vice President of Finance for Equity Group Investments. Prior to joining Equity Group, Mr. Neithercut held positions with the Commercial Mortgage Banking division of Draper & Kramer, Inc. and the real estate department of Continental Bank, N.A.
Mr. Neithercut is a member of the Board of Directors of General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP), a leading owner and operator of shopping malls, a member of the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council, a member of the Urban Land Institute and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Mr. Neithercut holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Mark S. Shapiro
Mr. Shapiro, 43, is an Executive Producer at Dick Clark Productions and its former Chief Executive Officer. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Six Flags, Inc.
B. Joseph White
B. Joseph White, 65, has been a Trustee of Equity Residential since May 1993. Mr. White is President Emeritus of the University of Illinois and James F. Towey Professor of Business and Leadership in the College of Business at the University's Urbana-Champaign campus. Mr. White served as the President of the University of Illinois from February 2005 to December 2009. Mr. White was a professor at the University of Michigan Business School from 1987 through 2004, served as Dean of the Business School from 1991 to 2001 and as Interim President of the University of Michigan in 2002. Mr. White is a director of Kelly Services, Inc.
