Board of Directors

Michael R. Hughes became a director of the Company in November 2010 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board, after being appointed in March 2017. He guides the Board with integrity and provides objective support for members to contribute to the important work in serving and representing shareholders. He leads the Board in steering the organization towards a sustainable future.

Focused on the growth of others, he also serves on the Board of Trustees and is President of the Bentley School in Oakland, California. He joined Switchmate Home LLC in March 2017 (now known as Simply Smart Home, a smart technology solution) as Chief Financial Officer and was President from July 2021 until his retirement in December 2022. His extensive career in financial services also includes leadership roles as First Vice President of Merrill Lynch Financial Institutions Research, Portfolio Manager with Ascend Capital Management, and Partner and Portfolio Manager with Osterweis Capital Management. Along with Mike’s contributions in portfolio management and leadership, he has deep expertise on the research side in analyzing many types of financial institutions including mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). He began his career as an Equity Analyst at Dean Witter Reynolds.

He holds a A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley in Geophysics and Seismology and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1991.

We believe Michael’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his background as a portfolio manager of financial institutions and his extensive experience as a securities analyst. In these roles, he oversaw the investment in and/or the equity analysis of mortgage companies, mortgage REITs, consumer and commercial finance, and government agencies including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These experiences, coupled with Michael’s CFA designation and substantial financial expertise, allow him to offer significant insights and advice, thus making him a valuable addition to our Board.

Byron L. Boston joined the Board in 2012. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer of the Company since January 1, 2014. He was the President of the Company from March 1, 2012 to December 18, 2020 and has held the position of Chief Investment Officer since April 2008.

Committed to giving back, Byron is on multiple boards in advisory and leadership capacities including Mortgage Bankers Association and National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) Advisory Board of Governors representing the industry on a national level. He also serves on the board of the Salzburg Global Seminar where he has served as the Chair of the Investment Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee.

Byron is a well-respected business leader and investment professional with an extensive background in U.S. real estate finance, asset management/investment banking, and fixed-income capital markets. Byron’s career in banking represents an exceptional foundation upon which he now leads the Company. He oversees all strategy and operations while fostering relationships with stakeholders, shareholders, and creditors. He leads the day to day strategic and tactical decisions that have resulted in long term net gains and significant economic return for investors.

Byron’s career includes building two successful public companies. He started in corporate banking with focus on direct corporate loans and bond issuances. Unparalleled training and experience with mortgage-backed securities and bond trading were gained while with Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehman Brothers. Recruited by Freddie Mac, he developed and led the initial investment plan to grow their retained portfolio. Following those successes, Byron launched Sunset Financial Resources, a mortgage Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) specializing in high-quality residential and commercial loans and securities.

He holds an A.B. in Economics and Government from Dartmouth College and an MBA with emphasis in Accounting and Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he was also a member of the Director’s Consortium.

Byron’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his experience gained as our Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chief Investment Officer and President (from March 2012 until December 2020). In addition, he has substantial experience investing in and managing portfolios of mortgage assets gained in his years at Freddie Mac Corporation, Sunset Financial and various large financial institutions. He also has substantial experience in debt and equity capital markets. His participation on the board of directors of Salzburg, and the NAREIT Advisory Board exposes him to important developments in housing finance and global regulation of financial institutions and financial services firms. These experiences allow Byron to offer a different perspective on the Company’s current and future business operations regarding investments, which is a valuable resource for our Board.

Julia L. Coronado joined the Board in October 2020.

Since 2017, Julia has served as the President and Founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives, LLC (MPP) a research advisory firm with deep expertise in macroeconomics, regulatory policy, financial and global markets that helps inform client decisions in financial services and other industries.

Julia’s unbiased analysis and insights are particularly critical in today’s uncertain, changing world. She is a regular commentator in financial media, (including CNBC, Bloomberg, Marketplace, and the Wall Street Journal). MMP delivers perspectives on the economy through its forecasting of global economic activity, inflation, and fiscal and monetary policy (with a focus on the G8 countries and China). Julia has represented the U.S. at the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development and testified before Congress on Social Security reform and digital currency developments. Julia is an independent director on the board of directors of Robert Half, an international staffing and consulting firm, where she serves on the nominating & governance committee. Her commitment to performance and collaboration is evident through roles including Clinical Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Texas at Austin, Vice President of the National Association of Business Economists, member of the Economic Studies Council at the Brookings Institution and member of the Advisory Boards of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School, and the Cleveland Federal Reserve Center for Inflation Research. Former roles in service include serving as a member of the New York Federal Reserve Treasury Market Practices Group, the Economic Advisory Panel of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Board of the National Association of Business Economists and President of the New York Association of Business Economists. Julia served as a staff economist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. and contributed to the Federal Open Market Committee forecasts.

She received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois and her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Julia brings to our Board extensive experience and expertise in international and domestic market economics, fiscal and monetary policy, and global economic forecasting. We believe her experience in these areas, as well as her service on other public company and advisory boards, enable her to offer significant insights into the Company’s business strategy and make her a valuable member of our Board.

Joy Palmer has served as a member of the Board since October 2020. She currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Finance Department of Drew University, a role she began in August 2022. She also served as the Deputy Chief Accountant, Office of the Chief Accountant, from 2018 to 2020, in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, whose work regulates and supervises both national and foreign banks operating in the U.S. During that time, Joy contributed to the drafting of advisories, bulletins, risk tips, and other publications to provide examiners with readily accessible resources on evolving issues. Prior to that, Joy researched companies in the financial services sector as Director of Equity Research with Merrill Lynch from 1996 to 2002.

Joy is a Subject Matter Expert in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), regulatory policies and trends at national banks with a specific focus on large banks and the mortgage finance industry. Joy’s extensive career and global focus deliver value and expertise gained through roles across accounting, finance, treasury, and investor relations. She has specialized knowledge in mortgage investing, origination and servicing and related hedging practices.

Joy earned a Bachelor’s in accounting from Montclair State University and a MBA from NYU Stern School of Business with emphasis in finance.

We believe Joy’s qualifications to serve on our Board include her experience as a policy accountant for the Comptroller of the Currency. In connection with this role, she has subject matter expertise on GAAP and regulatory trends at national banks with a specific focus on large banks, as well as expertise in mortgage investing, origination and servicing and related hedging practices, which are skills and experiences that are valuable to our Board. Additionally, her 34-year career in a variety of accounting, finance, treasury, and investor relations roles, makes Joy knowledgeable regarding operational and organizational best practices, which is a valuable resource for our Board.

Robert A. Salcetti has served on the Board since December 2013.

He is a seasoned executive with a four-decade career in operational and strategic leadership across the financial services and mortgage industry sectors. His stewardship in major financial institutions has impacted the design, delivery, and management of credit facilities for loan warehouse financing, advances, and mortgage servicing rights (MSR) financing. Prior to his retirement from JP Morgan Chase as Managing Director in 2008, his contributions and roles include Managing Director at Chase Manhattan Bank, Senior Vice President and Division Manager with TCB/Chemical Bank, Vice President and Section Manager of Texas Commerce Bank, the predecessor to TCB/Chemical Bank, and Vice President of American Mortgage Company. He was a Director of Ocwen Financial Corporation and was on their Board where he served on the Audit, Compliance, Executive and Independent Review committees and as Co-Chairman of its Risk and Compliance committee.

He also served as a Director of Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation where he was on the Audit, Compensation, and Nomination/Governance committees. Robert earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Carlow College in Pittsburgh, PA.

We believe Rob’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his background in operational and strategic management, including over 40 years of experience in the financial services and mortgage industry sectors. With his extensive experience, which includes leading operations that designed. provided and managed credit facilities for loan warehousing financing, advances and mortgage servicing rights financing, Rob is able to offer guidance to our Board from both an operational and strategic perspective.

David H. Stevens joined the Board in January 2019. David brings deep expertise and knowledge in an advisory capacity to the Board.

He has an extensive career in Real Estate Finance and Mortgage Banking. Having started at the branch level and progressing into branch, regional, division, and national leadership roles provides a breadth plus depth of industry knowledge. As Senior Vice President leading Freddie Mac’s Single-Family business, his work made homeownership more accessible and affordable. David led Wells Fargo’s national wholesale lending business as Executive Vice President and also led Long and Foster Real Estate Company as their President and COO. Following his focus on housing and access, he served in the Obama Administration as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Administration Commissioner. David also led the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington, D.C. as their Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2018. In 2019, David became Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Lake Consulting, a financial services consulting firm focused on the real estate finance sector. Reflective of his deep commitment to affordable housing, he founded the Board of MBA Open Doors Foundation, which provides mortgage assistance to families with critically ill children. David was named 2018 Mortgage Professional of the Year by National Mortgage Professional Magazine and has been included on Bloomberg’s 50 Most Powerful People in U.S. Real Estate and Inman’s 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders. He was honored with the NAHREP Founders Award for his support of Hispanic lending.

He earned a degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder and received his Certified Mortgage bankers designation.

We believe David’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his background in the real estate finance sector, including over 30 years of mortgage finance. capital markets and housing policy experience. His association with Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the MBA, among others, has given David’s insight into the mortgage finance industry for both residential and commercial real estate. His knowledge of housing finance policy issues and the relationships that he has developed in various housing policy institutions is also very valuable to the Board and the Company. With his extensive experience, David is deeply knowledgeable of all aspects of the industry and is able to provide this industry knowledge to our Board.