 |
Board of Directors
Walter T. Beach
Rodney E. Bennett
Daniel G. Cohen
Thomas Costello
G. Steven Dawson
Joseph M. Donovan
Jack Haraburda
Lance Ullom
Charles W. Wolcott
Walter T. Beach has served as Cohen & Company's director since December 2009 and is currently a member of the Company’s nominating and corporate governance committee. He has served as a director of Resource Capital Corp. (NYSE Amex: RSO) since March 2005. Mr. Beach has been Managing Director of Beach Investment Counsel, Inc., an investment management firm, since 1997. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Beach was a Senior Analyst and Director of Research at Widmann, Siff and Co., Inc., an investment management firm where, beginning in 1994, he was responsible for the firm’s investment decisions for its principal equity product. Before that he was an associate and financial analyst at Essex Financial Group, a consulting and merchant banking firm, and an analyst at Industry Analysis Group, an industry and economic consulting firm. Mr. Beach has served as a director of The Bancorp, Inc., a publicly-traded (NASDAQ: TBBK) Delaware bank holding company, and its subsidiary bank, The Bancorp Bank, since 1999.
Rodney E. Bennett has served as Cohen & Company's director since October 2003 and is currently a member of the Company’s compensation committee. Mr. Bennett was previously Chairman of the board of directors and Chairman of the audit committee of Sunset Financial Resources, Inc., or Sunset, prior to Sunset’s merger with AFT on October 6, 2006, and was also a member of Sunset’s special committee in connection with its merger with AFT. From 2003 through 2007, Mr. Bennett served as the Chief Financial Officer and director of Harvin Carter and Associates, Inc., a privately owned fire sprinkler contractor doing business in five southeastern states. He continues to serve as a director of that company. A career community banker, he has also served in various capacities and levels of management in banks in southeast Georgia, including chief executive positions. Since July 1991, Mr. Bennett has acted as a consultant to various Georgia banks and private companies. He is currently chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the audit committee and a member of the loan committee of FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, Florida, a start-up bank that began operations in 2007.
Daniel G. Cohen has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Cohen & Company Inc. since December 2009, as the Chairman of the board of directors since October 2006 and as the execution Chairman of the Company from October 2006 through December 2009. In addition, Mr. Cohen has served as the Chairman of the board of managers of Cohen Brothers since 2001, as the Chief Investment Officer of Cohen Brothers since October 2008 and as Chief Executive Officer of Cohen Brothers since December 2009. Mr. Cohen was also the Chief Executive Officer of Cohen Brothers and its subsidiary, Cohen & Company Securities, LLC, a securities brokerage firm, from September 2001 until February 2006. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE: RAS), a real estate finance company focused on the commercial real estate industry, from December 2006 when it merged with Taberna Realty Finance Trust to February 2009, and served as a trustee from the RAIT acquired Taberna until his resignation from that position in February 2010. Mr. Cohen was Chairman of the board of trustees of Taberna Realty Finance Trust from its inception in March 2005 until December 2006 and its Chief Executive Officer from March 2005 to December 2006. Mr. Cohen has served as Chairman of Cohen Financial Group, Inc. since its inception in April 2007. Mr. Cohen is currently a director of Star Asia, a joint venture investing in Asian commercial real estate, and a director of Muni Funding Company of America, LLC, a company investing in middle-market non-profit organizations. Since 2000, Mr. Cohen has been the Chairman of the board of directors of The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK), a holding company for The Bancorp Bank, which provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small and mid-size businesses and their principals in the United States. He also served as the Chairman of the board of Dekania Acquisition Corp. (NYSE Amex: DEK), a publicly held business combination company focused on acquiring businesses that operate within the insurance industry, from its inception in February 2006 until December 2006, and remained a director until its liquidation in February 2009. Mr. Cohen served as a member of the board of directors of TRM Corporation (OTC:TRMM), a publicly held consumer services company, from 2000 to September 2006 and as its Chairman from 2003 to September 2006.
Thomas P. Costello has served as Cohen & Company's director since October 2006 and is currently a member of the Company’s audit committee. Mr. Costello also served as a trustee and Chairman of the audit committee of AFT's board of trustees from January 2006 until Sunset's merger with AFT. Mr. Costello served as a director for KPMG LLP from 2002 to 2004. Prior to that, he was employed at Arthur Andersen LLP for 35 years, including serving as National Practice Director from 1996 to 2002, where he was responsible for the accounting and audit practices of 19 Arthur Andersen offices in the southeast region of the United States. From 1985 to 1996, he served as partner in charge of the accounting and audit practice in Arthur Andersen's Philadelphia office. Prior to that, he acted as engagement partner where he served clients in numerous industries and worked with both large multinational and small and mid-sized public companies. Mr. Costello also serves on the board of directors, and is the Chairman of the audit committee, of Advanta Corp. (NASDAQ: ADVNA & ADVNB), a Pennsylvania-based financial services company, and Advanta Bank, a Delaware State chartered bank, which is a subsidiary of Advanta Corp. From 1985 to 2004, Mr. Costello served as a director of the Children's Aid Society. Mr. Costello is a Certified Public Accountant.
G. Steven Dawson has served as Cohen & Company's director since January 2005 and currently serves as the Chairman of our nominating and corporate governance committee. Mr. Dawson was previously a member of the compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee for Sunset Financial Resources, Inc. and was also the Chairman of Sunset's special committee in connection with Sunset's merger with AFT. Mr. Dawson is currently a director of Desert Capital REIT, Inc. and CM REIT, LLC, public but non-listed Las Vegas-based commercial mortgage REITs, and is an owner and managing director of CM Group, LLC, the outside advisor of Desert Capital REIT, Inc. and CM REIT, LLC. He also serves on the board of directors of Medical Properties Trust (NYSE Amex: MPW), a Birmingham, Alabama-based REIT specializing in the ownership of acute care facilities and related medical properties (Chairman of the audit committee) and American Campus Communities (NYSE Amex: ACC), an Austin-based equity REIT focused on student housing (Chairman of the audit committee; member of the compensation committee). From 1990 to 2003, Mr. Dawson served as Chief Financial Officer of Camden Property Trust and its predecessors, a multi-family REIT based in Houston with apartment operations, construction and development activities throughout the United States.
Joseph M. Donovan has served as Cohen & Company's director since December 2009. He is currently retired. Prior to his retirement in February 2007, Mr. Donovan was chairman of Credit Suisse's ABS and debt financing group, which he led since March 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Donovan was a managing director and head of asset finance at Prudential Securities from 1998 to 2000 and at Smith Barney from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Donovan began his banking career at The First Boston Corporation in 1983, ultimately becoming a managing director at CS First Boston, where he served as Chief Operating Officer of the Investment Banking Department from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Donovan received his MBA from The Wharton School and has a degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Donovan is the Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Babcock & Brown Air Limited (NYSE Amex: FLY), an aircraft leasing company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and was a director of RAM Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: RAMR), a Bermuda-based provider of financial guaranty reinsurance, until his resignation from that position in March 2010, and is a director with First Again, LLC, a consumer finance company in San Diego, California. Mr. Donovan is currently an independent director nominee for Galiot Capital Corporation (NYSE Amex: GTC Proposed), a newly-formed specialty finance company based in New York. In addition, Mr. Donovan joined the board of directors of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, a non-profit organization, in January 2010.
Jack Haraburda has served as Cohen & Company's director since October 2006 and is currently a member fo the Company’s compensation committee. From October 2006 until February 2010, Mr. Haraburda served as a member of the Company’s nominating and corporate governance committee. Mr. Haraburda served as a trustee and Chairman of the compensation committee of AFT's board of trustees from January 2006 until Sunset's merger with AFT. Mr. Haraburda is the managing partner of CJH Securities Information Group, a professional coaching business. Mr. Haraburda served as managing director for the Philadelphia Complex of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated from 2003 to 2005. He has also served in various positions at Merrill Lynch from 1984 until 2003, including as managing director of Merrill Lynch's Princeton Complex, resident vice President of Merrill Lynch's Philadelphia Main Line Complex, marketing director and national sales manager of Merrill Lynch Life Agency and Chairman of Merrill Lynch Metals Company. From 1980 to 1984, he was managing director of Comark Securities, a government securities dealer. From 1968 until 1980, he served as a financial advisor, national sales manager for the Commodity Division, manager of the Atlanta Commodity Office and the Bala Cynwyd office of Merrill Lynch.
Lance Ullom has served as Cohen & Company's director since October 2006 and is currently a member of the Company’s audit committee and compensation committee. Prior to becoming a director of the Company, he served as a trustee and Chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee of AFT's board of trustees. From January 2000 to November 2007, he was employed at E*TRADE Global Asset Management, or ETGAM. Mr. Ullom held various senior positions at ETGAM, including Senior Portfolio Manager, Vice President and Executive Vice President. In the capacity of Executive Vice President, he supervised all of ETGAM's investment activities in MBS and other ABS, mortgage loans, commercial lending, municipal securities, TruPS, derivative products and CDO, businesses. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Ullom worked at Arbor Capital, a licensed broker dealer/mortgage hedge fund based in New York City, where he was responsible for trading structured bonds and whole loans. From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Ullom worked at Barclay Investments in various capacities from institutional sales to co-head of trading for all mortgage products.
Charles W. Wolcott has served as Cohen & Company's director since September 2005 and is currently a member of the Company’s audit committee. He previously served as a member of Sunset's special committee in connection with its merger with AFT. Since April 2008, Mr. Wolcott has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Highland Resources, Inc., a commercial real estate company. Since August 2007, he has also served as a director to Desert Capital REIT, Inc. (public but non-listed), a Las Vegas-based commercial mortgage REIT, and has since 2006 served as an advisor to Allied-Wolcott Company LLC, a company that specializes in the area of conservation real estate transactions. From 2002 to 2006, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tecon Corporation, a diversified real estate business operator. From 1993 to 2001, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of American Industrial Properties REIT, a REIT previously listed on the NYSE Amex that specialized in light industrial and office/flex space. From 1984 to 1992, Mr. Wolcott served in various capacities at Trammell Crow Company, a real estate company, including Partner of Trammell Crow Ventures and President and Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Asset Services. |
