Board of Directors

Brian B. Bainum is a management consultant and director at SunBridge Capital Management, LLC, a private investment management firm. Bainum has a diverse background in enterprise digital transformations, sales strategy, and real estate development and investing, including positions held at Deloitte Consulting, LLC and Infosys Consulting. Previously, he supported hotel franchise development at Choice Hotels and managed on-property operations at Sunburst Hospitality Corporation.

Bainum serves on several boards, including Realty Investment Company, Sunburst Hospitality Corporation, Artis Senior Living, and Three Graces Foundation, a non-profit which supports health and education projects in the developing world. He is a member of Choice Hotels’ founding family and largest shareholder.

Bainum holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, as well as a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley.

Stewart W. Bainum, Jr. has been Chairman of Choice Hotels International since October 1997, and has been affiliated with Choice since 1976. He has overseen its growth from a franchisor of 339 hotels under one brand in the United States to a global enterprise with over 6,900 hotels in more than 40 countries. Bainum also served as chairman and CEO of Manor Care from 1987 to 1998, when it merged with health Care and Retirement Corp. Bainum’s 26-year tenure at Manor Care was distinguished not only by its growth in market value from $12 million to over $3.5 billion and its generation of high average annual shareholder returns, but also by Bainum’s implementation of a customer-focused culture at Manor Care for the benefit of both customers and the company’s 50,000 employees. Bainum founded Somerford Place Corp. in 1998, and Artis Senior Living in 2012, both memory care assisted living companies.

Bainum served with distinction as delegate and as senator in the Maryland General Assembly from 1979 to 1987, where he was a member of each House’s budget and tax committee. Described by Forbes as a “fiscal-minded Democrat,” he was also seen as a strong progressive voice in Annapolis. Bainum’s legislative achievements earned him recognition from the NAACP, Maryland Common Cause and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.

Bainum has remained active in Democratic politics and in the community, serving as a delegate to the Democratic Conventions in 1984, 1992 and 2008, and serving on the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins University; the University of Maryland Medical System; St. Mary’s College; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; and Bowdoin College. He is currently a member of both the Real Estate Roundtable and the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.

William L. Jews is the former president and CEO of CareFirst Inc., the seventh largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plan with more than $5 billion in annual revenue. Jews led the combined not-for-profit and for-profit entity from 1993 until 2006, serving nearly three million customers, including the nation’s largest federal health program. Previous leadership roles with other major healthcare organizations include serving as president and CEO of both Dimensions Health Corp., from 1990 to 1993, and Liberty Medical Center Inc./Lutheran Health Care Corp., from 1979 to 1990. Jews began his career in the healthcare industry at the University of Maryland Medical System in 1975, ascending to planning director by 1979.

Jews currently serves on the board of directors of several major public corporations. He is a director of CACI International Inc.; CalAtlantic Group; and KCI Technologies Inc. His prior directorships include SecureNet; Camden Partners; Ecolab Inc.; MBNA; MuniMae Inc.; Maryland National Bank/Nations Bank; Crown Central Petroleum; and Fortress International Group Inc. Jews also served as a governor with the Federal Reserve Bank.

Jews is an investment advisor for Sterling Venture Partners I, LP, a director of the Signal 13 Police Foundation for Baltimore City and a board member of Caves Valley. He has participated in leadership roles with other business, governmental and educational organizations, including the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, the Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission, and the President’s Advisory Boardof theUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County.

Monte J.M. Koch is a partner at BDT & Company, a merchant bank that provide advice and access to long-term, differentiated capital to help family- and founder-led businesses pursue their strategic and financial objectives. He is also co-founder of Ten-X, formerly known as Auction.com, the nation’s largest online marketplace for residential and commercial real estate. Before BDT and Auction.com, Koch had a long career in investment banking, including service at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., the U.S. investment banking and securities arm of German banking firm Deutsche Bank, where he served as global head of Real Estate Investment Banking as chairman of Mergers & Acquisitions for Americas.

Koch currently serves on the boards of Ten-X and the National Business Aviation Association.

Liza Landsman is the CEO of Stash and a Special Partner at New Enterprise Associates, Inc., where she focuses on consumer technology and commerce.

Prior to this role, Landsman was President of Jet.com, an e-commerce retailer owned by Walmart. There she led the firm’s management committee and was a member of Walmart’s U.S. eCommerce leadership team. Previously, she was Jet’s chief customer officer and was responsible for driving growth by engaging potential members through marketing, advertising, smart use of data and compelling customer experiences.

Before joining Jet.com, Landsman was chief marketing officer and a member of the Executive Committee of E*TRADE Financial, where she was responsible for the firm’s marketing and advertising, as well as the company’s insights and analytical functions, including the evolution of its consumer-facing brand. Previously, Landsman was the global head of Digital at BlackRock, responsible for firmwide digital marketing strategy, including social media, websites and mobile applications. Earlier in her career, Landsman held several senior management positions at Citigroup, where she focused primarily on driving engagement across customer channels, especially Internet and mobile platforms. She also held various leadership roles at IBM’s e-commerce and personal systems group units, and at Flooz.com, a startup in the payments space. Landsman also led the New Media Practice at Writers House Inc.

Landsman also serves on the board of directors of GO! Project, a New York City-based foundation providing education opportunities for children in need, and the Veritiv Corporation.

Patrick Pacious is President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel companies.

Pacious has been with Choice since 2005 and has created significant value for shareholders and franchisees. Under his direction, Choice built industry-leading global technology platforms that resulted in improved profitability and efficiencies for the company’s franchised hotel owners. He also spearheaded the company’s significant growth in the upscale segment with both Cambria Hotels and The Ascend Hotel Collection, as well as the successful transformation of the Comfort Brand.

Before becoming CEO, Pacious was the company’s president and chief operating officer. He has led strategy and growth initiatives within the areas of technology, innovation, distribution, brand, marketing, franchise services, and performance analytics. Under his keen leadership, Choice Hotels improved profitably, increased global growth, and propelled to the forefront of hospitality technology.

Prior to joining Choice, Pacious spent more than nine years with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting LLP and BearingPoint Inc., working with executive management and boards of directors at clients, including Choice Hotels and other major hospitality companies. Pacious also served as a U.S. Navy officer in surface warfare and strategic planning from 1987 to 1993.

Pacious received his bachelor’s degree in political science and Latin American studies from Duke University. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Currently, he is a member of the board of directors of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Ervin R. Shames is an independent management consultant. A former lecturer on the faculty of the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business from 1997 to 2007, Shames’ distinguished business career includes serving in chairman and chief executive positions in many major corporations. Shames was president and CEO of Borden Inc. from 1993 to 1995, and was elected to its board of directors in 1993. He was president and CEO of the Stride Rite Corp. from 1990 until 1993, and served as chairman of its board of directors from 1992 to 1993. Prior to Stride Rite, Shames served as chairman, president and CEO of Kendall Corp. from 1989 to 1990.

Before joining Kendall, Shames had a 22-year career in the food industry, where he rose to president and CEO of General Foods USA and then to president of Kraft USA. His other positions at General Foods included the presidencies of General Foods International, General Foods Europe and Maxwell House. Shames currently serves as a Director on the boards of RiceTec, the Liechtenstein Foundation and Johnsonville Sausage Co. His board experience also includes serving as director of General Foods; Stride Rite; Borden; First Brands Corp.; Online Resources; aQuantive; and Select Comfort Corp., where he was chairman.

Shames has been and remains active in numerous not-for-profit organizations. He is a Director and former chairman of Western Connecticut Health Network, the state's third largest hospital system. He is a Board Member and former chairman of Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the former chairman of A Better Chance. He was an active board member of North Country Treetops; the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; the Harvard Business School’s Alumni Association; and the Overseers of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Gordon Smith is the former Co-President and Chief Operating Officer of JPMorgan Chase. He reported to Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and was a member of the firm's Operating Committee. In this role, Mr. Smith oversaw all aspects of the company’s business and operations issues.

From 2012 to 2021 Smith was CEO of Consumer & Community Banking, a leading provider of banking, credit cards, auto finance, payments, mortgages and investment advice. It’s 122,000 people serve over 63 million U.S. households, including over 4 million small businesses through over 4,800 bank branches.

Smith joined Chase in 2007. He served first as CEO of Card and then of the Card, Merchant Services and Auto Finance businesses before taking over Consumer & Community Banking in 2012. Under Smith’s leadership Chase achieved #1 U.S. Credit Card issuer, #1 Retail Banking network, the #1 Business Bank and its Mobile Application was utilized by more than 55 million customers.

Before joining Chase, he spent more than 25 years at American Express, where he led and managed several businesses, including the U.S. Domestic Consumer Card Business. From 2005 until 2007, he was President of the Global Commercial Card business. Smith previously served on the board of directors of Choice Hotels from 2004 to 2017. Smith holds a master's degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Maureen Sullivan is a partner at TCG and brings significant leadership experience at the intersection of technology, product development, marketing and operations. She has spent the last decade focused on building brands that align with the interests and solve the unique needs of female consumers.

Most recently, Maureen served as president and chief operating officer at Heyday, helping to accelerate the company’s ability to deliver personalized skincare. Prior to joining Heyday, Maureen served as president and chief operating officer at Rent the Runway, helping the company transform into a subscription service disrupting the global fashion industry. During her tenure, Maureen helped build the foundation for the company to scale to a $1B valuation, while democratizing fashion and creating more sustainable way for people to get dressed.

Previously, Maureen spent six years at AOL, where she was president of AOL.com and Lifestyle Brands. In this capacity, she oversaw AOL.com including editorial, product and engineering, business operations and partnerships. She also launched destinations across style, beauty, and food, and helped create MAKERS, a first-of-its-kind women’s leadership platform dedicated to telling the stories of groundbreaking women through video, documentary films, and a MAKERS Conference and Corporate Advisory Board – connecting corporate partners to the mission of MAKERS.

Maureen began her career at Google as an early team member of Google New York Engineering before being named chief of staff to the Americas Advertising organization, where she oversaw business planning and partnership development.

A graduate of Stanford University, Maureen also serves on the board of the nonprofit, Network for Good.

John P. Tague is the retired President, CEO and Director of Hertz Global Holdings, which he joined in November 2014. Before his time at Hertz, Tague served as Chairman and CEO of Cardinal Logistics Holdings, a company created by the merger of Cardinal Logistics Management Inc. and Greatwide Logistics Services LLC, where Tague had served as CEO since 2011.

Prior to these roles, Tague served in senior executive leadership roles at United Airlines Inc. and UAL Corp. from 2003 through 2010, including president (2009-2010) and executive vice president and chief operating officer (2008-2009). Between 2003 and 2008 he served as executive vice president of Customers (2003), executive vice president of Marketing, Sales and Revenue (2004-2006), and executive vice president and chief revenue officer (2006-2008).

Tague currently serves on the Hertz board of directors, and previously served on the board of directors of Reddy Ice Inc.; Pacer International Inc.; Orbitz; Air Transport Association; and United Airlines.

Donna Vieira is executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Sallie Mae where she oversees the company’s top line revenue growth, credit, pricing and loss mitigation, as well as products, sales, marketing, customer and digital experience, and business development. Previously, she was chief marketing officer of consumer banking and wealth management at JPMorgan Chase.

Donna has an extensive background in marketing and general management via her current role at Sallie Mae and her work at other leading financial services companies including American Express and JP Morgan Chase. At American Express, Donna focused on new customer acquisition and product development and oversaw the launch of a series of new card products including Blue Business and Business Membership Rewards and was a member of the team that launched Open Small Business. At JP Morgan Chase, Donna held key small business and consumer-focused roles. She led the development of strategic marketing, brand and digital transformation initiatives to grow deposit and investment balances, as well as customer relationships.

Donna earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Lubin Graduate School of Business at Pace University, and a bachelor's degree from Mount Allison University. Delaware Governor John Carney appointed Donna as Chair of the Office of the Treasurer’s Plans Management Board, overseeing investment programs that help families to plan and save for post-secondary education.

She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the pre-eminent membership organization that is committed to increasing the number of Black executives in global enterprises. In 2020, she was named among the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine, honoring her exemplary record of accomplishments and commitment to bettering the community and inspiring others.