COMPANY

Board of Directors

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William W. McCarten has served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors and has been a member of our Board of Directors since our formation in 2004. Mr. McCarten was also our Chief Executive Officer from our formation in 2004 until his retirement in September 2008. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store as well as Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation.

Mr. McCarten worked for the Marriott Corporation, or Marriott International, Inc., and its related entities for over 25 years until January 2004. Among his many positions during those 25 years, Mr. McCarten served as the Chief Executive Officer of HMSHost Corporation, formerly Host Marriott Services Corporation, a publicly-held developer and operator of restaurant and retail concessions in travel and entertainment venues listed on the NYSE from 1995 to 2000. In addition, Mr. McCarten served as non-executive Chairman of HMSHost Corporation from 2000 to 2001. Prior to joining Marriott, Mr. McCarten was an accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. from 1970 to 1979.

Mr. McCarten received his B.S. in Accounting from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in 1970, and he served on the Advisory Board of the McIntire School from 1981 to 1996.

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Mark W. Brugger is the Co-Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of DiamondRock Hospitality Company. Mr. Brugger co-founded the Company in 2004 and successfully led its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange the following year. Mr. Brugger has received recognition for his work at DiamondRock, including being named to the Forbes list of America’s Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Mr. Brugger has an extensive background in real estate, capital markets and structured finance, including as a former executive for Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR). Mr. Brugger was the lead negotiator on several billion dollars of transactions while at Marriott and, when he was 31 years old, led the acquisition and was subsequently appointed CEO of Marriott’s single largest non-hotel business unit by revenue.

Mr. Brugger has significant experience serving on and working with boards of directors. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of DiamondRock. In addition, he served as a director on the board of Chambers Street (NYSE: CSG). While on the Board, Mr. Brugger sat on the Audit and Compensation Committees. He was also on the Company’s Board when it underwent an M&A process that lead to a successful merger with Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT).

Prior to Marriott, Brugger gained his real estate experience while working as a land developer with a multinational homebuilder, and as a commercial broker specializing in investment sales with a leading brokerage house in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Mr. Brugger received his J.D. degree with honors from The Washington College of Law and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Maryland Bar. Mr. Brugger is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, Real Estate Round Table, YPO International, Marriott’s Owner Advisory Council, and a Board Member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

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Timothy Chi has been a member of our Board of Directors since June 2015. Mr. Chi is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of WeddingWire Inc., a leading global marketplace serving the wedding and events industry worldwide. Previously, Mr. Chi co-founded Blackboard Inc. in 1998 where he pioneered many of Blackboard’s product and strategic initiatives and played a critical role in the success of the company through its public offering in 2004. Mr. Chi holds a B.S. degree in Operations Research/Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and a Master’s of Science degree in Engineering Management from Tufts University.

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Michael A. Hartmeier has been a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Mr. Hartmeier is the former Group Head of Lodging, Gaming and Leisure Investment Banking at Barclays. His prior roles include group head positions in hospitality and gaming for Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Hartmeier has completed over $125 billion in financing and advisory assignments during his 25 years as an investment banker. Mr. Hartmeier received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics-Business from the University of California Los Angeles (“UCLA”). While at UCLA, he was awarded the Pacific-10 Conference Medal. He is a Certified Public Accountant (non-practicing) and began his career as an auditor at Price Waterhouse.

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Kathleen A. Merrill has been a member of our Board of Directors since February 2019. Mrs. Merrill currently serves as Executive Advisor of Southwest Airlines. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Southwest Airlines, a position she held from 2017 to February 2023. In this position, she was responsible for leading all of the airline’s technology efforts to support strategic capabilities. Prior to serving in this position, she also served at Southwest Airlines as Vice President of Business Transformation, Corporate Delivery and Technology from 2012 to 2017, as well as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Implementation from 2008 to 2012 and in various technology positions prior to 2008. Prior to joining Southwest Airlines in 2004, Mrs. Merrill held roles at American Airlines and Capital One Auto Finance.

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William J. Shaw has been a member of our Board of Directors since October 2016. He has served as a director of Marriott Vacation Worldwide since July 2011 and as Chairman of the Board of Marriott Vacation Worldwide since November 2011. He served as Vice Chairman of Marriott International, a publicly traded international lodging and hospitality company, from May 2009 until his retirement in March 2011. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Marriott International from 1997 until May 2009. He joined Marriott International in 1974 and was named Corporate Controller in 1979 and a Corporate Vice President in 1982. In 1986, Mr. Shaw was named Senior Vice President-Finance and Treasurer of Marriott International. He became Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Marriott International in 1988. In 1992, he was named President of the Marriott Service Group. Mr. Shaw serves on the Board of Directors of Carlyle Group Management L.L.C., the general partner of The Carlyle Group, L.P. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame and the Board of Trustees of Suburban Hospital. In the past five years, Mr. Shaw served on the Board of Trustees of three funds in the American Family of Mutual Funds.

Mr. Shaw brings to the Board extensive management experience with Marriott International, his prominent status in the hospitality industry and a wealth of knowledge in dealing with financial and accounting matters as a result of his prior service in financial and accounting positions at Marriott International, including as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Shaw also has experience as a board member of publicly traded companies.

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Bruce D. Wardinskihas been a member of our Board of Directors since January 2013. Mr. Wardinski is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Playa Hotels & Resorts. Prior to forming Playa, Mr. Wardinski served as CEO of Barceló Crestline Corporation (“BCC”) from June 2002 until December 2010. He also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Crestline Capital Corporation (NYSE: CLJ) prior to BCC’s acquisition in June 2002. In 2003, Mr. Wardinski formed and became Chairman of the Board of Highland Hospitality Company (NYSE: HIH). He has also worked with Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HST) in the role of Senior Vice President and Treasurer.

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Tabassum Zalotrawala has been a member of our Board of Directors since May 2021. Ms. Zalotrawala is the Senior Vice President and U.S. Chief Development Officer for McDonald’s USA, LLC. Ms. Zalotrawala previously served as Chief Development Officer for Chipotle Mexican Grill from 2018 to March 2023. While at Chipotle, Ms. Zalotrawala oversaw global real estate, construction, design and contract administration functions to support the financial and brand performance of Chipotle restaurants worldwide and led the global execution of digital revenue generating initiatives, including the Chipotlane, which was named one of “The Most Innovative Architecture Projects of  2020” by Fast Company. Prior to joining Chipotle, Ms. Zalotrawala spent over seven years at Panda Restaurant Group as Chief Development Officer and Vice President of Development overseeing real estate, architecture and design, facilities, strategic sourcing and construction of Panda Restaurant Group concepts worldwide.  Prior to joining Panda Restaurant Group, Ms. Zalotrawala spent over 10 years with Arby’s Restaurant Group, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group and Triarc Companies in various leadership positions in development. Ms. Zalotrawala started her career in luxury hospitality, designing high profile palaces & mosques in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

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    William W. McCarten has served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors and has been a member of our Board of Directors since our formation in 2004. Mr. McCarten was also our Chief Executive Officer from our formation in 2004 until his retirement in September 2008. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store as well as Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation.

    Mr. McCarten worked for the Marriott Corporation, or Marriott International, Inc., and its related entities for over 25 years until January 2004. Among his many positions during those 25 years, Mr. McCarten served as the Chief Executive Officer of HMSHost Corporation, formerly Host Marriott Services Corporation, a publicly-held developer and operator of restaurant and retail concessions in travel and entertainment venues listed on the NYSE from 1995 to 2000. In addition, Mr. McCarten served as non-executive Chairman of HMSHost Corporation from 2000 to 2001. Prior to joining Marriott, Mr. McCarten was an accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. from 1970 to 1979.

    Mr. McCarten received his B.S. in Accounting from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in 1970, and he served on the Advisory Board of the McIntire School from 1981 to 1996.

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    Mark W. Brugger is the Co-Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of DiamondRock Hospitality Company. Mr. Brugger co-founded the Company in 2004 and successfully led its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange the following year. Mr. Brugger has received recognition for his work at DiamondRock, including being named to the Forbes list of America’s Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

    Mr. Brugger has an extensive background in real estate, capital markets and structured finance, including as a former executive for Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR). Mr. Brugger was the lead negotiator on several billion dollars of transactions while at Marriott and, when he was 31 years old, led the acquisition and was subsequently appointed CEO of Marriott’s single largest non-hotel business unit by revenue.

    Mr. Brugger has significant experience serving on and working with boards of directors. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of DiamondRock. In addition, he served as a director on the board of Chambers Street (NYSE: CSG). While on the Board, Mr. Brugger sat on the Audit and Compensation Committees. He was also on the Company’s Board when it underwent an M&A process that lead to a successful merger with Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT).

    Prior to Marriott, Brugger gained his real estate experience while working as a land developer with a multinational homebuilder, and as a commercial broker specializing in investment sales with a leading brokerage house in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

    Mr. Brugger received his J.D. degree with honors from The Washington College of Law and a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Maryland. He is a member of the Maryland Bar. Mr. Brugger is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, Real Estate Round Table, YPO International, Marriott’s Owner Advisory Council, and a Board Member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

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    Timothy Chi has been a member of our Board of Directors since June 2015. Mr. Chi is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of WeddingWire Inc., a leading global marketplace serving the wedding and events industry worldwide. Previously, Mr. Chi co-founded Blackboard Inc. in 1998 where he pioneered many of Blackboard’s product and strategic initiatives and played a critical role in the success of the company through its public offering in 2004. Mr. Chi holds a B.S. degree in Operations Research/Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and a Master’s of Science degree in Engineering Management from Tufts University.

  • MICHAEL A. HARTMEIER

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

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    Michael A. Hartmeier has been a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Mr. Hartmeier is the former Group Head of Lodging, Gaming and Leisure Investment Banking at Barclays. His prior roles include group head positions in hospitality and gaming for Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Hartmeier has completed over $125 billion in financing and advisory assignments during his 25 years as an investment banker. Mr. Hartmeier received his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics-Business from the University of California Los Angeles (“UCLA”). While at UCLA, he was awarded the Pacific-10 Conference Medal. He is a Certified Public Accountant (non-practicing) and began his career as an auditor at Price Waterhouse.

  • Kathleen A. Merrill

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

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    Kathleen A. Merrill has been a member of our Board of Directors since February 2019. Mrs. Merrill currently serves as Executive Advisor of Southwest Airlines. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Southwest Airlines, a position she held from 2017 to February 2023. In this position, she was responsible for leading all of the airline’s technology efforts to support strategic capabilities. Prior to serving in this position, she also served at Southwest Airlines as Vice President of Business Transformation, Corporate Delivery and Technology from 2012 to 2017, as well as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Implementation from 2008 to 2012 and in various technology positions prior to 2008. Prior to joining Southwest Airlines in 2004, Mrs. Merrill held roles at American Airlines and Capital One Auto Finance.

  • WILLIAM J. SHAW

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

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    William J. Shaw has been a member of our Board of Directors since October 2016. He has served as a director of Marriott Vacation Worldwide since July 2011 and as Chairman of the Board of Marriott Vacation Worldwide since November 2011. He served as Vice Chairman of Marriott International, a publicly traded international lodging and hospitality company, from May 2009 until his retirement in March 2011. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Marriott International from 1997 until May 2009. He joined Marriott International in 1974 and was named Corporate Controller in 1979 and a Corporate Vice President in 1982. In 1986, Mr. Shaw was named Senior Vice President-Finance and Treasurer of Marriott International. He became Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Marriott International in 1988. In 1992, he was named President of the Marriott Service Group. Mr. Shaw serves on the Board of Directors of Carlyle Group Management L.L.C., the general partner of The Carlyle Group, L.P. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame and the Board of Trustees of Suburban Hospital. In the past five years, Mr. Shaw served on the Board of Trustees of three funds in the American Family of Mutual Funds.

    Mr. Shaw brings to the Board extensive management experience with Marriott International, his prominent status in the hospitality industry and a wealth of knowledge in dealing with financial and accounting matters as a result of his prior service in financial and accounting positions at Marriott International, including as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Shaw also has experience as a board member of publicly traded companies.

  • BRUCE D. WARDINSKI

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

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    Bruce D. Wardinskihas been a member of our Board of Directors since January 2013. Mr. Wardinski is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Playa Hotels & Resorts. Prior to forming Playa, Mr. Wardinski served as CEO of Barceló Crestline Corporation (“BCC”) from June 2002 until December 2010. He also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Crestline Capital Corporation (NYSE: CLJ) prior to BCC’s acquisition in June 2002. In 2003, Mr. Wardinski formed and became Chairman of the Board of Highland Hospitality Company (NYSE: HIH). He has also worked with Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HST) in the role of Senior Vice President and Treasurer.

  • TABASSUM ZALOTRAWALA

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

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    Tabassum Zalotrawala has been a member of our Board of Directors since May 2021. Ms. Zalotrawala is the Senior Vice President and U.S. Chief Development Officer for McDonald’s USA, LLC. Ms. Zalotrawala previously served as Chief Development Officer for Chipotle Mexican Grill from 2018 to March 2023. While at Chipotle, Ms. Zalotrawala oversaw global real estate, construction, design and contract administration functions to support the financial and brand performance of Chipotle restaurants worldwide and led the global execution of digital revenue generating initiatives, including the Chipotlane, which was named one of “The Most Innovative Architecture Projects of  2020” by Fast Company. Prior to joining Chipotle, Ms. Zalotrawala spent over seven years at Panda Restaurant Group as Chief Development Officer and Vice President of Development overseeing real estate, architecture and design, facilities, strategic sourcing and construction of Panda Restaurant Group concepts worldwide.  Prior to joining Panda Restaurant Group, Ms. Zalotrawala spent over 10 years with Arby’s Restaurant Group, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group and Triarc Companies in various leadership positions in development. Ms. Zalotrawala started her career in luxury hospitality, designing high profile palaces & mosques in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Communications with Directors

The Company invites shareholders and other interested parties to communicate any concerns they may have about the Company directly and confidentially with any of the presiding directors, non-management directors or full board of directors by writing to the Lead Director, Independent Directors or Board of Directors at the following address:

DiamondRock Hospitality Company
2 Bethesda Metro Center
Suite 1400
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(240) 744-1150