Gaylord Entertainment Co.

"Colin V. Reed became president and chief executive officer of Gaylord Entertainment Company in May 2001. Reed was named in August 2004 by the company's board of directors as chairman and added those responsibilities in May 2005. Since joining Gaylord Entertainment, Reed has successfully led the company's strategic reorganization as a hospitality and entertainment corporation through its Gaylord Hotels and Grand Ole Opry brands. In that time, he has led the company's efforts to divest more than $300 million in non-core assets, strengthened its balance sheet and repositioned Gaylord Entertainment for future growth. Prior to Gaylord Entertainment, Reed was chief financial officer and a member of the three-executive Office of the President for Harrah's Entertainment Inc. He joined that company in 1977 as a financial controller for its former Holiday Inn International Division, with accounting responsibility for operations in the United Kingdom. Reed was named head of finance and administration for Holiday Inn International European Division in 1981 and was appointed chief financial officer for Holiday Inn for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Division in 1985. He moved to the company's corporate headquarters in 1987 as executive assistant to the chairman. Between 1987-92, Holiday Corporation executed a very successful recapitalization, sold Holiday Inns, launched new industry-leading hospitality brands and achieved the distinction of being one of the Top 10 companies in terms of returns to shareholders listed on the New York Stock Exchange. During this period, Reed worked with the chairman and chief executive officer on these endeavors. In 1992, Reed was promoted to senior vice president of development for the company. From 1993-95, he was responsible for building and executing the growth strategy of Harrah's Casinos, a company subsidiary, which resulted in Harrah's becoming one of the nation's largest, most distributed and most profitable casino companies in the nation. In June 1995, Harrah's and its parent, Promus Companies, split into two separate public companies, and in 1997 Reed was named executive vice president and chief financial officer. From 1999-2001 he served on the board of directors of Harrah's Entertainment. "

"David C. Kloeppel is president and chief financial officer of Gaylord Entertainment. Prior to joining the Company in September 2001, Kloeppel worked as a vice president in the mergers and acquisitions department of Deutsche Bank in New York, where he was responsible for the department’s activities in the lodging, leisure and real estate sectors. While at Deutsche Bank, Kloeppel executed more than $21 billion in transactions for the mergers and acquisitions team for clients such as Promus Hotel Corporation and FelCor Lodging Trust Inc. From 1991 to 1995, Kloeppel was with Bankers Trust Co., where his responsibilities included managing a team that administered more than $600 million in defined contribution assets. Kloeppel graduated with honors from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, with a master's degree in business administration in May 1996; he was awarded the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award in 2003. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science degree in May 1991, where he majored in economics. In January 2005, Kloeppel was named to the board of director's of FelCor Lodging Trust Inc. Kloeppel also serves as president of the board of directors of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and is on the board of Vanderbilt University's ""Shape the Future"" campaign. "

"John P. Caparella is executive vice president and chief operating officer for Gaylord Hotels. Prior to this position, he served as senior vice president and general manager of the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, positions he has held since joining the Company in November 2000. Prior to such time, Caparella served as executive vice president, planning, development, and administration and president of planethollywood.com for Planet Hollywood International, Inc., a creator and developer of consumer brands relating to movies, sports and other entertainment-based themes in Orlando, Florida. Before joining Planet Hollywood, Caparella was with ITT Sheraton, an owner and operator of hotel brands, for 17 years in convention, resort, business and four-star luxury properties, as well as ITT Sheraton’s corporate headquarters. Caparella's other positions included general manager, divisional director of Rooms and Reservations, and food & beverage director, as well as a position in sales and total quality management in locations including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Orlando. Caparella received his undergraduate degree from State University of New York at Delhi. He serves on Delhi's Hospitality Advisory Board. He received his master’s degree in business administration from Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. "

"Rich Maradik is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Gaylord Entertainment. Maradik joined the company as CIO in 2006 from Acxiom Corporation (NASDAQ: ACXM) after it acquired SmartDM, Inc. where he was co-founder and chief executive officer. Between 1995 and 2005, Maradik helped grow SmartDM from a start-up to one of the leading database marketing firms in the U.S. serving middle-market enterprises. While at SmartDM, the company was recognized by Inc. magazine in their Inc. 500 and was also featured on the August 1999 cover as the “Best Company Started for $1,000 or Less.” SmartDM’s clients included companies in the financial services, hospitality, entertainment and non-profit industries. Prior to SmartDM, Maradik served as the finance director for the Tennessee Republican Party. Maradik earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Vanderbilt University in 1991 and is a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization as well as an alumnus of MIT/Kaufman Foundation’s “Birthing of Giants” entrepreneurial leadership program. Maradik has also been active in the Direct Marketing Association’s Leadership Council and serves on the Board of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Camp Widjiwagan. "

"Bennett Westbrook is senior vice president of development and design & construction for Gaylord Entertainment Company, the diversified hospitality, entertainment and attractions company whose holdings include the Gaylord Hotels the Grand Ole Opry brands. Westbrook leads the company’s development efforts on new resort hotel and convention center projects and other real estate and investment-related projects. Westbrook joined Gaylord Entertainment Company in October 2001 from Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., a public company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev. He served as corporate director of development, leading the company’s development department on new casino and hotel projects, expansions, business negotiations, acquisitions and dispositions. From 1994-1997, Westbrook was also with Harrah’s Entertainment in Memphis, Tenn. as the director of development. Westbrook also served as regional real estate manager for Federated Department Stores in Cincinnati from 1997-2000. He handled the real estate business of Federated’s Stern’s Department Store division in the metro New York City area and Aeropostale specialty store division. In 1994, Westbrook received his Masters of Business Administration degree from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt in 1989 in Political Science. Westbrook currently serves as President of the Gaylord Entertainment Political Action Committee and has served as a board member of the Nashville Zoo. He was also a participant in the 2006 Leadership Nashville class. "

"Carter R. Todd is executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Gaylord Entertainment. Todd also serves as Gaylord’s chief compliance officer. Prior to joining Gaylord, Todd was a partner at a large Nashville, Tenn. law firm, where his practice emphasis was in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and securities regulations. A Tennessee native, Todd graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 1982. While at Vanderbilt, he served on the editorial board of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Davidson College where he was a member of the varsity basketball team and was selected to the Honors College. Todd is active in community affairs and currently serves on the Nashville Metro Council. He is a former chairman of the Nashville Sports Council and vice-chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Currently Todd serves on the boards of the Nashville Area Red Cross, the United Way of Middle Tennessee and the Nashville Metropolitan YMCA. He is a graduate of both Leadership Nashville and Leadership Music, a Nashville Bar Fellow, and previously served as secretary-treasurer of the Nashville Bar Association. Todd is a frequent speaker at seminars dealing with corporate and securities laws, and previously served on the adjunct faculty of the Master’s of Business Administration program of Belmont University in Nashville, teaching business and administrative law. "

"Mark Fioravanti is senior vice president and treasurer for Gaylord Entertainment. Fioravanti is responsible for the Company's treasury, investor relations, finance, accounting, and strategic planning functions. Prior to its sale in June 2007, Fioravanti was president of ResortQuest International, a division of Gaylord Entertainment and the nation's largest vacation rental property management company. He was also senior vice president of marketing and was instrumental in strengthening the appeal and reach of Gaylord Entertainment's brands, including Gaylord Hotels and the world-renowned Grand Ole Opry. Prior to joining Gaylord Entertainment in August 2002, Fioravanti was vice president of finance and administration of Harrah's New Orleans. His other roles with Harrah's Entertainment included vice president of finance and administration of The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, corporate director of strategic planning, and director of market planning and strategy. Fioravanti is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He earned his master's degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee. Fioravanti is on the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee. "

Melissa J. Buffington is senior vice president of Human Resources and Communications for Gaylord Entertainment. Buffington, who joined the Company in August 2003, has an impressive track record for effectively developing, implementing, and administering broad human resource programs. Buffington is responsible for corporate compensation and benefits programs, training and development, staffing, employee relations, internal communications, and human resource systems. Prior to joining the Company, Buffington was senior vice president of Human Resources and Strategic Planning for the Goodlettsville, TN-based Dollar General Corp., where she oversaw human resource programs for 60,000 employees. In this role, she managed all corporate compensation and benefit programs, training and recruitment, employee relations, organizational development, succession planning, corporate communications, and community and charitable program development. Before joining Dollar General, she held the position of executive vice president of Human Resources at Nashville-based First American Corp. In this position, she served as a member of the Executive Management Committee, chaired the Benefits Plan Administrative Committee, and acted as liaison to the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Previously at First American, Buffington was senior vice president and director of quality management, and director of strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions. Before moving to Nashville 11 years ago, she was employed as a senior financial analyst at NationsBank and as an accountant at Geico Insurance Co. Buffington is a graduate of The College of William and Mary, where she received her degree in business management. She earned her master's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Old Dominion University. Buffington is active in the Nashville community, serving on the boards of Vanderbilt University Diabetes Center, Nashville Ballet, and United Way of Middle Tennessee.

"Steve Buchanan is senior vice president of media and entertainment for Gaylord Entertainment. He is responsible for the management of the Grand Ole Opry, the historic Ryman Auditorium, the legendary WSM-AM and Gaylord Program Services, Inc. Buchanan joined Gaylord in 1985 as marketing manager of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1993, he was named general manager of the Ryman Auditorium. During his time at the Ryman, he directed an $8.5 million renovation of the historic structure, executive-produced such noted musical productions as ""Always by Patsy Cline"" and ""Lost Highway - The Music and Legend of Hank Williams,"" and he was the co-creator and executive producer of ""Sam's Place - Music for the Spirit."" Buchanan produced the Grammy-nominated Bill Monroe album ""Live at the Opry"" (1990) and Monroe's ""Cryin' Holy Unto the Lord"" (1991). He has also produced numerous television specials, such as CBS' ""Grand Ole Opry's 75th: A Celebration"" and the A&E special ""Grand Ole Opry: 75 Years in the Making."" Buchanan currently serves as an executive producer of GAC's weekly show ""Grand Ole Opry Live."" He was also responsible for the Opry's monumental return to Carnegie Hall in November 2005, during the show's 80th Anniversary Celebration. Buchanan earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Vanderbilt University. He serves on the board of W.O. Smith Community Music School and is president of the Opry Trust Fund. He is also on the board of the Country Music Association, Sound and Speed and the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, and is a member of the Academy of Country Music. A native of Oak Ridge, Tenn., Buchanan enjoys reading and playing golf. He is married to Ree Guyer Buchanan, a music publisher. "

"""Learning has to be both fun and interesting - in fact... it should be a blast! We must be in the business of having fun, making fun and teaching fun. And if we change a few people's lives for the better...well then, we have indeed been successful."" Angela, who has more than 15 years in the hospitality industry, is director of leadership and training. She joins Gaylord Texan from Summerfield Suites where she held several positions during her tenure with them. Her expertise has been in training the sales, operations, and reservations departments at the Summerfield Suites corporate offices. As general manager, she opened three local Dallas properties. Angela Mitcham earned her bachelors degree at Texas Tech. "

"John A. Imaizumi is senior vice president and general manager of Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, the luxurious 1,511-room hotel in Grapevine, Texas. Imaizumi, who has 22 years of experience in the hospitality and hotel management business, joined Gaylord Entertainment in April 2003 from Ian Schrager Hotels in New York, where he initially served as vice president of operations and ultimately as chief administrative officer. He was previously employed by Marriott Hotels and Resorts for more than eight years. During that time, he served as controller of Marriott's Hilton Head resort and was part of the team that opened Marriott's first 1,674-room ""Marquis Mega"" hotel in Atlanta, Ga. Imaizumi also assisted in task force operations for the opening of Marriott's Orlando World Center. In addition to his work with Marriott, Imaizumi was previously hotel manager and director of operations for the Fairmont Hotel Dallas, where he successfully coordinated and completed a $20 million guestroom renovation. "

"Former President-elect Gordon E. Gee, among the most highly experienced university presidents in the nation, returned to The Ohio State University after having served as Chancellor of Vanderbilt University for seven years. Prior to that, he was president of Brown University (1998 – 2000), Ohio State (1990-97), the University of Colorado (1985 – 90) and West Virginia University (1981-85) during the course of his 34 years in higher education. Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in history and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence and Doctor of Education degrees from Columbia University. He clerked under Chief Judge David T. Lewis of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals before being named a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger on administrative and legal problems of the Court and federal judiciary. Gee returned to Utah as an associate professor and associate dean in the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, eventually achieving the rank of full professor. In 1979 he was named dean of the West Virginia University Law School, and in 1981 was appointed to that university’s presidency. Active in a number of national professional and service organizations, Gee served as a Trustee for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation and as chairman of the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land Grant Universities. Gee has received a number of honorary degrees, awards and recognitions. He was a Mellon Fellow for the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and a W.K. Kellogg Fellow. In 1994, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Utah as well as from Teachers College of Columbia University. He is the co-author of eight books and the author of numerous papers and articles on law and education. Gee is a member of the board of directors of Hasbro, Inc. and Massey Energy Company. "

Mr. Gaylord served as the Company’s Chairman of the Board from May 1999 through April 2001. He served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from July 2000 until September 2000, and as Vice-Chairman of the Board from May 1996 to May 1999. He was the President of the privately-held Oklahoma Publishing Company from June 1994 until December 2002. Mr. Gaylord has been Chairman of the privately-held sports management firm Gaylord Sports Management since January 2004 and Chairman of Medtrust Online, a privately-held healthcare services firm, since 2007. Mr. Gaylord is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation.

Laurence Geller is President, and CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts. Prior to founding Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Geller was Chairman and CEO of Geller & Co., a gaming, tourism and lodging advisory company he founded in 1989. Geller & Co. specialized in domestic and international hotel, corporate and real estate development, financing and structuring. Previously, Mr. Geller held positions as EVP and COO of Hyatt Development Corporation, SVP of Holiday Inn and Director of London’s Grand Metropolitan Hotels.Mr. Geller is a former Vice Chairman of the Urban Land Institute’s Commercial and Retail Council and immediate past Chairman of the Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council of the American Hotel and Motel Association (IREFAC). Mr. Geller serves on the Boards of NAREIT, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the President’s Council of the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the Chicago Olympic Committee, and the National Leadership Council for the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Geller is Co-Chairman of Trustees of the Churchill Centre and Ambassador for North America for The Hotel and Catering Institutional Management Association of the U.K. Mr. Geller is a graduate of Ealing Technical College's school of hotel management and catering.Mr. Geller has over 40 years of experience in the lodging industry and has received numerous awards for his service to the lodging industry.

Michael I. Roth is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. He added the CEO title in January of 2005. Prior to becoming Chairman, in July 2004, Roth had been a member of Interpublic's Board since 2002. Before assuming his current role, Roth was Chairman and CEO of The MONY Group Inc. (NYSE: MNY), a financial services holding company that provides a wide range of protection, asset accumulation and retail brokerage products and services through its member companies. Under Roth's leadership, The MONY Group diversified its business mix, broadened its distribution channels and enhanced its ability to compete in today's financial services marketplace. Roth is a member of the Board of Directors for Pitney Bowes Inc., the Ad Council and the Gaylord Entertainment Company. He also participates in several civic organizations. He sits on the Leadership Committee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; the Board of Directors of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy and The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). In addition, he is a Director of The Baruch College Fund, The Partnership for New York City and The Enterprise Foundation. A certified public accountant, Roth holds an L.L.M. degree from New York University Law School and a J.D. from Boston University Law School. He is a 1967 graduate of the City College of New York.

Mr. Bender is VP/Regional General Manager of retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., with overall responsibility for a group of stores in the western United States, a position he has held since February 2009. From 2003 through 2007, Mr. Bender served as the President/General Manager of the Retail and Alternate Care business of healthcare retailer Cardinal Health. Prior to joining Cardinal Health, Mr. Bender was Vice President of Store Operations for clothing retailer Victoria’s Secret Stores. Mr. Bender also spent 14 years with beverage company PepsiCo in a variety of sales, finance and operating roles.

"Mr. Horn served as the Chairman of the Board of financial services company First Tennessee National Corporation (now First Horizon National Corporation) and First Tennessee Bank, National Association, its principal subsidiary, from 1996 until his retirement in December 2003. Mr. Horn served as Chief Executive Officer of First Tennessee National Corporation from 1994 through 2002 and as its President from 1991 through 2001. Mr. Horn is a director of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., an owner of apartment communities. "