Essex Property Trust Inc.

Keith R. Guericke, Director, has held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 1988. Mr. Guericke joined the Company’s predecessor, Essex Property Corporation, in 1977 to focus on investment strategies and portfolio expansion. Mr. Guericke prepared the Company for its IPO in 1994, and has since significantly increased the Company’s multifamily portfolio in supply-constrained markets along the West Coast. Mr. Guericke is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Multi-Housing Council, and several local apartment industry groups. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Guericke began his career with Kenneth Leventhal & Company, a CPA firm noted for its real estate expertise. Mr. Guericke received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Southern Oregon College in 1971.

Michael J. Schall, Director, is the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company and is responsible for the strategic planning and executive supervision of Essex’s property operations, corporate finance, redevelopment and co-investment programs. From 1993 to 2005, Mr. Schall was Essex’s Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the organization’s financial and administrative matters. He joined The Marcus & Millichap Company in 1986. He was also the Chief Financial Officer of Essex’s predecessor, Essex Property Corporation. From 1982 to 1986, Mr. Schall was the Director of Finance for Churchill International, a technology-oriented venture capital company. From 1979 to 1982, Mr. Schall was employed in the audit department of Ernst & Whinney, where he specialized in the real estate and financial services industries. Mr. Schall received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco in 1979. Mr. Schall is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of NAREIT, the National Multi Housing Council and AICPA.

Mr. Dance is responsible for the overall management and control of all accounting and finance related functions for the Company. He joined Essex on February 15, 2005. Prior to joining the Company and from September 2002, Mr. Dance owned and operated a private consultancy practice that provided audits and SOX compliance consultation and litigation support. In addition, since the fall semester of 2002, Mr. Dance has been an adjunct Professor for the University of California at Berkeley, HAAS School of Business and in July 2005 he was named the Executive Director at the Center for Financial Reporting and Management at the University of California at Berkeley, HAAS School of Business. Michael Dance began his career at KPMG LLP in 1978 and, from 1990 to 2002, was a partner with KPMG LLP, where he worked with clients in the real estate, construction, health care and technology industries. He graduated from California State University, Hayward with a B.A. in Economics and has been an active California CPA since 1980. Mr. Dance is a member of the AICPA and California State Society of CPA's.

Mr. Zimmerman is responsible for acquisition activities. He joined Essex's predecessor, Essex Property Corporation, in 1984 and was responsible for the acquisition of various multi-family residential properties, suburban office properties and neighborhood shopping centers. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Zimmerman was the Vice President of Acquisitions with Prometheus Development Company, a national real estate developer and a principal in Zimmerman Properties. From 1975 through 1978, Mr. Zimmerman worked as a real estate acquisitions specialist for American Equities Corporation. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974.

Mr. Ritter is responsible for various legal matters and manages Essex's relations with outside counsel. Prior to joining Essex in 1993, Mr. Ritter was a partner at the San Francisco law firm of Landels, Ripley & Diamond, where he specialized in real estate and environmental law. Prior to joining Landels, Ripley & Diamond in 1987, he was associated with the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. Mr. Ritter has been involved in numerous acquisitions and dispositions of various types of property, the financing of various types of real estate, and real estate tax syndications. He also has had extensive experience with leasing, property management and environmental issues arising in real estate transactions. Mr. Ritter received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1983. Mr. Ritter is a member of the California State Bar and the New York State Bar.

Ms. Golden joined Essex in 1993. She is responsible for all human resources functions including the recommendation and implementation of personnel policies and programs, employee relations, recruitment and selection of corporate staff, performance management, health care and benefits administration, new hire orientations and oversees the Payroll department. Ms. Golden also works with the Director of Training and Marketing to develop human resources-related training programs. Prior to joining Essex, Ms. Golden was involved in benefits administration and recruitment for a non-profit organization. She has a B.A. degree in Psychology and a certificate in Human Resources Administration.

Mr. Meyer is responsible for negotiating and acquiring new multi-family properties for Essex in the Pacific Northwest, as well as identifying potential development, joint venture and pre-sale opportunities. Prior to joining Essex in 1994, Mr. Meyer was an investment property specialist for the Pacific Northwest office of The Marcus & Millichap Company, where from 1990 to 1994 he specialized in the marketing and sale of apartment properties. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington in 1990, with a concentration in Marketing and Finance.

David W. Brady, Director, holds the Bowen H. and Janice Arthur McCoy endowed chair at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and is a professor of political science in Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences since 1988. Dr. Brady served as an associate Dean for academic affairs at the Graduate School of Business from 1996 until 2000, and continues to teach corporate ethics in both MBA and executive education. He is a Deputy Director at the Hoover Institution and senior fellow by courtesy at the Institute for International Studies, both on the Stanford campus. He was a member of the advisory council for the Kansai Silicon Valley Venture Forum in Japan.

Gary P. Martin, a private investor, was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mobile Smart, a semiconductor company serving the automotive industry for the period from September 2000 to July 2002. From April 1998 to August 2000, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Halo Data Devices, a supplier of data storage products for the disk drive market. Mr. Martin served from August 1995 to January 1998 as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Prior to this position, from September 1993 to July 1995, he served as Vice President of Finance and the Chief Financial Officer for MiniStor Peripherals Corporation, a supplier of data storage products for the mobile computer market. From 1985 to 1993, he was Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration for Chips and Technologies, Inc., where he also developed joint business ventures within the Soviet Union. From 1983 to 1984, Mr. Martin was Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Starstruck, Inc., a company involved in space development through private enterprise. In addition, Mr. Martin was one of the earliest employees at Apple Computer, Inc., where he held both corporate and European controller positions during the period from 1977 to 1983. Prior to working at Apple Computer, Inc., from 1971 to 1977, he worked for Aero Air Freight and National Semiconductor. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from San Jose State University in 1971.

Thomas E. Randlett, Director, is a certified public accountant and has been engaged as a director at the Law & Economics Consulting Group, Inc. since 1992. Mr. Randlett's professional specialties include the real estate and construction, financial institutions and transportation industries. Prior to joining the Law & Economics Consulting Group, Mr. Randlett was a managing partner and senior real estate specialist for Peat Marwick Main & Company in Northern California, where he had been employed since 1966, and then a consultant at the New York branch of Midland Bank from 1989 to 1990. He served on the board of directors of Greater Bay Bancorp, a publicly held financial institution, from 2005 until the company was sold in 2007. He is a former member of the Policy Advisory Board, School of Real Estate and Urban Economics, University of California at Berkeley and a current member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA"), National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT") and California Society of Certified Public Accountants ("CSCPA"). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1966.

Willard H. Smith Jr. has been a Director of the Company since July 1996. He was a Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets Division, of Merrill Lynch & Co., from 1983 until his retirement in 1996. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 1979, he was employed by F. Eberstadt & Co. (1971-1979). Mr. Smith also serves on the boards of directors of the Cohen & Steers Family of Funds and Essex Property Trust. Mr. Smith also serves as a director of Crest Net Lease, Inc., a subsidiary of Realty Income. Mr. Smith is a member of Realty Income's Audit Committee and its Compensation Committee. Home > Doing Business > Management Professionals > Board of Directors > Willard H. Smith, Jr.