Byron L. Boston serves as chairman of the Board and co-chief Executive Officer, appointed chairman in December 2023. He joined the Board in 2012 and has served as CEO or Co-CEO and co-chief Investment officer since January 2014. He was President from March 2012 to December 2020 and chief investment officer since April 2008. Byron has served on multiple boards in advisory and leadership roles, including the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT") Advisory Board of Governors. He also serves on the board of Salzburg Global, where he formerly chaired both the Investment and Finance Committees. Byron has deep experience in U.S. real estate finance, asset management/investment banking, and fixed-income capital markets, overseeing strategy and operations, building stakeholder relationships, and leading strategic decisions that drive long-term gains and strong investor returns. He started in corporate banking with loans and bond issuances, gaining MBS and bond trading experience at Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehman Brothers. At Freddie Mac, he developed and led the initial investment plan for their retained portfolio. He later launched Sunset Financial Resources, a mortgage REIT focused on high-quality residential and commercial loans and securities. He holds an A.B. in Economics and Government from Dartmouth College and an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a Fellow of Salzburg Global.