Keynote Speakers

Barry Sternlicht
Chairman and CEO,
Starwood Capital

BARRY S. STERNLICHT is Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital. For the past 16 years, Mr. Sternlicht has structured more than 200 separate real estate investment transactions with an asset value of more than $30 billion.

Through 2005, Mr. Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a company he founded in 1995. Today, Starwood Hotels is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 800 properties in 80 countries.

Mr. Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Sternlicht is a trustee of Brown University and Chairman of the Board of Baccarat. He serves on the Board of Directors of National Golf, Field & Stream, and The Estée Lauder Companies. Mr. Sternlicht is also on the National Advisory Board of JP Morgan Chase and the International Advisory Board of Eurohypo Bank. He also serves on the boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s National Leadership Advocacy Program, Kids in Crisis, The Harvard Club, the Business Committee for the Arts, and the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding. He is a member of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, the Presidential Tourism & Travel Advisory Board, the Young Presidents Organization, the World Travel & Tourism Council, and the Urban Land Institute.

Donna Arp
Vice Chairman and CEO
Realty Capital Partners

Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for managing RCP’s growth and expansion, capital markets, deal structure, external communications, client relations and strategic planning. Ms. Arp brings an extensive entrepreneurial and corporate background to RCP. She served as the President of Arp Lotter Investments, Inc., an investment company for real estate and business holdings, and as Vice President of KCB Corporation, Inc. Ms. Arp served as the District Manager for Boise Cascade Corporation, Inc., and she was Texas Unit Manager for Procter and Gamble Company.

Ms. Arp completed the Harvard Business School Real Estate Program and will complete the Harvard Business School Executive MBA for CEO's in April 2008. She graduated summa cum laude from Midwestern University with a Bachelor of Science degree and magna cum laude with a Master of Science in Counseling. In 2004, President George W. Bush presented Ms. Arp with the National Volunteer Service Award. She is the former Mayor of Colleyville, Texas, serving three terms in elected office. Ms. Arp served as chairman of the boards for the Colleyville Area Chamber of Commerce, Baylor Regional Medical Center, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tarrant County, Tarrant County College Foundation and many other leadership positions. She is currently on the boards of Southwest Securities Bank, Northwood University and the Texas Ballet Theatre.