James E. Walker III has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2017. James E. is President and Senior Managing Director of Black Diamond Capital Management, where he oversees firm management, drives strategic growth, and identifies new investment opportunities. A co-founder of Black Diamond in 1996, Mr. Walker rejoined the firm as President in September 2023, bringing extensive leadership and management experience. From April 2008 until December 2016, Mr. Walker served as a Managing Partner of Fir Tree Partners, a global alternative investment firm with over $10 billion of assets. While at Fir Tree, he co-founded the firm’s real estate opportunity funds and co-led its real estate investment efforts. He was jointly responsible for firm-wide management, spearheaded the identification of new investment strategies, and led numerous activist investment campaigns. Mr. Walker also served on Fir Tree’s Real Estate Investment Committee and was Chairman of its Risk Committee. Prior to Fir Tree, Mr. Walker was a co-founder and Managing Partner of Black Diamond Capital Management from 1995 to 2004. Black Diamond pioneered investing in senior secured debt in1995 and has built an $11 billion firm specializing in this differentiated investment strategy. Mr. Walker began his professional career in structured finance at Bear Stearns & Co., and Kidder, Peabody & Co. Throughout his career, Mr. Walker has served on numerous boards, leveraging his deep expertise in real estate, investment management and alternative investments. Since 2017, he has been a member of the Board of Starwood Real Estate Trust, a private real estate investment firm, where he currently serves as lead independent director. In August 2022, he joined the board of Consumer Portfolio Services, a specialty finance company focused on subprime auto lending. Most recently, in June 2023, he became a board member of Emeco Group, an Australian mining equipment leasing company. He also previously served on the board of Clarus Corporation, a global consumer business serving the outdoor enthusiast market. Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management where he served on the Boston College Board of Regents from 2017 until 2023.