Board Committees

Christopher Melton was appointed as a director of the Company upon consummation of the Merger on November 4, 2011. Mr. Melton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of South Carolina and until June 2019 was a principal of Callegro Investments, LLC, a specialist land investor investing in the southeastern U.S., which he founded 2012. Since June 2019 he has served as a specialist Land Advisor with SVN. Mr. Melton also serves on several public and private boards, including Jupiter Wellness, Inc. since August 2019 and has served since February 2018 as chief investment officer and analyst at TNT Capital Advisors, a capital advisory firm based in Florida. He also served as a sales agent as MSK Commercial Services, a commercial real estate company, from February 2018 to June 2019. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Melton was a Portfolio Manager for Kingdon Capital Management (“Kingdon”) in New York City, where he ran an $800 million book in media, telecom and Japanese investment. Mr. Melton opened Kingdon’s office in Japan, where he set up a Japanese research company. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Melton served as a Vice President at JPMorgan Investment Management as an equity research analyst, where he helped manage $500 million in REIT funds under management. Mr. Melton was a Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst at RREEF Funds in Chicago from 1995 to 1997. RREEF Funds is the real estate investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. Mr. Melton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Mr. Melton earned Certification from University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson Director Education Program in 2014.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Jill Anderson (Photo: Business Wire) Ms. Anderson currently serves as Chief Legal Officer of miR Scientific, LLC, a precision healthcare company committed to transforming cancer management globally by developing non-invasive tests for the detection and risk classification of cancers. Ms. Anderson was previously a partner at the law firm of Moses & Singer LLP in New York City, where she advised sophisticated healthcare clients, including clinical laboratories, biotechnology and healthcare technology companies, non-profit research foundations and provider organizations. Before that, Ms. Anderson held legal roles in internationally recognized healthcare organizations, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare System). Ms. Anderson brings invaluable health law and regulatory expertise with a broad skill set in everything from manufacturing and infrastructure to intellectual property to data privacy to negotiating strategic partnerships and revenue-share models. Ms. Anderson also serves on the Board of Directors of Fight Cancer Global, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating patient-centric solutions which unite all constituents to end the isolation for cancer patients globally. Ms. Anderson earned her J.D. at Widener University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Medicine from Rutgers University.

David Villarreal was appointed as a director of the Company on May 28, 2021. Mr. Villarreal’s career spans over 40 years in various management, business and leadership capacities, beginning in 1977 when he served as Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Economic Development Advisor, under Mayor Tom Bradley in the City of Los Angeles. He has served since August 2014 as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affinity Partnerships, LLC, a Costco national mortgage services platform provider, with annual closed loan production of $8+ billion through a network of ten national mortgage lenders. From March 2011 to August 2014, he served as the President -Corporate Business Development, of Prime Source Mortgage, Inc. From September 2008 to September 2012, he served as a Consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Christopher Melton was appointed as a director of the Company upon consummation of the Merger on November 4, 2011. Mr. Melton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of South Carolina and until June 2019 was a principal of Callegro Investments, LLC, a specialist land investor investing in the southeastern U.S., which he founded 2012. Since June 2019 he has served as a specialist Land Advisor with SVN. Mr. Melton also serves on several public and private boards, including Jupiter Wellness, Inc. since August 2019 and has served since February 2018 as chief investment officer and analyst at TNT Capital Advisors, a capital advisory firm based in Florida. He also served as a sales agent as MSK Commercial Services, a commercial real estate company, from February 2018 to June 2019. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Melton was a Portfolio Manager for Kingdon Capital Management (“Kingdon”) in New York City, where he ran an $800 million book in media, telecom and Japanese investment. Mr. Melton opened Kingdon’s office in Japan, where he set up a Japanese research company. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Melton served as a Vice President at JPMorgan Investment Management as an equity research analyst, where he helped manage $500 million in REIT funds under management. Mr. Melton was a Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst at RREEF Funds in Chicago from 1995 to 1997. RREEF Funds is the real estate investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. Mr. Melton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Mr. Melton earned Certification from University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson Director Education Program in 2014.

Vanessa Villaverde, age 42, is an accomplished healthcare executive with over twenty years of experience. Ms. Villaverde currently leads innovation investments on behalf of the California Healthcare Foundation, an organization committed to addressing healthcare needs for the low-income population of California, where she has served as Senior Program Investment Officer since April 2023. From April 2022 to April 2023, Ms. Villaverde served as a Scout for Vamos Ventures Fund I, a venture fund focused on earlystage investments in technology-enabled companies led by Latino and other diverse founders. Since April 2022, Ms. Villaverde has served as a board member and healthcare mentor at Founders and Funders of Color, non-profit organization committed to bridging the gap in funding and resources available for Black and Latina/o entrepreneurs. From March 2020 to April 2023, Ms. Villaverde served as the Head of Risk Transfer Strategy at Caresyntax, a digital surgery platform company. From February 2018 to March 2020, Ms. Villaverde served as Senior Director, Commercial Strategy and Implementation, at Remedy Partners, a health tech company. Ms. Villaverde earned master’s Degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas and Georgetown University’s School of Nursing, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought from Amherst College.