Leadership Team

C. Taylor Pickett

Chief Executive Officer, Director since 2002

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

Mr. Pickett has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 2001 and as Director of the Company since May 2002. Mr. Pickett has also served as a member of the board of trustees of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP), an office REIT focusing on U.S. government agencies and defense contractors, since November 2013. In this capacity, Mr. Pickett acts as Chair of the Compensation Committee and is a member of the Investment Committee. From 1998 to June 2001, Mr. Pickett served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Integrated Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:IHS). From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Picket served as a member of the senior management team of IHS in a variety of positions. Prior to joining IHS, Mr. Pickett held various positions at PHH Corporation and KPMG Peat Marwick.

EXPERTISE

As Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Pickett brings to the Board a depth of understanding of our business and operations, as well as financial expertise in long-term healthcare services, mergers and acquisitions.

OTHER PUBLIC BOARDS

• COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) (2013–present)

Robert O. Stephenson

Chief Financial Officer

Robert O. Stephenson is our Chief Financial Officer and has served in this capacity since August 2001. From 1996 to July 2001, Mr. Stephenson served as the Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Integrated Health Services, Inc. Prior to joining Integrated Health Services, Inc., Mr. Stephenson held various positions at CSX Intermodal, Inc., Martin Marietta Corporation and Electronic Data Systems. Mr. Stephenson also currently serves on the Board of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), the flagship academic medical center at the heart of University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). Mr. Stephenson previously served on the board of the University of Baltimore Foundation from 2015 to 2019. Mr. Stephenson is a member of the Nareit CFO Council, the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Mr. Stephenson received his B.S. Finance from the University of Baltimore and a M.S. Finance from The Johns Hopkins University.

Matthew P. Gourmand

President

Matthew P. Gourmand is our President and has served in this capacity since January 2025. Mr. Gourmand previously served as our Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations since October 2017. Prior to this, Mr. Gourmand spent 10 years as an equity portfolio manager at Millennium Partners and Stevens Capital Management. Mr. Gourmand spent three years as an equity research analyst at UBS and six years in the audit department of Deloitte where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant. He earned an LLB in Law from University College, London, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Vikas Gupta

Chief Investment Officer

Vikas Gupta is our Chief Investment Officer and has served in this capacity since January 2025. Mr. Gupta joined the company in July 2011 and most recently served as our Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Development as of April 2015. From 2003 to July 2011, Mr. Gupta served in various roles at CapitalSource Finance, most recently as a Vice President, where he oversaw a portfolio of healthcare assets. Mr. Gupta received his BA in Finance from the George Washington University School of Business. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (“FIMRC”) and the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (“NIC”), and is on the Executive Board for the American Seniors Housing Association (“ASHA”).

Gail D. Makode

Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel

Gail D. Makode has served as Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel since September 2019. Previously, she served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of IES Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:IESC), a publicly traded industrial holding company, from October 2012 to September 2019. Prior to IES, she served as General Counsel and Member of the Board at MBIA Insurance Corporation and Chief Compliance Officer of MBIA Inc. from 2006 to 2012. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President and Counsel for Deutsche Bank AG, and as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, where she specialized in public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. She received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Ms. Makode serves on the Boards of the Y of Central Maryland, the DC Bar Foundation and Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, a nonprofit provider of social and health services in Howard County, Maryland. She has also served on the Board of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Westchester, New York/Southern Connecticut Chapter, and the Board of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, a nonprofit provider of civil legal services to low-income families in seven counties in New York State.

Neal A. Ballew

SVP, Chief Accounting Officer

Neal A. Ballew is our Chief Accounting Officer and joined the Company in August 2020. In this role, Mr. Ballew oversees the accounting and financial reporting functions. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ballew spent 10 years in EY’s real estate and hospitality audit practice. Most recently, Mr. Ballew was a senior manager within EY’s professional practice group assisting audit clients on technical accounting matters. Mr. Ballew earned a Bachelor of Science and Master’s in Accounting from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Mr. Ballew is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Megan M. Krull

SVP, Operations

Megan M. Krull is our Senior Vice President of Operations and has served in this capacity since April 2010.  As a member of the senior management team, Ms. Krull oversees the portfolio and helps lead the team of asset management professionals.  From 2004 to March 2010, Ms. Krull served in various roles at CapitalSource Finance, most recently as Director, Portfolio Management.  Prior to joining CapitalSource, Ms. Krull served in various asset management, workout, and underwriting positions for GE Capital Corporation and Heller Healthcare Finance.