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Howard Silver has served on our board of directors since March 2004. Mr. Silver has been the chief executive officer of Equity Inns, Inc. (Equity Inns), a NYSE listed real estate investment trust since January 2005, and has also served as director and president of Equity Inns since 1998. From 1998 until January 2005, he also served as chief operating officer of Equity Inns. Mr. Silver joined Equity Inns in May 1994 and, prior to holding these positions, served in various capacities for Equity Inns, including as executive vice president of finance, secretary, treasurer and chief financial officer. Equity Inns owns a geographically diverse portfolio of 123 hotels in 36 states. Mr. Silver is also presently a director of Great Wolf Lodging, a public indoor water park resort, where he serves as chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. He also serves on the board of directors of GHII, LLC, a private company that provides furniture to the hotel industry. From 1992 until 1994, Mr. Silver served as chief financial officer of Alabaster Originals, L.P., a fashion jewelry wholesaler. Mr. Silver has been a certified public accountant since 1980 and was employed, from 1987 to 1992, by Ernst & Young LLP and, from 1978 to 1986, by Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. Mr. Silver graduated cum laude from the University of Memphis with a BS in accountancy in 1976. | 