IPA Names Kevin Shields Chairman of the Board

ELLICOTT CITY, Md., December 1, 2014 – The Investment Program Association (IPA) has named Kevin Shields, Chairman and CEO of Griffin Capital Corporation, as Chairman of the Board for 2015. Also during the Fall Board meeting, five new members were voted onto its Board of Directors. Shields will lead the Board as the IPA continues to raise awareness and educate advisors, investors and regulators about Direct Investments, which include non-listed REITs (NLREITs), Business Development Companies (BDCs), and Oil and Gas, and Equipment Leasing Programs. Tom Sittema, CEO, CNL Financial Group Inc., has been named Chair-Elect for 2015, and will become Chairman of the association in 2016.

Shields succeeds Mark Goldberg, Managing Director, W. P. Carey Inc. and President, Carey Financial, LLC, as Chairman.

“The IPA’s robust advocacy and education initiatives continue to propel the direct investments industry forward,” said IPA President and CEO Kevin Hogan. “We are confident that Kevin Shields’ experience, insight and expertise will guide the IPA to an even broader growth.

“We also welcome to our Board five senior industry executives who bring a broad range of industry experience to an already incredibly diverse board. As the IPA expands and meets new challenges, we will draw on their insights to advance the Association’s standing with all of our audiences.”

The IPA welcomes the following executives as newly elected Board Members for 2015:

John Guthery, Senior Vice President, W. P. Carey Inc.;
Nathan Headrick, General Counsel, Triloma Capital, LLC;
Lance Murphy, Executive Vice President, Franklin Square;
Larry Roth, CEO, Cetera Financial Group;
Sherri Schugart, Senior Vice President, Hines Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc.

They are joined by the following current Board Members continuing their terms:

Keith Allaire, Managing Director, Robert A. Stanger & Co., Inc.;
Tony Chereso, Director of Capital Markets, United Development Funding;
Sherri Cooke, President and CEO, AI Insight, Inc.;
Martel Day, Founder and Principal, NLR Advisory Services, LLC;
David Fred, Vice President, Head of Due Diligence, Cetera Financial Group;
Judith Fryer, Principal Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP;
Mark Goldberg, Managing Director, W. P. Carey Inc. and President, Carey Financial, LLC (2015 Chair Emeritus);
Jack Hollander, Executive Vice President, Atlas Energy L.P.;
Kevin Keefe, President, First Allied Securities;
Wally Kunzman, President, Kunzman & Bollinger, Inc.;I
Frank McCarthy, Vice President and General Manager, Ameriprise Financial;
Robert Franklin (Frank) Muller, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Behringer Securities;
Charles Murray, President, Dividend Capital Securities;
Ella Shaw Neyland, President, Steadfast Apartment REIT;
Ryan C. Parker, Executive Vice President of Investment & Planning Solutions, LPL Financial;
Mitchell A. Sabshon, Chief Executive Officer, Inland Real Estate Investment Corp.;
Nick Schorsch, Chairman and CEO, American Realty Capital;
Kevin Shields, Chairman and CEO, Griffin Capital Corporation (2015 Chairman of the Board);
Thomas K. Sittema, Chief Executive Officer, CNL Financial Group Inc. (2016 chair-elect);
Rosemarie Thurston, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP

“Our industry experienced another strong year of performance in 2014, and continues to lay the foundation for transformational growth in the future,” said Kevin Shields. “In 2015, the IPA and it’s members will be working hard to build on the positive relationships we’ve developed with our regulators, we’ll continue to advocate for the inclusion of direct investment products in a well diversified portfolio and we expect our products to continue to deliver exceptional investor value.”

About The Investment Program Association
The Investment Program Association (IPA) was formed in 1985 to provide effective national leadership for the direct investment industry. The IPA supports individual investor access to a variety of asset classes not correlated to the traded markets and historically available only to institutional investors. These include public non-listed REITs (NL REITs), business development companies (BDCs), energy and equipment leasing programs, and private equity offerings. For 29 years the IPA has successfully championed the growth and improvement of such products, which have increased in popularity with financial professionals and investors alike. Direct investments are held in the accounts of more than 2 million individual investors, and the IPA’s member companies operate or have properties in all 50 states. Today these investment products function as a critical component of effectively diversified investment portfolios and serve an essential capital formation function for the US economy. The mission of the IPA is advocating direct investments through education. Access the wealth of IPA educational materials here, or visit the IPA online for more information about becoming a member.

To stay up-to-date with IPA news, follow @IPADirectInvest on Twitter.

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