from January 2022 to April 2022, he also served as the interim Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary of ARI. Since April, 2023, Mr. Rothstein has been the Chief Operating Officer – Asset Backed Finance of Apollo and since 2009, Mr. Rothstein has been a partner and the Chief Operating Officer – Real Estate of Apollo. In those roles, Mr. Rothstein is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the businesses as well as strategic planning, development and implementation of growth and product strategies and new business development. Mr. Rothstein previously served as the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc. (NYSE: AMTG) from July 2011 through January 2014. Prior to joining Apollo in 2009, Mr. Rothstein was a Co-Managing Partner of Four Corners Properties, a privately held real estate investment company. Previously, he was employed by KKR Financial Advisors, LLC, RBC Capital Markets, Related Capital Company and Spieker Properties, Inc. Mr. Rothstein graduated from the Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Accounting and received an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rothstein was selected to serve on our board of directors because of the strategic leadership and business judgment he has demonstrated in his various leadership roles with Apollo and his extensive managerial and executive experience.
Michael Swell, 57, has been one of our directors since June 2022. From 2007 to December 2021, Mr. Swell was a Partner and Managing Director of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he served as Head of Global Fixed Income Portfolio Management and Head of U.S. Fixed Income. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Mr. Swell was Head of Fixed Income of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group from 2004 to 2007, where he founded the mortgage fixed income sales, trading and underwriting division. From 1993 to 2004, Mr. Swell served as Head of Securities Sales and Trading Group at Freddie Mac, where he oversaw the trading, sales and risk management aspects of its mortgage trading arm. Since February 2023, Mr. Swell has served as a strategic advisor for Artist Verified, Inc., and since July 2023, Mr. Swell has served as a member of the advisory board of Vested, Inc. a venture capital investment firm. Mr. Swell graduated cum laude from Brandeis University, with both a BA in Politics and Economics and an MA in International Economics and Finance. Mr. Swell was selected to serve on our board of directors because of his significant professional and management experience and strong background in finance.
Roberta Sydney, 64, has been one of our directors since June 2022. Since March 2023, Ms. Sydney has served as chair of the board of directors for Buttcon Holdings, a Canadian construction company. Ms. Sydney founded a commercial real estate development company, Sydney Associates, Inc. in 1999 and oversaw the acquisition, development, financing, and selective divestment of real estate assets until 2019. She also served as Principal at State Street Global Advisors from 1997 to 1999 while also taking over and leading a family construction company, Sydney Construction, Inc., during the same period. From 1993 to 1996, she served as Senior Vice President, Consumer Lending and Mortgage at BayBank, focusing on asset management and mortgage originations. Ms. Sydney previously served as chair of the board of directors and chair of the nominating and governance committee for HEI Civil, a heavy civil construction general contractor, and as an independent director and the compensation committee chair on the board of directors of Plaxall, Inc., a New York manufacturing and real estate company. Ms. Sydney also previously served as an independent director at Kiavi (formerly known as LendingHome, Inc.), a privately held real estate single family rental lending company, where she served as lead independent director and as a member of the nominating and governance committee. She also served as an independent director of Tiedemann Advisors, Inc., a global wealth advisor. Ms. Sydney serves on the Trustee Advisory Board of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. Ms. Sydney received a BA in French Language and Literature from Wellesley College, an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business, and an MS in Real Estate Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ms. Sydney was selected to serve on our board of directors because of her extensive experience with real estate investments and her extensive board oversight experience.
Our board of directors recommends a vote FOR the election of Dr. Anderson, Messrs., Meltzer, Mintz, Rothstein and Swell and Mses. Coca and Sydney as directors.
A majority of all of the votes represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting at which a quorum is present is necessary to elect a director. Proxies solicited by our board of directors will be voted FOR Dr. Anderson, Messrs. Meltzer, Mintz, Rothstein and Swell, and Mses. Coca and Sydney unless otherwise instructed. Abstentions, if any, and broker non-votes will have the effect of a vote against the nominees, although they will be considered present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.
In accordance with our Bylaws, any vacancies occurring on our board of directors, including vacancies occurring as a result of the death, resignation, or removal of a director, or due to an increase in the size of the board of directors, may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the