Pat Priest
Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer
214-746-6770,

Pat Priest has extensive leadership experience in key financial and operational roles of both public and private companies, as well as active participation in community based service organizations. 

Most recently, Ms. Priest served as Chief Financial Officer of The Kor Group, an investment, development, and management firm specializing in the hospitality and multi-family industries. As a member of the Executive Committee, she was directly responsible for development of the strategic plan for growth, implementing new management systems, and building a motivated team for this privately held California based company. 

Prior to Kor, Ms. Priest served as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, and member of the Board of Directors of The Beck Group, a multi-national construction, architecture and development company.   In addition to her role as Chief Financial Officer, she initiated and chaired the Beck Risk Council and Beck University, and served as Managing Director of Beck Technology, Ltd., which developed and marketed parametric design and construction technology to the building industry. 

Her experience also includes Rosewood Property Company and Wyndham International.  For 10 years, Ms. Priest served as Executive Vice President and member of the Executive Committee for Rosewood.  Joining the company at its inception, Priest assisted in developing it into a nationally recognized real estate group. As Wyndham’s Chief Investment Officer, she defined and directed investment activities following the initial public offering of the hospitality REIT and sourced capital through public and private debt and equity placements.

Ms. Priest also served as President of Intershop Real Estate Services managing the North American portfolio of this Swiss based publicly traded company. She began her career at KPMG & Austin Industries in Dallas, Texas.

Ms. Priest holds a BBA from the University of North Texas, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Ms. Priest’s community based service activities include:

• University of Texas McCombs School of Business Advisory Board – Awarded Lifetime Membership for work in identifying and addressing the barriers to entry for women in the MBA program.
•  City of Dallas Design District Tax Increment Financing Board  - Vice Chair of this Board established to revitalize a historical district into a vibrant community in the City.
•  Real Estate Council – As a member of the Board of Directors of The Real Estate Council Foundation, assisted in development of the strategic plan for the foundation, screened applicants for community grants, and participated in the executive committee to assist large impact grant recipients, including the initial Woodall Rodgers Park Impact Grant.  
• Dallas Independent School District – Served as an Executive Coach to principals at Whitney Young and Pershing Elementary Schools in the pilot Executive Mentoring Program at DISD.
• YMCA – Served on the Major Gifts Committee, raising funds from large corporate and individual donors for the YMCA Scholarship Program.
• Grameen Foundation – Participated in financial and operational review of the micro-finance lending program for women in indigenous Indian tribes in Chiapas, Mexico.
• International Women’s Foundation – Previous Board Member and active participant in the Dallas Chapter of IWF.

Her husband, John Priest, is a professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, and they have two children currently enrolled at the University of Texas.