Monty Bennett is the Founder, Chairman, & Chief Executive Officer of Ashford Inc. and is also the Founder & Chairman of both Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT) and Braemar Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: BHR). Collectively, these two REITs own an impressive portfolio of over 80 hotels with more than 20,000 rooms and approximately $6.8 billion in gross assets.

With a wealth of expertise spanning three decades, Mr. Bennett boasts comprehensive proficiency across various domains within the hospitality industry, including hotel real estate, finance, ownership, operations, development, asset management, and project management.

He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Cornell's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management and received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from the School of Hotel Administration, also at Cornell. He is a life member of the Cornell Hotel Society.

Mr. Bennett is a lifelong advocate of civic engagement, advocating especially for children and educational equality. He takes pride in giving back to the Dallas-Fort Worth community.

He lives and commutes between Henderson and Dallas Counties, Texas with his wife, Sarah, and their four children.