Michael J. Schall

Mr. Schall served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) from 2010 through March 31, 2023. Effective April 1, 2023, he retired as an executive officer of the Company, and currently serves as Advisor to the CEO and, in that capacity, he works in a mentoring role for senior executives. Mr. Schall served on the Essex Board of Directors from 1994 to 2024. Prior to becoming Essex’s CEO, Mr. Schall served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2005 to 2010 where he was responsible for strategic planning and management of the Company’s property operations, redevelopment, and co-investment programs. From 1993 to 2005, he was Essex’s Chief Financial Officer, where he was directly involved in the Essex initial public offering in 1994.

Mr. Schall joined The Marcus & Millichap Company (TMMC) in 1986 as Corporate Controller. At the time, TMMC was the parent company for numerous subsidiaries involved in various real estate activities, including commercial real estate brokerage (notably, Marcus & Millichap is now publicly traded under the NYSE symbol MMI), real estate investment (including Essex prior to its IPO and more recently Pacific Property Company), and housing development (including SummerHill homes).

Prior to joining TMMC, Mr. Schall was Director of Finance for Churchill International, a technology-oriented venture capital company, from 1982 to 1986. From 1979 to 1982, he was a member of the audit department at Ernst & Young (then known as Ernst & Whinney), where he specialized in the real estate and financial services industries.

Since 2009, Mr. Schall has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PEB), where he has continuously served on Board committees including, from time to time, Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Corporate Governance.

In 2024, Mr. Schall joined the Board of Trustees of National Storage Affiliates (NYSE: NSA), where he also serves on the Audit and Finance Committees.

Mr. Schall served as a member of the Nareit Executive Board of Governors from 2017 to 2023 and was a Nareit officer from 2019 through 2021. He served on various non-profit boards as well, including the Board of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, and as Chairman of Charities Housing Development Company. Charities Housing is a subsidiary of the San Jose diocese of the Catholic Church, which develops and operates a portfolio of low-income housing properties in Northern California. Mr. Schall has also been a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee for RET Ventures (RET.VC).

Mr. Schall received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of San Francisco and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Mr. Schall currently lives in Southern California, where he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, and hiking. He and his wife avid travelers.