Mr. Vranos has been our Co-Chief Investment Officer since June 2009 and served as a member of our Board of Directors from our inception in 2007 until August 2018. From our inception in 2007 until October 2009, Mr. Vranos served as our Chairman and is also the Chief Executive Officer and President of our Manager. Mr. Vranos also serves as Co-Chief Investment Officer and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Ellington Credit Company. Mr. Vranos is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of EMG, which he founded in December of 1994 to capitalize on distressed conditions in the mortgage-backed securities, or "MBS", derivatives market. Until December 1994, he was the Senior Managing Director of Kidder Peabody, in charge of residential mortgage-backed securities, or "RMBS", trading. Mr. Vranos graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Mathematics from Harvard University.