SSA Board of Directors

The SSA Board of Directors is comprised of duly-elected industry leaders from all of SSA's various constituencies including affiliated associations, member companies of all sizes as well as vendor firms.

Mr. Taylor is currently President and Principal of Watson & Taylor Management Inc. Mr. Taylor entered the Commercial Real Estate business in 1972, and together with his partner, George S. Watson, established the Watson & Taylor Companies in 1974. Over the last 30 years with the Watson & Taylor Companies, Mr. Taylor has been involved in all aspects of the real estate industry, primarily focusing on self-storage. Mr. Taylor has been involved in real estate investments including development and management of self-storage facilities, business centers, shopping centers, commercial developments, apartment complexes, and land holdings in many different areas of the United States. Mr. Taylor and his partner have owned and operated 60 self-storage properties located across the eastern seaboard from New Jersey to Texas. Currently, Mr. Taylor operates 40 properties in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, and Tennessee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Self Storage Association (SSA) the national self-storage industry association. He is also a member of the Large Operators Group (LOG) of the Self Storage Association, a select group of multiple property operators from around the world who share operating information and management expertise.

Mr. Taylor is also a past President of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and a past Chairman of the Board of Priority One, an international missionary organization. Mr. Taylor served on the Board of Trustees of Dallas Theological Seminary for 16 years. He also served as a member of the Dallas County Advisory Board of The Salvation Army, as a board member of the regional Young Life Board, and as the founding Chairman of the Board of the Park Central Athletic Club. Mr. Taylor is a past member of the Board of Directors of MBank Preston. He currently serves as an Elder at Park Cities Presbyterian Church. Mr. Taylor graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1966 with a B.B.A. degree.

In 1988 Kelly Gallacher co-founded, with Ken Nitzberg, the Devon Group and affiliated companies. In 1993, Gallacher was responsible for sourcing Devon's first investment in the self storage business with the acquisition and conversion of a vacant strip center in Houston, Texas. As a result of that property's success, Devon refocused its activities into the self storage conversion business and now employs over 180 people throughout the United States and manages 68 self storage assets in excess of $600 million in market value.

In August 2000, Gallacher relocated to Europe to manage Devon's European operations, developing and managing eight sites - three in France, two in Germany and three in the Netherlands. He returned to the U.S. in August 2003. In March 2001, Gallacher was elected as a member of the board of directors of the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom and the European Self Storage Association. In addition to his service for three years as a board member, he has spoken at numerous self storage conferences in both the U.S. and Europe and authored numerous articles for the industry.

In February 2005, Gallacher was elected to the California Self Storage Association board of directors and in January 2006 was elected president of the board. He is also a member of the AAC (Affiliated Association Council) to the national Self Storage Association. In September 2007, Gallacher was elected to the board of directors of the national Self Storage Association. He is a 1980 graduate of Brigham Young University.

Patrick Reilly is a partner and president of Urban Self Storage, Inc., ranked 25th among self storage operators nationally. Urban Self Storage is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Reilly is the current president of the Washington Self Storage Association (WA-SSA) and chairman of the national SSA's Affiliated Associations Council. He has served in the different roles on the WA-SSA Board since its formation.

Reilly has been at Urban Self Storage, Inc. since 1991 and has experience in the development and operation of over 77 self storage facilities. As a partner at Urban Self Storage, he has been responsible for developing operating policies and procedures for over 15 years. His employee development and training programs have been successfully used by hundreds employees.

Reilly is a recognized expert many areas of self storage operations including marketing, facility audits, facility performance analysis, computer information systems, facility design and layout, self storage security systems, unit mix determination, customer service and sales, market feasibility studies, and management team development.

Formerly, Reilly was at Microsoft Corp. where he helped to develop software technologies that became the basis of merchant financial transaction processing. He attended Eastern Washington University - Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Seattle University - Business Administration.

Robert H. Schoff has been involved in the self storage industry since 1974. His career began as the City Manager for Tucson Self Storage; an investment partnership sponsored by his brother Michael and his partner David Mackstaller for their company, the Schomac Group, Inc. By 1976, he was managing a citywide network of seven facilities, having approximately 360,000 total rentable square feet and over 4,000 storage rooms. From 1978 to 1980, he worked for Mini-Storage Insurance Corporation (Now Minico) of Phoenix. He coordinated sales, advertising, and accounting for that rapidly growing company and held a State of Arizona Insurance Sales license during his time there.

In October 1980, Mr. Schoff was recruited by National Self Storage to become its Vice President in charge of operations. In this position, he was responsible for the operations of all National Self Storage facilities in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Denver, El Paso, and Tucson. In 1986, Mr. Schoff was promoted to President of National Self Storage Development, Inc. to oversee acquisition and development of over 30 storage facilities in that period of strong growth. He then spent nearly two years as an independent consultant to the self storage industry, and in February 1991, he rejoined NSS to coordinate their consulting and contract management divisions. He is currently the Chairman of the Board and President of NSS. In addition, Mr. Schoff is the Designated State of Arizona Real Estate Broker for the firm.

Mr. Schoff has been actively involved in the national Self Storage Association (SSA) and was one of the original 52 members attending the first meeting of the association, in Denver. Mr. Schoff has served 2 three-year terms on the SSA Board of Directors. He is also on the Arizona Mini Storage Association (AMSA) board of directors and is its President until July 2007.

Mr. Schoff has been a published author for numerous industry publications and has participated as a speaker, member, vendor, and instructor, in numerous self storage industry conferences, trade shows and educational seminars. In addition, Mr. Schoff has served as a self storage industry expert in legal proceedings.

Robert H. Schoff graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1978.

Terry Bagley is the President & CEO of Centershift, Inc., a rental management and point-of-sale software solution to the self storage industry. He has been involved in the self storage industry for nearly 8 years. He has a degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University as well as an MBA from San Jose State University. Bagley is on the Board of Centershift, Inc. (since 2005), the Utah Self Storage Association Board (since 2007), and the Yellowstone Hotel Systems Board (since 2008). He also serves as Co-Chair of the Utah Technology Council Public Policy Committee.

Lisa Barth-Chiappetta was born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin and has been involved with self storage from an early age as her parents owned and operated a self storage facility. She is part owner and operator of the family business, which has three storage facilities in Kenosha. Currently Barth-Chiappetta is the operations manager and assists in the construction and development for Barth Storage.

She has served on the Wisconsin Self Storage Association for four years and is currently the President of the WSSA. Barth-Chiappetta was instrumental in getting the late-fee law passed for the state of Wisconsin. She has traveled throughout the state of Wisconsin as a speaker at trade shows and conventions and was a speaker at the 2007 Leadership Convention in Florida.

Barth-Chiappetta serves on the local Women's Fund, which hosts one of Kenosha's most profitable fundraisers. Every year she also conducts a fundraiser for the homeless shelter and food pantry which raised over $8,000 last year.

Legal Appointments
In May of 2006 Mr. Danzis was appointed Rent Receiver by the Superior Courts of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties of New Jersey with the responsibility of managing three self-storage properties in receivership.

Self-storage Investment and Management
From 1999 through the present he has led the acquisition of six facilities totaling approximately 1,700 units over a geographic area of over one-hundred twenty miles. Mr. Danzis was responsible for organizing partnerships, performing due diligence, arranging financing, setting up management, banking, computer systems, advertising and maintenance procedures and systems. He is the current Manager and a Member of the various owing entities of all 6 Storage Station facilities.

He also supervised all office expansion, paving and drainage projects at several of the Storage Station Facilities.

Self Storage Leadership
Mr. Danzis serves as Vice-President/Incoming President of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Self Storage Association; Vice Chairman/Incoming Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New York Self Storage Association; Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of Government Relations Committee, Member of Membership Committee of the SSA, the US National Self Storage Association.

Other Real Estate Management and Construction
As a Partner in a High Rise Development site he acted as Project Manger of access road construction. Mr. Danzis acted as managing partner of Parking Lot -Hudson County NJ. From 1994-1999 he directed the Purchase, Renovation and Sale of 10 single family properties throughout New Jersey

Other Professional Experience
From 1989 through 1994 Mr. Danzis worked in the fields of Television Production, Concert Promotion, Musical  Talent Booking.

Education
Mr. Danzis is a 1990 multiple term Dean's List graduate of New York University (NYU). He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Music as well a 1996 Certification in Building Inspection

Jim DiNardo has over 19 years of experience in the self-storage industry, having
served as a partner and Operations Manager for The Storage Depot until the company was sold to Extra Space Storage (EXR) of Salt Lake City, UT in February 2004. The Storage Depot was one of the largest operators of self-storage facilities in the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area, with five locations, and had been in business since 1983. As Operations Manager, Mr. DiNardo was involved in all aspects of the business and responsible for the overall performance of the staff and facilities.

Mr. DiNardo graduated from Bentley College with a Bachelor of Science in
Management in 1985. His involvement in trade associations includes: Self Storage
Association (SSA) Northeast Region Director/President and National Board Member from 1998-2003; co-founder of the Massachusetts Self Storage Association (MASSA), serving as President from 1998-2002, President Emeritus from 2003-2004, and Treasurer from 2005-2007; Ryder Boston Dealer Council Representative/President from 1992-1998.

In 2004, Mr. DiNardo announced the formation of J. DiNardo Consulting, a
consulting firm specializing in the self-storage industry. J. DiNardo Consulting performs self-storage feasibility and market studies, analyzes a wide range of facility operations, and performs general business consulting.

Mr. DiNardo also speaks at industry trade shows/conferences and he is a
frequent editorial contributor to industry trade publications and magazines, including state association newsletters, the SSA Globe, Mini-Storage Messenger, Self-Storage Now!, Inside Self-Storage, and The Self-Storage Telegram.

Shelley Geiler is a native of California, where she currently resides in Newport Beach. She is a co-owner of Polo Properties, LLC a mid-size operator and developer of self storage properties in Southern California. Ms. Geiler graduated Cum Laude from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and later went on to receive her juris doctorate from New York University's School of Law. After graduating from film school, Shelley worked in the film industry for several years as a creative executive, participating in all aspects of film production, overseeing budgets, negotiating contracts, and development. After law school, Shelley worked as an attorney in the corporate department of a New York law firm specializing in business and technology. While there, she worked on many transactions including private placements, mergers and acquisitions and security compliance for public companies.

In 2003, Shelley decided to return to California to join her family's self storage business. Both of her parents have been in self storage for over 20 years and her mother, Joanne Geiler, was the president of the Self Storage Association and a founding member of the California Self Storage Association. Shelley has been actively involved in all phases of development, finance and management of self storage properties. She also acts as the company's in-house counsel. Since joining the company, she has embarked on a mission to rebrand the company's properties, under the name SoCal Self Storage. She sits on the board of directors of the California Self Storage Association and is a proud winner of the "Young Buck" award (given at the SSA's Executive Ski Workshop). She is also a member of the New York State Bar.

Brenda Scarborough is the president, and founder, of Accountable Management & Realty, Inc., a firm specializing in full service management, consultation, and training in the self storage industry. She began her self storage career in 1986 and quickly established herself as one of the forward thinkers in the industry. Her firm currently manages forty three stores throughout the state of Florida, and she personally owns one. Brenda has encouraged her corporate and onsite staff to view the stores as their own, and to understand the importance of being good stewards of their clients’ funds. Out of this philosophy emerged a very innovative relational marketing strategy that is low in cost, but high on manager participation, customer service, and community involvement.

Operationally, Brenda has created an integrated training program for her more than 150 employees to ensure that her high professional, and personal, standards will continue to exist throughout her portfolio. She understands how valuable her onsite personnel is to the success of each store – whether new or established - and as such continues to make follow up training and employee relations top priorities.

Brenda is a long standing member of the Self Storage Association, as well as the Florida Self Storage Association. She has served on several SSA committees, and is currently Chair of the Membership Committee. Brenda has taken her training program to the public by becoming one of the Manager Certification Course instructors, and is frequently invited to share her knowledge by speaking at the National SSA Conferences.

Mike Scanlon has a total of nearly forty years of executive experience in politics, government and corporations, with some 20 years in the not-for-profit sector. Currently he serves as president and chief executive officer of the Self Storage Association (SSA) in Alexandria, Virginia. The Association represents the $220 billion (market cap value) and $22.6 billion (annual revenues) self storage industry that has grown to some 52,000 primary facilities across the nation in less than 35 years.

Since taking the helm, he has re-invented the SSA from its brand identification to its vision and mission statement to each of its program and service offerings. He created the SSA Foundation, a fully tax-exempt IRS chartered 501-c-(3) not-for profit charitable and educational organization that oversees the publication of the SSA Globe magazine, SSA's educational programs, administration of the industry's "Code of Ethics" and nominations to the Self Storage "Hall of Fame." The SSA Foundation annual budget has grown from zero to more than $1.25 million in its first 18 months. Also, he formed a new for-profit subsidiary, SSA Enterprises LLC, to house the Association's non-dues income-producing programs, such as SSA's new Commercial Accounts Network, which he created. Also, he organized the industry's new federal Political Action Committee (PAC).

As publisher, he re-invented the Association's modest newsletter into the SSA Globe magazine, making it the largest paid-circulation magazine in the industry with an audited monthly circulation of more than 16,800 and annual revenues approaching $1 million. He developed several new vendor sponsorship categories that have raised more than $1 million in new non-dues revenue for the SSA. He created and developed the SSA's National Facilities Database (NFDb) and developed several powerful revenue-producing technology tools, such as ODESSA and AURORA, that enable members to customize and utilize the industry data. He created a state affiliation program and the Affiliated Associations Council (AAC) that brings together state and international self storage associations to information share for the betterment of the industry. He has provided direction and leadership to SSA's publication program, launching eighteen new books, manuals and research reports in the last three years.

During his tenure, SSA membership has grown from 2,300 to 6,300 direct and indirect members and the Association's annual budget has increased from $2.3 to more than $6.0 million in his first three years as chief staff executive. Six of the last seven consecutive SSA conferences, trade shows & meetings have set audited industry attendance records.

Prior to his current position, Scanlon served in the as associate executive director of the 400,000-member American Bar Association (ABA) and as senior manger in charge of its 185-person Communications Group (with its $24 million budget) that produces the ABA Journal, 17 other magazines and 34 separate newsletters.  His prior association experience includes an eight-year stint as executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Petroleum Marketing Education Foundation (PMEF), the oil industry's executive education arm, and five years as vice president for policy (and as chief lobbyist) for the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) representing 10,000 small business petroleum distributors and convenience store owners.

Scanlon has served in the private sector as president of The Collins Companies, a professional sports franchise ownership and management investment group, and as senior vice president for marketing and communications for Metrocall, Inc. (now USA Mobility, Inc.), the nation's largest wireless data and messaging company.  Earlier in his career he served as manager of government affairs for Arcata National Corporation, a forest products, printing, publishing and consumer products conglomerate.

Scanlon was involved in government and politics at the national and local levels.  He was a consultant to The White House - Office of Political Affairs, under President Ronald W. Reagan, during the 1982 mid-term U.S. Senatorial & Congressional elections. Also, he served at The White House - Office of Public Liaison, under President Gerald R. Ford, as a director of White House Conferences. During the Nixon Administration he served as special assistant to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); as bureau chief for state & local government programs for the Federal Energy Office - Executive Office of the President, during the 1973-74 oil embargo period. Prior to federal government service he was director of communications for The City of Cleveland, Ohio (his hometown).  And he was a political aide to two U.S. Senators, Robert Taft, Jr. of Ohio and Robert J. Dole of Kansas.

He firmly believes that Associations exist to promote the viability and profitability of their members and to serve them in the following areas of core competency:  (1) as the database for industry information; (2) as government relations advocate; (3) to promote networking & meetings; (4) to communicate timely & accurate information; (5) to provide executive education & employee training; (6) to provide membership rewards & benefits;(7) to develop technology & Web-based tools; (8) to produce research & studies; (9) to work with affiliated associations; (10) to provide membership services; (11) to publish books, manuals and useful content; and (12) to provide legal information and resources.

Scanlon is a graduate of John Carroll University, in University Heights, Ohio with a degree in Communication.  He is a member of the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).