MONTY J. BENNETT, Ashford Inc. Chairman & CEO

Mr. Bennett has over 30 years of experience in hotel and other commercial real estate, finance, ownership, operations, development, asset management, and project management. He started by working in hourly positions at a hotel then up through management, gaining essential ground-level insight to build and scale a major organization. In 2003, he founded the Ashford Group of Companies, growing it into the multibillion-dollar hospitality enterprise it is today.

A passionate advocate for civic engagement, he supports the Dallas-Fort Worth community through numerous organizations including the S.M. Wright Foundation, Dallas HERO, Texans for Educational Excellence, and many others.

He also founded with his wife Sarah The Dallas Express, a fact-based newspaper that has grown to over 250,000 daily subscribers, earned White House press credentials, and remains the only locally owned and operated newspaper in Texas.

Monty and Sarah, are blessed with four children--Louis, Liliana, Jack, and Luke--and prioritize family, faith, and community service.

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