NEW YORK & DALLAS, Apr 22, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Blackstone BX -1.80% and its Real Estate portfolio company, Invitation Homes, today announced that it has named John A. Schissel as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Leslie B. Fox as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). John and Leslie bring to Invitation Homes substantial operational experience in the complementary multifamily space. The announcements round out Invitation Homes’ management team and follow other high-level appointments. The company announced in September that Bryce Blair would join the company’s Board of Directors and in October that Gary DeLapp would join as President.<br /><br />Gary DeLapp, President of Invitation Homes said, “With the addition of these talented individuals, Invitation Homes will continue to hone its operations and improve the customer experience. The collective expertise that John and Leslie bring to our team is extraordinary and I am pleased that we were able to attract such talented operators with 20+ years of uniquely complementary expertise each.”<br /><br />Nick Gould, Chairman and CEO of Invitation Homes, said, “We continue to grow the Invitation Homes brand and are very pleased to attract top talent like Leslie and John.“<br /><br />David Roth, a Managing Director with Blackstone’s Real Estate business said, “These two new hires speak to our continued efforts to build a high-quality long-term platform. Capable, experienced operators like John and Leslie will help us deliver best-in-class customer service and build the business for the long term.”<br /><br />Mr. Schissel joins Invitation Homes from BRE Properties where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2009 until its recently completed merger with Essex Property Trust. BRE Properties was a publicly traded apartment REIT that owned and operated over 21,000 apartment homes in the major metropolitan markets of California and Seattle. Prior to joining BRE, Mr. Schissel served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and board member for Carr Properties and helped guide the company’s predecessor’s (Columbia Equity Trust) successful initial public offering in 2005. Prior to Carr Properties, Mr. Schissel worked for nearly 13 years at Wachovia Securities (and predecessor institutions) and during that time served as a Director in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group and also a Senior Vice President in the firm’s REIT Corporate Banking Group. In addition to his financial and operating experience, Mr. Schissel brings extensive knowledge and relationships in the real estate capital markets to the Invitation Homes platform. Mr. Schissel holds a B.S.B.A degree from Georgetown University.<br /><br />Ms. Fox joins the company from American Residential Housing Communities where she served as COO. American Residential Housing Communities was the largest owner operator of manufactured housing in the United States with over 55,000 home sites in 27 states. Leslie also served as the Executive Vice President of Affordable Housing at Equity Residential (EQR) as well as Chief Investment Officer at Asset Investors Corporation & Commercial Assets Inc. Ms. Fox holds a B.S. from University of Colorado, graduating Beta Gamma Sigma and a J.D./ M.B.A. from the University of Denver.<br /><br />About Blackstone Real Estate<br /><br />Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Founded in 1991, Blackstone’s real estate business is the largest opportunistic real estate investment manager in the world, with more than $81 billion in investor capital under management. Blackstone’s portfolio includes hotel, office, retail, industrial and residential properties in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Major holdings include: Hilton Worldwide, Equity Office Properties, Brixmor shopping centers and London’s Broadgate office complex. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for its investors, the companies they invest in, the companies they advise and the broader global economy. In addition to managing real estate private equity funds, our alternative asset management businesses include investment vehicles focused on private equity, hedge fund solutions, non-investment grade credit, secondary funds, and multi asset class exposures falling outside of other funds’ mandates. Blackstone also provides various financial advisory services, including financial and strategic advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement services. Further information is available at  www.blackstone.com . Follow us on Twitter @Blackstone .<br /><br />About Invitation Homes<br /><br />Founded in 2012, Invitation Homes leases single family homes in 14 regions across the country. Since it began, Invitation Homes has purchased more than 44,000 houses, making it the leader among single-family homes for rent companies in the U.S. Based in Dallas, Texas, Invitation Homes offers a high-quality rental experience that includes professional property management, 24/7 emergency maintenance, an online portal for rent payment and a friendly policy toward pets. For more information, visit www.ihrent.com.