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Mitt Romney joins Marriott International board
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney joined the board of Marriott International on Monday, the hotel and resort company announced in a press release.
Romney — whose actual first name, Willard, was a nod to the company's founder, J. Willard Marriott — served on the company's board from 1993 to 2002 and from 2009 to 2011. The elder Marriott was a close personal friend of Romney's father, George, and his son, Chairman Bill Marriott, donated heavily to the Republican nominee's presidential effort.
"It is an honor to once again be able to serve in the company of leaders like Bill Marriott and Arne Sorenson and to support the work of the tens of thousands of Marriott associates who make Marriott International the renowned success that it is," Romney said.
Romney's return to the board was heralded by top executives at the hotel chain.
"Gov. Romney has proven to be an astute, independent director who is fluent in the demands and opportunities of our highly competitive industry," said Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson in a statement. "We are fortunate to have him back on our board."
Romney's previous tenure on the board of Marriott actually became a contentious point early in the campaign, when President Obama's campaign was pressuring Romney over moves Bain Capital had made in 2001. The Romney campaign argued Romney had fully resigned from the firm in 1999, but Democrats pointed to Romney's continued service on the Marriott board — a Bain client — to argue he remained active in the company.
Since his defeat last month, Romney has kept a mostly low profile, aside from a trip to Washington to meet with his former running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and with Obama. It was also reported last month that Romney would move into office space at Solamere Capital, a venture capital firm founded by his son, Tagg, and Spencer Zwick, the national finance committee chairman for Romney’s presidential bid.
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