Kurt M. Zernich is a member and Senior Advisor to Brookwood, Senior Advisor to Brookwood Securities, and has served as Yesway’s General Counsel and Secretary since its formation. Mr. Zernich is also a member of Brookwood’s and Yesway’s Executive and Investment Committees. In his capacity as Senior Advisor to Brookwood, Mr. Zernich is responsible for providing senior management with effective advice on corporate strategies and their implementation, providing counsel regarding the structure of the company’s internal legal staff, serving as the company’s principal legal advisor on major transactions, including acquisitions, financings, dispositions, and joint ventures, advising on current and future business structures and legal entities, and offering guidance on the evaluation, selection, retention, and management of all outside counsel. He previously served as a Senior Managing Director, Director of Asset Management, and General Counsel for Brookwood, where he oversaw the asset and property management functions for all of Brookwood’s properties. Prior to joining Brookwood, Mr. Zernich was associated with the Chicago law firm of Ungaretti & Harris, where his primary focus was on private equity transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to entering the practice of law, Mr. Zernich worked at the Pennsylvania Treasury Department overseeing the cash management division and assisting in the management of a $6 billion portfolio.
Mr. Zernich is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and he received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a Juris Doctor degree from the Northwestern University School of Law. In 2018, Mr. Zernich completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.