EL PASO-Hunt Cos. has hired Clay Parker to the positions of executive vice president and chief financial officer. Parker, who will report to company chairman and CEO Woody Hunt, succeeds William Kell, who is stepping down after 10 years in that position. Kell continues to serve on Hunt's board of directors as an external board member and will assist in the transition.

“On behalf of the board, employees and shareholders, I want to thank William for his many contributions to Hunt during his tenure, including his superb guidance and management of our company's financial and back-office systems through tremendous growth and diversification,” Hunt says. “Clay's experience, industry reputation and leadership skills will make him a vital part of our management team as we continue to grow our platform and add to our capabilities and we are looking forward to having him join the Hunt team.”

Parker came from Prometheus Real Estate Group of California, where he served as CFO and EVP. Prometheus Real Estate Group is a real estate company specializing in the development, acquisition, management and ownership of luxury multifamily and office properties located in California, Washington and Oregon. 

In addition to his finance and business development oversight roles at Prometheus, Parker was responsible for the company's accounting, tax, finance, asset management, risk management, treasury, human resources and information services teams.

Prior to joining Prometheus, Parker worked at JPI for more than 10 years in various executive leadership positions including four years as EVP and CFO for the company's eastern division in McLean, VA, and 3.5 years as EVP of Financial Services at JPI's home office in Irving, TX.

Parker is a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin, where he earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration degree in accounting. Parker later became a Certified Public Accountant.