William I. Belk, 76, has been a director of Sonic since March 1998 and has served as Sonic s Lead Independent Director since August 2002. Mr. Belk is currently affiliated with Southeast Investments, N.C., Inc., a FINRA member firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Belk s past professional experience includes serving as a North Carolina District Court Judge, serving as a partner in the investment banking firm Carolina Financial Group, Inc. and serving in the positions of Chairman and director for certain Belk stores, a retail department store chain. Mr. Belk has also previously served as a director of Monroe Hardware Co., Inc., a wholesaler of hardware materials. Mr. Belk has a JD with an LLM Taxation and a Master s in Business Administration. He is also a director of British West Indies Trading Company.