SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) (NYSE: SMA), an internally managed real estate investment trust and a premier owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the United States and Canada, announced the appointment of Lora Gotcheva as an independent director of the Company, effective July 10, 2025.

Ms. Gotcheva has more than 25 years of financial management and investment experience with several firms in the financial services industry. From July 2010 until April 2025, Ms. Gotcheva served in various roles at CPP Investments, one of the largest pension fund managers in Canada, which invests the funds of the Canada Pension Plan. Most recently, Ms. Gotcheva served as a Managing Director, specializing in private real estate investments, joint ventures, and public REIT investments. Ms. Gotcheva earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I would like to welcome Lora to the SmartStop family,” said H. Michael Schwartz, Chairman and CEO of SmartStop. “With her deep real estate investment experience, specifically in publicly traded REITs both in the United States and Canada, Lora will bring valuable perspectives and skill sets that will serve SmartStop well as a newly listed REIT. Importantly, her background will complement our current members of the Board. I would also like to thank our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for its work and diligence during this process.”

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop):

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) (NYSE: SMA) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of more than 600 self-storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self-storage programs. As of July 7, 2025, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 229 operating properties in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, comprising approximately 164,300 units and 18.4 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 43 operating self-storage properties in Canada, which total approximately 36,400 units and 3.7 million rentable square feet. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.

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