8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  July 29, 2015

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Commission File Number:  001-34626

Maryland	58-2328421
(State or other jurisdiction of	(IRS Employer
incorporation)	Identification No.)

11695 Johns Creek Parkway

Suite 350

Johns Creek, GA 30097-1523

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

770-418-8800

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]   Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[  ]   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[  ]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[  ]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02.    Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

(d) Appointment of Dale H. Taysom as Director

On July 29, 2015, the Board of Directors of Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (the "Registrant") appointed Dale H. Taysom to serve as a director of the Registrant beginning on October 1, 2015.

Mr. Taysom will serve as a member of the Audit Committee. His compensation as a director will be provided on the same basis as that provided to the Registrant's other non-employee directors, as outlined in the Registrant's most recent Annual Proxy Statement as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 24, 2015.

Prior to his retirement in 2013, Mr. Taysom was a senior real estate executive employed by Prudential Real Estate Investors for over thirty years, as further described in the press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01.    Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits:

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated August 4, 2015 announcing the appointment of Dale H. Taysom as Director

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.
Date: August 4, 2015	By:	/s/  Robert E. Bowers
		Robert E. Bowers
		Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated August 4, 2015 announcing the appointment of Dale H. Taysom as Director

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Dale H. Taysom to Join Piedmont Office Realty Trust’s

Board of Directors

Atlanta, August 4, 2015 - Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM) announced today that Dale H. Taysom, former Global Chief Operating Officer for Prudential Real Estate Investors (“PREI”), will join the Company’s Board of Directors beginning October 1, 2015. The addition is part of a planned transition as a result of Piedmont’s adoption of term limits for its directors during 2014. William H. Keogler, Jr. will retire from the Board effective September 30, 2015.

“We appreciate Mr. Keogler’s many years of service to our stockholders and we are very pleased that Dale in turn has agreed to join the Piedmont Board,” commented Michael R. Buchanan, Chairman of the Board. “Dale’s deep roots in the real estate industry and extensive experience in virtually every aspect of the real estate investment process are a perfect fit for us, particularly at this point in the real estate cycle when we are focused on capturing value for our shareholders by recycling capital from non-strategic markets into our targeted office sub-markets. We expect Dale’s strong underwriting knowledge and extensive contact list to be valuable assets as we manage that transition. ”

During Mr. Taysom’s 36-year career with PREI, he held various positions including Head of United States Transactions and Global Head of Transactions, among others, prior to completing his tenure as Global Chief Operating Officer. Additionally, he was a member of PREI’s domestic and international investment committees and a member of the Global Management Committee. His responsibilities included asset management, acquisitions, sales, development, and portfolio management. He is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute and a former member of both the National Multi-Housing Council and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Taysom said, “I am pleased to join Piedmont and its board, particularly at such an exciting phase in the Company’s growth. The hard leasing work that has been done by the Piedmont team over the last several years should result in value creation for the portfolio. The recent Aon Center disposition is a perfect example of that, and I’m looking forward to being part of Piedmont’s next chapter.”

About Piedmont:

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: PDM) is an owner, manager, developer, and operator of high-quality, Class A office properties located in select sub-markets of major U.S. cities. Its geographically-diversified, over $6 billion portfolio is comprised of more than 21 million square feet. The Company is a fully-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) with local management offices in each of its major markets and is investment-grade rated by Standard & Poor’s (BBB) and Moody’s (Baa2). For more information, see www.piedmontreit.com.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. This information is subject to risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, these statements are not intended to be a guarantee of the Company`s performance

in future periods. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," “should”,"expect," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "continue" or similar words or phrases that are predictions of future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Examples of factors that could cause the Company`s actual results and its expectations to differ materially from those described in the Company`s forward-looking statements are detailed in the Company`s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2014, and other documents the Company files with the SEC.  You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company cannot guarantee the accuracy of any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, and the Company does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Contact:

Kerry Hughes

+1 770 418 8678

kerry.hughes@piedmontreit.com