Jeff Watts’ primary responsibility is sales and marketing of client funds. Jeff has 32 years of management experience including over 25 years of private equity experience in both direct and limited partnership investing and marketing. Over the course of his career, he has managed various private equity investment portfolios aggregating over $3.2 billion in commitments with over 100 funds and 25 operating companies, as well as participating in organizing, structuring, and marketing over $2 billion in international sponsored funds.
Jeff was recently with Russell Investment Group and was one of the founding members of its Private Equity group, Frank Russell Capital. At the time, Russell Investment Group managed over $100 billion in fund of funds assets while it advised clients with assets of over $1.5 trillion. Frank Russell Capital focused on private equity, managing over $3 billion in assets including $700 million in private equity funds of funds. Jeff led, managed, and was a co-founder of the overall private equity fund of funds investment effort for Russell. His most recent position was Managing Director, Private Equity Worldwide where he recruited, built, and led a team of seven investment professionals for Russell’s inaugural and first five private equity fund of funds.
Prior to joining Russell, Jeff was the Senior Investment Officer of the then $2.7 billion private equity investment program at the Washington State Investment Board which, at the time, was one of the five largest private equity institutional investors in the world. Jeff served on the advisory boards of six of WSIB’s portfolio funds. While at WSIB, Jeff developed what became the discretionary venture capital investment program.
Before joining WSIB, Jeff was President of Union Venture Corporation, the venture capital subsidiary of Union Bank of California. During his ten years with Union Venture, he invested in early-stage and expansion-stage direct equity financing of small businesses and managed a portfolio of over two dozen direct investments. He served as a director for six portfolio company boards and was a board member of NASBIC, the SBIC venture capital trade association. While a NASBIC Board Member, Jeff was chairman of its education committee and the NASBIC/NVCA Venture Capital Institute. Jeff was also President of WRASBIC venture capital association. Prior to Union Venture Jeff worked as a loan officer to small business at Northern Trust Co. and as a management consultant and staff accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago.
Jeff has a CPA and is a member of AICPA, as well as the Los Angeles, and Seattle CFA Societies. He serves as a board member of the non-profit Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare Agency, a board member of the non-profit Franke Tobey Jones continuing care retirement community, and a trustee of the Tacoma Art Museum.
Jeff received his B.S. in Cellular Biology and Chemistry and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. He holds series 7, 63 and 24 registrations.
Phone:(253) 853-7852
Email:jawatts@thomascapital.com