Heartwood’s team of dedicated individuals comes from a wide variety of professional backgrounds and allows us to have the insight to make smart decisions with our management teams while driving lasting value for their businesses.

All
Leadership
Investment Team
Value Specialists
Business Development
Finance & Administration

Mark Allsteadt

Managing Partner

Angus Bass, CFA

Senior Associate

Saer Brown

Vice President

Brian Chung

Vice President

Wendy Diglio

Corporate Controller

Demetrios Dounis

Partner

Bruce Ennis

Chief Human Capital Officer

Brian Fitzgerald

Founder

Tiernan Foster-Smith

Associate

Casey Gordon

Executive Assistant

Drew Greene

Senior Associate

James Jang

Principal

Stephen Leibowitz

Fund Controller

David Levesque

Fund Accountant

Andrea V. Nelson

Principal

John Newman

Managing Director

Jack Nolan

Associate

Sarah Paquet

Principal

Jason Phillips

Partner & Chief Operating Officer

Berat Rifati

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

Michelle Ryan

Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer

Jesse Schanzer

Associate

James Sidwa

Partner

Morgan (Murray) Skarzynski

Vice President

Michael Summe

Senior Associate

Edwin Tan

Partner

Maxine Tracy

Executive Assistant

Robert Tucker

Managing Partner

John Willert

Partner

Mark Allsteadt

Managing Partner

Robert Tucker

Managing Partner

Demetrios Dounis

Partner

James Sidwa

Partner

Edwin Tan

Partner

John Willert

Partner

Jason Phillips

Partner & Chief Operating Officer

Angus Bass, CFA

Senior Associate

Saer Brown

Vice President

Brian Chung

Vice President

Demetrios Dounis

Partner

Tiernan Foster-Smith

Associate

Drew Greene

Senior Associate

James Jang

Principal

Andrea V. Nelson

Principal

Jack Nolan

Associate

Sarah Paquet

Principal

Jesse Schanzer

Associate

James Sidwa

Partner

Morgan (Murray) Skarzynski

Vice President

Michael Summe

Senior Associate

Edwin Tan

Partner

Bruce Ennis

Chief Human Capital Officer

Jason Phillips

Partner & Chief Operating Officer

Michelle Ryan

Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer

John Newman

Managing Director

John Willert

Partner

Wendy Diglio

Corporate Controller

Casey Gordon

Executive Assistant

Stephen Leibowitz

Fund Controller

David Levesque

Fund Accountant

Berat Rifati

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

Maxine Tracy

Executive Assistant

Industry Recognition

Mark Allsteadt
Managing Partner
Year Joined: 2004

Mark is a Managing Partner of Heartwood Partners. He has focused his entire career on private equity and mid to large cap corporations and oversees all activities of the firm along with Rob Tucker.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was a Partner with Saugatuck Capital Company, a private equity firm in Stamford, CT. Prior to Saugatuck he was Senior Vice President of Operations with Visionworks, Inc. and an operations executive in various positions at Circuit City Stores, Inc. Mark began his career as an Analyst with RFE Investment Partners, a private equity firm in New Canaan, CT.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Stanford University
  • Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University
Angus Bass, CFA
Senior Associate
Year Joined: 2020

Angus is a Senior Associate at Heartwood Partners. His background in research and Alternatives investing complements the team. As an Associate, he is involved in the execution of new investments and the management of existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he worked as a Research Associate with Franklin Templeton Investments, where he focused on analyzing and underwriting investment managers across the Alternatives space.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a Minor in Business from Cornell University

Received his Chartered Financial Analyst Certification in October 2023

Member of the CFA Society New York

Saer Brown
Vice President
Year Joined: 2020

Saer joined Heartwood Partners in 2020 as an Associate and currently holds the position of Vice President. His background in investment banking contributes to the firm, where he is involved in the execution of new investments and the management of existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was an Associate with EC Mergers & Acquisitions, an investment bank focused on industrial technology, in New York, NY.  Previously he worked as an Analyst at Stephens, Inc. in Little Rock, AR.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Sewanee: The University of the South

Brian Chung
Vice President
Year Joined: 2022

Brian started at Heartwood Partners as a Senior Associate and has since been promoted to Vice President. His career has spanned both private equity and investment banking, and he is involved in execution of new investments and the management of the firm’s portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was an investment professional at Post Capital Partners, a private equity firm in New York, NY. Prior to Post Capital, Brian was an Analyst at Stifel in New York, NY.

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in International Economics from Georgetown University

Wendy Diglio
Corporate Controller
Year Joined: 1994

Wendy is the Corporate Controller at Heartwood Partners. Her extensive career in accounting allows her to be responsible for the accounting of the firm’s limited partnerships, communications with limited partners, and the due diligence and acquisition processes.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Quinnipiac University
Demetrios Dounis
Partner
Year Joined: 2020

Demetrios is a Partner at Heartwood Partners. He has an extensive background in private equity and investment banking, and he is responsible for evaluating new investment opportunities and managing existing portfolio companies for the firm.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was an Investment Partner at The Compass Group, a private equity firm in Westport, CT. Prior to Compass, Demetrios was an Analyst at UBS in New York, NY. Demetrios began his career at Deloitte in New York, NY, where he was a Senior Accountant.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
  • Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University
  • Chartered Financial Analyst, Charterholder and a Certified Public Accountant in New York
Bruce Ennis
Chief Human Capital Officer
Year Joined: 2019

Bruce is the Chief Human Capital Officer of Heartwood Partners. His international background in assisting organizational development, blending strategy into tactics, and implementing diversity and talent management programs allows him to provide comprehensive support to human capital strategies at the firm and portfolio company-level.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Bruce was Vice President Human Resources at Bigelow Tea, Human Resources Client Manager at Sikorsky Global Helicopters, Director of Human Resources at Pepperidge Farm, and held various human resource leadership positions at Citizens Communications (now Frontier). Before moving to the United States, he was recruited in the United Kingdom by Cadbury Schweppes to their Accelerated Management Development Program for Human Resources.  He has previously spent many years with both the United Way and Junior Achievement organizations in Connecticut.

Education:

  • Masters of Science in Human Resources & Counseling from the University of Bridgeport
  • Bachelor of Science in Biological Science from the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom)
Brian Fitzgerald
Founder
Year Joined: 1982

Brian is the Founder of Heartwood Partners. His entire career has focused primarily on private equity, corporate development, and acquisitions.

Brian founded Capital Partners® in 1982, along with the participation of management and principals from companies he previously acquired.

Prior to founding Capital Partners®, he was a General Partner of Industrial Capital Group, a diversified acquisition and investment holding company. Before his tenure at Industrial Capital Group he held senior positions at General Electric Co. and The Vencap Group, a corporate development and acquisition firm. Brian began his career at Kidder, Peabody as an Investment Banking Associate.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Harvard University
  • Bachelor of Science from Princeton University
Tiernan Foster-Smith
Associate
Year Joined: 2024

Tiernan is an Associate at Heartwood Partners. Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Tiernan was an Associate at Northborne Partners, where he supported the execution of sell-side M&A transactions across the industrials, healthcare and consumer sectors. Previously, he worked as an Analyst at Hammond Hanlon Camp, a healthcare-focused investment banking and strategic advisory firm.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Denison University

Casey Gordon
Executive Assistant
Year Joined: 2019

Casey is an Executive Assistant at Heartwood Partners. She has an extensive corporate background, primarily within investment banking, and is responsible for assisting the firm’s management team.

Education:

Bachelor of Science from University of Connecticut

Drew Greene
Senior Associate
Year Joined: 2022

Drew started at Heartwood Partners as an Associate and has since been promoted to Senior Associate. Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Drew was a Strategy and M&A Associate with The Heritage Group, where he supported the execution of add-on acquisitions and new platform investments. Previously he worked as an Analyst with JMP Securities in New York, NY.

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Finance, Economics & Management from Purdue University

James Jang
Principal
Year Joined: 2022

James is an investment professional at Heartwood Partners. He is responsible for evaluating new investment opportunities and managing existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he worked as an investment professional at KPS Capital Partners, a private equity firm in New York, NY. Prior to KPS, he was an investment professional at Rockwood Equity Partners, a private equity firm in New York, NY.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration in Finance & Management from Wharton
  • Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry & Economics from NYU
Stephen Leibowitz
Fund Controller
Year Joined: 2023

Stephen Leibowitz is the Fund Controller at Heartwood Partners. He oversees the firm’s financial accounting, reporting, investor communications, auditing, and financial compliance with GAAP.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Stephen was a Manager at Bessemer Venture Partners, a $20+ billion AUM venture capital and private equity firm based out of their Larchmont, NY office. Prior to Bessemer, Stephen began his professional career as a Senior Auditor at PWC in the alternative investments audit practice, where he was responsible for administering the audits of various private equity clients.

Education:

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting with a Certificate in International Business

Master of Business Administration from Iona University

David Levesque
Fund Accountant
Year Joined: 2022

David Levesque is a Fund Accountant at Heartwood Partners. He is responsible for all aspects of investment accounting for the funds and co-investment funds.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was an investment staff accountant at Odyssey Re, a Reinsurance Company based in Stamford, CT where he was responsible for the investment accounting of its subsidiaries and investments in multiple asset classes. Prior to Odyssey Re, David worked for Rockit Solutions as a Staff Fund Accountant, completing all the accounting processes for multiple Rockefeller funds.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Connecticut
Andrea V. Nelson
Principal
Year Joined: 2017

Andrea is a Principal at Heartwood Partners. Her career in both private equity and investment banking contributes to her involvement in the business strategy and operations of the firm’s portfolio companies.  

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, she was an investment professional with Cambridge Capital where she focused on the supply chain sector. Previously she worked at Seale & Associates, a boutique investment bank, and Cambridge Associates, an investment advisor to institutional clients.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University
  • Master of Business Administration from University of Chicago
John Newman
Managing Director
Year Joined: 2018


John started at Heartwood Partners as Principal and has since been promoted to Managing Director. He has an extensive background in investment banking and management consulting and is involved in the origination and execution of new investments for the firm while managing existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, John was a Director in the KeyBanc Capital Markets Industrials Group for four years. Prior to KeyBanc, John spent a total of twelve years at Jefferies & Co. and Bear, Stearns & Co. in their industrial investment banking groups.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from The Anderson School at UCLA
  • Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College
Jack Nolan
Associate
Year Joined: 2023

Jack is an Associate at Heartwood Partners.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Jack was an Analyst at Lincoln International, where he supported the execution of sell-side transactions on behalf of the firm’s clients.

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy with a Minor in Business from Vanderbilt University

Sarah Paquet
Principal
Year Joined: 2016

Sarah is a Principal at Heartwood Partners. Her career has spanned both private equity and investment banking, and she is responsible for the business strategy and operations of the firm’s portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, she was an investment professional at Baird Capital, a private equity firm in Chicago, IL. Prior to Baird, Sarah was an Analyst at Houlihan Lokey in Chicago, IL.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
  • Master of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from University of Illinois
Jason Phillips
Partner & Chief Operating Officer

Jason is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer at Heartwood Partners. His background includes hands-on business operations and strategic management consulting.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Jason served as the Chief Operating Officer at Archway, a premium value added services provider for Fortune 500 clients.  Jason also served as the Vice President of Operations at Johnson Brothers, a leading wholesaler of adult beverages.  Prior to Johnson Brothers, Jason was a Director at AlixPartners, a management consulting firm specializing in delivering sustainable operating improvements for clients.  Earlier in his career, Jason served as the Vice President of Technology for Beiersdorf North America.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Columbia University
  • Bachelor of Arts from University of Minnesota

Berat Rifati
Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer
Year Joined: 2018

Berat joined Heartwood Partners in August 2018 as a Fund Controller and was later promoted to Controller and Tax Manager.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Berat was a Senior Fund Accountant with Atlas Holdings LLC, a $3.0 billion special situations & distressed buyout private equity firm based in Greenwich, CT. Prior to Atlas, he was a Senior Associate at KPMG in the alternative investments tax practice, providing tax consulting and compliance services to private equity, real estate, and manufacturing clients.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Western Connecticut State University
Michelle Ryan
Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer
Year Joined: 2018

Michelle is the Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of Heartwood Partners. She brings extensive marketing and eCommerce experience with her and manages all branding, communications, and digital strategies both within the firm and with portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, she was Chief Marketing Officer at Town Sports International, one of the largest owners and operators of exclusive fitness clubs in the United States. While there, she successfully developed and led innovative marketing and digital strategies, delivered seamless customer experiences, and built transformative branding solutions. Prior to Town Sports International, she held leadership marketing and digital positions with fashion retailers such as Juicy Couture, Armani Exchange, Donna Karan, Kate Spade, and Calvin Klein.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University
  • Bachelor of Arts from Iona College
Jesse Schanzer
Associate
Year Joined: 2023

Jesse is an Associate at Heartwood Partners. Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Jesse was a Leveraged & Acquisition finance analyst with Credit Suisse, where he supported the execution of leveraged buyouts and add-on acquisitions on behalf of the firm’s clients.

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Business with concentrations in Finance, Econometrics & Quantitative Microeconomics from NYU Stern

James Sidwa
Partner
Year Joined: 2009

James is a Partner of Heartwood Partners. He brings an extensive background in accounting and financial diligence related to mergers and acquisitions to the firm, where he evaluates new and existing investment opportunities.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (“PWC”) Trans Services group in New York where he provided accounting and finance diligence services. Prior to PWC, James was the Controller & Treasurer of FE Clean Energy, a specialty-focused private equity firm in Darien, CT. James began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a tax specialist and later with Arthur Anderson as an auditor of public and private companies.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut
  • Certified Public Accountant in Connecticut
Morgan (Murray) Skarzynski
Vice President
Year Joined: 2018

Morgan is a Vice President at Heartwood Partners. With a background in private equity, she is involved in the origination and execution of new investments and the management of existing portfolio companies. 

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, she worked as an Analyst at Hancock Capital Management on their junior debt and co-equity investment platforms.

Education:

  • Bachelor of Arts from University of Virginia
Michael Summe
Senior Associate
Year Joined: 2021

Michael started at Heartwood Partners as an Associate and has since been promoted to Senior Associate. With a background in private equity, Mr. Summe is involved in the execution of new investments and the management of existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, Mr. Summe worked as an Analyst at Drum Capital Management where he supported the investment team on the execution of prospective direct investments, co-investments, and primary fund investments.

Education:

Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Kentucky

Edwin Tan
Partner
Year Joined: 2011

Ed is a Partner at Heartwood Partners. He brings his experience in private equity and debt experience to the firm, where he is responsible for business strategy and investment opportunities for portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was an investment professional at Prospect Capital Corporation, a debt investment firm in New York, NY. He started his private equity career at RFE Investment Partners, a private equity firm in New Canaan, CT. Prior to RFE, Ed began his career as an Analyst in First Union’s M&A group in Charlotte, NC, which was formerly a boutique investment bank called Bowles Hollow Connor & Co.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago
  • Bachelor of Science & Engineering and Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania
Maxine Tracy
Executive Assistant
Year Joined: 2022

Maxine is an Executive Assistant at Heartwood Partners. She has extensive experience across the operations, marketing, and hospitality industries.

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Syracuse University

Robert Tucker
Managing Partner
Year Joined: 2004

Rob is a Managing Partner of Heartwood Partners. As an industry veteran, he has dedicated his career to private equity and oversees all activities of the firm along with Mark Allsteadt.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was a Partner with Saugatuck Company, a private equity firm in Connecticut. Prior to Saugatuck, he was a Partner with Rutledge Capital in Connecticut. Rob began his career as an Associate with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York, NY where he was a member of the team that invested The 1818 Fund, L.P. and later was a member of the U.S. private equity investment group of Barclays Bank, a limited partner in The 1818 Fund.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Columbia University
  • Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College
John Willert
Partner
Year Joined: 2007

John is a Partner at Heartwood Partners. His career has spanned both private equity and investment banking disciplines, and he is responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities for the firm.

Prior to joining Heartwood Partners, he was a Principal with Family Capital Growth Partners, a private equity firm in Greenwich, CT and was concurrently a Vice President of de Visscher & Co., Family Capital's affiliated investment bank.

Education:

  • Master of Business Administration from Ohio State University
  • Bachelor of Arts from Gettysburg College