INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
JOSEPH J. THOMAS
Managing Director
Mr. Thomas is Managing Director of Hovde Private Equity Advisors LLC. Mr. Thomas has overall responsibility for sourcing and underwriting investments, participation in the day-to-day operations of the funds, and formulation of business strategies for companies in which the funds invest.
Before joining Hovde, Mr. Thomas most recently worked in public service for one year as the Chief Operating Officer of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC). FSVC is a not-for-profit, private public partnership, chaired by Paul Volcker and John Whitehead, with a mission to help build sound banking and financial systems in emerging market countries. He led in-country missions on privatization, mergers and acquisitions, commercial banking, and risk management.
Prior to FSVC, Mr. Thomas enjoyed a 20-year career with Wachovia Corporation. Mr. Thomas most recently was Managing Director and Head of Financial Institutions Investment Banking for Wachovia Securities. In this role he was responsible for all merger and acquisitions, equity capital markets, private equity, fixed income and corporate banking activities with U.S. banks, asset management firms, insurance companies, and specialty finance clients. Over the course of his career at Wachovia, Mr. Thomas held a range of corporate finance, capital markets and investment management positions. Mr. Thomas was Executive Vice President and Head of Global Corporate Finance, responsible for Wachovia’s advisory and equity capabilities in specific industry sectors. Mr. Thomas was also previously Group Executive and Head of Debt Capital Markets, and was responsible for investment management and transaction execution of Wachovia’s loan syndications, securitization, leasing, and debt private placement businesses.
Mr. Thomas serves on the Board of several portfolio companies of the Financial Services Partners Fund I. He is Chairman of Jefferson Bancorp, Inc. and a Director of Bay Bank, FSB, a community bank based in Baltimore, MD, and a Director of FirstAtlantic Holdings, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, FirstAtlantic Bank in Jacksonville, FL. Mr. Thomas also is on the Board of Directors of Kinloch Holdings, Inc., a regional insurance brokerage company based in New York. Mr. Thomas holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. In addition, Mr. Thomas is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the CFA Society of Washington, DC. He is licensed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as a Securities Principal and a Registered Representative. He is an Emeritus Trustee of the College of Arts and Sciences Foundation at the University of Virginia. Mr. Thomas also serves on the Vestry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and as a Trustee of the Saint Stephens and Saint Agnes School Foundation.