James W. Harpel (Chair) Senior Partner Palm Beach Capital

Professional

Mr. Harpel invests in and helps build small and medium sized companies on a private equity basis. He is the Senior Partner in Palm Beach Capital Partners, LLC, a firm which is engaged in private equity investments in small and medium sized companies. The firm is also involved in direct real estate transactions. Mr. Harpel is also a founder and General Partner of First Reserve Corporation, which acts as the General Partner of a series of equity buy-out funds managing in excess of $4.0 billion, which concentrates primarily in the energy and power industries. Among the leveraged buy-outs and private equity investments present and past that Mr. Harpel has been actively involved in are Progressive Employer Services, Entertainment Resource, Inc., Maverick Tube Inc., Inter-Mountain Gas, and Congoleum Corp. In addition, Mr. Harpel is involved primarily as an individual in a series of ventures including Security First Corp. and Beanstalk Networks—a company of which he is both a founder and Chairman. Beanstalk is a managed software developer, focusing on mortgage software.

For many years Mr. Harpel was involved in the marketable securities business and was the managing partner of Harpel Advisory Company, Inc., which was both a registered investment adviser and a hedge fund manager, and of Century Capital Corporation, a $2 billion investment adviser. Prior to that time, Mr., Harpel worked for investment banking firms and previously played a major operating role in the turn around of an NYSE-listed manufacturing company.

Education

Mr. Harpel attended Harvard College and graduated with high distinction from Harvard Business School.

Memberships & Affiliations

• Chairman, Dean’s International Council, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago
• Member, Visiting Committee, Harris School, University of Chicago
• Member, Visiting Committee, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Member, Council on Foreign Relations