Blackstone Charitable Foundation

Joan Solotar is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, Head of Multi-Asset Investing and External Relations, and serves on the Management Committee. Ms. Solotar oversees the firm’s Multi-Asset Investing business, which develops and distributes products and services to meet the needs of institutional and high net worth clients. Additionally, she manages global shareholder relations, public affairs, and corporate services.

Before joining Blackstone in 2007, Ms. Solotar was with Bank of America Securities where she was a Managing Director and Head of Equity Research. Prior to joining Bank of America, she was a consistently highly ranked Institutional Investor “All-America Research Team” financial services analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse as a Managing Director.

Ms. Solotar chairs the Board of Directors of Blackstone’s Charitable Foundation. She is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the East Harlem Tutorial Program and the East Harlem Scholars Academies. She is the recent author of a Harvard Business Review article entitled “Truths for our Daughters.”

Ms. Solotar received a BS in Management Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA in Finance from New York University.

John Studzinski is Vice Chairman, Investor Relations and Business Development and a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone where he holds special responsibility for a number of sovereign and international institutional relationships, as well as ultra high-net-worth families outside the United States.

Mr. Studzinski joined Blackstone in 2006 as Global Head of Blackstone Advisory Partners, which he ran for nearly a decade.  

A graduate of Bowdoin College, Mr. Studzinski also has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He joined Morgan Stanley in New York in 1980 and since then has spent much of his career in London, where he served as Head of European Investment Banking and Deputy Chairman of Morgan Stanley International before moving to HSBC in 2003 as a member of the Group Management Board and Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division. In 2007 he was voted Banker of the Year by The Bank of England.  

In November 2014, at St. James’s Palace in London, Mr. Studzinski received the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy, which complements the Prince of Wales Ambassador Award that in 2000 recognized his philanthropic work with the homeless. Since 2001 he has been Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, a UK-based charitable foundation he established; through partner programs it enables organizations in the fields of theatre, music and visual arts to nurture the careers of outstanding young artists, developing their talents and giving them access to influential mentors and valuable networks.  

In the field of the arts he is also Chairman of Create London, which connects artists with communities through an ambitious project program, and is a driving force of the Tate Foundation, which raises and invests money for the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery.  

Also Vice Chair of Human Rights Watch and President of the American Friends of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry – which focuses on challenges facing young people, members of the armed forces, and conservation – he serves on the boards of directors of a number of organizations, including: in the US, Bowdoin College and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies; in the UK, The Passage Day Centre, American Patrons of Tate, The Royal Parks Foundation and The Royal College of Art. In addition, he is Chairman of The Benjamin Franklin House Museum in London and a member of The Atlantic Council, The Council on Foreign Relations and The Peterson Institute.  

John Studzinski holds the Papal honors of Knight of the Order of St. Gregory and Knight Commander of Saint Sylvester and in 2004 was awarded the Beacon Prize for Philanthropy. In 2008, the Queen's New Year’s Honours List named him Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the Arts and Charity.

Sean T. Klimczak is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group and is based in New York. Since joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. Klimczak has been involved in the execution of several Blackstone investments, including various Sithe Global investments (including Goreway, Bujagali, GNP Mariveles and SKS), Cheniere Energy Partners, Fisterra, PQ Energy, Utility One Source, Meerwind, Transmission Developers, American Petroleum Tankers and The Weather Channel.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Klimczak was an Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Klimczak worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions department of Morgan Stanley & Company’s Investment Banking Division.  

Mr. Klimczak received a B.B.A. in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma, and an M.B.A. with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was selected as a Baker Scholar, a John L. Loeb Fellow, a Henry Ford II Scholar and a William J. Carey Scholar. Mr.Klimczak serves as a director of Sithe Global, Cheniere Energy Partners, Fisterra, PQ Energy, Utility One Source, Meerwind, Transmission Developers and The Blackstone Charitable Foundation.

Brian F. Gavin is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group and is Chief Operating Officer of the Hedge Fund Solutions Group. 

Before joining Blackstone in 2002, Mr. Gavin was a Partner in Arthur Andersen's Hedge Fund Advisory and Capital Markets group.

Mr. Gavin received a BS in Accounting from New York University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Verdun S. Perry is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Strategic Partners, Blackstone’s secondary fund of funds business, which it acquired from Credit Suisse in August 2013. 

Mr. Perry joined Credit Suisse in November 2000 when it acquired Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), where he was an Associate in the Investment Banking Division before joining Strategic Partners the year it was founded.  Mr. Perry sits on Strategic Partners’ Investment Committees and his current responsibilities include fundraising, deal-sourcing, negotiating and executing secondary transactions and co-investments, as well as various post-purchase fund monitoring activities.  Previously, Mr. Perry worked in the strategic investments group at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co.  

Mr. Perry received a B.A. from Morehouse College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa, as well as an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow. Mr. Perry serves on the boards of The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).

John McCormick is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group and Head of Global Business Strategy for the Hedge Fund Solutions Group.

Mr. McCormick has overall responsibility for BAAM’s global marketing and client services functions. He also works closely with other members of senior management to establish strategic priorities for the Hedge Fund Solutions Group’s business globally and to ensure that those priorities are addressed on an ongoing basis.

Before joining Blackstone in 2005, Mr. McCormick was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, where he worked with clients in the financial services industry on a wide variety of strategic and operational issues.  Before joining McKinsey, Mr. McCormick practiced law in Davis Polk & Wardwell’s investment management group, as Corporate Counsel at Reuters America, and as General Counsel and VP of Business Development for Norbert Technologies.  Mr. McCormick also served at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Mr. McCormick received a BA from Vassar College and a JD from Yale Law School.

William Stein is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Asset Management in the Real Estate group.

Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Mr. Stein has been involved in the direct asset management and asset management oversight of real estate investments, including The Savoy Hotel Group, Extended Stay America, Boca Resorts, La Quinta, Equity Office Properties, Hilton Hotels Corp., and various other hotel, office, industrial, retail and multifamily investments.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Stein was a Vice President at Heitman Real Estate Advisors and JMB Realty Corp.

Mr. Stein received a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Robert L. Friedman is a Senior Advisor of The Blackstone Group L.P.

Mr. Friedman joined Blackstone in 1999 as a Senior Managing Director, working primarily in Blackstone’s Private Equity Group and also participating in the work of its Financial Advisory Group.  He served as Chief Legal Officer of the firm from 2003 through 2010, continuing for most of that period to also participate in some of the work of the firm’s Private Equity Group and its Financial Advisory Group.  He also served as the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer from 2003 through 2007. In 2012 he retired as a Senior Managing Director and became a Senior Advisor of the firm.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Friedman had been a partner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett for 25 years, where he was a senior member of that New York City law firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice. 

Mr. Friedman has served on 12 different boards of directors of public and private companies over the past 15 years.  He currently serves as a director of Axis Capital Holdings Limited and YRC Worldwide Inc. He is also a member of the boards of directors of each of United Way of New York City, Nantucket Land Council and New Alternatives for Children, serving as Chairman of the Board of the latter organization, which conducts a variety of programs for disadvantaged youth in New York City who suffer from physical and mental disabilities.

Mr. Friedman graduated from Columbia College in 1964 and received a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1967.

Donald (Dwight) Scott is a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone and Head of GSO Capital Partners’ Energy Practice. Mr. Scott is a member of GSO’s Investment Committee.

Before joining GSO Capital in 2005, Mr. Scott was an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of El Paso Corporation. Prior to joining El Paso, Mr. Scott served as a Managing Director in the energy investment banking practice of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Scott is currently a Director of 3Bear Energy, LLC, Energy Alloys LLC , TapStone Energy, LLC, Giant Cement Holdings, Inc., Twin Eagle Resource Management, LLC and Compass Well Services, LLC.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of KIPP, Inc. and the Board of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Mr. Scott earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

Christine Anderson is a Senior Managing Director in the Global Public Affairs Group. She is involved in Blackstone's dealings with the press, serving as a firm spokesperson, and advises on government affairs. 

Prior to joining Blackstone in 2009, Ms. Anderson served as Communications Director to the former Governor of New York. Before becoming Communications Director she served as the Governor's Press Secretary and Director of Marketing and as Communications Director on the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Prior to joining the campaign, Ms. Anderson was an Associate Director of Corporate Communications at UBS AG, supporting US media relations and specifically serving as a spokesperson for the US Wealth Management division of the company. During the 2004 Presidential election cycle, she served as a Deputy Press Secretary on the Kerry-Edwards Campaign. Prior to that Ms. Anderson worked as an Account Director at the Brunswick Group, a UK-based financial public relations firm and as a Segment Producer for ABC News' "Good Morning America." From 1999-2001, Ms. Anderson worked in the Press Office of the Clinton White House. 

She received a BA from The College of the Holy Cross. She was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Blackstone Women’s Network, as well as on the board of The Blackstone Charitable Foundation.

Matthew Skurbe is the Treasurer and Managing Director in Finance for Blackstone. Mr. Skurbe leads all Blackstone Treasury related initiatives, including cash and liquidity management, working capital management, bank and rating agency relationship management, and balance sheet risk management.

Before joining Blackstone in 2009, Mr. Skurbe was the CFO for Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust, a $35 billion bank housing several of Merrill Lynch's consumer lending and banking businesses. Prior to that role, Mr. Skurbe spent seven years supporting Merrill Lynch’s Treasury function and had previous roles with Amerada Hess and Arthur Andersen LLP. Mr. Skurbe is also a board member of the Association for Financial Professionals.

Mr. Skurbe received a BS in Accounting from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Paige Ross is a Senior Managing Director and the Global Head of Human Resources at Blackstone.

In this role she oversees human resource management globally for the firm. Ms. Ross brings more than 25 years of experience in talent development and strategic planning across a multitude of industries and geographies.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Ross served as the Managing Director of Talent Management at Centerbridge Partners, with a focus on leading Talent Management across the portfolio companies. She has also held senior human resources leadership positions at Pfizer, Avon and PepsiCo.

Ms. Ross earned her BA at Stony Brook University and PhD in Applied Organizational Psychology at Hofstra University.