Jean-Pierre L. Conte

Jean-Pierre L. Conte is a businessman, philanthropist and policy entrepreneur. He is the chairman and managing director of private equity firm Genstar Capital LLC.
Genstar Capital, LLC
In 1995, Conte joined Genstar Capital, LLC and currently serves in the capacity of chairman and managing director. In these roles he is in charge of: acquisitions, divestitures and the supervision of portfolio companies. Under his stewardship, Genstar has grown from having $100million of assets under management to $17 billion.
Directorships and Employment history
Conte is currently a Director of ConnectiveRx and CRF Bracket.
Conte has been a Director of the following firms: Altra Industrial Motion, Inc., BioSource International Inc.,Boyd Corporation, Confie Seguros, eResearch Technology, Installs Inc., MW Industries, Inc., NACG Preferred Corp, Netsmart Technologies, Nevamar Holdco, LLC., North American Construction Group, Inc., North American Energy Partners, PRA Health Sciences Inc., PRA International, Propex Fabrics Inc., NEN Life Science Products, Inc., LLC, Panolam Industries International, Inc. and TravelCLICK, Inc.
Conte is on the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers and established the Conte Task Force on Immigration Reform. Co-chaired by Edward Lazear and Tim Kane, the Task Force "aims to improve immigration policies by providing innovative ideas and economic data proving that immigration has been and will continue to be a piston of economic growth for the USA."
He has held the role of Principal at the NTC Group, Inc., and an executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert and Chase Manhattan (in the fields of finance and M&As).
Philanthropy
Conte is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Hamlin School. He serves on the Board of Pepperwood Preserve. He was also in the past a trustee for the Cathedral School for Boys as well as co-chairman of the Major Gifts Committee.
According to the organization's executive director Dr. Lisa Micheli, "This is a very generous gift from Mr. Conte, a long-time supporter of the environment and the advancement of conservation science. Because of his generosity we will now be able to better protect this stunning sanctuary and expand our research and education programs to reach greater numbers of people throughout the San Francisco Bay Area." Conte himself believes that "maintaining the beauty and environmental quality of the Bay Area for generations to come is a terrific way to leave a family legacy. One of my passions is to ensure that my children and grandchildren will have the opportunity to enjoy our inspiring natural heritage." Three months later, Conte's family was honored with a naming ceremony for the Dwight Center's central courtyard, which at that point was renamed to Conte Court.
In 2015 Conte was one of the lead donors on the Bay Lights; a project to illuminate the San Francisco Gate Bridge via the permanent installation of lights on the bridge's wires.
In 2017 Conte was part of a group of private equity investors that raised over $10 million to help Puerto Rico recover from the hurricane that devastated the island in September of that year.
With the aims of improving educational equity for young people, protecting the environment, and upholding freedom, Conte established the J-P Conte Family Foundation in 2018. The Foundation has also made a gift to the neurology department of UCSF (University of California, San Francisco).
Fellowship
Conte established the Pierre and Isabel Conte First Generation Fellowship in recognition of his 20th Reunion and in "honor and appreciation of his parents' achievements as first generation Americans." Conte hopes this fund will encourage immigrants or the children of immigrants to pursue MBA degrees at Harvard Business School.
Personal life
Conte was born and raised in the New York area to a French mother and Cuban father. He is passionate about the benefits of immigration and in an interview with Uncommon Ground he commented that "immigration is one of the engines of economic growth which makes America great."
He is a single father of four children. "I believe that as a parent, part of the mission is to teach your children about the world and different cultures," he said.

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