NEW YORK – J.F. Lehman & Company (“JFLCO”), a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors, is pleased to recognize the substantial contributions of key team members through a series of promotions and to announce several new hires.
Promotions included David F. Thomas to Managing Director, R. Benjamin Hatcher and Kevin Vallès to Principal, Michael P. Leber and Karina Perelmuter to Director, and Sarah Cabrera to Controller. The firm also announced the addition of Megan E. Kanefsky, Vice President – Human Capital, and the following Investment Professionals: Alec M. Schmidt (Vice President), Jake T. Korek, Nicholas J. Andonian and James G. Dudzik (Associates) and Sam C. Mecha (Analyst).
“Our promotions reflect the firm’s proven success in providing meaningful opportunities for professional development,” said Louis N. Mintz, Partner. “At the same time, our demonstrated ability to attract blue chip talent is clear evidence of our organization’s unique culture and clear momentum.”
Investment Team Promotions
David F. Thomas, Managing Director. Prior to joining the firm in 2010 as a Senior Analyst, Mr. Thomas began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Credit Suisse’s M&A Group. He graduated from Yale University, where he earned a B.A. in economics. Mr. Thomas is currently serving as a director of TMS Group, NorthStar Group, Inland Pipe Rehabilitation and Lone Star Disposal.
R. Benjamin Hatcher, Principal. Prior to joining the firm in 2013 as an Associate, Mr. Hatcher began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Jefferies LLC’s Aerospace & Defense Group. He graduated from the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.A. in economics and foreign affairs. Mr. Hatcher is currently serving as a director of TMS Group, CodeMettle, CTS Engines and Narda-MITEQ.
Kevin Vallès, Principal. Prior to joining the firm in 2017 as a Senior Associate, Mr. Vallès was a Senior Associate at JLL Partners, where he focused on private equity investments in Aerospace and Healthcare. Mr. Vallès began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Lazard’s Capital Markets Group. He graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a B.S. in economics with concentrations in finance and operations. Mr. Vallès is currently serving as a director of Inland Pipe Rehabilitation, Integrated Global Services and ENTACT.
Finance & Administration Promotions
Michael P. Leber, Director of Finance & Accounting. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Mr. Leber served as Vice President of Finance for Perpetual Capital Partners and held various senior finance and accounting roles for both Fortune 500 as well as growth companies. He began his career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Leber graduated with distinction from Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a B.S. in accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Karina Perelmuter, Director of Marketing & Investor Relations. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Ms. Perelmuter served as a Vice President in Lazard’s Private Capital Advisory practice, member of the Investor Relations team at Tiger Global and Fund Accountant at Mount Kellett. She began her career in Assurance at Ernst & Young. Ms. Perelmuter graduated magna cum laude from American University, where she earned a B.S. in finance and accounting.
Sarah J. Cabrera, Controller. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Ms. Cabrera served as Director of Accounting for Politico, where she was responsible for all aspects of the accounting function. Previously, Ms. Cabrera worked for a public company with SEC filing requirements. She graduated from Strayer University, where she earned a B.S. in accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant.
Administration New Hires
Megan E. Kanefsky, Vice President, Human Capital. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Kanefsky spent 15 years in the Human Resources Group at Blackstone, where she focused on recruiting, benefits administration, performance evaluation and management, organizational development and was the HR Business Partner to the Legal and Compliance Team. She earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in industrial and organizational psychology from Baruch College.
Investment Team New Hires
Alec M. Schmidt, Vice President. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Schmidt was a Senior Associate at Rubicon Technology Partners, where he focused on private equity investments in Enterprise Software. Mr. Schmidt began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Harris Williams & Co.’s Consumer Group. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a B.S. in finance with a minor in business law.
Jake T. Korek, Associate. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Korek began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Wells Fargo’s Industrials Group. He graduated from the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.S. in commerce with a concentration in finance and a track in real estate.
Nicholas J. Andonian, Associate. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Andonian began his career at Goldman Sachs as an Investment Management Analyst before transitioning to the Cross Markets Group in the Investment Banking Division. He graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College, where he earned a B.A. in economics with a minor in Spanish.
James G. Dudzik, Associate. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Dudzik began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Houlihan Lokey’s Global Industrials Group. He graduated from the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.A. in economics.
Sam C. Mecha, Analyst. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mecha graduated from Williams College in 2021, where he earned a B.A. in English.