Our team is comprised of individuals from a multitude of backgrounds and industries, which allows us to be dynamic and creative in our partnerships with our portfolio companies.
ken croney, managing partner
Ken founded Jackson Partners in 1998 and has focused as a principal on the acquisition of service, software and manufacturing companies in diverse industries including healthcare, legal services and software. During his tenure at Jackson, he has completed acquisitions of companies with combined revenues in excess of $200 million. Ken also makes direct venture investments and participates as an LP in several Private Equity, Mezzanine and Venture firms.
Prior to founding Jackson Partners, Ken worked at Kidder, Peabody & Company consulting on and building quantitative models for managing Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts. He then founded and was president of a financial services holding company active in the investment advisory industry. Ken was primarily responsible as a principal for the successful identification, negotiation and consolidation of asset management companies with assets under management in excess of $5 billion.
Ken earned a BBA in Finance from The College of William and Mary.
jake schneiders, vice president
Jake started his career in the New York Stock Exchange’s Technology Division as an infrastructure and data analyst. He grew in his role to manage all US Cash Equities and Equity Derivatives real time and historical market data products, responsible for the products' technology and business initiatives. After several years at the NYSE, Jake decided it was time to move back west closer to family, and took a role in software sales for PitchBook Data, a PE, VC, and M&A market data platform based in Seattle, WA.
Jake earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
elizabeth whitmore, Founding partner
Prior to joining Jackson Partners, Elizabeth spent five years in mezzanine and late-stage venture investing. In her role as Vice President at Sirrom Capital Corporation and then at Finova Mezzanine Capital after it acquired Sirrom, Elizabeth had responsibility for sourcing, evaluating, and closing investment deals. Before receiving her MBA from Harvard Business School, Elizabeth worked for six years in the Office of the President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the largest bipartisan think tank in the country.