Chairman

Robert L. Johnson is the Founder and Chairman of The RLJ Companies, an innovative business network that owns or holds interests in a diverse portfolio of companies including RLJ Equity Partners. Prior to forming The RLJ Companies, Mr. Johnson was Founder and Chairman of Black Entertainment Television (BET), the nation’s first and leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news, sports and public affairs programming for the African American audience. Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, BET became the first African American owned company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2001, Mr. Johnson sold BET to Viacom for approximately $3 billion and remained the Chief Executive Officer through 2006. In July 2007, Mr. Johnson was named by USA Today as one of the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years.

 

Mr. Johnson serves on the boards of RLJ Lodging Trust, G-III Apparel Group, The Business Council, and Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 

Mr. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Partner

Mr. Howard is a Partner at RLJ and leverages over 19 years of private equity experience. He is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, and monitoring investments primarily in the Business and Industrial Services sectors. Mr. Howard is a member of the firm’s investment committee and exit committee, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Crossfuze (Chairman), Enhanced Resource Centers, Naylor Association Solutions (Chairman), and Ogle School (Chairman).

 

Prior to joining RLJ in 2008, Mr. Howard was a Vice President in the Services Group of TA Associates (“TA”), a Boston-based growth private equity firm with $15 billion in assets under management. Prior to TA, Mr. Howard was an Associate at JP Morgan Partners, the private equity division of JP Morgan Chase & Co. Mr. Howard began his career as a Financial Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Salomon Brothers, a global investment bank.
 
Mr. Howard received his M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School and his B.B.A. degree with a concentration in finance from Howard University.

Partner

Mr. Rivers is a Partner at RLJ and leverages over 30 years of industry experience. He is responsible for the firm’s administration, fundraising, and investor relations as well as sourcing, evaluating, executing, and monitoring the firm’s investments. Rufus is a member of the firm’s investment committee and exit committee, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Crossfuze, Enhanced Resource Centers, Flow Service Partners, Growers House (Chairman), Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods, Naylor Association Solutions, and Ogle School.

 

Prior to joining RLJ in 2007, Mr. Rivers was a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Carlyle Mezzanine Partners, L.P., a $436 million investment fund affiliated with The Carlyle Group. Prior to founding Carlyle Mezzanine Partners, Mr. Rivers was a Senior Vice President and Principal at TCW/Crescent Mezzanine, LLC, an investment firm with $4 billion of assets under management. Prior to TCW/Crescent Mezzanine, Mr. Rivers served as the Group Credit/Investment Officer of Heller Financial, Inc.
 
Mr. Rivers received his M.B.A. degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, and his B.A. degree from Morehouse College.

Partner

Mr. Smith is a Partner at RLJ and brings over 15 years of private equity experience. He is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, and monitoring investments primarily in the Business and Industrial Services sectors. Mr. Smith is a member of the firm’s investment committee and exit committee, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods (Chairman) and manages RLJ’s non-core investments in J&J Transport and Tok & Stok Ltd.

 

Prior to joining RLJ in 2006, Mr. Smith was a founding member and Senior Associate at Reliant Equity Investors, a lower middle market private equity firm with $120 million in assets under management. Prior to Reliant, Mr. Smith was an Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Goldman Sachs, a global investment bank.
 
Mr. Smith received his M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School and his B.A. degree from Morehouse College.

Associate

Mr. Muruts joined RLJ Equity Partners in 2022. Prior to RLJ Equity Partners, Mr. Muruts was an Associate and Senior Analyst at Acquco in their M&A and Strategy group. Prior to Acquco, Mr. Muruts was an Analyst at UBS in their Healthcare Investment Banking Group. Mr. Muruts received his B.A. from Duke University.

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Harewood is the Chief Financial Officer at RLJ Equity Partners and brings over 14 years of accounting and financial experience. He leads and directs the firm's finance related activities, including treasury, accounting & and reporting, and tax compliance. Prior to joining RLJ in 2019, Jerron spent 9 years serving as a results-oriented Senior Accountant and Assurance Manager with Ernst & Young in NY and VA. Mr. Harewood received his B.S. in accounting from Hampton University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Chief Compliance Officer

Mrs. Thomas is the Executive Vice President of Finance at the RLJ Companies, as well as the Chief Compliance Officer of RLJ Equity Partners. Prior to joining the RLJ Companies, Mrs. Thomas was Assistant Controller at Freddie Mac, providing reporting and credit analysis related to securitization and mortgage guarantees. Prior to Freddie Mac, Mrs. Thomas was an Associate Vice President at The Carlyle Group, where she was responsible for corporate financial and managerial accounting functions, budgeting and forecasting, and corporate compliance; and served in a variety of roles for more than 10 years, including Manager of Accounting and Assistant Controller. Mrs. Thomas received her B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.