Kevin Penn

Kevin S. Penn, a Managing Director at American Securities, LLC, a private equity firm based in New York City, was inducted onto the Board of Governors of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) at its meeting on June 25, 2012 in New York. At American Securities Mr. Penn is a member of the Investment Committee and is also a member of the Investment Committee of AS Birch Grove, an affiliate of American Securities. Mr. Penn joined American Securities in 2009.

Previously, Mr. Penn founded and led ACI Capital Co., LLC since 1995. Prior to founding ACI Capital, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for First Spring Corporation, where he managed the firm’s investment activities in addition to having responsibility for all of their private equity, direct investment and public investment portfolios. Previously, Mr. Penn was a Principal with the private equity firm Adler & Shaykin and was a founding member of the Leveraged Buyout Group at Morgan Stanley & Co.

Mr. Penn currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Blue Bird Corp, Conair, Foundation Building Materials, Learning Care Group, SOLV Energy, and Trace3, as well as a Director of Amentum, and CS Energy. In addition, he serves as a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, Chair of the Board of Advisors of the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, a Member of the Board of Directors of the US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, a Member of the Board of Governors of Hebrew Union College, an Advisory Board Member of the Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Medicine, and Vice Chairman of the Dean’s Parents Council of the University of Chicago.

Mr. Penn is a product of the Reform Movement at its best. He was a camper and counselor at Camp Eisner and has been active with their alumni, contributing to future funding of that camp. In addition, during his high school years in Long Island, he was affiliated with LIFTY – the Reform Jewish Youth movement. Prior to joining the Board of Governors, Mr. Penn joined HUC-JIR’s Eastern Region Board of Overseers in October 2007, served as Board Chair and has been a transformative influence.

He received a BS Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, graduating with Distinction. He lives in New York City with his wife, Erica Penn, and where they raised their four children. They are members of Central Synagogue.