Westmont Magazine Green Energy Partner Becomes a Trustee

Tim Keith ’87, a private equity investor based in New York and a partner in two green businesses, has joined the Westmont Board of Trustees. An economics and business major, he has served on the Board of Advisors since 2005.

Until March 2010, Keith was global chief executive officer for RREEF Infrastructure Investments in New York, overseeing investment in transportation and utility infrastructure assets such as seaports, toll roads and energy-distribution and renewable energy generation companies. He has more than 13 years experience managing public and private companies globally and more than two decades of experience in real estate, infrastructure and private equity investing.

Previously, he served as CEO of Cabot Industrial Trust after its privatization and de-listing, and he helped take his first target company public as Meridian Industrial Trust, becoming regional vice president for the Southeast. He worked in real estate companies in Phoenix, joined Arthur Andersen as a real estate consultant in New York and Dallas, and was hired by Hunt Realty to invest venture capital in real estate companies.

“We greatly appreciate the expertise Tim brings to the board,” says President Gayle D. Beebe. “With his extensive background in investment, finance and management and his broad global experience and exposure, he contributes essential skills to the financial oversight of the college. As an alumnus, he loves the college and understands the heart of the Westmont experience and the qualities that make our education distinctive.”

“I am passionate about helping Westmont shape its future and thrive in our challenging economic climate,” Keith says.

His start-up firms are environmental infrastructure businesses focused on reducing the volume of waste entering landfills. One, R-GEN Systems LLC, is a waste-to-energy company that uses the residual from household and commercial waste to generate electricity. The other, Green Nation Group, captures recyclable materials from waste headed to landfills.

“Westmont taught me to think critically and solve complex problems,” Keith says. “Those skills have allowed me to see the big picture, understand markets and take advantage of opportunities. I also learned that being a leader involves stepping forward and being willing to take risks and make decisions in difficult situations.”