Alexander B. Ellis III (born January 1, 1949), formerly an executive with alternative energy companies, and now a partner in the venture-capital firm Rockport Capital Partners. He is a nephew of former

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

and a first cousin of former president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

and the former governor of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush.

Family background

Ellis's father was Alexander B. (Sandy) Ellis II, an insurance executive in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

who studied at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. Ellis II (1922–1989) was an executive with insurance firm Fairfield & Ellis (which merged into Corroon & Black, now a part of Willis Group Holdings). His mother is Nancy Walker Bush Ellis, a sister of former president

. Both Ellis II and Bush were members of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

at Yale.

Education

Ellis grew up in Concord,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and attended Phillips Academy Andover, he later went to

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

. He studied business at

receiving a master's degree in business administration.

Career

Early in his career Ellis went to work for US Senator

Edward Brooke Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015) was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was the first African American elected to t ...

(R-MA) as a legislative assistant. While working for Senator Brooke among the issues he studied was the turmoil in the nation's energy supply caused by the change towards a more assertive pricing strategy by members of

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize Profit (eco ...

. Ellis entered the alternative energy sector upon leaving Brooke's office. Energy efficiency was his specialization. He was hired eventually by the furniture firm Knoll. Knoll was later acquired by Westinghouse. Ellis was recruited to Kenetech Corporation, one of the nation's foremost windpower development and turbine manufacturers. Kenetech obtained venture capital support and quickly achieved an important place in the industry. Subsequent to Kenetech and before joining RockPort, Ellis and a partner formed a company which developed two independent power plants. Since 1998 Alexander Ellis III has been a partner with the firm Rockport Capital Partners. He is chairman of Clean Diesel Technologies Inc.Profile Alexander Ellis
Forbes.com

Honors

* Member of the Board, George Bush Presidential Library Foundation * Member of the Board, Cornell Lab of Ornithology *

Massachusetts Audubon Society The Massachusetts Audubon Society, commonly known as Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "protecting the nature of Massachuset ...

, council member and member of the finance and administration committee.

References

External links

''Rockport Capital Partners: Alexander "Hap" Ellis''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Alexander 1949 births Living people Bush family Colorado College alumni Yale School of Management alumni