Jonathan Scott Lavine (born May 9, 1966) is an American businessman serving as Chair of

Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...

. He founded Bain Capital Credit and Special Situations in 1998. He also served as Co-Managing Partner of Bain Capital from 2016 – 2024. Lavine is also a philanthropist. He was the Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, he served as chair, and in 2023, was named Chair Emeritus.

Early life and education

Jonathan Lavine was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

to Jewish parents and graduated from Classical High School in 1984. Lavine then attended Columbia College, where he was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and earned a BA

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in 1988. In 1992, Lavine earned an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Personal life

Lavine married Jeannie Diane Bachelor in June 1992 at Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, New Jersey.

Career

Lavine began his career as an analyst at Drexel Burnham Lambert upon his graduation in 1988. From 1991-1993, he worked as a consultant for

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

until moving on to Bain Capital. In 1998, Lavine founded Sankaty Advisors, LLC as the credit and special situations affiliate of Bain Capital and was managing partner and chief investment officer of the firm. Sankaty was renamed Bain Capital Credit in 2016. In 2016, Bain Capital named Lavine co-managing partner of the firm. Lavine continued to lead Bain Capital Credit and Special Situations after becoming co-managing partner of Bain Capital. In March 2024, Lavine became the Chair of Bain Capital. On December 6, 2016, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

named Lavine to be a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. On May 17, 2023, President Joseph Biden reappointed Lavine to the Council. In 2008, Lavine also became a member of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

ownership group, Boston Basketball Partners LLC.

Philanthropy

Lavine has been on the board of several organizations and educational institutions, including

City Year City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. City ...

Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital (formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2013) is the main pediatric training and research hospital of Harvard Medical School, Harvard University. It is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children ...

, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, Horizons for Homeless Children, and Opportunity Nation. In 2007, the Lavines formed the Crimson Lion Foundation, a private family foundation through which they have concentrated their philanthropic activities. Lavine has donated to a number of organizations and institutions, including

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, LIFT Communities, Equal Justice Initiative, and public radio station WBUR, and the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavine, Jon Businesspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Harvard Business School alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Living people 1966 births Classical High School alumni Chief investment officers Obama administration personnel Bain Capital people