Thomas Prescott Russo
About Thomas Prescott Russo
Thomas Prescott Russo serves as the Assistant Vice President of Industry and Corporate Research at The George Washington University, where he has worked since 2011. He has extensive experience in privatization, having successfully privatized over 60 companies in Asia and assisted early-stage companies in securing venture capital.
Current Role at The George Washington University
Thomas Prescott Russo serves as the Assistant Vice President for Industry and Corporate Research at The George Washington University. He has held this position since 2011, contributing to the university's efforts in fostering collaboration between academia and industry. His role involves helping to commercialize technologies developed at the university by partnering with external companies.
Education and Expertise
Russo has a strong educational background with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He furthered his education at The George Washington University School of Business, where he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on International Business and Finance. Additionally, he completed a Post-MBA program in Project Finance at Harvard Business School, sponsored by the World Bank.
Professional Background
Russo has extensive experience in finance and corporate research. He began his career at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank) as an Investment Officer from 1984 to 1990. He then worked at Ernst & Young as Director of Project Finance and Capital Markets from 1995 to 2000. His career also includes roles as CFO at EntreMed and Chesapeake PERL, and as Managing Partner at The Travis Group, Inc. He served as Principal at Advisory Associates, Inc. from 2002 to 2004.
Privatization and Corporate Development
Russo founded a privatization firm that successfully privatized over 60 companies in Asia. His privatization practice was later acquired by Ernst & Young LLP, where he continued to work on privatization initiatives and assisted early-stage companies in securing angel and venture capital. He has also been involved in bringing two companies through the IPO process.
Contributions to Infrastructure Financing
In addition to his work in privatization, Russo has experience in arranging funding for major infrastructure projects through his roles at Bechtel Financing Services and Bechtel Enterprises. His expertise in financing has contributed to various privatization efforts and the development of start-up companies, many of which have achieved significant success.