Sy Jacobs is the founding and managing member of Jacobs Asset Management (JAM), the management company of our hedge fund and private investment vehicles. Prior to founding JAM in 1995, Mr. Jacobs spent 12 years as a research analyst covering specialty financial services and bank stocks at Alex. Brown and Sons, Mabon Nugent, L.F. Rothschild and Co., and Salomon Brothers, Inc. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan and his MBA at New York University. Sy also serves as Chairman Emeritus of Venture for America, a non-profit whose mission is to revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship.

Tom Jonovich has been JAM’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer since 2010. Mr. Jonovich has over 25 years of experience in accounting for Private Investment Partnerships. Early in his career, he was a CPA auditing Private Investment Partnerships and Broker Dealers at Rothstein, Kass & Company, which was subsequently acquired by KPMG. After leaving public accounting, he held positions at macro hedge fund advisers, Steinhardt Management, and Appaloosa Management. Most recently prior to joining JAM, he was with Cougar Trading, LLC, a family office with both an internal Hedge Fund and numerous private investments with outside advisers. Prior to that, he was CFO and CCO of Keefe Managers, LLC, a SEC Registered Investment Advisor, where he co-founded Keefe Ventures, LLC, a Broker / Dealer specializing in capital raises for financial institutions. As CFO and Financial and Operations Principal, he represented the group’s investors as member of the Board of Directors of Red Oak Bank. Tom received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Rutgers College and the School of Business.

Luke Kautzer joined JAM in 2011 as a bank analyst and currently serves as Director of Bank Research, leading coverage and analysis of U.S. depositories. Prior to JAM, Mr. Kautzer served as an Equity Research Associate at D.A. Davidson & Co. and received his Bachelor of Business Administration, maxima cum laude, from the Pamplin School of Business at the University of Portland. He is a CFA charterholder.

Millys Lee joined JAM in 1999 and currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer and Controller. She runs daily operations at the management company, oversees business administration, and manages the Jacobs’ family office. Prior to JAM she was an editorial assistant at a movie magazine, Premiere, and worked as a NYC independent film publicist for Clein + White Marketing, Inc. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and a Master of Fine Arts from New School University.

Jade Mercado joined JAM in 2022 as an Administrative Associate, supporting the team in daily operations, finance, accounting, and business administration. She is a recent graduate of Hunter College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.