Tulane alum, business leader Rick Rees rejoins the Board of Tulane

Rick Rees, a seasoned private equity executive and philanthropist, has been re-elected to the Board of Tulane, the university’s main governing body. Rees was a board member from 2008 to 2020 and has been emeritus since 2020. He was re-elected for an additional term at the board’s fall meeting.

“We are delighted to welcome Rick back to the Board of Tulane,” President Michael A. Fitts said. “His unwavering commitment to this university and New Orleans coupled with his expertise and leadership will be invaluable as Tulane continues its ascendancy as one the nation’s top research universities.”

Rees, co-founder and chairman of LongueVue Capital, LLC, has built a distinguished career in private equity, corporate finance and philanthropy. LongueVue Capital, founded in 2001, is a private equity firm specializing in value-oriented investments in lower middle-market companies. Headquartered in New Orleans, the firm has over $1 billion under management across four funds. LongueVue Capital’s Fund III was recently recognized as the nation's No. 1 performing fund in the 2024 Bloomberg Private Equity League Tables for funds under $500 million of any vintage between 2015 and 2020. 

“His unwavering commitment to this university and New Orleans coupled with his expertise and leadership will be invaluable as Tulane continues its ascendancy as one the nation’s top research universities.”

- Tulane President Michael A. Fitts

“This is an exciting time for Tulane University,” Rees said. “My wife, Debra, and I attended Tulane on scholarships and are grateful for the lifelong opportunities it provided. Over the past decade, President Fitts has advanced Tulane’s rich academic reputation and national standing while strengthening its ties to New Orleans. Witnessing this transformation has been a source of great joy and pride, and I look forward to rejoining the board to build on Tulane’s extraordinary success.”

Before establishing LongueVue Capital, Rees served as chief financial officer of Halter Marine Group, a $1 billion revenue company at the time of its merger with Friede Goldman Inc. Prior to that, he was a managing partner at City Capital Corporation, a private equity firm with substantial investments in maritime-related businesses and affiliated companies.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Rees is a dedicated advocate for entrepreneurship and economic development. He co-founded the New Orleans Start-up Fund, an organization focused on enhancing the city’s capital ecosystem to support emerging entrepreneurs.

Rees, who previously served on the board of the Tulane Murphy Foundation, is a former board member and chairman of the Isidore Newman Board of Trustees, is a former member of the Parents Advisory Council at Choate Rosemary Hall, is a former member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO), and is a current member of the World President’s Organization (WPO) and the Chief Executives Organization (CEO), an organization for distinguished former leaders of YPO, that is limited to 2,000 members worldwide.

A graduate of Tulane, Rees was a legislative scholar and was elected to the Phi Eta Sigma, Kappa Delta Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary fraternities. He received two degrees, including a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science. Rees is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). 

Rees was honored in 1996 by the Tulane Association of Business Alumni as its Alumnus of the Year and in 2009 as Tulane’s Most Distinguished Entrepreneur by the A. B. Freeman School of Business. He has been an influential volunteer leader at the university. Rees and his wife Debra endowed the Debra and Rick Rees Professorship, which supports the deanship for the Freeman School. More recently, Rick and Debra were early advocates for the establishment of a Tulane Recovery Center, donors to what is now called the Lux Recovery House and contributed to the School of Social Work.

Among his contributions are roles on multiple Tulane committees, including Endowment Management Committee (2008-2012, 2017-2020), Development Committee (2008-2017), Finance Committee (2008-2020), Banking and Bond Subcommittee (2008-2020), Executive Committee (2009-2020), Presidential Search Committee (2013-2014) and Compensation & Personnel Committee (Chair, 2017-2020).

Rees is currently a member of the TRIAD Board (Tulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery) at the Tulane School of Medicine and is also a former chairman and a current member of Tulane’s A.B.Freeman Business School Council and the National Campaign Council – Louisiana. Additionally, he is an emeritus member of the Levy-Rosenblum Advisory Board. He has held leadership positions in various alumni initiatives, including reunion committees and the Tulane Alumni Association Board of Directors.