Board of Directors: Investment Management Company
J. Keith Benedict, CFA
Chief Executive Officer
Keith Benedict is the chief executive officer of South Summit Capital Management LLC and the chief investment officer of the John M. Belk Endowment. He implements an investment strategy focused on accessing high-quality ideas, opportunities and investment partners.
Keith was formerly executive vice president and managing director at A.G. Hill Partners, LLC, where he managed investments across asset classes and served as a trust fiduciary and general counsel.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Vanderbilt University and his Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Keith is a member of the State Bar of Texas and a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder.
Samuel B. Bowles
Managing Director
Sam Bowles is a managing director and a member of the board of directors of New Republic Partners. He also serves as a member of the firm’s executive committee and investment committee. Sam brings extensive expertise and experience in the areas of private equity, investment management, capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions.
His prior experience includes roles as a managing director of Threadridge Investment Partners, a fully integrated single family office and holding company, and as a principal at Carousel Capital where he sourced and executed private equity transactions and monitored portfolio companies. Sam also worked at Morgan Stanley in the mergers & acquisitions group in New York.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
Sam currently serves on the boards of the UNC Healthcare System where he serves as chairman of the finance committee, the Charlotte Country Day School, and the Kenan-Flagler Business School. He serves as chairman of the investment committee for the endowment of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and chairman of the investment committee for the Mint Museum.
Thomas K. Hoops
Chief Executive Officer
Tom Hoops is the chief executive officer at New Republic Partners, bringing insights and experience from a 35-year career in global asset management.
Prior to being a co-founder at New Republic Partners, Tom held senior level executive positions in leading global financial services firms, bringing expertise in global asset management, strategic investments and corporate strategy.
His experience includes leadership as a member of the executive committee at Legg Mason Global Asset Management where he was responsible for the firm’s global product organization, global M&A and strategic investments. He held a number of posts at Wells Fargo, including head of Affiliated Managers at Wells Fargo Asset Management, global chief operating officer of Wachovia’s Evergreen Investments, and chief investment officer of Wachovia’s Strategic Ventures Group.
Tom received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from Duke University, a J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.
Tom also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
David S. Routh
President
David Routh is president of New Republic Partners. He serves as a member of the firm’s executive committee and as a member of the board of directors. He works with senior leadership to evaluate strategic acquisitions and grow the firm’s network of clients and team talent. He also advises clients on philanthropic planning and gift strategies. David brings decades of experience in advising high-net-worth families, endowments and foundations.
David retired in 2022 as the vice chancellor for development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there, he led the nationally acclaimed, record-breaking “Campaign for Carolina,” which raised over $5 billion for the university. He also served as the chief executive officer of the UNC – Chapel Hill Foundation — the university’s central foundation — and as a board member of the Chapel Hill Investment Fund, the university’s $5 billion endowment.
Over the prior 25 years, David held a variety of roles at U.S. Trust of New York as well as North Carolina Trust and Bank of America. He led the high-net-worth/ultra-high-net-worth team serving individual, family office and not-for-profit clients in North Carolina and the Southeast region. He had oversight of the national institutional relationship teams serving endowment and foundation clients, and was a managing director of the charitable services group based in New York serving large colleges, universities and community foundations.
David has always been active in not-for-profit board leadership. He currently serves on the boards of the Eshelman Institute for Innovation, Virginia Episcopal School, the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund, and the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. He chairs the board of the Advancement Leadership Lab, a leadership development program for select large public universities.
David received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and religious studies, with Phi Beta Kappa honors, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.