Joan Solotar, Chair of EHTP’s Board of Trustees, Profiled in Bloomberg News

Joan Solotar, a senior managing director at the private equity firm Blackstone Group LP, has set her sights high when it comes to increasing the company’s wealth assets -- in fact, she plans to quadruple them in 10 years. But a steely resolve to reach her goals is nothing new for Solotar, whom Bloomberg recently dubbed a “private-equity titan.” In fact, it is something she has had since she was young.

Solotar, who is head of private wealth solutions and external relations, is also chairwoman of the board of trustees of East Harlem Tutorial Program and East Harlem Scholars Academies. Our mission of supporting East Harlem youth as they attain college education is one that resonates deeply: Like many of our Scholars, she was the first in her family to go on to higher education, graduating from the State University of New York at Albany. Bloomberg recalls that Solotar, “made the rounds of job interviews at finance firms”; she has said she “remembers the sinking feeling of getting rejected again and again.” But these days, no one is rejecting Solotar.

In addition to her other high-powered roles, Solotar manages global shareholder relations and public affairs. Bloomberg noted, “business has boomed for Solotar’s team. The private real estate investment trust alone raised more than $300 million in one month last year.”Added Jon Gray, the firm’s president: “Joan has been a champion” of maintaining Blackstone’s standards. “She’s brought tremendous creative energy to this key growth area for our firm.”