Edward J. Crawford

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Edward J. Crawford
Born
Edward Jacobs Crawford IV
EducationTexas Christian University (B.A.)

Tulane University (M.A., MBA, MGM)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA)
Occupation(s)Businessman, former intelligence officer, investor

Edward Jacobs Crawford IV is an American businessman, investor, and former intelligence officer.[1] He is known for serving as Vice President of Goldman Sachs[2] and for being the CEO and co-founder of the private equity firm Coltala Holdings.[3][4]

Crawford has also served in the Peace Corps[5] and has been active in politics by organizing super PACs,[6] supporting politicians such as Jeb Bush.[7]

He is a Bronze Star Medal recipient for his service during Operation Enduring Freedom.[8]

Education[edit]

Crawford graduated from Caddo Magnet High School in 1999.[9] In 2003, he graduated from Texas Christian University with a B.A. in English and communications.[9]

Crawford also received MBA, MA, and MGM degrees from Tulane University in 2009.[10][11]At Tulane University, Crawford was a Morton A. Aldrich Fellow, a FLAS Fellow, and a Cowen Scholar in Latin American Studies.[11] [12] Crawford also received and the Robert V. Tessaro Young Volunteer Award from Tulane.[13]

Crawford also received an MBA from MIT.[2] At MIT, he was a Sloan Leadership Fellow.[12]

Public service career[edit]

As part of the Peace Corps, Crawford served in the Dominican Republic, where he established a local coffee cooperative to help farmers earn more money from their yearly harvests in 2005.[8][5][14][15] The cooperative, named “CoopCafeSur” eventually expanded to include over 300 coffee farmers across the country.[2][12] It also began selling products to coffee buyers in global markets.[2]

During his service in the Peace Corps, Crawford worked closely on rural projects with Joe Kennedy III, with whom he trained alongside in the Peace Corps DR program. The two eventually reunited for a joint speaking engagement at New World Symphony in 2015.[16]

On the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ founding, Crawford was named to the Peace Corps’ Top 40 Under 40 list.[2][17]

Military career[edit]

Crawford served in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Intelligence Officer, first serving as an intelligence officer with Special Operations Command in Latin America.[8][2] He was assigned to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, during which he served as a Tribal and Political Advisor for SEAL Teams Two and Four as part of a Special Operations Task Force.[8][2]

In the Navy, he reached the rank of lieutenant and served as intelligence support in regions such as Uruzgan, establishing contact with local tribes.[14]

Crawford received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.[8]

Business career[edit]

After finishing his tenure with the Peace Corps, Crawford worked at the private equity firm Advantage Capital Partners (AC), before leaving the company to join the investment bank Goldman Sachs.[2] Crawford worked for seven years at Goldman Sachs, where he was eventually appointed Vice President.[2] Crawford also served as managing director of Avesta,[2] which would become InvestRes and Trustwork. Crawford founded Coltala Group, later known as Coltala Holdings, with Ralph Manning in 2017.[18] Coltala Holdings is a holding company focused on acquiring controlling stakes in businesses.[18] It owns subsidiaries such as Trüdela Partners, Choice Health at Home, and Revere Packaging.[18]

Crawford is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.[8] He was named to Diversity MBA Magazine’s Top 50 Under 50 list. He was also named one of Fort Worth Inc.’s Entrepreneurs of Excellence in 2021.[18]

Crawford is the coordinator of War Veterans Fund which was founded by Dan Crenshaw. The organization for helps fellow war veterans.[19][20][21]

Politics[edit]

Crawford is known for supporting several former Peace Corps and military political candidates.[22] He formed SunPac, a political action committee focused on Hispanic outreach, with Jeb Bush, Jr. SunPac was eventually absorbed by the political action committee MavPac.[23]

Crawford served as a regional chair for MavPac in Miami, Florida.[6] Crawford was named to MavPac’s 40 Under 40 list.[24]

During the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, Crawford supported Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign as a fundraiser.[25][7]

Crawford coordinated the War Veterans Fund, which provides financial assistance to military veterans running for office and played a significant role in electing Dan Crenshaw and Michael Waltz as Congressmen.[19]

In 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed Crawford to the state’s Product Development and Small Business Board, a position that he will serve until 2027.[8][26]

Crawford was also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.[8][17]

Personal life[edit]

Crawford married Mary Elizabeth Hawkins on April 1, 2006.[9] They served together in the Dominican Republic during Crawford’s tenure in the Peace Corps.[9] Crawford often travels back to Los Blancos, Barahona, Dominican Republic with his family on vacation.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Governor Abbott Appoints Three to Product Development and Small Business Incubator Board". gov.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "40 under 40". NPCA | Advocacy. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  3. ^ "Dallas' newest private investment firm will hold onto companies longer than traditional funds". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  4. ^ "Coltala Holdings and Trive Capital form partnership to acquire lower middle-market companies". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  5. ^ a b "New scholarship program hopes to attract more Peace Corps volunteers to business | Freeman News". freemannews.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  6. ^ a b "Jeb Jr. and Slater Bayliss step up". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  7. ^ a b Ammann, Phil (2015-08-28). "Jeb Bush's "Mission: NEXT" bundler program lands in Miami Sept. 24". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Staff, FWBP (2021-11-15). "Abbott appoints Fort Worth business leader to incubator board". Fort Worth Business Press. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  9. ^ a b c d "Wedding of Edward J. Crawford IV and Mary Elizabeth Hawkins". The Times. 2006-04-02. p. 45. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  10. ^ "Alumnus delivers TEDx talk on servant leadership | Freeman News". freemannews.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  11. ^ a b "A message from Afghanistan | Freeman News". freemannews.tulane.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  12. ^ a b c "MIT Panel: Investors and Entrepreneurs". dallasftworth.alumclub.mit.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  13. ^ Strachan, Sue (2015-05-19). "Astronaut Douglas Hurley among those honored with a Tulane University Alumni Award". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  14. ^ a b Green, Daniel R. (2017-07-15). In the Warlords' Shadow: Special Operations Forces, the Afghans, and Their Fight Against the Taliban. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-816-9.
  15. ^ a b "The Dominican Republic...feels like home" (PDF).
  16. ^ "Recap of Kennedy & Shriver RPCVSF on October 2, 2015" (PDF).
  17. ^ a b Stories, Local (2021-08-02). "Meet Edward Crawford of Coltala Holdings - Voyage Dallas Magazine | Dallas City Guide". voyagedallas.com. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  18. ^ a b c d "Fort Worth Inc". Fort Worth Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  19. ^ a b "Reps. Crenshaw, Gallagher, Waltz urge more GOP veterans to run for Congress". Roll Call. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  20. ^ veteranshonorfund (2020-08-20). "Ready to Lead: The War Veterans Fund Brings Integrity to Congress". American Veterans Honor Fund. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  21. ^ "Republican Congressmen Launch War Veterans Fund PAC". Washington Free Beacon. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  22. ^ "Jeb Bush Campaign Press Release - Jeb is honored to announce the endorsement of 75 Military Veterans | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  23. ^ "Jeb Bush Jr. Joins Slater Bayliss as Maverick PAC Florida Co-Chair". On3. 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  24. ^ "Florida dominates in MavPAC's 40 under 40 awards – SaintPetersBlog". 2020-11-25. Archived from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  25. ^ "Jeb Bush announces Miami-Dade leadership team, satellite campaign office".
  26. ^ Henry, John (2021-11-17). "Gov. Abbott Appoints Coltala's Edward Crawford to Board". Fort Worth Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
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