Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Dean S. Adler is CEO and Co-Founder of Lubert Adler Partners, L.P., a real estate equity firm with over $9 billion in equity raised since inception of the Firm. Dean is Head of the Investment Committee and is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the team.

Prior to Lubert Adler, Dean graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a J.D. degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was an instructor at the Wharton School between 1981 and 1983. Subsequently, he worked at Ernst & Young, Baker and Hostetler and CMS.

Currently, he is an Executive Committee Member and Research Sponsor for the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dominion Real Estate Company.

In addition, Dean is a former member of the board of directors of Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY), a former Director of Developers Diversified (NYSE: DDR), a former member of the board of directors of Safehold, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFE), and a former member of the board of directors of Albertsons, LLC. He has been a keynote speaker for national real estate organizations such as the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Dean has served on numerous community boards and has served on the City of Philadelphia’s Economic Development. 

Thompson Dean is the Chairman and Co-Head of Avista Capital Partners’ Investment Committee. He previously served as the Managing Partner and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Avista Capital Partners until transitioning to Chairman in 2022. Prior to co-founding Avista Capital Partners in 2005, Mr. Dean led DLJ Merchant Banking Partners for 10 years. Mr. Dean served as Managing Partner of DLJMB I, II and III and DLJ Growth Capital Partners until his departure in 2005 and was Chairman of their respective Investment Committees. Mr. Dean received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar, and an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. Mr. Dean currently serves as a Director of the Boards of Cooper Consumer Health, eMolecules, Probo Medical, Vision Healthcare and WellSpring Consumer Healthcare. He previously served on the Boards of Charles River Laboratories, ConvaTec Group (UK: CTEC), Fisher Scientific, Nycomed, Trimb, VWR, Acino, and Zest Dental Solutions, among others. He is Former Chairman of the Special Projects Committee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and served as a member of the College Foundation Board of the University of Virginia.