A Spotlight on Fortress Veterans: Andrew Bartholomew
When Fortress Director Andrew Bartholomew was a freshman in high school, the news was filled with coverage of the US Marine-led assault to liberate the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Images of determined, exhausted and often bloodied marines cemented a ‘call to service’ that Andrew had felt since childhood. Andrew attended summer school sessions and completed on-line courses so he could graduate early and pursue his dream. He enlisted in the USMC in 2007 at the age of 18, leaving home in early 2008 and completing basic training later that Spring before going on to complete three combat tours as a Marine Corps Infantryman.
In 2011, while deployed with the USMC’s 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, Andrew was encouraged by his unit’s Gunnery Sergeant to look into programs for veterans at Columbia University. “You don’t question a Gunny,” said Andrew years later. “The truth of it is, the interest he took in me and the confidence he had in me changed my life profoundly.”
Andrew applied to Columbia’s School of General Studies, then voluntarily extended his contract by half a year and transferred to the next deploying infantry unit for one final combat tour. He received his acceptance letter on April 13th, 2012, while deployed again to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
In 2015, Andrew completed a summer internship with Fortress, and in May 2016, he received his degree in Political Science, with an eye toward pursuing a career in finance on Wall Street. After working as an analyst in Evercore’s mergers and acquisitions advisory group, Andrew rejoined Fortress as an analyst and serves today as a Director in the Credit Funds business, focused on high-yield commercial real estate credit investing.
“As the son of a US Navy officer, I am very proud of all the ways Fortress supports the military community,” said Managing Director David Moson, who leads the investment team Andrew joined at Fortress. “As a manager of people in an intensely competitive business, I also recognize that personal attributes developed in the military—integrity, team focus, discipline, determination—are what you want most on your team. Andrew is a great example of how the military instills traits that drive success in the business world.”