Our Team
Capital Partners’ success is due in large part to the integrity and quality of our team. We have over 85 years of combined private equity experience and have backgrounds in both industry and private equity.
Brian D. Fitzgerald, Founder & Managing Director
Mark D. Allsteadt, Managing Director
Robert S. Tucker, Managing Director
John C. Willert, Principal
Richard W. O’Connor, Chief Financial Officer
Wendy E. Diglio, Assistant Controller/Investor Relations
Brooke Fitzgerald, Analyst
Susan Russo, Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Founder & Managing Director
Mr. Fitzgerald founded Capital Partners® in 1982, along with the participation of management and principals from companies he previously acquired. Prior to founding Capital Partners®, he was a General Partner of Industrial Capital Group, a diversified acquisition and investment holding company. Before his tenure at Industrial Capital Group, he held senior positions at General Electric Co. and The Vencap Group, a corporate development and acquisition firm. Mr. Fitzgerald began his career at Kidder, Peabody as an Investment Banking Associate.
Mr. Fitzgerald received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a B.A. in History from Princeton University.
Mark D. Allsteadt
Managing Director
Mr. Allsteadt has been with Capital Partners since 2004. Prior to joining Capital Partners, he was a Partner with Saugatuck Capital Company in Stamford, CT. Preceding his involvement at Saugatuck, he was Senior Vice President of Operations with Eye Care Centers of America, Inc. and an operations executive in various positions at Circuit City Stores, Inc. Mr. Allsteadt started his career as an Analyst with RFE Investment Partners, a private equity firm in New Canaan, CT. He has served on the Board of Directors of a number of privately held companies.
Mr. Allsteadt received an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from Bucknell University.
Robert S. Tucker
Managing Director
Mr. Tucker joined Capital Partners in 2004. Prior to joining Capital Partners, he was a Partner with Saugatuck Capital Company in Stamford, CT, and a Partner with Rutledge Capital in Greenwich, CT. Mr. Tucker began his career as an Associate with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York where he was a member of the team that invested The 1818 Fund, L.P. and later was a member of the U.S. private equity investment group of Barclays Bank, a limited partner in The 1818 Fund. He has served on the Board of Directors of a number of private companies.
Mr. Tucker holds a B.A. in Physics and Economics from Middlebury College and an M.B.A. in Finance and Management from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
John C. Willert
Principal
Mr. Willert joined Capital Partners in 2007. Prior to joining Capital Partners, he was a Principal with Family Capital Growth Partners in Greenwich, CT, where he sourced, executed and monitored investment opportunities and was concurrently a Vice President of de Visscher & Co., Family Capital’s affiliated investment bank, where he advised leading U.S. and international family businesses regarding numerous mergers, acquisitions, and recapitalizations.
Mr. Willert holds a B.A. from Gettysburg College and M.B.A in Finance and Accounting from Ohio State University.
Richard W. O’Connor
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. O’Connor joined Capital Partners in 2004. Prior to Capital Partners, he was the Director of Financial Reporting and Budgeting at R.H. Donnelley Corporation, an independent directory publisher, and previously, the Assistant Controller at Ultramar Corporation, an independent refiner and marketer of oil and gas products. Mr. O’Connor started his career as an auditor for Ernst & Young.
Mr. O’Connor is a Certified Public Accountant and received his M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University and his B.S. in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany.
Wendy E. Diglio
Assistant Controller/Investor Relations
Mrs. Diglio joined Capital Partners in 1994. She is currently responsible for the accounting of our limited partnerships, communications with our limited partners and assists in the due diligence and acquisition processes.
Mrs. Diglio graduated from Quinnipiac University with a B.S. in Accounting.
Brooke Fitzgerald
Analyst
Ms. Fitzgerald joined Capital Partners in September. She previously held analyst positions at Egon Zehnder International and Wachovia Bank. Ms. Fitzgerald graduated from Yale College in 2005 and will attend Columbia Business School beginning next September.
Susan Russo
Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Ms. Russo joined Capital Partners in October. She previously held an Executive Assistant position with Casey Quirk and Kruger Paper Sales. Ms. Russo graduated from Berkeley Business School in 2006. She currently has over 22 years experience in the administrative field.

