Jim and Kelley Bailey
Born on a sod farm in Michigan, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse, Jim Bailey epitomizes the American success story.
Jim’s life was transformed when he earned a scholarship to the prestigious Cranbrook School outside Detroit. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard College with a BA in American colonial history, followed by a joint JD/MBA from Harvard University in 1973. Upon graduation Jim and Hunter Lewis formed Cambridge Associates to provide investment and financial-planning services to nonprofit endowed institutions. He is also co-founder, treasurer, and director of the Plymouth Rock Company, a New England auto and homeowners insurance firm. Today, Cambridge Associates advises more than $400 billion in assets and serves more than 900 endowments, foundations, pensions, and private clients in over 40 countries.
An avid environmentalist, in 1980 Jim helped fund the first major US geothermal energy company, California Energy. Jim is also co-founder, Treasurer, and Director of The Plymouth Rock Company, a U.S. personal line insurance company.
After raising four boys in the urban environment of Boston, Jim was drawn to his agricultural roots. He wanted to combine his passion for wine with his background in farming. In 2006 Jim, his brother and sister-in-law Essel and Menakka Bailey, and his brother-in-law Tom Costin purchased a 100-acre parcel in Sonoma County’s Knights Valley American Viticultural Area and launched Knights Bridge Winery.
Today the vineyard remains at the heart of Jim’s focus, and he works tirelessly to support the community of Knights Valley and Sonoma County both through philanthropic endeavors and by helping the community rebuild after the devastating wildfires of 2017. In 2020 he embarked on a long-awaited project to build a small winery on the estate and looks forward to making wine and welcoming visitors there in early 2021.
Jim and Kelley reside in Naples, Florida, and share a passion for philanthropic giving.
Judith Thompson Barthwell
Judith Thompson-Barthwell, the widow of the Honorable Sidney Barthwell Jr., is a retired music educator of 44 years. During her career, she taught in public, community, and independent schools, from preschool through high school. In her retirement, Judith stays involved in education by mentoring educators and volunteering in elementary classrooms in both Detroit and Florida.
In addition to degrees from Eastern Michigan University, Judith studied in a yearlong course at the Orff Institute at Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. She has served as a frequent presenter at music education workshops and conferences in the United States and Europe. Judith teaches in several Orff Schulwerk Teacher Education courses across the country and is the director of the Michigan Orff Collage Levels Courses, held in the Detroit area. She has served as a trustee for and is the treasurer of the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA), a nonprofit organization that serves music educators across the nation. Over the years, she has served as the chair of the Multicultural Committee and the Diversity Subcommittee of AOSA. In 2012 she was the recipient of the Michigan Music Educators Association’s Educator of the Year Award.
Dr. Akousa Barthwell Evans
Dr. Akosua Barthwell Evans, Sidney’s sister, is the founder and chief executive officer of The Barthwell Group, a successful boutique strategic management consulting firm with consultants and subject-matter experts throughout the United States and in Africa. Prior to launching The Barthwell Group, Akosua was an accomplished banker, lawyer, and management consultant.
Akosua is a graduate of Barnard College and Yale Law School, where she was a co-marshal of her class and won the Edward R. Robbins Memorial Prize for her writing. She holds a PhD and an MPhil from Columbia University.
Prior to forming her own company, Akosua was a Managing Director at JPMorgan, where she developed, launched, and managed two national business lines.
Akosua has served on numerous prestigious nonprofit boards throughout the United States, including the Yale Law School Fund Board, the Yale Law School Executive Committee, the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors, YaleWomen Council, the Trustee Committee on Education, The Museum of Modern Art, the American Folk Art Museum, the Romare Bearden Foundation, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (North Carolina), Bennett College for Women (North Carolina), Babcock School of Management of Wake Forest University, the Detroit Historical Society, the Detroit Science Center, Hutzel Hospital (Detroit), and the Founders Junior Council (Detroit Institute of Arts). She is also the founder and for many years served as the chairperson of The Friends of Education at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, a national model for increasing diversity in the arts.
Akosua has won numerous awards, including the “25 Most Influential African American Women in Business” (2002), Cross Border Award (2005), Distinguished Black Woman Award (2001), recognition by The Museum of Modern Art (2004), recognition by the Thurgood Marshall College (2004), and the Entrepreneur Leadership Award (2011).
Walter Evans
Sidney Barthwell Jr.’s nephew, Walter Evans, is the chief operating officer of The Barthwell Group. He oversees the firm’s operations, including billing and accounting, finances, human resources, and technology. In addition, Walter allocates team members to and oversees a small number of client engagements. He previously served as a managing consultant and an associate of the firm.
Since joining The Barthwell Group in 2006, Walter managed the firm’s team through several endeavors, including a highly successful diversity recruitment training for the US Marine Corps, a supplier identification engagement for a Fortune 100 company, an assessment of diversity recruiting practices for a Fortune 100 company, and an assessment of best practices in the competitive market for a Fortune 100 company.
Previously, Walter served as the lead analyst for HRJ Capital, a billion-dollar private equity fund-of-funds firm based in Woodside, California. At HRJ Capital, he was responsible for analyzing underlying portfolio companies in the firm’s investments, assisted the investment team in analyzing new potential investments, and served as the sole analyst on the company’s co-investment vehicle.
Walter holds bachelor’s degrees in political science (with distinction) and symbolic systems (with honors) from Stanford University. In 2014 he was selected by DBusiness magazine as one of its “30 in Their Thirties.”
