T. Otey Smith is a Partner at Awani Capital with over 20 years of private equity experience focused on business and industrial services. He leads investment sourcing, evaluation, and execution, and oversees portfolio management. Otey is a member of the Investment Committee and contributes to Awani’s strategic, operational, and investment decision-making.
Prior to Awani, Otey was a Partner at RLJ, serving on its investment and exit committees and on the boards of several portfolio companies, including as Chairman of Native Maine Operations, Immediaship, and Olson Bros ProVac. He was also a board member of EnviroVac, MarketCast, and RLJ Thompson Trucking.
Earlier in his career, Otey was a founding member of Reliant Equity Investors and an analyst in Goldman Sachs’ Mergers & Acquisitions group.
He holds a B.A. in Finance from Morehouse College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.