Tony Ressler

Tony Ressler
Name	Anthony "Tony" Ressler
Birth date	1955
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Amherst College, New York University School of Law
Occupation	Businessman, investor
Known for	Co-founder of Apollo Global Management, owner of Milwaukee Bucks, co-founder of Ares Management
Spouse	Debra Ressler

Tony Ressler

Anthony Ressler (born 1955) is an American businessman and investor known for co-founding major alternative asset management firms and owning professional sports franchises. He has played a prominent role in private equity and asset management, with leadership and ownership stakes linking him to firms, teams, and philanthropic institutions across New York City, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee. Ressler's career intersects with figures and organizations in finance, sports, and civic philanthropy.

Early life and education

Ressler was born in New York City into a family with roots in immigration and commerce; his father worked in small business and local commerce while his relatives included entrepreneurs connected to Brooklyn and Manhattan. He attended Amherst College, where he studied political science and developed contacts with alumni active in finance and public service, including connections to Harvard University and Columbia University networks. He later earned a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, during which he engaged with legal subjects relevant to mergers and acquisitions and interacted with peers who later joined firms such as Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Career

Ressler began his professional career in investment banking and legal advisory roles that brought him into contact with firms such as Shearson Lehman Brothers, The Blackstone Group, and legacy investment houses on Wall Street. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he joined partners to form what would become Apollo Global Management, collaborating with executives who had backgrounds at Drexel Burnham Lambert, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. After establishing himself at Apollo, Ressler co-founded Ares Management with colleagues from private equity and credit markets, drawing on relationships with investors at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Credit Suisse. His executive roles connected him to boards and advising groups including trustees at Columbia University, UCLA, and civic institutions in Los Angeles County and Milwaukee County.

Business ventures and investments

Ressler's principal ventures include co-founding and leading boutique and large-scale asset managers, building portfolios in alternative credit, private equity, and real assets alongside partners from Bain Capital, KKR, and TPG Capital. He has overseen investments in sectors represented by firms such as DXC Technology, Hertz Global Holdings, and infrastructure assets linked to municipal projects in California and Wisconsin. In sports, he led a consortium to purchase the Milwaukee Bucks from previous owners, joining other minority partners with sports investment experience from groups tied to Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Ressler's investment approach drew capital from sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and institutional investors including CalPERS, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and international pension funds from Canada and Norway.

Philanthropy and civic engagement

Ressler has been active in philanthropic efforts connected to cultural and educational institutions such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and medical centers including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and research programs affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and UCLA Health. He has supported initiatives in urban development and community outreach in Milwaukee, partnering with local foundations and civic leaders associated with Bucks Community Foundation and county economic development offices. His donations and board service have linked him to scholarship funds at Amherst College and legal initiatives at New York University, as well as Jewish communal organizations tied to Jewish National Fund and philanthropic networks connected to United Jewish Communities.

Personal life

Ressler is married to Debra Ressler, and the couple has six children. The family maintains residences in Los Angeles and near New York City, and they participate in cultural, educational, and sports circles that include associations with owners and executives from Major League Baseball Owners Association, National Basketball Association governors, and philanthropic peers from The Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation. Ressler's siblings and extended family include entrepreneurs and professionals who have been active in real estate, law, and finance in New York and California.

Honors and recognitions

Ressler has received recognition from business and civic organizations including awards and honors from regional chambers of commerce in Los Angeles County and Milwaukee County, acknowledgments from alumni associations at Amherst College and New York University School of Law, and invitations to speak at forums such as World Economic Forum panels and industry conferences hosted by Invest Europe and Alternative Investment Management Association. His leadership in sports ownership earned mention in coverage by ESPN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal in profiles of franchise ownership and philanthropy.

Category:American businesspeople Category:Private equity and venture capital investors Category:Sports owners