Early Life and Education
Bruce A. Karsh was born on October 10, 1955, in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in 1974. Karsh earned an A.B. degree in economics from Duke University in 1977, graduating summa cum laude and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1980, receiving the academic award Order of the Coif. During law school, Karsh served as notes editor for the Virginia Law Review.
Rise to Success
After law school, Karsh clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. He then worked as an attorney with the law firm O'Melveny & Myers. In 1987, he was hired by Howard Marks to manage distressed debt at TCW Group. Karsh managed the Special Credits Funds at TCW before leaving in April 1995 with Marks and three others to found Oaktree Capital Management. At Oaktree, Karsh became a portfolio manager for the firm's Distressed Opportunities and Value Opportunities strategies and Chief Investment Officer. He has been instrumental in growing Oaktree into one of the world's largest alternative investment firms, with over $190 billion in assets under management.
Key Business Strategies
Karsh's success is rooted in his expertise in distressed debt and alternative investments. He co-founded Oaktree Capital Management in 1995. His leadership helped Oaktree generate strong returns for its investors, with a focus on corporate and distressed debt. In 2019, Brookfield Asset Management acquired a significant stake in Oaktree, but Karsh continues to run the company as co-chairman and Chief Investment Officer.
Philanthropy
Bruce Karsh, along with his wife Martha, has been deeply involved in philanthropy, particularly through the Karsh Family Foundation. Their foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to support education, democracy, and community initiatives. Major donations include funding the Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia. The Karsh Family Foundation has also supported educational programs at Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, Howard, and Spelman, and has provided significant contributions to healthcare and children's welfare programs.
