Jesse V. Crews - Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Crews' career in executive management, asset finance and equipment leasing spans over 40 years. Before his retirement he was the Chief Investment Officer of Trinity Industries Leasing Company and prior to that was COO of Willis Lease Finance Corp, Managing Director for Fortress Investment Group, and President and CEO of GATX Financial Corporation. Mr. Crews earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University.
Amanda Smith - Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Smith joined Kelso in 2016 as the Operations Manager and has held the position of Director of Operations, President of Operations and in 2024 was appointed Executive Vice President, Kelso Rail. Ms. Smith’s expertise is in complex manufacturing, production control, supply chain, procurement and inventory management. Prior to Kelso, Ms. Smith spent over ten years with Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment where she held various senior positions in procurement, purchasing and project management. Ms. Smith holds degrees from Austin College and Southern Methodist University and industry certifications in Caterpillar Production Systems, ASCM – APICS CPIM – Planning Management, APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional, Certified Professional Purchasing, TIP Leader (Toyota Way), Six Sigma Blackbelt and Corporate Governance. She is also a member of the League of Railway Women.
Sameer Uplenchwar, CPA - Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Uplenchwar brings over 20 years of expertise in financial and business development, encompassing financial modeling, financial structuring, investment banking, and energy research. He is currently the co-founder of Helios Corp, which invests in critical minerals, energy, agritech and IT infrastructure. Previously, he served as Managing Director and Head of US Equity Research with GMP Capital LLC in Houston, and Managing Director with Global Hunter Securities in Calgary/Houston. Before immigrating to Canada about a decade ago, Mr. Uplenchwar was Senior Energy Analyst supporting a +$1Bn long/short hedge fund in New York for Surveyor Capital LLC, VP at Morgan Stanley and worked at KPMG and Lasalle/Bank of America.