Summit Partners COO killed in plane crash

Joe Trustey, managing director and chief operating officer of Summit Partners, was killed Wednesday evening when his single-engine plane crashed at Milwaukee’s Timmerman Airport. Trustey was traveling to the Midwest for a college visit with his daughter, and neither survived the accident, according to a statement from Summit.

Trustey joined the Boston-based private equity firm in 1992, and focused on investments in the growth products and services sector. He served as a board director of many companies, including three public companies. He is described in the Summit statement as “an invaluable asset to the firm and a respected leader in the growth equity industry more broadly.”

Prior to Summit, Trustey worked as a consultant with Bain and served as a Captain in the US Army. He held an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

“[Trustey] was uniquely distinguished in so many ways: as a partner, a leader and a friend.  He was a wonderful husband and father who also cared deeply for those with whom he worked both inside and outside the firm,” said Summit managing director and chief investment officer Marty Mannion in a statement. “He touched everybody he met with his intellect, his sterling character and his engaging sense of humor. We cannot express how much we will miss his presence in our lives.”