In Memory: Elizabeth “Beth” Dater Jennings, Age 79

Elizabeth Dater Jennings, who had a storied career in investment management and was among the first female media analysts on Wall Street, died on November 27, 2024. She was 79 years old.

Born on May 13, 1945, “Beth” was the daughter of Joan Fitzgerald Snow and Pershing Burgard and was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a child, she summered in Provincetown, where she was introduced to acting and theater at the acclaimed Provincetown Playhouse. She embraced that interest throughout her life by promoting and supporting Broadway-bound productions. She was fluent in the words and tunes of every Broadway show and could often be found around the piano of her grandfather or uncle, singing those songs. After graduating from Sacred Heart, Kingston, MA, she went on to study theatre and acting at the Boston University School of Fine Arts.

Jennings’ enthusiasm for adventure and travel led to a brief career as a flight attendant with Pan American Airlines where she met and subsequently married her first husband, Michael R. Dater, which ended in divorce.

On September 30, 1977, Jennings married William Mitchell (Mitch) Jennings, who had a successful career in finance at Bear Stearns. They shared a love of nature, history, and the arts, spent time hiking and skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, and became avid collectors of Americana and other antiquities.

Jennings’ career in investment management spanned 50 years, starting with a stint at Lehman Brothers. She then joined Fiduciary Trust Company of New York in 1970, where she became a vice president and US equities analyst, specializing in the newspaper and media industries.

In 1978, Jennings joined Warburg-Pincus Asset Management and, within two years, rose to Managing Director. She was named Director of Research in 1986. She launched the firm’s small capitalization and emerging growth equity business, which reached $1 billion in value within five years. In 1989, Jennings also started the first post-venture capital distribution business in the US, which became the industry leader in a decade, with billions in assets under management.

After being appointed to Warburg-Pincus’s five-member Operating Committee in 1991, she led the firm through its sale and merger with Credit Suisse Asset Management and then served on their America’s Management Committee.

In 2019, Jennings retired as Managing Director of Angelo, Gordon and Co.

Jennings was a panelist on the popular PBS show “Wall Street Week,” hosted by Louis Rukeyser. In the words of a longtime friend, William Gedale, former President and CEO of General American Investors, “Beth was a brilliant analyst and a great investor.”

Jennings was a passionate advocate for women’s rights and equal opportunity and mentored countless young men and women who worked with her, grew up in her family, or were just inspired by her fierce intelligence and kindness. Dedicated to a number of causes and institutions, she served on the boards of The New York Historical, Prep for Prep, the Academy of Teachers, New York Medical Center, and the Irish Georgian Society, and was on the advisory committee of Women in Need. She also served on the investment committee of the New York Community Trust.

In addition to her husband, Mitch Jennings, of Greenwich, CT, Beth is survived by: her brother Christopher J. Snow and his spouse, Kathleen Keenan Snow, of Provincetown, MA; her sister Robyn Snow of Brewster, MA; her cousin Adrienne Fitzgerald of Brooklyn, NY; her niece Helen Fitzgerald Jacobs and spouse Brian Jacobs of Seattle, WA; Andrew Burgard of Durango, CO; and Patrick Burgard of New York, NY. She was predeceased by her brother Stephen Burgard, of Arlington, MA.

While living in Rye, Jennings and her family were active members of the Rye Presbyterian and Westchester Country Club communities.

A service will be held Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 10:30am at the Rye Presbyterian Church.

Donations in Beth Dater Jennings’ memory may be made to either of the following two places:

• The Irish Georgian Society, LLC, 1953 N Clybourn Avenue, Suite R286, Chicago, IL, 60614
• The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024