J. Keith Benedict

J. Keith Benedict is Chief Executive Officer of South Summit Capital Management LLC, a single-family office providing investment, accounting and tax services for individuals, trusts and the John M. Belk Endowment private foundation.

From 2009 to 2017, Benedict was Executive Vice President, Managing Director and General Counsel of A.G. Hill Partners LLC, which he joined in 2009.  At A.G. Hill Partners LLC, Benedict managed hedge fund, oil and gas minerals, private equity, venture, public equity and fixed income investments.  Benedict served on the Investment Committee of A.G. Hill Partners LLC, on the boards of investment portfolio companies, as a family trust fiduciary and as general counsel for the Hill family. Benedict was lead counsel for the Hill family in the successful settlement and resolution of complex federal and state litigation involving trusts with over $3 billion in assets. 

From 2005 to 2009, Benedict was Partner and Co-Founder of Opsis Capital Management LP, a hedge fund management company investing in an energy market-neutral equities strategy.  From 1999 to 2005, Benedict was Chief Operating Officer, after serving as Vice President and General Counsel, for investment affiliates of Unity Hunt Inc., the family office of the Lamar Hunt family.  Benedict managed seed investments with hedge fund managers, private equity investments and swap financing.  From 1996 to 1999, Benedict was a corporate and securities attorney with Bracewell LLP.  At Bracewell, Benedict represented issuers and underwriters in public offerings of equity and debt securities.  Benedict also represented buyers and sellers in public and private mergers and acquisitions.  

Benedict graduated with a BA from Vanderbilt University in 1993 and a JD from Washington & Lee University in 1996, where he served as President of the undergraduate and law student bodies.  Benedict is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Hockaday School, where he serves on the Finance and Administration Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.  Benedict is admitted to practice law in the courts of the State of Texas, the U.S. Northern District of Texas, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court and is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Benedict was a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Hedge Fund Association from 2010 to 2012 and has been an Advisory Board member since 2014 of the Roundtable Forum for alternative investment managers and investors.