Tailwater Capital expands investor relations and communications team with senior hires

Tailwater Capital LLC, a private equity firm that takes a full immersion approach to investing in energy and growth infrastructure solutions, today announced that John Schaufele and Jill McMillan have joined the firm to lead Tailwater’s investor relations and communications functions to expand the Tailwater brand.

“John and Jill are both exceptionally talented leaders, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the Tailwater team as we supercharge our investor relations and strategic communications functions,” said Jason Downie, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tailwater. “As we continue to grow our full immersion platform in an increasingly dynamic energy industry, we are highly focused on ensuring we have an industry-leading team firing on all cylinders to support our investors, portfolio companies and key stakeholders operating across the energy landscape.”

“At Tailwater, our entrepreneurial spirit and track record of partnering with high-quality businesses and management teams operating at each step of the energy transition sets us apart,” said Edward Herring, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tailwater. “John and Jill bring deep experience and strong professional track records within the midstream and energy transition sectors. Their expertise will be invaluable as we continue differentiating ourselves in a competitive landscape and maximizing our long-term impact to the companies with which we partner and the communities in which we operate.”

As Managing Director, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Ms. McMillan will lead Tailwater’s internal and external communications, including public affairs, marketing and media relations, strategic planning as well as brand positioning. She joined Crosstex Energy, EnLink Midstream’s predecessor, in December 2005 and played a key role in the company’s communication strategy, which included leading the rebranding and launch of EnLink Midstream from the merger of Crosstex Energy with Devon Energy’s midstream assets. She also led the company’s investor relations strategy from 2008 to 2016. She has over 20 years of experience as a public relations and investor relations professional and nearly 20 years in the energy industry, having worked with Fortune 500 energy companies in previous positions, including Devon Energy and ExxonMobil. Ms. McMillan currently serves on the boards of Valliance Bank Professional Advisory Board and FP Select and is a founding board member of the Dallas chapter of the Women’s Energy Network.

As Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations and Fundraising, Mr. Schaufele will oversee all investor development, servicing and relationship management activities for the firm. He previously served as Managing Director at Freestone, a portfolio company of Tailwater focused on investing in companies enabling the transition to a lower carbon economy with an emphasis on recycling, environmental services, and disruptive technologies offering an attractive, unsubsidized economic value proposition. Prior to Freestone, Mr. Schaufele spent 15 years originating, executing and monitoring private equity investments, having sat on the boards of 11 platform companies while being involved in transactions representing over $5 billion of invested equity in the energy sector. During this time, he worked extensively with limited partners to raise capital for multiple flagship funds and numerous co-investment vehicles.

Ms. McMillan said, “Tailwater’s full immersion investment approach is a true differentiator in today’s energy landscape, and I am thrilled to join a best-in-class team and leverage my expertise to identify new and exciting opportunities to maximize the firm’s impact, drive solutions-oriented outcomes and support the incredible businesses and management teams we partner with.”

Mr. Schaufele said, “I look forward to supporting and expanding Tailwater’s diverse base of sophisticated institutional investors as the firm continues to grow and play an increasingly important and outsized role investing across the energy value chain and the transition to a low carbon economy.”