Jeffrey Smith is a managing member, CEO and chief investment officer of Starboard Value LP. Prior to founding Starboard in March 2011, Smith was a partner managing director at Ramius LLC, a subsidiary of the Cowen Group Inc., and chief investment officer of the Ramius Value and Opportunity Master Fund Ltd. He was also a member of Cowen's Operating Committee and Cowen's Investment Committee. Before joining Ramius in January 1998, he served as vice president of strategic development and was a board member at the Fresh Juice Co., where he helped orchestrate three acquisitions, quadrupling sales and doubling market value. He later initiated and completed the sale of the company to the Saratoga Beverage Group Inc. Smith began his career in the mergers and acquisitions department at Société Générale. He has served on the boards of more than 10 public companies, across multiple industries. Smith holds a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.