Jeffrey Stewart is the Founder and President of Walnut Hill Advisors. For more than 30 years, he has worked at the intersection of business, politics, media, and civic engagement, advising CEOs, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders.
Jeff began his career in law and politics, serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and as Finance Director for Congressman Chuck Schumer’s historic first U.S. Senate campaign. He entered the travel and tourism industry in 1999 when he joined Loews Hotels & Co., where he served on the Executive Leadership Team and Senior Brand Strategy Committee and held senior roles including Chief of Staff to Chairman & CEO Jonathan Tisch, Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, and Director of Development. He also served as an officer of the Travel Business Roundtable and helped establish its successor organization, the U.S. Travel Association.
Jeff also has led a range of media and publishing projects. He was executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Beyond the Boardroom, which aired on CNBC, Bloomberg Television and Plum TV. He produced the award-winning documentaries Love Etc. and New York Says Thank You, and managed the development and launch of three national best-selling books: The Power of We: Succeeding Through Partnerships, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience, and Citizen You: Doing Your Part to Change the World.
Civically, Jeff has been deeply engaged in New York City. After September 11, 2001, he served as Staff Director of New York Rising, a special task force established to help support the city’s economic recovery through tourism. At the request of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he served on the Board of Directors of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and as Executive Director of the New York City 2004 Democratic National Convention Host Committee. He also helped lead the successful bid to bring Super Bowl XLVIII to the New York metropolitan area and served on the Board of Trustees of the 2014 NY/NY Super Bowl Host Company.
Jeff is currently Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, his alma mater. He also serves on the Board of Directors of NYC Tourism + Conventions, the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), and on the Board of Advisors of the NYU Tisch Center of Hospitality.