David J. Adelman

David J. Adelman is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Campus Apartments and the co-founder and chair of FS Investments.
Early life and education.
Adelman was born to a Jewish family and is the grandchild of Sam Wasserman, a Holocaust survivor. He was raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Starting at the age of 11, the founder of Campus Apartments, Alan Horwitz served as a mentor to Adelman. At age 13, Adelman invested $2,000 of his Bar Mitzvah money with Horwitz and Campus Apartments. Horwitz invested those $2,000 in off-campus student housing near the University of Pennsylvania. At age 17, Adelman purchased his first solely owned investment property. Adelman attended Ohio State University and graduated with a degree in Political Science in 1994. While in college, Adelman worked in the accounting office and as a leasing agent for Campus Apartments. Adelman was accepted into the Temple University Beasley School of Law, but instead opted to become a Property Manager at Campus Apartments.
Career.
In 1997, at age 25, Adelman was named the CEO of Campus Apartments after Horwitz became Chairman of Campus Apartments. As CEO of Campus Apartments, Adelman created a partnership between Campus Apartments and the University of Pennsylvania where off-campus apartments would be renovated. As a result, living standards improved and crime-rates dropped in University City. Adelman has worked to expand Campus Apartments outside of the realm of student housing at the University of Pennsylvania. Under his watch, Campus Apartments has built an extended-stay hotel and faculty condos on the University of Pennsylvania's campus and has built apartments at Franklin & Marshall College and Emory University. Adelman's guidance has resulted in Campus Apartments acquiring more than $2 billion in assets. In 2009, Adelman was named the MultiFamily Real Estate Executive of the Year.
In 2007, Adelman co-founded FS Investments, a $24 Billion alternative investment firm, with headquarters in Philadelphia.
In 2013, Adelman, with group of Philadelphia-based investors, led a $30 Million investment into private aviation company Wheels Up, founded by serial entrepreneur Kenny Dichter. Adelman serves as the Lead Director. On December 19, 2019, Delta Air Lines announced it took a stake in Wheels Up to become its largest investor and merged it with its Delta Private Jets subsidiary. On January 5, 2021 Wheels Up announced its acquisition of Mountain Aviation, the 10th largest private jet charter operator in the U.S., bringing its total fleet to 350 aircraft.
Adelman is also a Co-Founder of cred.ai, a FinTech company launched in August 2020, that uses AI to establish and improve consumers' credit. Backed by John Legend, Ben Simmons, Tim Armstrong and Michael Rubin, cred.ai has been called the "Tesla of Banking".
In October 2020 Adelman co-led an investment into VIDE Beverages, a ready-to-drink vodka soda brand, with model, actress and entrepreneur Olivia Culpo.
Personal life.
Adelman is an active member of the Jewish community. He is the co-founder of Jewish Federation Real Estate, Co-Chair of Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Chair of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and sits on the board of the USC Shoah Foundation.
Adelman spoke with Eagles wide receiver, DeSean Jackson after Jackson posted an anti-Semitic quote on Instagram that was falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. Jackson agreed to visit the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza with Adelman.
Adelman is married to children's book author and film producer, Hallee Adelman. His wife has been an executive producer on films including The Social Dilemma on Netflix, The Truffle Hunters and US Kids.