Committee

Mike Alam is Chief Strategy Officer of Allied Resources Group, a well-respected parent company to an enterprise of organizations that provide niche services to clients in critical infrastructure. Since 2019, he has been an instrumental part of the company, overseeing mergers & acquisitions, corporate development, and financing activities. Mike also boasts ten years of accumulated experience in leadership roles at Marshall & Illsley (now BMO) and PNC Bank, which has enriched his extensive knowledge of strategic decision-making, team management, and driving successful business growth. This unique culmination of expertise is what plays a crucial role in acquiring new business opportunities, as evidenced by ARG's success in securing two new companies since his tenure began in 2019. Mike is known for his approachable leadership style, fostering an environment where employees feel comfortable and encouraged to share their ideas, promoting effective collaboration within the team.

Kamil Ali-Jackson, Esquire has co-founded several specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies and successfully transitioned those companies through multi-million-dollar acquisitions by global pharmaceutical companies. Kamil’s career spans almost four decades, as a life sciences serial entrepreneur, C-suite leader, and attorney. Kamil currently serves as an independent director for two NASDAQ-listed life sciences companies and a private online luxury retail company. Kamil is also a trustee for her alma mater, Princeton University, and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

David Bovenizer is a co-founder that has built Lionheart Industrial Group into a global diversified group of industrial manufacturing business with three platforms in combustion systems; pneumatic valves; and precision aerospace and defense components. He has completed more than 30 transactions totaling over $2.0 billion in value including leveraged acquisitions, cross-border M&A, public debt offerings, joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures.

As a trusted advisor and growth strategist, Abbey partners with businesses in the middle market space to help them attract and retain top talent, reduce the time they spend on administrative tasks, improve employee engagement, and reduce and gain better control of healthcare benefits all while focusing on their human capital strategy.

Christin Cardone McClave is a distinguished family business strategist, public speaker, and seasoned board member, offering coaching & consultancy services to a diverse range of private and public sector enterprises. Initiating her career in leadership capacities at Johnson & Johnson, she excelled within the pharmaceutical and CPG sectors, with key leadership roles in IT and Marketing. This comprehensive experience facilitated her transition to CARDONE Industries, her family's third-generation business, where she assumed pivotal roles on the board and executive team. During her tenure as COO and Chief People Officer, the company achieved an impressive revenue milestone of $1B. In May 2019, under her strategic guidance and partnership with their non-family executive team & independent board of directors, the firm was successfully sold to one of the largest prominent global private equity firms.

Currently, Mrs. McClave holds a board position at ParagonX Holdings (CAVR) and provides advisory expertise to SOAAK Technologies. Additionally, she lends her professional insights to non-profit boards, notably Global Impact and Capital for Good, and presides as the chairperson for AXIS.org. She and her husband are spouse- preneurs, with various businesses and investments under the umbrella of OrangeStar Ventures.

Ryan is among the most respected leaders in the staffing industry, known for his fierce commitment to providing outstanding customer service and his tenacious pursuit of excellence. His experience includes over twenty years in staffing as well as extensive experience in sales and sales management. Ryan spent seven years working at PDI, the world’s largest contract sales organization supporting the pharmaceutical industry, where he was continuously recognized as a top performer and was promoted several times.

In 2003, Ryan was hired by a major Dallas-based staffing company where he made significant contributions. Within three months, Ryan turned the unprofitable office into one of the most profitable offices in the company. In 2005, Ryan co-founded PeopleShare, a regional staffing firm dedicated to placing candidates in light industrial, administrative and clerical positions. Ryan’s vision was to create a staffing company that provides employees and customers the opportunity to achieve their goals and enhance their overall success. Having the expertise, industry experience, and resources to recruit the best talent for each and every opportunity have been a critical factor in PeopleShare’s success.

Ryan’s determination, drive and talent have propelled PeopleShare into the fastest growing staffing firm in Pennsylvania with 16 locations throughout PA, NJ and DE. Since their first year of eligibility in 2007, PeopleShare has been named “Best Places to Work” by the Philadelphia Business Journal every year and named to the Inc.500/5000 list. In 2015, PeopleShare exceeded $100MM in annual revenue and was acquired by Trivest, a Private Equity firm based in Coral Gables, Florida.

Jason joined Argosy in 2019 as Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Cunningham leads the firm's transaction sourcing and origination activities, bringing more than 18 years of experience as an investment banker and private equity investor focused exclusively on middle market businesses. Throughout his career, Mr. Cunningham has advised middle market clients in across a broad range of industries on public and private company mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, private placements, strategic alternatives, succession planning and capital formation issues.

Thomas Aidan is the founder, CEO, and board member at Ory. His role is to help design and create the product, build an incredible team, provide guidance for go to market, scale the business, and work closely with customers. Thomas Aidan background is in programming, system design, software engineering, product development, product management, and entrepreneurship.

In the past he worked in at numerous companies including BBC, Bertelsmann (CTO), Deutsche Boerse, Deutsche Telekom (CTO), Microsoft, News Corp, SAP, and SAP/Hybris (CTO). In addition he was also a founder of four software companies so far including Component Software Inc. Thomas Aidan's first open source project was the GNU RCS port from Unix to Windows in 1986.

Thomas Aidan is an author or co-author of numerous software and technology books, articles and publications, including “SAP R/3 Business Blueprint: Understanding Enterprise Supply Chain Management” and “SAP R/3 Reporting and eBusiness Intelligence."

A graduated of the Wharton School, Univ. Pennsylvania, and subsequently held teaching and research positions at the Wharton School Analysis Center, the International Science Center Berlin, the Berlin University of the Arts, and the Technical University Berlin.

David co-founded Western Reserve Partners in 2004, which was acquired by Citizens in 2017, and has more than 25 years of experience advising middle market companies in mergers and acquisitions and capital raising across a wide range of industries. Prior to co-founding Western Reserve Partners, he was a Managing Director at KeyBanc Capital Markets and Manager of Consumer Investment Banking at McDonald Investments. David started his career at Ernst & Young, where he provided financial consulting and audit services to middle market companies.

Jim brings over twenty years of financial industry experience to the team. As portfolio manager, Jim oversees the investment strategies and portfolio management for each of our clients. In this role he creates and manages discretionary model portfolios, implements strategies overseen by select third-party managers and customizes investment strategies tailored to each client’s unique circumstances and risk tolerance to help them reach their goals. Jim has a wealth of experience deploying sophisticated strategies to help professionals, business owners and their families with their complex financial needs. Jim is committed to building long-lasting relationships with clients to better understand their needs, help them navigate their financial lives and to serve each as a true fiduciary.

Prior to Hightower, Jim served as First Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch for nearly a decade. He previously worked for several years as an Associate Vice President and Financial Advisor at AG Edwards and Sons, where he began building the team's advisory practice as it exists today. 

Mike Fiebach is a serial entrepreneur who has operated at the nexus of e-commerce, digital marketing, and the entertainment industry for his 20-year career. Mike founded Mainfactor Inc. in 2020, a pioneering, tech-enabled e-commerce-as-a-service company that provides end-to-end direct-to-consumer capabilities for world-renowned artists, entertainers, and brands. Mainfactor is backed by world-leading e-commerce investors including Upper90.

Prior to Mainfactor, Mike founded Fame House, one of the first direct-to-consumer and social media services companies in the music industry with superstar clients including Eminem, Lady Gaga, Pearl Jam, and The Killers. In 2016, Mike led a sale of Fame House into Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company.

Mike attended Temple Law School, and has a B.A. in Music Marketing and Management from San Francisco State University.

Steve practices in the McNees Corporate & Tax Group and is an experienced mergers and acquisitions attorney and trusted legal advisor to businesses and executives throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.

As a leading mergers and acquisitions attorney, Steve has successfully led numerous clients through mergers and acquisitions, sales and other strategic ventures — whether as lead attorney for sellers, buyers and investors or as local counsel for publicly-traded companies acquiring Pennsylvania-based businesses. In the Pennsylvania corporate M&A community, Steve is widely-regarded as a “deal maker” who combines a keen sense of client objectives with an instinct for finding compromise, all with the aim of getting deals done. In fact, in recent years, Steve has twice been named the “M&A Attorney of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America, both in 2020 and 2022.

All of Steve’s extraordinary M&A experience, has enabled him to be a “go-to” founder’s advisor helping founders identify strategic exit options, engage in pre-transaction planning, evaluating investment banking needs and navigating the transaction process to its successful conclusion. To that end, over the last several years, Steve and his team have successfully closed over 100 transactions involving a liquidity event for founders, whether through “all-out” sales or partial sales to private equity firms.

In addition to his M&A practice, Steve often serves as primary outside general counsel to those companies with limited or no in-house legal capabilities. Given his reputation of having a unique combination of legal and business strategy skills, Steve sits on Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards for leading Pennsylvania businesses.

Active in the community, Steve is the immediate past Chair of the Whitaker Center’s Board of Directors and is a founding board member of the Keystone Mergers & Acquisition Council. In addition, since 2014, Steve has been a member of Vistage.

Patty is a Partner at Third Arch Investments, a Philadelphia-based investment firm making long-term investments in high quality small businesses. She has 15 years of investment, advisory, and portfolio oversight experience dedicated to lower middle market businesses across a variety of industries, including the media, consumer products and manufacturing sectors. Prior Third Arch, Patty was a Principal at Versa Capital Management. She began her career as a financial analyst at Rothschild Inc., where she focused on consumer M&A and restructuring.

Ben is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Waldron Private Wealth. He leads the vision, strategy and implementation of the investment department and is deeply involved in all aspects of our goal-based investment management approach. He also oversees the development of customized investment strategies for all Waldron clients, ensuring that allocations are aligned with each client's unique goals. He works directly with clients to seamlessly integrate asset allocations within their overall planning strategy and provide comprehensive wealth advisory services.

Betsy Hamm oversees the overall direction of the organization and leads the development of the company’s long- and short-term goals and strategic initiatives. She is committed to building and protecting the 100+ unit growing franchise brand by generating awareness and driving revenue. In her previous role as chief operating officer, she oversaw operations, marketing and business development.

Betsy joined Duck Donuts with 15 years’ experience as the marketing director for Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, a world-class entertainment and hospitality company that owns and operates many of the sweet attractions, resorts, and entertainment venues across Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Leo Helmers is the co-Founder of Mereo Capital Partners (“Mereo”), a private equity and special situations investment firm focused on the lower middle market. Prior to founding Mereo, Leo served as co-Founder of Susquehanna Private Capital (“SPC”), a private equity fund backed by Susquehanna International Group, and Founder of LMZ Partners, a personal private equity entity focused on lower middle market buyouts. Leo had previously served as Managing Director, Partner and Fund Head at The Carlyle Group (“Carlyle”), where he co-founded Carlyle’s mezzanine investment strategy, raising two funds, Carlyle Mezzanine Partners I, LP, a $436 million partnership in May 2006, and Carlyle Mezzanine Partners II, LP, a $554 million partnership in February 2009.

Leo currently serves on the corporate boards of Swish Dental, LLC, Luna Labs, Inc., Integrated Foot and Ankle Specialists, LLC, and Algus Packaging LLC. He most recently served on the boards of Long Island Veterinary Specialists, Plews Edelmann, Sunrise Transportation and LeverPoint Management, which have been successfully sold or recapitalized.

Leo is currently on the Board of Trustees of Lafayette College, where he serves on the Executive Committee and Investment Committee and chairs the Grounds and Property Committee. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and is currently President Elect of the Board of Directors of ACG Philadelphia. He is also on the Board of Visitors of the Fox School of Business at Temple University.

Mr. Helmers has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University.

Jeff Hornstein has run the Economy League, a 115 year-old think-and-do tank that fosters equitable and inclusive growth in Greater Philadelphia, for the past 5 years. He also serves as president of Northern Liberties Neighbors Assn and serves on the boards of the African American Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy, and the Governmental Research Assn. With degrees from MIT, Penn, and the Univ of Maryland, Jeff spent a decade in the labor movement and wrote a book on the real estate industry.  

Nick is the Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at L2 Capital. Prior to leading these segments, Nick supported all aspects of L2’s investment activities, including sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities, performing due diligence, executing deals, and providing post-investment support for the portfolio companies. Prior to L2, Nick worked on the private equity investment teams at both ABS Capital Partners and Harren Equity Partners.

Peter Jaslow, Practice Co-Leader of the firm's Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency Group, is a corporate and transactional attorney who advises publicly- and privately-held companies in corporate and commercial transactions. In particular, Peter represents companies in public and private offerings and other capital-raising transactions, merger and acquisition transactions, and a variety of commercial technology and financial services transactions. He also counsels clients regarding securities matters, including corporate governance, disclosure, and compliance matters.

Vinod is a highly experienced international management consultant with 15+ years of expertise in technology and consulting across India, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As an active investor since 2013, he founded Konglo Ventures, an angel network with 150+ global investors, successfully syndicating $7mn+ into 20+ startups with 4 successful exits. Vinod holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from NIT Calicut, India, and an MBA from European Business School, Germany. He currently manages Callapina Capital, an early stage VC fund focused on India and the US, and serves as Principal at Amane Advisors, a global water sector strategy and advisory firm. Based in Philadelphia, USA, Vinod frequently travels between Europe, the US, and India.

Slade is Chief Outsiders’ Managing Partner focused exclusively on the Private Equity sector. Based in the Greater NYC area, he works closely with Private Equity Operating Partners and other value creators to quickly identify and engage the Chief Outsiders resources best suited to meet the needs of investors and portfolio company management alike. Slade is actively engaged in the Private Equity community through groups such as ACG and PEI, and has worked with dozens of PE firms and their portfolio companies over the last five years.

Lee is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

Lou oversees commercial banking in NJ and Greater Philadelphia. He graduated from Millersville University, has an MBA from Penn State and graduated from the ABA’s Stonier Banking School. He serves on the Board of The Heritage Conservancy and co-chairs the Finance and Investment Committees. He coaches youth sports teams and lives in Newtown, PA, with his wife and four children.

Paul focuses his practice on business, concentrating in mergers and acquisitions, securities, banking, and corporations. His practice includes complex transactions. Among other recognitions, Paul maintains an "AV" Martindale Hubbell rating, he’s been ranked The Best Lawyers in America®, under the following categories, Banking and Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities and Capital Markets.

Bob is Managing Partner and Founding Partner of Murphy McCormack Capital Advisors, a boutique investment banking and corporate advisory firm in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. McCormack has more than 32 years of financial services experience, and focuses on providing advisory services related to business sales, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business valuations, debt and equity financing, and select turnaround projects. He formed Murphy McCormack Capital Advisors in 2005. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Bancorp, Inc., a $1 billion financial services holding company with bank branches and affiliates located throughout central Pennsylvania.

Brian joined Spring Capital in 2008 after spending nine years as an investment banker for Navigant Capital Advisors and KPMG Corporate Finance. He worked with both public and privately held companies to develop and execute strategies for liquidity and growth. Previously, Brian worked for Public Financial Management, a municipal financial advisory firm, where he focused on project financings, private placements and structured derivative products for large public works projects. Brian began his career as an analyst in the investment banking group at Chase Securities, Inc. in New York.

Brian is a graduate of Haverford College and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Jack McGovern is the Area Managing partner with SeatonHill Partners, LP for the Northeastern U.S. where he is responsible for new business, engagement oversight and Partner management.

Jack is a senior executive with deep experience in multiple industries and including healthcare services and technologies, FinTech, consulting, manufacturing, and technology. Jack has held the roles of CEO and CFO for numerous private and public companies and was a significant contributor to various corporate boards, including the Chairmanship of a public company and multiple audit committees. Earlier in his career, he was a senior member of Merrill Lynch Interfunding, Inc. an investor in middle market leveraged buyouts.

Jack has extensive experience and relationships within the Investment Banking, Private Equity and Banking industries with many successful debt and equity raises. Jack also has an extensive background in mergers and acquisitions including negotiation, closing and post-closing integration. He is known as a big picture strategic thinker adept at leading successful ventures within high growth, fast paced environments.

Jack holds an MBA degree from Columbia University and a BS in accounting from Monmouth University. He is a CPA in the state of New Jersey (inactive).

Jeff is a financial executive with experience in investor relations, working with analysts, creditors and financial institutions, planning and analysis, IPOs, capital allocation, SEC communications and reporting, accounting, acquisitions and turnarounds. He is currently the CFO of TheracosBio. 

Bill joined UBS Private Wealth Management after being a Private Wealth Advisor at Goldman Sachs. Working with UHNW clients across the monetization spectrum from successful start-up founders to public company C-suite executives, Bill has deep experience in unlocking the value of financial assets both before and after a successful monetization event. Providing sophisticated wealth management solutions delivered by a global bank serving individuals, family offices, endowments, and private and public company executives.

Brad Messinger is a founding member of Avonwood Capital Partners, a newly formed healthcare private equity firm managing over $45 million for its first fund. Brad focuses on business growth initiatives and team member development. Brad is a seasoned healthcare professional with a wealth of experience in vertical roll-ups, having successfully led multiple mergers and acquisitions to improve patient outcomes and drive business growth.

Vistage is the world's largest coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize businesses. For more than 60 years, we've been helping CEO's, business owners and key executives solve their greatest challenges. Today, more than 23,000 members in 20 countries rely on Vistage.

Geoff Pope is a Senior Vice President at Aon. He has 10+ years of experience in managing large property and casualty risk, delivering insurance solutions and industry- leading expertise in the healthcare and life science industries, including complex M&A transactions, and intellectual property. Prior to his insurance career, Geoff played 4 seasons in the NFL and has an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Laura Kellers Queen, EdD is 29Bison’s CEO and Co-founder and SolomonEdwards’ Chief People Officer. With over 25 years of leadership experience in human capital and talent management, she is a leading voice in the HR field. Laura has changed the narrative to reflect and quantify the role and impact of the workforce on corporate performance.

A dynamic innovator in his field, Mike Schreiber is the Founder & CEO of Playfly Sports, the fast-growing sports marketing, media and technology agency applying a fan-focused and data-driven approach to the industry. A career-long transformational leader, he has led many transformations in his career, from the industry’s first TV and Film digital distribution deals at NBC Universal, to the founding of hulu.com in 2007.

He also spent a number of years in advertising sales supporting the NBC Sports and Olympics properties in addition to serving as the Chief Content Officer and founding executive of Altice USA managing a division with three TV businesses and over 600 people. During his tenure at Altice USA, it quickly became a Fortune 500 company and the 4th largest cable company in the US with an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017.

Steven provides practical and strategic legal advice to executives and owners of both private and public businesses in connection with a variety of transactional matters. As co-chair of Stradley Ronon’s Closely Held & Family Owned Businesses practice, Steve’s business succession planning engagements encompass corporate, tax, estate planning and family issues, including complex intergenerational shareholder and voting trust agreements and numerous liquidity transactions.

Brian leads Kreischer Miller’s Business Advisory group, which offers an array of services including M&A/transaction advisory, business valuation, transition/exit planning, and ESOP consulting.

Brian is experienced in business valuations, transition planning, due diligence, and merger and acquisition activities. He helps his clients by actively working with them to solve issues, provide recommendations, and offer opportunities for success. Brian’s experience includes working with a variety of privately-held and family-owned businesses such as manufacturers, distributors, professional service companies, and internet-based organizations.

Dr. Melissa Sherman is the driving force behind MOBILion's success. From day one when Dr. Sherman discovered and vetted the technology as a promising commercial opportunity, to becoming CEO and raising $114.5M. Her vision, dedication and drive guided MOBILion to continuously achieve value-creating milestones. Dr, Sherman's leadership is essential to the success of MOBILion because of her unique breadth of skills including business acumen, vision and technology intelligence, combined with a relentless passion for establishing corporate culture and operational excellence.

Joe Shott is a Business leader, Founder & CEO with 25+ years of experience successfully building and leading businesses in multiple industries. Managed teams of 5-150+ with budgets of $1M-$250M.

In his role as an executive coach and Vistage Chair, Joe helps business leaders discover what is possible which then leads to understanding what they are truly capable of achieving.

He facilitates meetings of high-performing CEOs and executives, drawing on his high EQ to get to the heart of the issue and figure out what’s causing the roadblock or limiting progress.

As a Vistage Chair, Pinnacle Business Guide, Predictive Index Certified Partner, Working Genius facilitator and Leadership Development Coach, I work with CEOs, Business Owners and Key Employees committed to personal and business growth. They are committed to learning, growing and sharing their obstacles and opportunities with their fellow peers.

Madhu has 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles across manufacturing, supply chain, sales and product management spanning various industries such as electronics packaging, conductive adhesives, medical devices, LED lighting and Engineered Plastics. She was the youngest Plant Manager appointed at Philips Lighting as well as the first female Plant Manager. She has led and executed various company transformations and acquisitions. Madhu received her degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Chad is a Partner at SeventySix Capital. Chad is responsible for the business operations and oversees the investments, finance, and administration at SeventySix Capital. Chad sits on the boards of the following SeventySix Capital portfolio companies: Fortë, Quintar and Vigtory (acquired by fuboTV).

Prior to joining SeventySix Capital, Chad worked at a start-up company in the sports industry. In addition, Chad started his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, Comcast-Spectacor and the Walt Disney Corporation. Chad earned a Bachelor of Business Degree from James Madison University and a Masters of Science in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg University. He resides in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife and two kids.

Mark Uehling has worked with business owners and their families on the design and implementation of wealth management strategies for over 25 years. Previously he spent 20 years providing information systems solutions to small and midsize businesses. He applies his training and expertise to help business owners make sure their personal financial plans and business opportunities are aligned.

Adam leads business development efforts for all of NewSpring's investment strategies. Before joining NewSpring, Adam was an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse where he assisted on several transactions in the financial services and financial technology sectors.  Adam is highly involved in the private equity and venture community with leadership roles in Mid-Atlantic ACG, PACT, AMAA the New Jersey Entrepreneur Network.

Erica’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, where she represents public and private companies, and private equity firms and their portfolio companies, in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions and in a wide range of industries. She has experience in a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, carve-outs, venture financings, joint ventures and other direct investments.

Pamela is General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Avonwood Capital Partners. She has been practicing corporate law for more than 20 years and was most recently a partner at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC where she concentrated her practice on corporate and securities laws matters, representing clients in the formation of private equity funds, private offerings, mergers and acquisitions (both buy-side and sell-side), private equity transactions and venture capital investments.

Pamela is a native of Baltimore and has practiced law at large law firms in New York City and Boston before moving to Philadelphia. Before law school, Pamela worked as a certified public accountant for Ernst & Young in Baltimore.