Committee

Abbeygale Anderson is the Founder of Cross Impact Capital, an investment firm with the mandate of investing in underserved founders and/or category-redefining businesses that seek to address some of the largest disparities among underserved communities. The fund is focused on tech-enabled solutions within financial services and healthcare.

Previously, Abbey was an Investor at Stone Point Capital, where she focused on investing in businesses within the global financial services industry.

Outside of work Abbey serves as a Board Member for her alma mater, Noble and Greenough School and the Synergist Network, a national organization dedicated to providing women the infrastructure, network, and business acumen critical for long-term success in their investing career. Abbeygale graduated Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in Political Science and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Jarrett is a Principal at Heritage Growth, responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities and working with management teams to implement operational and growth strategies. Previously, Jarrett was employed by Brightstar Capital Partners and Trive Capital, where he was engaged in private equity investments for companies spanning a variety of industries including niche manufacturing, recycled services and building products.

With over 15 years of experience in corporate law and commercial real estate development, Lauren Barnett brings a deeply informed and practical perspective to her role at Hartman Simons. Prior to joining the firm, she served as in-house counsel for a private equity firm, where she advised her team on a wide range of complex real estate investments and development projects, with a particular emphasis on multifamily housing and development in renewable energy.

Her practice focuses on private equity-driven commercial real estate development, private debt and equity placement, corporate governance, business formations and compliance. She counsels developers, investors, and institutional clients through all stages of the deal lifecycle, from structuring and negotiation to execution and ongoing asset management. Clients value Lauren for her pragmatic, solution-oriented approach and her ability to navigate the business and legal complexities of corporate and real estate transactions with clarity and confidence.

CEO Chair at Vistage Worldwide, Inc., which is the world's largest CEO membership organization working with CEO's, Presidents, and Owners. I enjoy working with Business Leaders who are passionately dedicated to growing their business, improving their performance, and enhancing their personal lifestyle.

My background is as a CEO, President, and Board Member at public companies (OTCQB and NYSE) and Executive Director at a Non-Profit organization. Led $140M Business Group in Consumer and Industrial products increasing net profits by $10M through strategic acquisitions, business unit turn-arounds, brand restates, new product roll-outs, manufacturing cost reductions, and establishing a cross-functional Wal-Mart Team to deliver sales and contribution growth. Spearheaded "Green Technology" company taking new product from initial plant trial through corporate approval to successful commercialized sales at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Negotiated strategic alliance with Fortune 500 industry leader for new product launch into the Food & Beverage market. Consolidated operations and sold off non-profitable business for $2.6M. Executive Director at start-up Non-Profit organization that generated college scholarships for financially needy students through the exchange of corporate donations of excess inventory and equipment for college scholarships. 

Christy Brown is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and Georgia Tech alumna, currently serving as CEO of Dr. Noze Best, a pioneering baby tech company known for its innovative medical-forward products like the NozeBot and BreatheEZ Humidifier. Under her leadership, the company has achieved remarkable growth, tripling revenue year-over-year and expanding into major retailers like Walmart and Target.

A multi-time founder and experienced leader, Christy is deeply committed to fostering innovation and supporting emerging startups. She is the Managing Partner for Techstars Emory Startup Catalyst Accelerator, a program run by Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, where she shares her expertise to help founders pivot, scale, and succeed. Christy is also a passionate advocate for women's entrepreneurship, leveraging her experience to mentor and empower future business leaders.

William brings 18 years of commercial, middle market and corporate banking experience to his role, having worked previously for Synovus, Truist and, most recently, Georgia Banking Company. He holds a master’s degree from Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree from University of Georgia. Buchly co-founded an athletic fundraising event, the Trinity Combine, and previously served as chair of the Trinity Community Ministries board. 

Shila Nieves Burney is an investor, operator, and strategist dedicated to driving economic growth by investing in high-potential early-stage companies. As the Founder and Managing Partner of Zane Venture Fund, she supports alpha-generating entrepreneurs leveraging technology to build scalable, revenue-driven businesses, particularly in underfunded markets like the Southeast.

Corey Clemons is a Senior Associate at Georgia Oak, supporting Georgia Oak’s deal, portfolio, and sourcing efforts.

Corey joins Georgia Oak from ServiceMaster, a Roark Capital portfolio company, and TireHub, a JV between Goodyear and Bridgestone. He’s served in a variety of roles including FP&A, corporate strategy and the in-house M&A team. Prior to TireHub, Corey was an Associate with JP Morgan Chase in their multinational corporation and public finance credit team, where he worked on several notable municipal and infrastructure finance deals.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Corey holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Georgia. He grew up around football and played quarterback for an NCAA Division III school. He currently lives in Atlanta with his wife and daughters.

Brock Cline is a Certified Business Performance Advisor, multiple time Pinnacle Summit winner, and early stage investor. Previous experience includes staffing, financial services, and management consulting.

Mr. Dangar is responsible for the origination, underwriting and management of senior debt, mezzanine and equity investments from the Atlanta office. Prior to joining Stonehenge, Mr. Dangar led business development for transaction services for Aprio, LLC, a regional tax and accounting advisory firm focused on growing, middle market companies. Prior to that, Mr. Dangar was the National Deals Sales Leader for PwC, responsible for driving M&A conversations and advice with the firm’s U.S. clients. Prior to that, Mr. Dangar worked for 20 years in the investment banking field, providing buy-side M&A and financing advice to privately-held, growing companies in the US and abroad for Westminster Securities, Wachovia Securities and E&Y. Mr. Dangar earned a BS in Building Construction and a Minor in Economics from The Georgia Institute of Technology and his MBA at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Mr. Dangar was recently named one of Georgia's 500 Most Influential People by Georgia Trend Magazine.

Christopher D. Fagan, CPA, is a Partner at Moore Colson, where he leads the firm’s Transaction Advisory Practice Area. He has more than 20 years of experience advising on private equity platforms and add-on investments and works closely with founder-owned businesses to navigate exits and ownership transitions.

Mr. Falconer is Co-founder and Managing Member of ScanTech Holdings LLC. A 2007 graduate of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), ScanTech is an electron beam and X-ray technology holdings company.

Mr. Falconer is responsible for all corporate operations and has led the company to numerous local and national awards including the Best New Emerging Homeland Technology Company, the Top Ten Most Innovative Technology Company in Georgia, Finalist for Georgia’s International Deal of the Year and Runner-up at the Global Security Challenge.

Mr. Falconer has also played a key role in securing investment capital to fund the successful spin-off of ScanTech’s technology into a homeland security company, ScanTech Identification Beam Systems, LLC (www.scantechibs.com) and a food safety company, Reveam, Inc. (www.reveam.com).

Mr. Falconer still plays an active role in both spin-offs serving as founding President and Chief Executive Officer at ScanTech Identification Beam Systems and Chairman of the Board and a senior technical advisor at Reveam.

Since 2003, Ed has been co-founder and managing partner of SouthPointe Ventures, LLC, an Atlanta-based lower middle market control buy-out fund. SouthPointe focuses on the industrial manufacturing, distribution, and business services sectors, typically in the Southeast and Central U.S.

Prior to SouthPointe, Ed held senior management and operations roles in a family-owned equipment distribution business, and as CFO for the 3rd largest Wendy's franchisee. Ed started his career in leveraged lending at successor banks to Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Ed serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Georgia, on the Investment Committee for Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, as FP&A committee chair for the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and on the Host Committee for the Beloved event. Ed graduated with a B.B.A degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame.

I am the cofounder and CEO of Renewal Logistics, a company that was born to provide customized distribution support to the world's largest retailers. Our first client was a global brand, with a problem that no other vendor in the world could solve, a need to completely decontaminate and repackage a very large purchase order of over 300,000 apparel items to be sold to a big box wholesaler within two weeks. We secured a location, built infrastructure, and scaled processing from 0-27,000 units in 3 days, and completed the project ON TIME (in fact two days early), IN FULL, with 100 % clean lab results, and zero complaints from the wholesaler, known for their stiff chargebacks for compliance errors. Our team’s willingness to go above + beyond, and hone in on the small details, has resulted in our growth into a leading 3PL company for retailers. In addition to projects like this, my team also specializes in Fulfillment, Returns management, Value Added Services, including reticketing and kitting, and packaging for Ecommerce, such as FBA prep.

Ira Genser is a seasoned finance leader known for tackling complex business matters to improve operating performance. with more than 3 decades in leadership across finance functions he is relied upon to analyze business needs and marshall cross functional team resources to deliver results.

Thoba Grenville-Grey serves as a Senior Associate at o15 Capital Partners. He is primarily responsible for origination, deal execution, and portfolio management of private credit & equity investment opportunities. Prior to joining o15, he was an Investor at Ethos Private Equity (JSE: EPE), a generalist private equity firm focused on growth equity transactions and leveraged buyouts across fintech, healthcare, and education. Previously, he held roles at EQT (STO: EQT), Awethu Project Capital, and The Boston Consulting Group. He received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and his BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Levar Haffoney is the Managing Partner of Vedere Capital Group (VCG). VCG invests in business services, healthcare services, and logistics related businesses. He is responsible for strategy, deal sourcing, due diligence, negotiations, deal structuring, and financing.

Mr. Haffoney began his career in financial services. He earned a B.S. in Business, Management, and Economics from the State University of New York and an M.B.A. from the Eastern University College of Business and Leadership.

Shuron Hall brings a wealth of experience spanning more than 20 years in the banking industry. She currently leads a group of commercial bankers specialized in providing exceptional advisory services to our commercial clients. Shuron is driven by helping to advise our clients and serving our communities.

Dale started his business banking career in 2008. He’s grown his portfolio to now serve mid-sized business clients with $20MM and up in annual revenue with sophisticated needs and growth plans in a client-centric organic model. His specialties and network he’s created supports business clients primarily in the Healthcare, Manufacturing, Government Contracting, Emerging Technology and more.

With a passion for helping businesses grow, Dale specializes in providing tailored banking solutions to business owners and professionals. As a Business Banking Relationship Manager at Bank of America, he works closely with clients to streamline financial strategies, optimize cash flow, and support long-term success. His approach is relationship-driven, and he takes the time to understand each client’s unique needs and connects them with the right resources to achieve their goals. Each relationship is specially curated to exceed his clients’ expectations with the support of his business banking team.

Outside of work he enjoys exploring new destinations, discovering great restaurants, and immersing himself in concerts. He believes just like in business, the best experiences come from meaningful connections, listening and a bit of resourcefulness.

Tonya Hicks, an accomplished leader, and trailblazer in construction, energy, and promoting women’s empowerment. As the President and CEO of Power Solutions, Inc., Managing Principal of Women Do Everything, LLC, and Founder/President of she-EV, Inc. Tonya has made significant contributions in several male-dominated industries. With a passion for excellence, Tonya’s journey began as she broke barriers, becoming the first woman to become a Journeyman Inside Wireman Electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 917 and the first Black Woman to become an IBEW Journeyman Electrician in the State of Mississippi.

In 2000, at the age of 28, Tonya founded Power Solutions, Inc., an electrical contracting, and facility maintenance company. Today PSI specializes in renewable energy, electrification, and EV charging solutions. Her visionary leadership has driven the company’s success, expanding its operations internationally, as featured in Forbes Japan in November 2019. Additionally, Tonya’s progress as a tradeswoman and business owner in the construction industry garnered recognition in the New York Times in March 2020. Recognizing the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion, Tonya launched Women Do Everything LLC in 2015. Through this initiative, she has been instrumental in training and supporting women in male-dominated industries, both through employment and entrepreneurship. During the pandemic, Tonya founded sheEV, to provide safer EV charging locations for women, elderly, and disable persons. In 2024, the launch of the she-EV Car Club will be the first of its kind; providing community support, educational resources, and products members can trust.

Dennis founded North River Group around the belief that traditional private equity does not partner well with family owned businesses. He is active in all stages of North River Group’s investments: deal sourcing, due diligence / deal execution, and portfolio company oversight. Dennis particularly enjoys helping management teams with capital allocation, recruiting and business development activities. He is President of the Birmingham Alternative Investment Group (BAIG) and the Southern Capital Forum (SCF) in Atlanta.

He has taught as an adjunct professor for the business schools of The University of Alabama and Samford University. Dennis serves as an advisory board member of a Birmingham based family office holding company.

He received a JD/MBA and a BS in Finance from The University of Alabama. Dennis is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Michael is co-head of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group and its Investment Management Group. He focuses on middle-market corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures. He also serves on the firm's Executive Committee, the governing body of seven partners who oversee firm standing committees, strategic initiatives, and firm operations.

Joseph Hsiao is the President & CEO of H Restaurant Group. Joseph was born and raised in Atlanta, working and managing his parents’ restaurants. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Georgia State University. In 2010, he and his brother, Matthew, founded H Restaurant Group. Joseph has also worked for various companies in retail, sales, customer service, marketing/promotions and hospitality.

Joseph is involved with several non-profit organizations and is an active member of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Norcross. He currently serves on the State Board for the Technical College System of Georgia, is Secretary of the Georgia Restaurant Association, President of the Asian Restaurant Council, Board of Directors for the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, the US Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce – Southeast, OCA Georgia Board of Directors, and Georgia Advocates for Crime Prevention.

Joseph is also a member of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Vicki, have two young children. Joseph enjoys spending time with his family, attending sporting events, concerts and movies.

At Gridiron Capital, Sean focuses on developing new business partnerships, marketing, communicating with business owners, and managing investment sourcing and exit planning. Prior to joining Gridiron Capital, Sean served as vice president at BB&T Capital Markets in Richmond, Virginia. His responsibilities at BB&T included executing mergers and acquisitions advisory for middle-market businesses, as well as establishing and strengthening business development relationships with middle-market investors. Earlier in his career, Sean worked at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank.

Ms. Andrella Kenner is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CI² Aviation Inc., an award-winning Aerospace, Engineering, and Information Technology provider, delivering a full range of aviation, technology, management, and administrative support services to a global audience of public and private agencies. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with multiple offices throughout the U.S., CI² Aviation is the nation’s only minority-owned, woman-owned business engaged in the provisioning of Air Traffic Control Tower services to the Federal Government.

Deirdre is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of leadership in finance and operations. She has led two successful exit events in the consumer space. Most recently, she co-founded OVME, a national med spa brand, and served as President / CFO. OVME, founded in 2018, scaled to 29 locations across 14 states, with $60MM in sales. Deirdre led the company to an exit event to a private equity investor, achieving a 10x return in under 4 years. Prior to OVME, Deirdre served as CFO of Leblon Cachaca, a Brazilian spirits brand. She played an instrumental role in Leblon’s sale to Bacardi. Deirdre began her career in investment banking and private equity.

Deirdre earned her BS in economics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA at Columbia Business School. She currently resides in Atlanta with her husband and their two daughters.

Skilled strategic executive who has demonstrated success in analyzing market trends, identifying new growth opportunities, and developing transitional plans to address key growth opportunities. Adept at developing supply chains and have experience conducting supply chain planning across China, India, and the US, actively contributing to all facets of operational systems encompassing supply forecasting, sales forecasting, product costing, capacity planning, and utilization. 20+ years experience in leading cross-functional teams, streamlining key business workflows, and implementing new systems to support business functions.

Lee is managing director of Smart Business Network LLC, a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Dealmakers Conferences 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. 

Amy is currently Chief Financial Officer for SteelSky Ventures, an emerging venture capital fund investing across women's healthcare. She has extensive experience working with companies from very early-stage to public company with a specific expertise in the middle market.

Before joining SteelSky Ventures, Amy was the CFO for a PE-backed telecom infrastructure company and had her own consulting practice where she provided financial services to boutique investment banking firms, family offices, RIAs and directly to growth-stage companies in conjunction with capital rising activities Amy began her career with J.C. Bradford & Co. (acquired by PaineWebber and now UBS) as a financial analyst. She also had tenures at Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory Services, Interstate/Johnson Lane Corporation (acquired by Wachovia Securities now Wells Fargo Advisors) and Stephens Inc.

Quinn Martin is CEO of Tri Scapes Inc.with direct responsibilities for marketing to new customers and managing the construction division. He has over 25 years in the horticulture industry and managed over $50,000,000.00 in construction and maintenance for Tri Scapes Inc during his tenure.

He believes that his long family heritage of farming along with his father’s hard work ethics molded him for the industry. His first job as a 9 year old was selling watermelons out of a truck on the road side. That later evolved to picking up aluminum cans, selling firewood, baling and selling pine straw then mowing lawns. Both his parents encouraged hard work, low debt, good education and serving others. He thrives to instill these beliefs on others.

Quinn believes that your greatest success begin with overcoming your failures, these experiences mold you for future life challenges.

Trevor is Canadian born and educated at the University of Saskatchewan. Trevor was actively promoted through Sales & Marketing positions at Procter & Gamble and Novartis in the US and Canada. He then rose to CEO positions in both venture capital and private equity funded health care companies.

Trevor currently serves as President and CEO of OMS360, a Private Equity backed Oral Surgeon Support Organization based in Atlanta GA. He is also active as an Operating Partner for Shore Capital Partners and serves as a Board Member or Advisor to a various companies and associations.

Dom Mazzone has experience executing hundreds of mergers, acquisitions and financing transactions domestically and internationally in a variety of industries. They include: retail, technology, distribution, logistics, transportation, manufacturing, building products, building services and packaging. He has worked on transactions of all sizes and totaling more than $20 billion in collective enterprise value. Mr. Mazzone is currently on the Board of Directors of Guardian Fueling Technologies and spent four years on the Board of Advisors for the HoneyBaked Ham Company of Georgia.

Mr. Mazzone founded Mazzone & Associates in 2005. Prior to forming the firm, Mr. Mazzone was the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Oxford Industries, Inc., a producer, marketer and retailer of branded and private label apparel for men, women and children located in Atlanta, Georgia. Oxford’s brands include Tommy Bahama® and Ben Sherman®.

Before joining Oxford in 2004, Mr. Mazzone was the head of mergers and acquisitions in The Home Depot’s legal department. While he was at The Home Depot, it acquired two large Mexican home retail chains, a large distribution and supply company, and various service companies. Prior to joining The Home Depot in 2002, he practiced law at Alston & Bird LLP in its Atlanta office starting in 1997, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities and finance transactions.

Mr. Mazzone received a B.A. from Wabash College as a Presidential Scholar; a M.P.A. from Florida State University; and a J.D. from Emory University with distinction and as a member of the Order of the Coif.

Jennifer Moseley is a corporate and securities partner at Burr & Forman LLP, where she counsels public and private companies on an array of transactional, regulatory, capital raising, financing strategies and corporate governance matters. She enjoys assisting clients in her role as counselor and helping clients navigate the intricacies of securities laws with practical solutions to meet their goals.

Lyle Newkirk is a CFO Partner with SeatonHill Partners in Atlanta. He has over thirty-five years of experience as a chief financial officer and in executive finance roles, with a significant background in technology and SaaS. Lyle has worked with public and private companies based both in the US and internationally, where he developed the strategies to achieve significant and sustainable top line revenue growth.  Lyle has extensive experience in both buy side and sell side M&A, including three exits to Fortune 500 companies. He has served as CFO for both public and private companies and has led one IPO.

Adam Nichols is a Principal at Sovereign’s Capital and is focused on investments in the lower middle market. He is involved in all aspects of portfolio investment activity, with primary responsibilities for investment origination and transaction execution. Adam has over 16 years of experience in corporate finance and investment banking advisory. Before joining Sovereign’s, Adam worked in the investment banking division of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. He was most recently in the Mergers & Acquisitions group where he focused exclusively on advisory, origination, and execution of M&A transactions for Commercial Banking and Private Wealth clients in the Southeast, with a focus on and passion for helping family-owned businesses. Prior to his M&A role, Adam spent several years in the Equity Capital Markets group, originating and executing IPOs, follow-ons, convertibles and private placements for private and public corporate clients.

Lead regional expansion and market development by building high-performing Vistage Chair practices and creating growth flywheels rooted in referrals, events, and strategic relationships.

I partner with Vistage Chairs to build thriving CEO peer advisory groups that empower leaders to reach new levels of growth—personally and professionally. We focus on identifying highly capable executives who are open to fresh perspectives, helping them see the value of stepping out of the day-to-day to work on their business, not just in it.

My work is grounded in synergy, ownership, achievement, and results—and driven by a personal commitment to helping others get on the right path to success.

Will Seippel successfully negotiated over 20 acquisitions and structured complex transactions surpassing $5 billion in capital. A lifelong collector, he created WorthPoint to bring pricing transparency to the $360 billion fine art, antiques, and collectibles market. Today it is the world's largest valuation resource, with 1.3 billion images and 700 million pricing data points of vintage and antique items.

Lisa Senters-McDermott is a private aviation expert, CEO, and founder of Jet Senters Aviation, JSA. With more than 27 years of experience in the aviation industry.

Frequently quoted as one of the leading aviation experts and nationally recognized in the press for her knowledge and expertise, Lisa is considered the go-to resource and trusted advisor to CEOs, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and Fortune 100 companies. Her clients depend on her advice and honesty in deals ranging from buying entire aircraft to structuring complex management contracts to finding charter services when needed.

Lisa has been a keynote speaker for many groups, including a Harvard alumni group, Corporate Jet Investor, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. She most recently appeared at Big Sky Montana TEDx, where she spoke about the Resilience of an Entrepreneur. Lisa is a serial entrepreneur and has done everything from inventing a lipstick device to appearing on TV to selling a sitcom to HBO and many various other Entrepreneurial endeavors.

Lisa is involved in many philanthropic organizations and is a graduate of the Fellows program at Halftime leadership group.

Lisa is a member of the Board of Directors of Warrick Dunn Charities and is a group leader at Buckhead church and is very active with her faith.

Jonathan Sherrill is a seasoned business strategist with over 27 years of experience in the steel building component manufacturing industry. As President of Gulf Coast Supply, he led the company to significant growth and industry recognition. In 2018, he founded Quicken Steel, which he successfully scaled and exited.

Currently, Jonathan offers CEO coaching services and invests in business ventures. As a member of YPO, he is dedicated to helping business owners achieve their goals and prepare for successful exits.

Tom has spent the last 22 years at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch where he considers himself an “Intra-Preneur”. He is the founder of a 9 person boutique within the company called Singh & Associates.

He and his team specialize in pre-exit planning for business owners looking to sell their company in 12-36 months. By using their Proprietary financial Modeling Process, they run various simulations and prescribe strategies to help owners maximize their desired outcome.

He also oversees the Avalon location of Merrill Lynch managing 9 Billion of client assets and has been named the top 13 “Best in State Wealth Advisors” list by Forbes Magazine – 4 years in a row.

Dave Sutton is a globally recognized marketing strategist and investor, with over 30 years of experience transforming businesses through innovative marketing practices. He is the founder of Blue Rhino Capital and TopRight, a transformational marketing consultancy. An accomplished author, Sutton has contributed to significant works in marketing, including “Marketing Interrupted,” “Strategic Analytics,” and “Enterprise Marketing Management: The New Science of Marketing.” His expertise covers a broad spectrum of marketing disciplines, including branding, digital marketing, and leveraging artificial intelligence in marketing. A sought-after speaker, Sutton is known for his insights on marketing ROI, brand strategy, and the impact of technology on marketing. His leadership roles in organizations like YPO and his academic background in computer engineering and marketing enrich his unique perspective on marketing’s role in business growth and innovation.

Tim Templeton has been sourcing deals for Trivest since 2001. Tim’s focus is to talk with founders to determine if their goals and objectives align with Trivest’s unique approach to private equity, which has earned Trivest the distinction as one of only 15 PE firms in the country recognized as a “Top Founder Friendly Investor” by Inc. Magazine every year since the list’s inception in 2019.

Bryant and his team assist clients with complete security programs that include strategy, governance, and operations, focusing on managing risk within Leapfrog’s Ring of Security methodology.

Bryant has more than 25 years of experience leading teams focused on technology, cyber risk management, and physical risk management. He has held responsibilities as an entrepreneur and senior executive in all aspects of risk management, including thought leadership in the area of cybersecurity, award-winning development of security solutions, and management within large global enterprises. He has also held executive leadership positions in multinational consulting firms and been involved in several startups. Recently, he was the Chief Security Officer for CSC’s Financial Services Group and was responsible for securing 143 applications in 52 countries.

Bryant’s leadership positions across the security industry include the Department of Homeland Security Sector Coordinating Council, ISSA, ISACA, and as a board member and vice president of InfraGard National Members Alliance.

He has also has published several books and articles on cybersecurity topics and has received several awards, including the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security Award for Exceptional Contribution in Recognition of Outstanding Support of Tennessee’s Counter Terrorism Program.

Gordon R. Watt is a Managing Director & Co-Founder, Ascent Advisory Partners. Gordon has over 30 years of M&A and investment banking experience. He has both middle-market and Wall Street experience, having advised clients ranging from small, founder-owned businesses to large, publicly traded companies. He was a Managing Director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist) responsible for the execution of both M&A and capital raising transactions. Prior roles included Managing Director in the investment banking group at The Robinson-Humphrey Company (a division of Citigroup). He started his career in the corporate and investment banking group at Chemical Bank (now JPMorgan) in New York City. In 2019, he co-founded Ascent Advisory Partners to provide M&A advisory services to family and founder-owned companies in the lower middle-market.

Nathaniel Wilson was the co-founder of AKA Tree Service which was acquired in 2023 by a private equity firm. Nathaniel is a co-founder and co-owner of Wilson Construction Management, a heavy civil construction company with a primary focus in roadway construction. Wilson Construction Management was founded in 2019.

Rachel Wilson is a strategic venture capital advisor with extensive experience managing $120M in assets under management across multiple funds. With a proven track record spanning the entire investment lifecycle, Rachel excels at fundraising, LP relations, portfolio construction, and performance optimization. As former Managing Partner of The BFM Fund and Principal at Collab Capital, she secured strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including Visa, Microsoft, Nike, and Salesforce Ventures, while achieving 10x returns across portfolio companies.

Rachel specializes in building operational infrastructure that reduces manual processes while enhancing data quality and reporting capabilities. She holds an MS in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a BA in Managerial Economics from Agnes Scott College. Rachel serves on the board of Black Women in Venture Capital and as Committee Chair for Inclusive Capital Counsel at Living Cities.

Connor Winn is a Principal at Sovereign’s Capital, where he leads sourcing, underwriting, and execution of lower middle‑market investments and partners closely with management teams to drive growth. He previously served as CFO at LiveSource, invested at Fulcrum Equity Partners, and advised on M&A at Citizens. Connor was a four‑year Varsity baseball letterman and captain at Georgia Tech and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Jordan.