Committee

Eric Alfuth is Managing Partner of Caymont Ventures, investing in early-stage companies across diverse industries, and President of the Houston Angel Network. His career includes CFO roles in energy, leading a high-yield credit hedge fund, and managing a $4 billion international fund at AIG Investments. He began in equity research at Prudential Securities.

Ross is the Managing General Partner of the Cancer Focus Fund, LP, a venture capital partnership financing Phase I/II oncology clinical trials with MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ochsner Health System New Orleans and the LSU Feist Weiller Cancer Center.  Prior to this, he managed multiple health-care related venture capital funds, including  Louisiana Ventures LP, Themelios Ventures LP and TransBio Ventures LP. He is the co-founder and Executive Chairman for the software and data analytics company Lagniappe Labs, LLC and active in the development of the Prime Unicorn Index, a market-cap weighted index tracking the performance of US-based, venture backed companies. Previously, Ross worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston and specialized in appropriations, risk assessment and regulatory reform.

Ross has been an adviser to or investor in over 20 early-stage privately held companies. He served as an appointed Commissioner of the statewide Louisiana Airport Authority from 2005 to 2008. In 2007, he was named to Governor Jindal’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship transition team. He is a Trustee of Centenary College of Louisiana and a visiting professor for innovation and entrepreneurship at Louisiana Tech University. He currently sits on the Advisory Board of Hope for New York, an umbrella organization of 30 Christian charities associated with Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

He received his law degree from Louisiana State University School of Law, his LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Southern Methodist University.  Ross and his wife Allison proudly reside in Shreveport, LA with their four daughters.

Amanda Cooper Benbow, СВРА, is a visionary strategist with a proven track record of collaborating with premier private equity firms, investment firms, and family offices to orchestrate seamless mergers and acquisitions. With unwavering precision, Amanda delivers bespoke human resource infrastructures that empower organizations to navigate complex transactions with ease. Her mission is to elevate both the firm and its current/future investments by offering comprehensive solutions for procurement, administration, and ensuring absolute compliance across all facets of human resources. Amanda's expertise and commitment to excellence set the gold standard in driving success and sustainable growth in today's dynamic business landscape.

Amanda joined Insperity in fall 2017 as a business performance advisor and has a stellar track record of being an annual top performer, achieving Pinnacle Summit three times and Chairman’s Club twice.

While not at the office, Amanda is mother to two adorable little girls, a wife to an oil & gas entrepreneur and dedicated philanthropist. She enjoys traveling with her family, is an enthusiastic about her board position at Arrow Child & Family Ministries. Amanda always has the best interest of her peers and clients at heart!

Matthew is a Chief Outsiders Partner and CMO based in Houston. He helps new and growing B2B and B2C businesses increase market valuation and grow volume and profits above expectations. Matthew’s international retail and commercial branding strategy and marketing campaigns deliver best-in-class brand strength and recognition. And, his innovative strategic problem solving, customer insight, cross functional execution, and organizational development align to deliver breakthrough performance.

Janet is a Senior Finance executive with over 25 years of experience in the assisting public and privately held companies grow their businesses through mergers and acquisitions.

Mike is the managing partner of Winston’s Houston office, co-chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He focuses his practice on corporate finance and securities law, including securities offerings, public company advisory, special purpose acquisition company offerings, private equity and venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate representation. 

Mike regularly counsels public companies on strategic transactions, capital markets offerings, and general corporate and securities law matters. He represents both issuers and underwriters in U.S. and non-U.S. capital markets transactions, including IPOs and direct listings, and advises on corporate governance and securities market regulation. Mike routinely assists clients from many different industries, including, among others, energy & infrastructure, healthcare & life sciences and technology and new media.

Matt Briggs leads DYOPATH's PE and M&A practice, leveraging 28 years of IT and cybersecurity experience, including 23 years with DYOPATH. Launched in 1996 and based in the Chicago area, DYOPATH is a founder owned and operated industry leader, specializing in IT advisory, outsourcing, and cybersecurity. DYOPATH excels in supporting PE firms with pre-close due diligence and post-close transitions and growth, driving value creation through a broad suite of IT and cybersecurity solutions.

Carrie Colbert is Founding and General Partner of Curate Capital, a venture capitalist firm dedicated to championing women-led businesses by providing not only financial support but also invaluable mentorship and resources. Her journey into the world of venture capitalism was born out of over two decades of experience in the energy industry, ten-plus years as an influencer, plus five-plus years of angel investing.

Throughout Carrie's career, she witnessed the disparities and challenges women face in male-dominated sectors. Fueled by a passion for equality and a desire to make a meaningful change, she decided to channel her expertise and resources into a venture that would empower women entrepreneurs to thrive. At Curate Capital, their mission extends beyond financial returns; it's about creating a more inclusive and equitable business ecosystem where all voices are heard and valued.

Summer Craig is a respected commercial leader and LMM growth expert with a background leading change management and GTM strategies for both Fortune 500 and PE-backed high growth companies.

Her resume includes guiding paid media strategy following global M&As as well as steering strategic growth at HomeAway.com (later VRBO) during the completion of a successful IPO, gaining experience at two major agency holding companies (Omnicom and Publicis), and overseeing marketing and operations at one of the largest privately held distributorships under the Toyota brand.

In 2019, Summer founded Craig Group to lead portfolio companies through pivotal moments of scaled growth with data-driven sales, marketing, and customer success advisory and implementation. Her strategic vision and expertise in marketing, advertising, and behavioral economics shepherd PE-backed companies through cultural shifts and business reorganizations, generating revenue lift and operational improvements.

Summer is a dynamic partner for PE portfolio companies and proudly serves as a board observer or in a board advisory capacity for many Craig Group clients.

Brian is a Co-Founder of Pennington Partners & Co., SaaS Ventures, and PTM Partners. A financial entrepreneur, he is passionate about building and investing in companies and tireless in the pursuit of innovation.

As the co-founder and CEO of Pennington Partners & Co., Brian leads the strategy and vision behind the firm. Founded in 2016, Pennington’s mission is to create the leading entrepreneurial ecosystem for successful entrepreneurs and their families helping them navigate the challenges of complex wealth and maximize their greatest potential.

Brian grew up in an entrepreneurial family where he learned the importance of hard work and giving back to one’s community. He is an active member of the Jewish Federation National Young Leadership Cabinet, the premier leadership development program of The Jewish Federations of North America. He serves on the investment committee for the Bender JCC of Greater Washington and serves as a committee member for the Holocaust Museum Tribute Dinner. Most recently, as a third-generation Holocaust Survivor, Brian launched a podcast series interviewing second-generation Holocaust survivors who share a similar passion for entrepreneurship and Tikkun Olam (improve the world) and have overcome great odds to make the world a better place.

Previously, Brian was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. He earned a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Brian holds Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) certifications. Both certifications are awarded by the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA®) in conjunction with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Booth School of the University of Chicago.

Cleve Glenn brings a holistic business perspective to his corporate and commercial practice, where he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and outside general counsel services, including drafting and negotiating commercial leases, sale-leaseback transactions, master service agreements, supply agreements and financing documents. His corporate clients include middle market energy companies, real estate development companies, private equity portfolio companies, family offices and financial services companies. Cleve also provides mergers and acquisitions and commercial law counsel to a publicly held rail transportation company providing services to the industrial, energy, transportation and construction industries.

Cleve's background as general counsel and CFO of an energy services company allows him to understand every client's business goals and view each transaction within that framework, resulting in creative solutions with impactful results. A Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas, he has been named a Top Lawyer in Corporate Finance Mergers and Acquisitions by Houstonia Magazine and a Most Effective Dealmaker by Texas Lawyer.

Manny González, Board Trustee and former CEO of Ethoscapes, brings over 40 years of service industry experience. As a founder of Ethoscapes, he led the merger of three top Houston landscaping firms—Westco Grounds Maintenance, Champions Hydro-Lawn, and Houston Landscapes Unlimited—into a leading enterprise, guiding its strategic direction and growth.

Jeremy Gottlieb, CFA, CPA, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Veritec AI since January 2024. Prior to this, Jeremy co-founded ComboCurve and held various roles within the company from January 2018. Jeremy also worked at Deep Gulf Energy as the Director of Corporate Finance & Planning from May 2011 to January 2018.

Jeremy started his career as a Research Associate at Ivory Capital and later worked in Transaction Advisory Services at Ernst & Young.

Jeremy holds a BBA and MPA in Accounting and Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.

Patrick Hayes is one of the Co-Managing Shareholders for Andrews Myers. His practice focuses on commercial real estate and assisting clients in acquiring, disposing, capitalizing and forming companies. Patrick’s real estate practice covers all aspects of commercial real estate, including acquisition, development, capitalizing, financing, leasing and disposition of all product types of commercial real estate. His corporate/commercial practice centers on the formation and restructuring of commercial entities, including corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies, as well as the acquisition, capitalization, financing and disposition of business enterprises, the preparation of various contracts and agreements, and the representation of clients in their ongoing business activities.

Chuck Hendee is an executive coach and Vistage Chair providing individual coaching and peer group facilitation to help leaders grow confidence to grow more successful business and live better lives. Specific to M&A, Chuck assists business leaders in preparing their business for highest valuation.

Janice Jucker, co-owns Three Brothers Bakery with her husband, Bobby. They like to say they are “memory makers who happen to be bakers®” for 75 years with four locations in Houston and known for award-winning pecan pie and even gingerbread men. She sits on the boards of Houston Restaurant Association, Texas NFIB and Goldman Sachs 10000 Small Businesses Voices as National Vice Chair. She is an expert in small business disaster recovery and speaks often on this topic.

As the CEO of Cemvita, he leads a team of scientists and engineers that are creating radical solutions to reduce the carbon and environmental footprint of industries such as energy, chemicals, and mining.

Fueled by curiosity and optimism, Moji's mission is to create the natural resource industry of the future. His vision is to help create a future where waste products and ready-to-retire infrastructure can be re-imagined as the foundational drivers of economic growth and energy independence.

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. 

Gamper Ventures President and Born Global Community Director and Vice Chair.  GV invest in, build and operate unique properties.  With BG  I am  an active mentor for entrepreneurs and often early-stage ventures.

Mitra Miller is an early-stage venture investor, advisor, and board member. As the managing partner of Mill River Capital, she uses her 20+ years of strategic and operational experience to mentor hundreds of founders and investors on business planning, due diligence, commercialization, finance, and team development. A leader in the Texas innovation ecosystem, she advises public, private, and non-profit organizations on capital formation and advancing innovation. She serves as the VP & President-Elect of the Houston Angel Network; a board member for the Center for Houston’s Future; and as the founder and chair of Eagle Investors, an innovative non-profit that introduces students from Title I high schools to the startup community.

Sean Muller, CPA, has almost 30 years of experience providing tax and consulting services for publicly traded corporations and private entities. As the firm’s Specialty Tax Services Leader, Sean is responsible for the overall growth, service quality and infrastructure for the firm’s specialty tax practices, including state and local tax, international tax, credits and incentives, and transaction tax. With experience serving a variety of industries including energy, real estate, private equity, engineering services, industrial services and distributers, Sean brings diverse and expansive knowledge to his clients.

Sean is an active local member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountantsand Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He earned both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin.

Michael Nolan is the Development Director – Private Equity and Quality of Sales at Sales Xceleration. He is responsible for building relationships with private equity sponsors and helping their portfolio companies grow their topline performance to build value creation and accelerate performance. Michael and his team leverage a collective of 110 sales leaders with portfolio company experience to help their companies grow 32% in year 1, resulting in $1.7B in revenue growth. Their focus is to drive significant growth through strategy formulation, process development, and effective execution in pre-acquisition due diligence, value acceleration during the hold period, and value maximization to support successful exits.

T. M. “Roe” Patterson is a 30-year Energy Industry veteran. He has worked in, owned and operated multiple businesses in both the public and private energy sector. Currently, he owns and invests in multiple businesses inside and outside of the energy space, playing varying roles in each venture’s governance including CEO, Chairman of the Board, Board Member and Board Adviser. He is also currently raising capital for his first private equity fund, Marauder Capital.

Owais Qureshi is the Founder and Principal of Visual Cue, a brand consulting firm serving Founder-led and Portfolio Companies in the lower middle market. He and his team help clients commercialize their brand to support greenfield expansions, acquisitions, and reduce concentration risks—while measuring impact on EBITDA and Total Enterprise Value.

Lenny Saizan is co-founder and Managing Director of Urban Capital Network (UCN), an investment firm focused on democratizing premium investment opportunities for a broader pool of investors. Lenny also owns and operates Murphy Business Sales – Southwest Houston, where he helps business owners exit plan, maximize value, and sell their businesses. Lenny also works with buyers interested in business acquisition or franchising.

Prior to launching UCN and his Business Brokerage, Lenny worked 10 years in Oil and Gas, leading teams in Financial and Operational Controls, and Audit. Lenny started his career as an Electrical Engineer, specializing in automation, controls, and systems integration.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from L.S.U. and his MBA from Tulane University.

Experienced executive that believes in inspirational leadership and people culture to drive significant growth, outstanding customer service and enterprise value creation. Founder and Co-Chairman of D&H United Fueling Solutions, a leader in sales, service, installation and compliance of fueling and EV charging systems. The company is a 3-time Inc. 5000 company and has grown to 1400+ team members and 36 offices across the country.

Jeffery Sheldon is CEO, GP & Managing Director of the CitareTx venture capital funds and its management company, and CEO of three CitareTx portfolio companies: EMIT Corporation, Houston Medical Robotics, Inc. and Coagulex, Inc. He also serves on several other venture capital fund boards and founded numerous start-up companies, including IDev Technologies, Inc. sold to Abbott for $310 Million.

Robin Stanaland, Vistage Chair, CEO Coach, and Business Intermediary leads nine groups and coached 140+ members since 2006, earning every top Vistage honor. For 25 years, she has run RMS and company, selling businesses from $1 million to $1 billion, with a focus on businesses sub $30 million. Robin is a proven dealmaker, entrepreneur, and trusted advisor to business the business owners she works with.

Matt Taylor is a shareholder in the Assurance Services Group in the Houston office and co-leader of the Capital Markets Industry for the Central Region. He is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the global arena, providing audit and accounting advisory services to public and private multinational companies in a variety of sectors.

Prior to moving to Houston in 2018, he spent two years working in Penang, Malaysia, and Singapore. While in Asia, Matt led audit engagement teams for multinational companies with manufacturing facilities and shared service centers in Malaysia. He was also the regional coordinating partner for services to clients throughout Asia. His client portfolio included companies in the manufacturing, renewable energy, and technology industries. 

Matt’s international experience also includes two years in Rotterdam and The Hague, the Netherlands, working on audits of multinational companies reporting under U.S. GAAP, IFRS, and Dutch GAAP. He also worked in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he helped prepare combined financial statements for a group of more than 100 entities. Domestically, Matt spent six years in Austin and Dallas, serving public and private clients in the manufacturing, life sciences, and technology industries.

He frequently interacts with technical specialists, risk management, and the audit quality team. Matt approaches all that he does with a passion to serve others and create positive change, including organizational initiatives in diversity and inclusion, campus recruiting, and sustainability. 

Mark Thimmig is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Eco Power Crypto, LLC, a Houston-based company at the forefront of integrating traditional energy assets with off-grid Bitcoin mining and modular data center operations. Under his leadership, Eco Power Crypto is transforming stranded natural gas into scalable, sustainable digital infrastructure across Ohio and Pennsylvania.

A visionary executive with over 40 years of experience, Mark has held senior roles in Fortune 100/ 500 companies, founded multiple companies, and served in a key leadership position at AutoNation, supporting over 400 M&A transactions for over $13 billion, helping the company grow from 250 million to $20 billion in the first three years.

Rob oversees THF’s Life Science funding efforts across North America. He is active in the growing Gulf Coast Life Science eco-system and former Chair, Life Science at the Houston Angel Network. He regularly judges business competitions and has been a guest speaker at various colleges and universities, including the University of Houston, Rice University, Tulane University, Ursinus College, and the University of St Thomas.

Rob has been a guest speaker at past RESI conferences (CA), Johnson and Johnson’s JLabs, the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, Founder’s Institute and MedCity Invest conferences. He is also an entrepreneur, founder and owner of Yardley Group, LLC, an active chemical development and export business serving metallic ore mining in the South American Andes.

Rob serves on the Board of Directors of Adient Medical, Inc, and as a Board Observer with Materna Medical (CA) and previously Quad technologies (MA). Rob holds a chemistry degree from Ursinus College (PA) and an MBA from Tulane University (LA).

A native Houstonian and lifelong entrepreneur, Champ has always had a passion for small business. After earning degrees in Operations and Business Management from Georgetown University, he built his business acumen consulting for EY and Q5 Partners, where he specialized in mitigating enterprise-level risk, implementing operational best practices, and positioning clients for sustainable success. Initially working with TXE in a consulting capacity, Champ led efforts to reorient business strategy and optimize operations for one of the firm’s portfolio companies. Now, as Manager of Strategic Growth, he continues to drive performance and scalability for portfolio companies while also identifying and pursuing acquisition targets for the firm.

Bret West recently joined PNC Business Credit in 2021 as a senior vice president and business development officer serving the Texas, Louisiana and Southwest markets. He is based in Houston, Texas.

Previously, Bret had an extensive career in commercial/corporate banking as the Head of Energy Services Group at Wells Fargo Bank. Bret developed the strategies that helped to propel bank’s success and leadership position over the past 20+ years in the areas of loan syndication, capital markets, treasury management and corporate services.

Bret began his career with Barnett Banks in Tampa where he received his formal credit training before becoming a Business Banker, Credit Officer and then Middle Market lending.

Bret received his B.A. in Finance from the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He is active with his church and the community and has served on corporate boards of National Association of Oceans Industries (“NOIA”) and Literacy Now, a Houston non-profit focused on literacy intervention.

Luke Westerman is a former Wall Street investment banker and venture capitalist with 20+ years experience investing in and advising dynamic entrepreneurs.

He is currently active in several companies and projects in Houston and also serves as a Director at Westerman Capital, a family office.

He and his partner Ale reside primarily in Houston along with their 15 year old hurricane rescue dog, Franky. They are passionate about the arts and are devoted animal welfare advocates.

Dr. Sunny Zhang is an award-winning educator, entrepreneur, and investor. She is the founder of TrueLeap Inc., an education technology provider improving global access to quality digital education. A tenured professor at the University of St. Thomas, Dr. Zhang has been teaching in business schools for 20 years. She co-founded Born Global Ventures (startup studio) and Born Global Community (501c3) supporting global startups and diverse entrepreneurs.