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.

When peer groups thrive, CEOs thrive and the ripple effect impacts teams, companies, and communities. As the South, Gulf Market Leader for Vistage, I’m focused on building a powerful community of CEOs, business owners, and key executives committed to growth.

I work closely with Vistage Chairs (our executive coaches) to launch and grow high-performing groups, connecting with exceptional leaders, hosting executive events, and cultivating partnerships with local influencers. I believe that behind every great leader is a circle of trusted peers and behind every trusted circle is a strong ecosystem. That’s what I help build.

Ashley Austin is a relationship-driven market leader with Vistage, passionate about helping CEOs, business owners, and executive leaders build meaningful connections and stronger peer advisory groups. Known for her consultative, human-centered approach, Ashley brings curiosity, creativity, and care to her work, supporting leaders as they grow, make decisions, and move forward with confidence.

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.

William founded Willistown Capital to pursue partnership opportunities with successful small business owners where additional capital and resources can directly contribute to improvement and growth in the business, while prioritizing company culture. Formed in 2012, Willistown seeks to partner with owners and management teams of businesses with EBITDA between $4-$10MM in a variety of industries.

Previously, William worked at Chevron Corp. in a variety of CFO-track roles, including as Financial Reporting Manager, M&A Associate, Business Development Associate largely in international locations (Canada, Kazakhstan, Venezuela) as well as the U.S. He also worked with Prudential Equity Group in New York City as an Equity Research Analyst covering cable & entertainment companies. William started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia, PA as an Assurance Associate.

Boffa earned his bachelor’s in accounting from Loyola University in Maryland while playing Division I basketball. Boffa also earned his MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Boffa is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Mr. Caravaggio has 40+ years of experience in the oil and gas industry.  He has held Executive and program management positions with Kellogg Brown and Root, Parsons Corp, Jacobs Engineering and Sun Oil in locations in North America, Asia, and the Middle East all related to energy, mining, and power. In these roles, Mr. Caravaggio gained global market knowledge in oil and gas, engineering and construction services, hydrocarbon, environmental, power, water, refining, chemicals, and midstream markets.

Mr. Caravaggio has a comprehensive understanding of market drivers, competitive best practices, and has hands-on international experience in North Americas, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. He has built strong relationships with investors, clients and suppliers, and he has also been an integral player in several high value acquisitions over his career.

Mr. Caravaggio has his BS and MS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Southern California and his MBA from Pepperdine University.

Luke is the Founder and CEO of Good Bull Capital and Diamond Client Group. He is also a founding partner of Diamond Client Consulting. These three companies form a full-service integrated model that caters to the needs of private business owners and high-net-worth families.

For over 15 years, Luke has worked alongside business owners, providing strategic insights on reducing taxes, incentivizing employees, mitigating risk, and preparing for successful exits. Immersed in entrepreneurship from an early age, he understands not just how business owners think, but what it takes for them to thrive. His success in the advisory space led to the formation of Diamond Client Group, LLC in 2016 where he has built a team of advisers with a significant following.

Recognizing a gap in the market, Luke took his practice independent, registering Diamond Client Group as an Investment Advisory firm while launching Good Bull Capital and Diamond Client Consulting in 2021. Good Bull Capital provides private credit and private equity opportunities to accredited investors. Diamond Client Consulting offers world-class operational due diligence, consulting, and accounting services for small to mid-sized enterprises, and Diamond Client Group continues to provide strategic financial planning for business owners and high-net-worth families.

Brad has a diverse work experience spanning several companies and roles. Brad currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at BusPatrol since April 2022. Prior to this, they held the position of Vice President - Finance Operations and Tax at NCR Corporation from August 2021 to April 2022.

Brad also has a long history at Cardtronics, where they held multiple roles including Executive Vice President - Treasurer from May 2018 to August 2021, Chief Accounting Officer from October 2010 to May 2018, and Senior Vice President and Controller from April 2008 to November 2010.

Before joining Cardtronics, Brad worked at Consolidated Graphics as the Vice President and Controller from November 2006 to April 2008 and as the Director of Business Compliance from October 2002 to January 2006.

Allie Danziger has a heartfelt passion for helping ambitious people succeed with over 15 years of experience leading, mentoring and recruiting through two businesses which she has started and successfully exited.

In 2009, Allie started one of Texas' top marketing agencies, Integrate Agency, which she sold in 2018. Under her leadership, Integrate Agency generated over $15MM in revenue, employed over 250 young professionals and helped over 600 clients grow.

In 2020, Allie used her experience in coaching, training and hiring hundreds of employees to found Ampersand, a leading workplace training platform focused on teaching the "unwritten rules of the workplace" and providing the skills and confidence young professionals need to succeed. The company's training platform has lifted up over 10,000 professionals and is working towards eliminating the skills gap from higher education to employment and break systemic barriers in place.

Ampersand was acquired by Ascent Funding in 2023 to scale the company’s mission to support student’s success, and Allie now leads the success program as SVP and GM of AscentUP, living in Houston, TX.

Dr. Dawson holds a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently serves as the CEO of Elementium Materials, an industry leading battery company. Over the course of his career he has served as a Board Director or Advisor on eight boards covering the oil & gas, automotive, finance, and renewable energy industries and founded several companies. As a former Venture Capital Investment Director with Equinor, he brings experience in building & growing energy technology companies. He also formerly worked in technology development industry titans including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Schlumberger.

Karen serves on the Board of Directors for DNOW Inc. (NYSE: DNOW), Centerra Gold (NYSE: CGAU/TSX: CG), and Phoenix Energy Services (TSX: PHX). She is Chair of the Compensation & Human Resources Committee and Chair of the Audit Committee. She also serves on the board of Paragon ISG, a private equity-sponsored company. She is Directorship Certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and NACD Certified in Cybersecurity Oversight.

Christopher brings three decades of commercial banking experience with extensive expertise in delivering strategic financial solutions, driving market expansion, recruiting and developing high-performing teams, and leading new-market growth initiatives. He is a graduate of Marquette University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business degree in Economics.

Hossam is a Managing Director and Technology Partner at SCF, overseeing the firm's venture portfolio. With extensive experience in the energy sector, technology development, and commercialization, he evaluates and executes new investment opportunities. Hossam previously founded O&G Technologies, a Houston-based technology incubator, and held leadership positions at Lime Rock Partners and Tercel Oilfield Products. He brings expertise from a 17-year tenure at Schlumberger.

Erica Engle joined Ara Partners' energy team in March 2026, focusing on investments across power, biofuels, and fuel distribution. She brings over 25 years of experience in power markets, structured deals, trading, and commercial strategy. Previously, she was Chief Commercial Officer at a Brookfield portfolio company and led origination at AES Clean Energy, structuring major deals including Google's 24/7 clean energy agreement. She holds a BSBA from Ohio State's Fisher College of Business.

Diego Fernandez is a Managing Director on our lower middle market investment team. Mr. Fernandez has served as a Managing Director since August 2021 and in various other roles from Senior Analyst to Director since joining Main Street in 2013. Since August 2021, Mr. Fernandez has also served as a Managing Director of MSC Income. Before joining Main Street, Mr. Fernandez worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was involved in the origination, structuring and execution of leveraged loans and high yield bonds for various industries.

Chad Kalland is a growth-focused CEO with a strong track record in M&A, business integration, and private equity transactions. As the former CEO of Vecta Environmental, he led the acquisition and seamless integration of three companies, expanding the firm’s market presence and operational capabilities. Additionally, he successfully negotiated two liquidity events with private equity, navigating the complexities of investor relations, valuation strategies, and deal execution.

Now as CEO of Vac2Go, a leading industrial truck rental company, Chad is leveraging his experience to drive strategic growth, optimize fleet management, and create long-term enterprise value. He is a thought leader in M&A strategy, leadership development, and scaling businesses, frequently sharing insights through speaking engagements, writing, and his LinkedIn newsletter, The Launch Pad.

Chad’s leadership philosophy is rooted in clarity, accountability, and creating the right conditions for teams to thrive—whether that’s in the boardroom, during an acquisition, or in day-to-day operations. When he’s not leading companies or structuring deals, he enjoys mentoring emerging leaders, playing golf, and traveling with his wife and daughter.

Sean Kelly is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Amperon, an AI-powered energy forecasting and data analytics company transforming how market participants forecast, plan, and operate in a rapidly evolving grid environment. Sean has been at the forefront of the energy trading industry, bringing together deep market expertise and entrepreneurial drive to modernize energy forecasting. Before co-founding Amperon in 2018, Sean built his career trading power at Tenaska, Lehman Brothers, EDF, and E.ON. While at EDF, he led the transition of two nuclear plants (Nine Mile and Ginna) into the NYISO market, and later spearheaded the buildout of E.ON’s North American trading desk. Following these roles, he co-founded Bridge Power Consulting, which was acquired by Albireo Energy in 2019. At Amperon, Sean has transformed his market expertise into an AI-powered, data-driven platform that provides the most accurate energy forecasts. Today, Amperon is a trusted partner to power and utility companies, delivering demand, renewable generation, and price forecasts. With cutting-edge predictive analytics, seamless data integrations, and premium customer support, Amperon enables customers to enhance grid reliability and optimize asset performance. Committed to grid modernization, Amperon is the forecasting company of the energy transition.

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. 

At the World Chamber of Commerce Texas, we turn our Texas roots into global reach. Our passion lies in building partnerships that create meaningful impact — advancing sustainable economic growth through innovation, education, and international collaboration. From Texas to the world, we connect diverse industries and cultures to shape a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.

Chris previously was 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.

Houston based business advisor and strategic growth leader with over a decade of experience partnering with private equity firms, investment groups, and middle-market companies across the energy and industrial sectors. As a top performing advisor at Insperity, she works closely with executive teams on human capital strategy, organizational scaling, and operational initiatives that support growth, transactions, and long term value creation. Known for building trusted relationships across the private capital ecosystem, she brings a commercially focused and relationship driven perspective to the dealmaking community.

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.

Dennis Murphree is the Managing Partner of Murphree Venture Partners (venture capital funds); The Southern Funds Group (venture capital and private equity partnerships); and Murphree and Company (commercial real estate development). He got his BA in Economics from Southern Methodist University and his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been an entrepreneur his entire career.

Upon graduation from Wharton, he entered the real estate industry as a commercial broker in May 1971 and started his own firm, The Murphree Company, in December 1972. By 1985, that firm was the 11th largest commercial developer in the U.S. and did $600 million in new construction that year throughout 13 cities. In 1975, Dennis began doing venture capital deals as well, starting with 8 commercial bank start-ups between 1975 and 1980.

He was chairman of the board of three of the banks: The Commonwealth Bank (Houston); Vail National Bank (Colorado); and Avon National Bank (Colorado). In 1982, he did his first high tech start-up, Analytical Engines Inc. By 1986, he had done 23 VC deals including the restaurants Cafe Annie and Cafe Express where he was the largest shareholder. In late 1986, he sold his real estate operations and began VC work full time in January 1987.

Internationally recognized medical imaging innovator and technology leader with more than 25 years of experience developing advanced biomedical imaging systems and translating cutting-edge research into clinically deployable diagnostic platforms.

Widely regarded as a pioneer of biomedical optoacoustic (photoacoustic) imaging, with a career spanning academic research, startup innovation, and industry leadership. Proven track record of defining innovation strategies, building multidisciplinary R&D organizations, and delivering breakthrough imaging technologies with strong clinical and commercial impact. Inventor on 21 international patents, author of 200+ peer-reviewed publications (>15,000 citations; h-index ≈59), and founder of the largest global conference dedicated to optoacoustic imaging.

Extensive experience leading cross-functional teams across engineering, clinical research, and regulatory programs, while establishing strategic partnerships with academic institutions, healthcare systems, and global technology companies.

Frank Parker is Chief Financial Officer at Cart.com, a leading provider of logistics services and software with customers ranging from federal government agencies to Fortune 500 brands and retailers. Since its inception four years ago, Cart.com has grown to over 1,500 employees, 6,000 customers and a $1.2B valuation by bringing digital innovation and agility to the supply chain industry.

Prior to Cart.com, Parker served as Executive Vice President of Finance for Managed Health Care Associates, Inc., CFO of Global Ecommerce for Pitney Bowes and Vice President at J.P. Morgan.

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.

Jeff joined Brass Ring Capital as a Managing Director in 2025. He is a member of the investment committee and spearheads post-closing value creation within the portfolio. In addition, Jeff’s responsibilities include sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, and shared leadership of Brass Ring.

Prior to joining Brass Ring Capital, Jeff co-founded DVG Partners, a lower middle market investment firm where he partnered with Brass Ring on four investments platforms. Jeff also founded and ran Post Cove Partners, a value creation focused consulting firm that worked with management teams and investors in the lower middle market. Prior to starting his entrepreneurial journey, Jeff held roles as the Chief Strategy Officer for Evolution Markets and as an investment professional at both MissionPoint Capital Partners and General Electric. He began his career as an officer in the United States Army.

Jeff graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds both an MBA and Masters of Environmental Management from Yale. Jeff lives in Houston, Texas and is a proud husband and father. He enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, and exploring in the outdoors, particularly with his family.

An experienced executive that believes in inspirational leadership and people-oriented culture to drive significant growth, outstanding customer service and enterprise value creation. He has had success in driving both organic and M&A growth while achieving multiple successful private equity partnerships and liquidity events. Sasnett founded D&H United Fueling Solutions (now known as United Uptime Services), a leader in sales, service, installation and compliance of fueling and EV charging systems. The company has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for 4 straight years and has grown to 1,300+ team members and 35 offices across the country.

Stenning Schueppert is the Managing Partner of Evolution Strategy Partners. With over 25 years of proven experience in getting deals done and growing portfolio companies both organically and through acquisitions. Prior to building Evolution, Stenning spent decades in dealmaking with Altos Partners, CenterGate Capital, Total Safety, Eos Partners, H.I.G. Capital and GTCR Golder Rauner. He began his career in consulting with Bain & Company. Stenning was inducted into the Dealmakers Hall of Fame last year. Stenning earned an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Northwestern. He is a proud Eagle Scout.

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.

Robin is the founder and CEO of infoFluency, a company passionate about data and visual analytics and the apps that bring insights to life. infoFluency specializes in putting data in a useable form for business leaders and decision makers.

Robin is a graduate of Texas A&M University, is married with 3 adult daughters, and enjoys travel.

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.

Champ Warren is Manager of Strategic Growth at TXE Partners. He leads the sourcing and evaluation of new investment opportunities, primarily in the Testing, Inspection, and Calibration sector, and drives change initiatives within portfolio companies. Formerly of EY’s business consulting practice, Champ is passionate about honoring founders’ legacies and sustainably guiding businesses into their next chapter.

CFO operating across public, private, PE backed, and early stage companies, from pre revenue startups to $70M owner operated platforms to $2B publicly traded business units in the Americas, Europe, and Middle East.

I have served as Director of Finance for a $2B business unit at NexTier (NYSE: NEX), where I captured $125M in cost synergies after the Keane and C&J merger, and as Head of Finance at Matica Biotechnology, where I supported capital raise and advanced options valuation.