Chetan Bagga

CEO
Archetype Solutions Group

David Bovenizer

CEO
Lionheart Industrial Group LLC

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.

Kimberly Burkert

President & CEO
Bala

David Chick

Market Executive
Bank of America

I currently serve as Market Executive for Bank of America’s Business Banking division, leading a team of nine Relationship Managers across the Philadelphia–Delaware market. Our team supports privately held businesses with annual revenues ranging from $1 million to $50 million, delivering strategic financial solutions and deep partner engagement across all lines of business.

Since joining Bank of America in 2015 as a Senior Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, I’ve focused on helping lower middle market clients grow through tailored credit, deposit, and advisory services. I was promoted to Market Executive in 2024, where I now lead efforts to drive consistent client contact, market coverage, and team development.

Lisa Clifford

Managing Director, Business & Transaction Advisory
Callan Family Office

Lisa Clifford co-leads Callan Family Office’s Business and Transaction Advisory Practice, advising founders as they prepare for business transitions. As part of an independent multi-family office, she provides strategic guidance on transaction structuring, tax optimization, wealth transfer, and charitable planning to help maximize after-tax value and build enduring legacies across generations.

Dominic Coppolella

Philadelphia Tax Market Leader
BDO

As the Tax Market Leader of the firm’s Philadelphia practice, Dominic oversees client development and go-to-market strategies throughout Philadelphia, aligning with the firm’s strategic business objectives. With over 18 years of experience, Dominic advises clients and colleagues on tax matters related to complex business transactions, mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures and growing businesses.

Dominic’s background includes working with pass-through clients, both S Corporations & Partnerships, with multi-state and foreign operations. His pass-through technical experience includes creating and maintaining Section 704(b) and tax capital accounts, Section 752 liability allocations, Section 704(c) allocations, targeted allocations, basis adjustments resulting from transfers, and redemptions of partnership interests, shareholder basis tracking and choice of entity analysis. As a result of tax reform, Dominic was a member of the BDO Team assembled to be a local and regional technical resource for Section 199A.

Dominic has significant experience serving clients in a variety of industries. He has extensive knowledge in pass-through taxation providing tax planning, consulting, and preparation services to private equity funds; private equity backed portfolio companies; closely held businesses; real estate entities, real estate management and development companies; and real estate funds. He also advises clients regarding individual taxation issues.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants

EDUCATION
M.S., Taxation, Villanova University
B.S., Accounting, Gwynedd-Mercy University

Jason Cunningham

Vice President, Business Development
Argosy Private Equity

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.

Denise L. Devine

Co-Founder and CFO
RTM Vital Signs, LLC

Michael Dolan

Director of Private Equity & Venture Capital
Consero Global

Michael Dolan is Director of Private Equity & Venture Capital at Consero Global, where he partners with leading institutional investors and their portfolio companies to drive strategic finance transformation. With executive roles at SPS by Bain, GlobalData, and IBISWorld, he brings a track record of accelerating growth and forging impactful partnerships across many sectors. Michael is committed to building community and fostering meaningful business collaboration.

Deborah Fell

Managing Partner
Chief Outsiders

Deborah Fell is Managing Partner at Chief Outsiders leading a team of fractional Chief Marketing and Chief Sales Officers driving value creation by accelerating sales, identifying new market opportunities, increasing marketing & sales alignment, and improving effectiveness and efficiencies for mid-market companies. During Deborah’s corporate career, she was SVP, Global Marketing for Marriott International & Division Manager AT&T.

Patty Graver

Partner
Third Arch Investments

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.

Chester Hall

Managing Director
Atairos

Chester Hall is a Managing Director at Atairos. Chester joined Atairos in 2016 and works across all major investment functions, including origination, transaction execution and partner company engagement. Prior to Atairos, Chester worked at M/C Partners, where he managed growth equity investments across the communications, media and technology services industries. Before M/C, Chester worked in the Corporate Advisory group at Greenhill & Co. and as a long-only fund research analyst at Global Thematic Partners and Deutsche Bank.

Chester is a member of the Board of Directors of Antares Auto-Tune and V Sports and a Trustee of the Agnes Irwin School. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors of Learfield and Spectra. He received his Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University.

James Hipolit

Partner
Troutman Pepper Locke

James Hipolit advises both buyers and sellers on strategic transactions, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. He takes a leading role in counseling buyers, sellers, and company owners in M&A transactions across a broad range of industries, including technology, manufacturing, food and beverage, health sciences, health care IT, financial services, insurance, home services, transportation, and construction. His clients also rely on him for advice and counsel related to corporate governance, structuring, and corporate finance matters.

David Horowitz

Partner
Everberg Capital

David Horowitz joined Everberg Capital in 2020 as a Partner and Member of the Investment Committee. Everberg provides flexible debt and non-control equity solutions to the middle market. Previously, he was a Managing Director in Macquarie Principal Finance, and a Vice President in Goldman Sachs' Special Situations Group. He graduated from the Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College.

Ryan Hurst

Partner
RKL LLP

Nicole Ilicic

Associate
MissionOG

Nicole is responsible for tracking fund and portfolio company performance, assisting with investment due diligence, and sourcing new potential investments.

Nicole performs detailed due diligence on potential investment opportunities, including financial modeling, valuation analysis, return analysis, and risk assessment. She also manages the firm’s weekly investment review process through collaboration with portfolio companies and partners to deliver critical financial analysis.

Prior to MissionOG, Nicole was an investment banking associate with Delancey Street Partners, where she ran analyses and created marketing materials for middle market sell-side M&A transactions within business services and technology sectors.

Nicole graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance from Drexel University.

Matt Kilkenny

Business Development Associate
Graham Partners

At Graham, Matt sources and evaluates new investment opportunities.

Prior to Graham Partners, Matt spent three years at Axial, where he most recently directed buy-side business development initiatives.

Matt earned his B.S. in Informatics from Indiana University Bloomington and his M.S. in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Lee M. Koury

Managing Partner
Smart Business Network Inc.

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. 

Elizabeth Lange

Partner
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Lizzie Lange is a partner in the Corporate & Securities Practice Group at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Experienced in complex transactions, Lizzie works with public and private companies, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies and other clients in a variety of industries and focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, corporate restructurings, private securities offerings, divestitures and general corporate matters. Lizzie also leads the firm’s full-service ESG practice and regularly advises clients on ESG, B Corp and social impact matters.

Natasha Strother Lassiter

Chief Strategy Officer
Strother Enterprises Inc.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Natasha is at the forefront of establishing strategic partnerships and driving company growth. With more than 20 years of experience, Natasha oversees the company’s overall strategy, administration, community relations, future development, budget planning, and operations. Natasha provides executive leadership to uniquely position Strother Enterprises for long-term expansion to advance the company’s mission of delivering food service solutions to clients anywhere.

Natasha is a graduate of Lafayette College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and a graduate of Fox School of Business at Temple University with a Master’s in Finance.

John Lee

Senior Managing Director
Griffin Financial Group

Lou Lombardo

EVP, Director of Middle Market Banking
Fulton Bank

David Luk

EVP - Strategic Finance
Freedom Mortgage

At Freedom, I help oversee and manage all financial aspects related to investments, fundraising, and strategic planning. This includes the evaluation of potential investments and acquisitions, management of existing investments, capital raising and investment risk management.

Paul Mattaini

Partner
Barley Snyder LLP

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.

Connor McMahan

Managing Partner
Virent Capital

Connor McMahan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Virent Capital, where he leads the firm’s investment strategy, organizational development, and all aspects of firm operations. He is responsible for overseeing the full investment lifecycle, including thematic research, sourcing, negotiating and leading transactions, and driving portfolio value creation.

Connor founded Virent Capital with a clear vision: to build a next-generation private equity firm designed specifically for founder-led services and consumer businesses in the lower middle market. Under his leadership, the firm integrates a deeply thematic, research-driven investment model with Virent Drive—a proprietary, technology-enabled operating platform.

Greg Melara

Managing Director, MLWM Market Executive
Merrill

Greg Melara is a Managing Director, MLWM Market Executive responsible for the Philadelphia Market, which includes Philadelphia, Media, Jenkintown, Wayne, Exton, Blue Bell, and Bala Cynwyd.

Greg began his career in the Financial Services Industry in 1989 with Prudential-Bache Securities in Syracuse, New York as a Financial Advisor.

In 1997 Greg joined Merrill Lynch as a Sales Manager in the Philadelphia Main Line Complex. From 1997-2006, Greg worked as the Regional Sales Manager for the Mid Atlantic Division and was the Associate Director of the Garden City Complex from January 2007 until April of 2008. He was the Market Executive for the Delaware-South Jersey Market, overseeing the Mount Laurel, Egg Harbor, Vineland, Wilmington, Dover, and Rehoboth Beach offices from 2008 until June of 2019. Prior to his current role, he was the Market Executive for the Suburban Philadelphia Market, which includes Wayne, Exton, Blue Bell, West Conshohocken, and Bala Cynwyd.

In 2019 Greg was the recipient of The Global Diversity and Inclusion Manager Award.

Carol Lee Mitchell

Managing Director - Business Banking
Bank of America/Merrilll

Tom Mullin

Managing Director
Lafayette Square

Tom Mullin is a Managing Director at Lafayette Square responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities and due diligence. Prior to Lafayette, Tom was a Director on the Origination team at Brightwood Capital Advisors. Formerly, Tom spent thirty-five years in the financial services industry, holding senior positions at PNC Financial Services Group and TD Private Client Group.

Michael Nolan

Development Director
Sales Xceleration

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.

Deborah O'Brien

Market Executive
Bank of America

Marcia Zaruba-O’Connor

President & CEO
The O'Connor Group

Marcia Zaruba O’Connor, CEO and Founder of The O’Connor Group, leads this premier HR and talent acquisition firm, serving small and mid-sized companies in Professional Services, Life Sciences, IT, and Manufacturing.

Since 2007, her nationwide network has grown to over 65 professionals. In 2023, the firm was recognized with prestigious awards like Inc. 5000, Philadelphia Titan 100, and Soaring 76. Certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise, O’Connor also serves on Widener University boards and the M&T Bank Advisory Board.

She founded ShadowHer, a nonprofit empowering female entrepreneurs, and is a Hall of Fame Titan 100 recipient.

Steven A. Scolari

Partner
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young

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 Sharkey

Director - Transaction Advisory Services
Kreischer Miller

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.

Chad Stender

Managing Partner
SeventySix Capital

Chad Stender is a Managing Partner at SeventySix Capital. Chad is known as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, tireless networker and prioritizes giving back.

SeventySix Capital was founded in 1999 and invests in startup sports technology companies. SeventySix Capital was an early investor in Whistle Sports, a global sports media company (acquired by Eleven Sports), Philadelphia-based Nerd Street, a community of competitive and recreational video gamers that produce a series of esports tournaments, leagues, and casual gaming events, and VSiN (acquired by DraftKings), the first media network dedicated to delivering the news, data and expert analysis of the rapidly growing sports betting industry, co-founded by acclaimed sportscaster Brent Musburger.

Chad is a Board Member at FORTË, KYX World, NFTPro, Quintar and a Board Observer to collectID and Nerd Street. Additionally, Chad was the Board Member for Vigtory, a next-generation sports book that was acquired by fuboTV.

In addition, Chad is a Co-Founder of SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory and he played an integral role in solidifying SeventySix Capital’s partnership with Rubicon Talent, a leading sports marketing agency.

Prior to SeventySix Capital, Chad worked in the sports and entertainment industry for the Walt Disney Corporation, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers and Comcast Spectacor.

Chad has been involved in non-profits and served on the boards of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Challah for Hunger and Tribe 12.

Chad was awarded the 2018 Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and the 2018 Southern New Jersey Business People’s 40 Under 40.

Chad received his Bachelors in Business Administration from James Madison University and his Masters of Science in Sport Management from from East Stroudsburg University and studied abroad at the University of London.

Michael Swoyer

Partner
Blank Rome

Michael Swoyer concentrates his practice on general corporate and business matters. He has represented clients in connection with a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions.

As a Delaware State-barred attorney, Michael also regularly advises clients on issues related to the governance of Delaware corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships. 

Prior to joining Blank Rome, Michael was an associate with a Delaware corporate transactional law firm. He also served as law clerk to former Justice Henry duPont Ridgely and Justice James T. Vaughn, Jr. of the Delaware Supreme Court. 

Michael has also published several articles on various issues regarding corporate and alternative entity law. 

Adam VeVerka

Managing Director
NewSpring Capital

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.

Timothy Welles

Managing Partner
Pine Street Capital Partners

A founder of Pine Street in 2004, Tim is involved with all activities at the firm, including deal sourcing, deal structuring, portfolio management, fundraising and administration. Tim currently serves as a board member on Pine Street portfolio companies Express Medical Transporters, Filterworks USA, NPL HomeCare, and DeIorio Foods, and is a board observer on Pine Street portfolio company Alexis Russell.  He is also active as a board member of several other for profit and not for profit entities. Tim's career has included a variety of roles, including as Chief Operating Officer and board member of Colonial Data Technologies, a $75 million revenue publicly traded provider of telecommunications equipment; Chief Financial Officer of First Albany Companies Inc., a $300 million publicly traded investment banking and brokerage firm; and more than 12 years as a senior investment banker providing advice and capital raising services to small and middle market companies in various industries. Tim began his career as a corporate and securities attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York City. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and Albany Law School.

Dr. Dan Young

Entrepreneur
Kairos Class / Ready Speaker One

Dr. Dan Young, PhD, MBA Entrepreneur | Speaker | Educator | Wealth Architect

Dr. Dan Young is a nationally recognized entrepreneur, educator, and speaker who specializes in translating complex strategies into practical, high-impact tools for leadership, networking, and wealth creation. With a PhD in Social and Behavioral Marketing and an MBA in Finance and Marketing, Dr. Young fuses academic depth with entrepreneurial insight.