Craig Martin serves as chairman, Midwest for Willkie Farr & Gallagher and is a member of the executive committee. A leading national trial lawyer, his clients include major corporations and the nation’s most influential families, and he regularly appears as lead counsel in trials and appeals in state and federal courts as well as in domestic and international arbitrations. Craig also counsels boards and board committees of public and private companies and law firms on a variety of sensitive and complicated matters and conducts board and management-driven investigations involving various subjects domestically and internationally.

Craig is also well-known for his philanthropic, community service, and pro bono contributions. Since 2015, he has served as a board member of the Crown Family Philanthropies. For nearly two decades, he was a board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, including serving as secretary, vice-chairman and chairman from 2011-2014. In 2015, the board established the Craig Martin Award educational scholarship in his honor. In the same year, he and his wife established the Laura & Craig Martin Innovative Academic Programs Endowment Fund for the Latin School of Chicago. Craig also serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago Club, and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Craig holds a BA magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame and a JD from Harvard University.

Andrew Alexander joined Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) in 2016 and currently serves as a managing director of the investment management team. In this capacity, he is responsible for investment due diligence, transaction execution, and portfolio management. Prior to joining LLCP, Andrew was a senior associate with PNC Capital Markets in Philadelphia, where he structured and syndicated leveraged finance transactions.  Andrew received a BSBA in finance and accounting from Villanova University and an MBA with high honors from Chicago Booth.

Michael Glascott joined I Squared Capital in 2024 as a managing director and specializes in asset management, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, business development, funds placement, and capital raising. Prior to joining I Squared Capital, Michael was a managing director at Macquarie Group, within its client solutions division. Michael holds a BA in business economics and organizational behavior and management from Brown University and an MBA from Chicago Booth.

Irina Krasik is a member of Stellex’s investment team. Prior to joining Stellex in 2021, Irina was a principal at Bregal Partners where she led investments in the business services sector. Before Bregal Partners, Irina was a principal at Wicks Capital Partners and prior to that an associate at the Carlyle Group.

Irina is currently a director of the board of Hodess Cleanroom Construction, LFG Data Services, and P3 Services. Irina previously served on the boards of Bendon, Bisnow, My Mochi, Northstar Travel Group, PLH Group, Sontiq, and Syndigo.

Irina graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in finance and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School with high distinction.

Joe Linnen is a partner and co-head of business development and also serves on the executive committee and investment committee at TJC. Joe joined TJC in 1993 and is focused on sourcing, originating, and evaluating transactions. He serves on the board of directors of CFS Brands. Joe is chairman emeritus of the La Lumiere School board of trustees, and he was co-chairman of its courageous vision capital campaign. Joe was a founding director of the Oz Park Baseball Association in Chicago. He holds a BA in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Notre Dame.

Janet Soave Coscino is a deal lawyer experienced in executing a wide variety of transaction strategies.

She brings a commercial approach to navigating the complex issues that her clients—consisting of private equity firms and public and private companies—face when implementing their strategic objectives.

Her practice covers an extensive range of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, as well as a wide array of middle-market transaction strategies, in all cases domestically as well as cross-border.

Janet regularly advises on transactions in the industries of healthcare, life sciences, industrial technology, business services, manufacturing and consumer products.

Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, Janet worked at an international law firm where she focused on M&A, private equity, and general corporate matters for private and public companies of varying sizes—from emerging growth companies to Fortune 100 multi-national corporations.

Janet holds a BA in English language and literature from the University of Michigan and a JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Michael Ember joined McNally Capital in 2017 and is a principal. He focuses on evaluating and executing direct private equity investments and supporting portfolio companies. Michael co-leads the execution of the firm’s National Security investment thesis and leads transactions across other McNally Capital industries of focus.

Michael’s investment, portfolio company responsibilities, and board observer roles include Orbis, FedData, Altamira Technologies, ITS Logistics (exited), and Xcelerate Solutions, where he is a member of the board.

Prior to joining McNally Capital, Michael served as an investment banking analyst at William Blair & Company in Chicago. His experience includes M&A and equity offerings and financings, as well as recapitalizations in the aerospace, industrial, and consumer sectors, working with middle-market and Fortune 500 clients.

Michael received a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA with concentrations in financing, accounting, and entrepreneurship from Chicago Booth.

Stephen Master joined GTCR in 2008 and is currently a managing director at the firm. Prior to joining GTCR, Stephen worked as an analyst in the telecommunications and mergers & acquisitions groups at UBS Investment Bank. He is currently a director of Guideline, Lexipol, and Simpli.fi, and played an instrumental role in GTCR’s investment in Landmark Aviation. Stephen was previously a director of Beeline, Cision, Inteliquent, Protection 1, and Park Place. Stephen holds a BA summa cum laude from Northwestern University in mathematical methods in the social sciences and economics and an MBA with honors from Chicago Booth.

Matt is actively involved with Vistria’s investments in AIS Healthcare, Alacura, Medulla (dba Chiro One), and SCA Pharma. He was also involved with Vistria’s prior investments in St. Croix Hospice and AgapeCare.

Prior to joining Vistria, Matt was at Altaris Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm focused on investments in healthcare. At Altaris he was responsible for evaluating and executing transactions across the healthcare industry. Prior to Altaris, Matt was with Leerink Partners, a healthcare-focused investment bank. Matt began his career with Merrill Lynch in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group where he worked on a variety of M&A transactions and equity and debt financings.

Matt received a BS in business administration from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

J.C. Wetzel is a managing director at Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP) with a sector focus in healthcare, life sciences, and software/technology. He is currently on the board of directors for Absolute Biotech, Benefit Recovery Group, Data Dimensions, and Vector Laboratories, and formerly on the board of directors for Healthcare Linen Services Group and Palisade. Prior to joining TSCP, J.C. was an associate at Wind Point Partners and a financial analyst at Houlihan Lokey. J.C. holds a BA in mathematics, German, and economics from Northwestern University, along with a MBA from Chicago Booth.

Damian Ridealgh’s practice focuses on the representation of private capital clients, including credit funds, private equity funds, and other financial institutions on capital solutions, special situations, and liability management transactions. He also advises private capital clients on complex US and European financings covering acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, REIT and fund financings, and asset-based lending. Prior to joining Freshfields, Damian was a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Damian received a LLM with merit from the University College London, a LPC from College of Law, London, and a LLB with honors from Anglia University.

Jessica Holsey focuses on private equity diverse manager investments and small and
emerging manager investments. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Ms. Holsey was
president and cofounder of Susty Party, a consumer products company where she
oversaw all aspects of the business including managing strategic relationships with
key sales accounts, overseeing operations, new product development and production
forecasting. Ms. Holsey began her career at Credit Suisse as an analyst in Equity
Sales and Trading before later joining the Customized Fund Investment Group as a
private equity analyst focused on fund investments and co-investments. Ms. Holsey
received her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard College.

Shari Young Lewis has more than two decades of experience launching and scaling private market investment programs for institutional investors and families. As a managing director at Cresset Partners, Shari built and led the firm’s inaugural private funds and co-investment program.  Previously, she was a partner for more than 15 years in the private equity practice at Aon Investments, where she built and managed custom investment programs for numerous foundations and pension plans. Previously, Shari had principal investing and investment banking experience. Shari is a founding circle member of Private Equity Women’s Investor Network (PEWIN) and serves on the Midwest steering committee for the Women’s Association of Venture and Equity (WAVE). Shari also serves on the board of directors for the Little Giraffe Foundation. Shari holds a BBA with distinction in finance and marketing from Emory University Goizueta Business School and an MBA in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship from Chicago Booth.

Ryan is a managing director on the Secondary Investment team, responsible for due diligence and execution of secondary investments. 

Prior to joining Hamilton Lane in 2016, Ryan was an associate with CVF Capital, a California-based private equity firm; and with Cambridge Associates, where he evaluated fund investment opportunities out of the firm’s Boston office. Ryan began his career as a financial analyst in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs. 

Ryan graduated summa cum laude with a BS in finance from Brigham Young University and received an MBA with high honors from Chicago Booth.

Matthew Sparacino is the managing director and co-head of US Direct Lending Underwriting at Apollo.  Prior to this role, he was a member of Apollo’s Opportunistic Credit team and was responsible for financial analysis in the healthcare, gaming and power sectors, among others.  Prior to joining the firm, Matthew was managing director at Claren Road Asset Management. Previously, he held positions as director at Collineo Asset Management., vice president at Deutsche Bank Securities, associate at PwC Securities, and analyst at Banc of America Securities.

Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA in finance and a second major in Spanish literature.

Greg Metz is a co-head of McDermott Will & Energy’s Private Equity Practice Group and co-head of the Chicago Office’s Transactions Practice Group.

With a focus on complex business transactions, Greg regularly works with private equity clients on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, debt and equity restructurings, and divestitures. He has structured, negotiated, and closed many transactions within a variety of industries. Greg has represented Gemspring Capital, Sterling Partners, The Sterling Group, and Capitol Meridian Partners.

Greg holds a BA summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis and a JD cum laude from Northwestern University.

Rory is a partner at Shore Capital, a microcap private equity firm focused on partnering with companies that have between $1-10 million of EBITDA. Rory’s responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating and enabling the growth of Shore investments in the business services industry. Prior to re-joining Shore after business school, Rory worked as an associate at Shore for 2 years. His experience included conducting due diligence on new investment opportunities and implementing value creation initiatives within portfolio investments. He worked most closely with Innovia Medical, Great Lakes Dental Partners, and IZI Medical. Prior to Shore, Rory worked at J.P. Morgan in the corporate banking and leveraged finance group. Outside of the office, Rory is actively involved with the Big Shoulders Fund and serves on the junior board of Loyola Academy. Rory received a BA, cum laude, in government and Spanish from Georgetown University and an MBA from Chicago Booth.

Steve Nied is a managing operating partner at Francisco Partners Consulting (FPC). Based in Austin, Texas, he joined FPC in 2012. He previously worked at AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Wolters Kluwer. Steve has a BSE in systems science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a BSEcon in finance from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. In addition, he has an MBA in operations and finance from Chicago Booth.

Konrad Salaber joined Wind Point Partners in 2004. He currently serves on the boards of Warehouse on Wheels, D&H United, Quantix, STG Logistics, and Smart Care. Previously, he served on the boards of Dicom Transportation Group, Nonni’s, Paragon Films, Pestell Nutrition, Rupari Foods, and Valicor Environmental Services.

Prior to Wind Point, he was an analyst in the investment banking division of A.G. Edwards Capital Markets. Konrad holds a BSBA in finance and accounting, a BA in English from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MBA from Chicago Booth, where he was a Canfield Private Equity Fellow.

Sean Turner is a managing director, portfolio operations at GI Partners. Sean currently serves on the boards of Aras, Daxko, Insurity, and Doxim. Prior to joining GI Partners, he was the vice president of strategic programs for Greenway Health, a Vista Equity Partners’ portfolio company. 

Sean received his BS from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, and his MBA from Chicago Booth.

Tim has been involved in private equity for nearly three decades in senior leadership and investment management roles with Allstate Insurance Company, Heller Financial, GE Capital, and Adams Street Partners. Tim began his career with Goldman Sachs in Chicago where he traded over-the-counter (OTC) securities and managed the office’s OTC market expansion efforts.  He went on to manage billions of dollars in private equity related investment programs and to complete hundreds of successful international partnership and direct equity and fixed income investments. He is proud of an extensive global network of general and limited partner relationships he developed throughout his career as a result of his personable interaction style, objectivity and candor, and desire to help others succeed. His vast industry knowledge and experiences transcend finance, investments, law, international business, and complex capital formation structures.

At the age of 54, Tim achieved a life-long goal when he received his PhD in organizational psychology from Northcentral University with a dissertation topic focused on how private companies become entrepreneurially oriented. He has an insatiable appetite for continuously learning as evidenced by, in addition to his psychology doctorate, an undergraduate degree in economics, magna cum laude, from Dominican University; a law degree, summa cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School; and an MBA in economics and international business from Chicago Booth. Tim has been an adjunct professor of undergraduate and graduate courses in finance, economics, and ethics, and is a writer and speaker on finance, leadership development, decision theory, organizational culture, and legal topics.

Tim retired from active private equity investment activities in 2013. He now consults in the areas of leadership development and private equity firm operational and organizational optimization, in addition to managing his family office and philanthropic endeavors.

Prior to Riverspan, John Gilligan was a partner at BDT & Company. BDT & Company is a merchant bank that provides advice and long-term capital through its affiliated funds to help owners of closely held businesses find creative solutions to their most complex issues while providing access to a world-class network of business owners and leaders. BDT & Company’s affiliate, BDT Capital Partners, has deployed $29 billion in capital through its investment funds and co-investments. Before joining BDT & Company, Mr. Gilligan spent 10 years at Golden Gate Capital. At Golden Gate Capital, Mr. Gilligan led the Software vertical from 2008-2010, established the firm training program, and ran recruiting for nine years. Mr. Gilligan began his career at Bain & Company in San Francisco as an associate consultant.

John earned an AB in chemistry and chemical biology summa cum laude from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ravi P. Shah is a partner at McNally Capital, where he focuses on leading the investment team across the national security, aerospace, and industrial technology & automation industries.

Ravi joined McNally Capital in 2016 and coleads the execution of the firm’s investment thesis in national security. He is instrumental in driving investments within that industry, including current portfolio companies Orbis, Xcelerate Solutions, FedData, and Altamira Technologies.

Prior to joining McNally, he was at Flexis Capital, a New York-based private equity firm. Ravi began his career in investment banking at Moelis & Company, where he focused on M&A and restructuring transactions.

Ravi is Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors for Ballet Chicago, a not-for-profit professional-track school of ballet. He is a former competitor and state referee with USA Powerlifting, where he supported the availability of drug-tested powerlifting competitions in the United States. He previously served as an Auxiliary Police Officer with the New York City Police Department, Patrol Borough Manhattan South Command.

He received a BSc in finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.

Chad Strader is a cofounder and managing partner for Red Arts Capital. Before forming Red Arts in 2015, Chad invested in private equity transactions at Woodlawn Partners and held finance and accounting roles at PepsiCo.

Beyond Red Arts, Chad is a term member at the Council of Foreign Relations, and member of the Young Leaders Circle at The Milken Institute and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). He also serves as a board member of Big Shoulders Fund and member of The Chicago Club and The Economic Club of Chicago. Chad received a BBA in Accounting from Georgia Southern University and an MBA from Chicago Booth.

Suzanne Yoon is the founder and managing partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on control investments in lower middle market companies in the manufactured products, business services and consumer industries. She currently serves as chair of the Investment Committee for Kinzie and as board chair of Kinzie’s portfolio companies Colony Display, Chelsea Lighting, GT Golf Holdings and Arctic Industries. In 2017, Suzanne launched Kinzie as part of her long-standing vision to advance the use of technology and innovation to help companies unlock value. Kinzie’s operational focus and advancement of technology leads to improved efficiency and new avenues for growth within Kinzie’s diverse portfolio of companies. In 2020, Kinzie was recognized by the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) as the North American Female Founded Firm of the Year.

Suzanne has over 25 years of experience investing in and advising middle market companies. Before founding Kinzie, she held senior roles at Versa Capital Management, CIT Group and LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO. She also held positions in the Special Assets Group and Restructuring Advisory at LaSalle Bank and Ernst and Young’s Corporate Finance group, respectively.

A recognized leader in both the business and civic spheres, Suzanne has extensive experience serving on private company and civic boards including the National Philanthropic Trust, Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium and the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. Suzanne is on the Steering Committee of the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE) and is active with the Private Equity Women’s Investor Network (PEWIN). She is a member of the Illinois Venture Capital Association and The Chicago Network.

Mergers & Acquisitions named Yoon one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; The Wall Street Journal recognized her as a Top Female Deal Maker Shaping Private Equity’s Present and Future in 2019 and Chicago United named her one of their Business Leaders of Color in 2021. Suzanne earned her BA in Economics from the University of Iowa and is an executive scholar of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Daniel Breslin advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and clients on mergers and acquisitions and other significant corporate transactions, both in the US and cross-border. Transactions include, mergers and acquisitions,SPACs, minority investments, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, and corporate governance. Daniel delivers solution-oriented counsel, combining experience in a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters, he develops business-focused strategies for clients’ most critical transactions. He is also a member of Latham’s Ethics Committee. 

Daniel has received a BS from the University of Wisconsin Madison with recognition on the Dean’s List and Distinctive Scholastic Achievement. He also holds a JD from Columbia Law School, recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and James Kent Scholar.

Anthony Caporrino is a managing director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) in New York. He is the US practice leader for TAG.

With more than 15 years of transaction-related experience, Anthony specializes in coordinating and leading financial accounting due diligence projects for both private equity and strategic buyers. He advises clients on leveraged recapitalizations, purchase accounting and analyzing, and supporting purchase price adjustments. He brings extensive experience in analyzing quality of earnings and analyzing costs in acquisitions of divisions of public companies.

Anthony has performed financial accounting due diligence projects across numerous industries, including environmental, manufacturing, transportation, branded consumer products, technology, aerospace, distribution, insurance brokerage, medical device, and entertainment. He has also led numerous international transactions involving detailed knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards requirements.

Prior to joining A&M, Anthony was a director with the transaction advisory services unit of Duff & Phelps, LLC, where he assisted in significantly expanding the practice. Previously, he was with the transaction advisory services practices of both Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen in New York. He began his career with the commercial products and services division in the audit and business advisory practice of Arthur Andersen.

Anthony earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics from Boston College, Carroll School of Management. He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.

Christen Paras is a partner, transaction team leader, and member of the investment committee at MiddleGround. She is focused on transaction sourcing and execution as well as overall management of the team. Previously, Christen ran MiddleGround’s business development, investor relations, and marketing platforms. Christen joined MiddleGround from CoBe Capital, where she served as the head of global business development. Prior to CoBe Capital, Christen was a managing director at Orion Consultants, where she advised investment banks on managing their top institutional relationships and optimizing market position before, during, and after the Great Recession. Christen received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Barrett Polan joined Hayfin in 2016 and is a managing director in the Healthcare team.

Prior to joining Hayfin, he spent two years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Leveraged Finance team within the Investment Banking Division, focusing on origination, underwriting and execution of leveraged finance transactions.

Barrett graduated from Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia, with a BA in economics and from Touro College of Medicine, New York, with a MS in biomedical sciences.

Marcelo Mourao Silva joined Gryphon in 2021 and is a member of Gryphon’s Industrial Growth Group. He is responsible for originating, executing and managing investments and is currently focused on new investments in Specialty Distribution, Infrastructure & Utility Products, and Transportation & Logistics. Marcelo currently serves on the board of Vessco Water and is actively involved in supporting Gryphon’s investment in Transportation Insight/NTG.

Prior to joining Gryphon, Marcelo was a principal at Apax Partners, where he originated, executed and managed investments in business and industrial services, value-added distribution, route-based logistics and industrial technology. Previously, he was an associate consultant at Advisia OC&C Management Consulting. Marcelo started his career as an Analyst at Ericsson.

Marcelo received a BS in electrical engineering and an MSc in machine learning from UFMG-Brazil. He also holds an MBA from Chicago Booth.