Alyssa Rapp is the Chief Executive Officer Empower Aesthetics, a portfolio company of Shore Capital Partners, a platform for which she has served on the board of directors since inception. Previous to her current role, she served as the:

• Chief Executive Officer and Director of Healthwell Acquisition Corp. I, a $250MM special purpose acquisition corporation that IPO’d on the NASDAQ in August 2021.

• Chief Executive Officer of Surgical Solutions from 2018-2021, a B2B healthcare services business providing non-clinical surgical services to hospitals, owned by Chicago-based private equity firm, Sterling Partners. There, Alyssa led a successful turnaround of the enterprise, driving 21% sales growth with 90% customer retention.

• Independent director of Together Women’s Health, a portfolio company of Shore Capital Partners, since October 2020, and Health Data Movers, a healthcare technology company.

• Founder & CEO of Bottlenotes, Inc., a leading interactive media company.

• Managing Partner of A JR Ventures, a strategic advisory firm for family offices and private equity firms on digital, e-commerce and go to market strategies.

Alyssa served as a lecturer-in-management at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business from 2014-2022 and has served as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago’s Booth Business School since 2019. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and the History of Art from Yale University in 2000 and an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2005. She is the author of Amazon Bestseller, Leadership and Life Hacks: Insights from a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur & Executive (ForbesBooks, October 2019).

Ignacio Mendez is a Tax Principal and heads the Firm’s tax practice. His career of more than 20 years includes middle market-focused CPA firms and the “Big 4.” This unique blend has provided the technical skills and experience to serve many industries, including companies in the technology sector, plus service organizations, retail, manufacturing, real estate, distribution, publishing and financial services. Ignacio has developed a concentration in servicing venture capital and privately held businesses and has experience with the full business cycle from due diligence and start up to exit strategies and mergers. His experience includes mergers and acquisitions, state and local taxation, federal consulting and compliance, financial planning and tax provision reviews.

Jay Leonard is the Managing Director in Bernstein Private Wealth Management’s Chicago office where he oversees Bernstein’s strategy and growth in Chicago and the Midwest markets. As a Senior Principal of the firm & co-leader of the business owner and entrepreneur task force, he also advises clients and their professional advisors regarding asset allocation, investment strategy, tax & estate planning, cash management, business transactions and charitable giving plans. In advising the complex needs of business owners, entrepreneurs and corporate executives, Jay and his team are fully supported by the breadth and expertise of Bernstein’s wealth strategies group and family engagement team.

Prior to joining Bernstein in 2009, Jay was a private wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, advising the firm’s largest private clients. Earlier, he was a strategy consultant with Marsh & McLennan, and before that, a research & trading analyst with the global equity derivatives group at Credit Suisse. Jay earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in finance and economics from Bucknell University, where he also competed as a Division I swimmer.

Jay serves on the board of directors for YPO Chicago-Windy City Chapter and on the membership engagement committee for the Economic Club of Chicago. Additionally, he serves on the board of Entrepreneurial Youth Experience (E.Y.E) at Chicago Hope Academy and is chairman emeritus for the Boy Scouts of America, National Eagle Scout Association (NESA)-Chicago.

He lives in Wilmette, IL, with his wife, Tyra, and their two children. Jay is an avid triathlete, cyclist and loves to surf the oceans whenever offered the opportunity outside of the Midwest. Despite his Chicago ties, Jay can often be found rooting for Philadelphia sprots teams, his hometown.

Kevin Slaughter is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He focuses on representing clients in complex commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, financing agreements, joint ventures, private offerings, supply/service agreements, distribution agreements, development and licensing agreements, and manufacturing agreements. Kevin has particular experience representing Fortune 500 companies in middle market transactions.

Additionally, Kevin is a go-to attorney for clients in the cannabis industry, advising them on a range of issues including license applications, corporate governance and funding. He also assists cannabis clients with organizational structure, real estate matters, branding and licensing agreements and supply agreements.

Clients appreciate Kevin’s practical advice, his effective communication skills, and his knack for problem-solving. Relying on his extensive experience and strong interpersonal skills, Kevin has achieved exceptional results for his clients. Above all, he listens to his clients to understand their needs, goals, and objectives. Kevin earns their trust and confidence by employing an analytical yet pragmatic approach that is centered around accomplishing the business objectives of his clients in a responsive, efficient, and effective manner.

In 2018, Kevin was recognized as a “Notable Minority Lawyer" by Crain's Chicago Business.

Mark has more than 30 years experience starting, buying, building, operating and selling businesses in numerous sectors. His businesses have employed as few as 5 people and as many as 1500. To Pursant, he brings both experiential knowledge as well as an academic background that provides a foundation for the often business-critical strategic initiatives with which clients entrust the firm.

Mark is a Certified M&A Advisor through the AM&AA and a Harvard Business School alumni. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), serving in numerous governance roles including Central US Region Chairman, Chair of the YPO Deal Global Business network and Chapter Chair for the Chicago Windy City and Heartland Chapters.

Mark is an active public speaker, presenting on a variety of M&A and Strategic Transaction related topics. He serves on many private company and charitable boards. When not steering the direction of the firm, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. He is a competitive CrossFit athlete and also enjoys auto racing, mountain climbing and high adrenaline adventures.

Nour Kteily is a Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University, where he co-directs both the Center for Enlightened Disagreement and the Dispute Resolution Research Center. He specializes in negotiation, conflict resolution, and inter-group relations. His research investigates how and why conflict emerges between groups in society, and how to productively resolve it. His work spans conflict between racial and ethnic groups, conflict between political parties and ideological opponents, and international conflicts such as the conflict in the Middle East.

Professor Kteily's research has been published in leading academic journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and been featured in popular press outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Harvard Business Review. In recognition of his research, Kteily has awards including the SAGE Young Scholar Award from the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology and the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from the Association for Psychological Science.

In recognition of his teaching, Kteily was voted as Faculty Member of the Year by the Kellogg Masters in Management Studies graduating classes in two consecutive years. In 2018, Kteily was named as one of the best 40 business school professors under 40 years of age by Poets & Quants.

Richard Weaver is a Senior National Director of Executive Services at the Institute for Business Owners and Corporate Executives. Richard counsels private business owners, public corporate executives and holders of concentrated equity positions. He provides wealth planning solutions that address the complexities of business sales, stock and option compensation, and equity risk management. Previously, he was a senior portfolio manager, responsible for communicating the firm’s capital markets outlook, investment strategy and rationale for current positioning in global equity, fixed income and alternative asset portfolios.

Richard joined Bernstein in January 2004 from Prudential Securities, where he headed the Private Wealth Management effort and managed the firm’s Executive Services and Strategies Group. His extensive career in capital markets includes roles in investment banking, risk arbitrage, equity derivatives and structured products.

Richard earned a BS in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from New York University.

Scott is a Managing Director with Pursant, responsible for guiding business owners through strategic transaction events, including acquisitions and exits/divestitures.

He is a seasoned financial executive and M&A advisor, spending the first decade of his career at Ernst & Young, the second decade working within private equity organizations including American Capital (NASDAQ: ACAS), Sterling Partners and Access Holdings and the last decade with Pursant.

Both prior to and while with Pursant, Scott has built and led teams focusing on; executing strategic transactions, pre-acquisition diligence, performing enterprise/equity valuations, enhancing portfolio company governance, processes, human capital and financial reporting and preparing for financing, liquidity and exit events.

Scott also held Board of Director positions and operating positions as part of executive management teams. In these roles, Scott designed and executed strategic operating and value creation plans, managed all aspects of the financial, accounting, and treasury functions as well as drove all financing and M&A processes.

Scott Robinson is a high-energy, results-oriented talent leader with a reputation for successfully coaching the nation’s leading C-suite executives to peak performance. With 35+ years of experience in the human capital industry and a background in psychology, he is expertly qualified to develop and implement custom programs that drive measurable personal and professional growth. Worldwide, he is one of fewer than 1,000 talent leaders certified as a Registered Corporate Coach™, and believes that the meaningful long-term relationships he establishes with his clients are a direct reflection of the care he puts into each partnership, as well as the positive impact he is able to make on their careers and lives.

In addition to serving as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, he is an active member of several Boards and many business organizations including The Executives’ Club of Chicago (ECC) and the Young President’s Organization (YPO Gold), where he previously served as Chapter Chairman and Chapter Education Chairman.

Steven Weiss is a partner in Levenfeld Pearlstein’s Corporate Group and has spent the duration of his legal career with the firm.

Steven’s practice focuses on representing a wide range of clients – including closely held businesses, sophisticated private investors, family offices, financial sponsors, real estate investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups and emerging companies – in complex business transactions. He also serves as “outside general counsel” for a number of his clients.

Steven has particular experience representing national and regional insurance brokers, including retail, wholesale, and specialty brokers, program administrators, and third-party administrators, in M&A and other strategic transactions.

Because he understands how a single transaction fits into the larger organization, Steven takes a big-picture approach when advising clients on business transactions and he approaches his work with pragmatism and diligence.

Steven has been with Miller Cooper for over 12 years and works directly with clients to facilitate consulting services and compliance. He serves a variety of clients in the technology, professional services, and manufacturing industries in the closely held business market. In servicing his clients, he provides tax structuring consulting as well as federal, state, and local tax compliance. In addition to serving the closely held business market, Steven specializes in mergers and acquisitions and equity-based compensation.

Tom is a senior member of the Executive Education team at the Kellogg School of Management where he designs, delivers, serves as academic director, and teaches in executive education programs for entrepreneurs and senior leaders of well-known, established companies. His areas of expertise include private equity, capital markets, finance, strategic planning, growth strategies, organizational structure, and entrepreneurship.

He is a seasoned business professional with over 30 years of experience providing various capital and advisory services to middle market, lower-middle market and high growth-potential companies, primarily in the manufacturing, distribution, physician practice, and business to business service sectors. Tom founded TMT Capital Partners, LLC, a private investment and advisory firm that works closely with companies and their management teams to achieve profitable business growth.

Prior to founding TMT Capital, he held the position of Principal at Golub Capital, providing senior debt, junior debt, and equity capital to middle market companies. He joined the firm in 2004 to establish and build the firm’s Chicago office, make new investments, and participate in portfolio management. Before Golub Capital, he was a Vice President with Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C., an operationally–oriented, middle market private equity firm focused on making control investments in middle market companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and publishing sectors. Before Pfingsten, he was a Vice President at LaSalle Bank, N.A., providing credit and non–credit financial solutions to middle market manufacturing, distribution and service businesses.

In addition to serving on multiple for-profit and not-for-profit Boards, he is actively engaged with organizations and activities that promote economic development and profitable business growth. He is a past-president and former Executive Committee Member of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG”), and remains involved various leadership roles within the Chapter.