Leadership

President

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Mike Alberts
Principal, Head of Business Development
Cohere Capital

Mike is responsible for managing Cohere’s new investment development and evaluation initiatives for platforms and existing portfolio companies. He joined Cohere at its inception and has well over a decade of experience working with growth stage companies in multiple roles including transaction execution, operations, and business development.  

Prior to joining Cohere, Mike was Vice President of Operations at Shields Health Solutions where he focused on strategic growth, business development, and day-to-day operations serving the company’s health system customers. Prior to Shields, Mike was a Senior Associate at Gauge Capital where he focused on private equity investments in high growth, entrepreneur-owned companies in the healthcare and services sectors. 

Earlier in his career, Mike was an analyst at Houlihan Lokey and BB&T Capital Markets where he advised clients on mergers and acquisitions in the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Markets and Culture (Behavioral Economics) and English from Southern Methodist University.

Vice President

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Kate Soto
Partner
Mirus Capital Advisors

Kate Soto is a Partner with Mirus Capital Advisors and has over a decade of experience in mergers and acquisitions. She has advised dozens of clients on transactions in a variety of industries.  She has closed deals with global companies, middle market and multi-billion dollar private equity firms, family offices, and leading industrial and technology companies.  Her clients have ranged from closely-held and founder-owned businesses to public companies.

Prior to joining Mirus, she was employed by a middle market investment banking and valuation firm where she managed M&A and financing transactions. In addition, Kate has prepared valuation models and reports for clients, including 409(a) option valuations, purchase price allocations, and business enterprise valuations for purposes such as estate planning and litigation.

Kate received a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Management with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Economics. She is a Certified Valuation Analyst and holds Series 7, 24, 63, and 79 certifications from FINRA. Kate serves on the board of directors of the New England chapter of the Alliance of M&A Advisors.
 

Directors

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Katy Booth
Director, Financial Operations
Bridgepoint Consulting

Katy Booth is the Director of Financial Operations and Boston market leader at Bridgepoint Consulting. She joined the firm in 2018 as part of the Systems Integration practice in Austin, TX, where she spent three years leading NetSuite implementations across diverse industries. In 2022, she relocated to Boston to spearhead Bridgepoint’s expansion into the New England market. In this role, Katy partners with C-suite executives to drive strategic finance and accounting initiatives and provide interim leadership support.

Before joining Bridgepoint, Katy spent seven years at EY in McLean, VA. She began her career in assurance services, auditing public and private companies, before moving into the Finance Operations Improvement consulting practice, where she led large-scale strategic initiatives in the Banking & Capital Markets sector.

Katy earned her Master of Accounting from The College of William & Mary and B.S. in Accounting Control Systems from the University of North Texas. She is a former NCAA Division I soccer player competing for the University of Memphis (2005–2007) and the University of North Texas (2007–2009). Katy is a licensed CPA in the state of Virginia.

In her free time, Katy can be found staying active and exploring New England through running, hiking or snowboarding—or balancing it out in the kitchen cooking and sipping wine with her husband and their Bernese puppy.

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Kristen Ferris
Director
Goulston & Storrs

Kristen Ferris is a Director in the Corporate group at Goulston & Storrs and an experienced corporate and M&A lawyer who has led numerous sell-side and buy-side transactions across a wide range of industries. She advises companies, investors, and founders on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, and general corporate matters across the full business lifecycle, from formation and financing to growth and exit.

Kristen also serves as co-chair of the firm’s Strategic Growth Committee, helping lead ongoing efforts to enhance and expand the firm’s corporate practice. Beyond her client work, she is committed to giving back through pro bono service and regularly advises entrepreneurs, small businesses, and not-for-profit organizations on formation, governance, and related corporate matters.

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Paul Koeniger
Managing Director
Bertram Capital 

Paul focuses on Bertram’s sourcing and origination efforts, managing intermediary relationships and direct company outreach. His responsibilities also include assessing new investment opportunities and assisting the sell side selection process. 

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Sandra Mason
Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
Audax Private Equity

Sandra is a Senior Vice President of Capital Markets for Audax Private Equity, based in Boston. Prior to joining Audax in 2017, Sandra was a Vice President at Energy Capital Partners where she focused on providing flexible capital solutions to middle market energy companies. Prior to Energy Capital Partners, Sandra was a Director at Barings. Sandra received a B.B.A from the University of Michigan.

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Kristen R. Miale
Managing Director
Caswell Advisory Group, LLC

Kristen has a diverse background spanning non-profit and for-profit sectors. As managing director of Caswell Advisory Services, she assists business owners by facilitating the process of transitioning their organizations to new ownership. Prior to this role, she served as president of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, where she led the organization through several transformational growth periods. She co-founded its for-profit subsidiary, Harvesting Good, a vegetable processing company whose mission is to strengthen small farms, improve access to local, nutritious food for all, and support ending hunger programs in the northeast. Prior work includes advisor to a family office overseeing micro- and small-cap public and private equity investments and served on the leadership team of a start-up consumer catalogue and e-commerce business.  Kristen is active on several boards including MEMIC, Harvesting Good, FocusMaine, and Habitat for Humanity of York County. 

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Brigid Morrissey, CPA, MBA, MST
Partner
CohnReznick

Brigid Morrissey, CPA, MBA, MST, is a tax partner in CohnReznick’s Financial Sponsors and Financial Services Industry Practice. Based in the Boston office, Brigid works with investment management firms throughout all stages of their lifecycle from formation to wind-down, providing strategic tax planning, compliance, and structuring for both debt and equity strategies. Brigid assists investment firms and their principals in navigating the complexities of carried interest and tax allocations with an understanding of their unique investor needs, as well as addressing multi-state and international tax issues. She is active in CohnReznick’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) niche practice. Brigid’s responsibilities include client and engagement management, along with business development throughout the New England market.

Throughout her career, Brigid has worked with companies across multiple industry segments, including manufacturing and distribution, real estate, retail, international shipping, and technology, many of which are held by private equity and venture capital sponsors. She has provided closely-held corporations, partnerships, and high-net-worth individuals with a wide range of tax-related services, including selection of and changes in accounting methods, tax credit advisory services, cost segregation studies, representation before the IRS and other taxing authorities, and tax advisory services to businesses and their owners for various M&A transactions.

Early in her career, Brigid gained extensive experience within the construction industry at a regional accounting firm, providing services to nationally and regionally recognized general contractors, specialty trade subcontractors, material suppliers, and architect and engineering firms.

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Kyle Murphy
Managing Director
Hilco Global

Kyle Murphy currently serves as a managing director at Hilco Global, a special situations merchant bank headquartered in Chicago. He leads their business development & private equity sponsor coverage efforts for New England.

During Kyle’s 16 + year career in banking, he has served roles at J.P. Morgan’s Middle Market Banking Group and Wells Fargo Capital Finance.  Mr. Murphy began his career at New Stream Capital a multi strategy credit opportunity fund. He has been involved in ACG and attending events around the Northeast for over 14 years. He recently chaired the Deal Hunters committee for ACG Boston. In 2019, he was the recipient of the ACG Emerging Leader Award. Kyle’s also an active member of the Secured Finance Network and Turnaround Management Association.

Kyle graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in economics. He’s a licensed investment banker holding his Series 79 and 63 with Hilco Corporate Finance, LLC member FINRA and SIPC. Additionally, Mr. Murphy is an active committee member of the Cape Cod YMCA. He’s also an avid power boater and saltwater angler.

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Gus Phelps
Private Capital Solutions Director
Polen Capital

Gus is the Private Capital Solutions Director at Polen Capital responsible for originating and managing the firm’s private investments. Prior to joining Polen Capital in 2023, Gus was a Partner at Summit Partners and previously was a founding partner at Seacoast Partners. Gus received his B.A. from Trinity College and M.B.A. from Cornell University.

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Gabrielle Piasio
SVP - Sponsor Banking
Grasshopper Bank

Gabrielle Piasio is an SVP of Sponsor Banking at Grasshopper Bank.  She brings 20 years of Commercial Banking experience to the team and focuses her lending practices on lower middle market sponsor backed transactions (Private Equity, Independent Sponsor and Family Office) ranging from $1-8 million in EBITDA with a strong preference for working with Impact-focused sponsors.  Originally from Florida, Gabrielle has both her Bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Florida State University.  In 2023 she also earned an Executive Certificate in ESG Strategy from Wharton’s Executive Education program. 

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Anabelle Skalleberg
Principal
SagePath Capital

Anabelle Skalleberg is a Principal at SagePath Capital, where she focuses on sourcing, evaluating, and executing control investments in lower-middle-market companies, as well as supporting portfolio management and strategic initiatives across the firm’s holdings. Prior to SagePath Capital, she was a Principal at The Watermill Group. Earlier, she served on the M&A team at Flight Centre Travel Group (ASX: FLT) and, from 2012 to 2018, worked at Pine Street Capital Partners. 

Anabelle serves on the Board of Directors of United South End Settlements, a Boston nonprofit helping families achieve economic mobility. She holds a BA from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra and an MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

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Lynn Sommer
Managing Director
Alvarez & Marsal Valuation Services LLC

With 20 years of experience, Lynn specializes in business valuation and transaction advisory services across a broad range of industries, with significant expertise in life sciences and technology. Based in Boston, Lynn focuses on expanding the firm’s fairness opinion and gift & estate practices in the region, bringing a strategic perspective and technical depth to clients navigating complex financial decisions.

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Louise Wager
SVP, Private Banking
BNY Wealth

Louise Wager is a career commercial lender and private banker with over 30 years experience in developing and managing banking relationships for businesses, private clients, family offices, entrepreneurs, private equity firms, foundations and not-for-profit organizations. Louise has extensively engaged with her clients to achieve profitable and sustainable growth and is actively involved in supporting their liquidity needs, from the sourcing and structuring of complex transactions to the provision of capital to fund ongoing expenses.

Louise is a senior private banker with BNY Wealth based in Boston and joined the firm in 2015. Prior to BNY Louise worked for TD Bank in Boston and in Metro Washington DC as an SVP in commercial lending. Over the course of her career Louise held various positions in banking, including manager of a specialty lending group for United Bank in Virginia and VP of corporate banking for Bank of America in Washington, DC.

Louise has served on not-for-profit, philanthropic and community boards and organizations, both in the Washington DC metro area and in Boston and was recently appointed to the Board of ACG Boston.