Jan 2026 Raleigh Durham | C-Suite Outlook Panel

Mike Rowe has over 30 years of financial leadership and experience primarily with mid-size to large companies in construction, industrial, business services, manufacturing and consumer products. He has worked as CFO for several portfolio companies owned by Private Equity firms which lead to a successful exiting transaction in each case. Mike also has years of experience in M&A, operations, ERP and system implementations, financing, budgeting / financial and cost modeling (published an article in IMA’s Strategic Finance magazine on Activity Based Costing), finance / accounting controls, procedures and reporting as well as valuations.

A native of North Carolina, Mr. Rowe attended North Carolina State University, where he earned Bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also attended Appalachian State University attending part time working two years on his Master’s degree in accounting. He is also a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Management Accountants, He served on AICPA’s Business Environment & Concepts (BEC) subcommittee (AICPA Examination Committee) from 2004-2006. He served on the Journal of Cost Management editorial board from 2004-2020.

Deana is an experienced corporate transactional attorney who centers her practice on mergers, acquisitions and debt and equity financing deals. She routinely serves as lead counsel to sellers and buyers in connection with the sale of operating companies to or on behalf of strategic purchasers, private equity investors and management/owner teams.

She also assists businesses with corporate governance structuring, development initiatives and expansion opportunities.

For a number of closely held companies in North Carolina and beyond, Deana serves as outside general counsel. In that role, she is a trusted adviser for the business, guiding owners, management and board members on legal, transactional and governance issues to meet the needs of the enterprise. She is well versed in helping businesses and business owners navigate the wide range of matters where legal and operational considerations intersect, including board alignment, employee incentives, debt and equity transactions and business succession.