ACG Tampa Bay's Emerging Professionals Women in Private Equity Panel

Diana Hayes is a Shareholder of the firm and is the co-leader of the Business Transactions Practice Group. Diana's practice focuses on corporate and business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and sale transactions, capital raising transactions, asset-based lending transactions, intellectual property and technology agreements, trademark and copyright protection, commercial contracts, and other general business legal matters. Diana’s clients include private equity and venture capital investors, entrepreneurs and business owners, startups and local and regional businesses.

As a Vice President of HealthEdge, Jessica is responsible for the various aspects of deal origination, transaction execution, portfolio management, and investor relations.

Prior to joining the firm, Jessica served as a consultant for a Connecticut-based private equity firm, executing an industry roll-up strategy for a portfolio company in the medical stop loss insurance space. In that role, she was responsible for deal origination, financial and operational due diligence, strategic planning and business integration. She has also held positions with Deloitte and Raymond James.

Jessica is a Certified Public Accountant, and graduated with honors from the University of Miami, where she earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science in Taxation.

As a volunteer for Angels Against Abuse, Jessica advocates on behalf of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Aside from community involvement, she is active in her church, and enjoys traveling and spending time with family.

Gretchen Perkins is a Partner at Avance Investment Management, LLC, and is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities both for the firm and for portfolio companies. Ms. Perkins brings over 20 years of sourcing and business development experience, having created and implemented successful business development organizations and programs at her two prior firms: Huron Capital and Long Point Capital, in addition to many prior years in a variety of financial services and consulting roles.

She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Gretchen has been an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth for over twenty years, having held multiple board and leadership positions in the ACG at the chapter and national levels. Gretchen will Chair the ACG Intergrowth national conference in 2022. Ms. Perkins is also involved in multiple non-profit endeavors, including the following organizations: Endeavor Detroit, Detroit Police Athletic League, United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan, and 100 Businesses Who Care. Ms. Perkins resides in Florida and has two grown children.

Jami Gold joined LCG Advisors in January of 2018 as a Director within LCG’s Investment Banking Group.  She has nearly 20 years of corporate advisory experience working with middle-market businesses across multiple sectors.  Her primary role is to cultivate relationships with founder & family-owned companies and to facilitate the successful completion of Mergers & Acquisitions transactions, capital raising, and other corporate finance transactions across all industries

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Gold spent four years with an M&A-focused boutique investment banking firm, previously held positions with accounting firms Grant Thornton and Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, and started her career at The General Electric Company.

Jami Gold has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Economics from Emporia State University in Kansas.  She is a board member of Gracepoint, a board member of GEMS, a steering committee member of the University of Tampa Board of Fellows, a member of the University of Tampa’s Financial Advisors Committee, a founding and board member of the Tampa Chapter of the AM&AA, a member of ACG throughout the state of Florida, and has worked with the American Cancer Society for over a decade.