Who We Are
The Transaction Advisors Institute is an independent source of information and perspective on M&A best practices
About the Transaction Advisors Institute
Founded in 2013, the Transaction Advisors Institute provides a suite of programs and current information on M&A strategy, deal structuring, and integration best practices.
Our sole aim is to help in-house M&A professionals improve their deal process and performance.
William Jefferson Black
Managing Director & M&A Conference Series Chair
Earlier he was a member of the management team at a fast-growing investment banking and financial advisory firm (where he met Nora Hickey).
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Abby Dolhay
Marketing Specialist
Abby helps promote the Institute’s programs and member benefits.
Earlier, she worked as a sales enablement assistant at Stats Perform while attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Diane Damian
New Member Development
Diane dedicates her time to making meaningful introductions and fostering new relationships with corporate M&A professionals.
Her experience includes serving as Legal Assistant to the Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of a large public company supporting them through multiple complex M&A transactions.
Nora K. Hickey
Managing Director & President
Nora is a co-founder of the Institute and works across the full range of programs and activities.
She brings a unique combination of academic publishing, professional services marketing, and business operations experience to the Institute.
Alyssa Kelly
Speaking Faculty Chair
Alyssa is focused on selecting the speaking faculty for the prestigious M&A Conference Series.
Before joining the Institute she was a Business Development Senior Coordinator at Latham & Watkins.
John Leroux
Executive Vice President
John guides the Institute’s marketing efforts and stuarts the Institute’s role as the global leader for M&A professional development and training.
His 25+ year career entails marketing services for the likes of Fortune 500 brands such as Nike, Western Union, GlaxoSmithKline, and Motorola.
Prof. Stephen G. Morrissette
Faculty Director
Steve is a Visiting Professor of Business Administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he teaches Merger & Acquisition Strategy.
His 30 years of practitioner expertise include various Chief Financial Officer roles where he was responsible for M&A and post-merger integration.
His academic career includes 15 years of full-time teaching on Strategic Planning, M&A, and Capital Planning.
Elizabeth M. Nassar
Executive Vice President
Elizabeth plays a key role in delivering the Institute's programs while providing exceptional and well-aligned support to both new and long-standing Members of the Institute.
She joined the Institute in 2014 after a career in business development and account management.
Greg Schlimm
M&A Research Faculty
Greg Schlimm is a veteran of multiple acquisitions, with significant senior leadership experience on both sides of transactions, in addition to post-close integration and value creation accountabilities.
He completed his doctoral research on how acquirers of technology firms can maximize deal value at Warwick Business School in London. He is also a graduate of the TRIUM Global Executive MBA (an alliance of LSE, HEC Paris, and NYU Stern) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.