William Jefferson Black

Executive Director

William is a co-founder of the Institute and serves as Chair of the annual M&A Conference Series.

Earlier he was a member of the leadership team at a fast-growing investment banking and financial advisory firm (where he met Nora Hickey).

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Nora K. Hickey

Managing Director & President

Nora is a co-founder of the Institute and works across the full range of M&A programs and activities.

She brings a unique combination of academic publishing, professional services marketing, and business operations experience to the Institute.

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Elizabeth M. Nassar

Executive Vice President

Elizabeth plays a key role in delivering the Institute's M&A 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 at a large financial services company.

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April Thurmond Dumas

Director of Member Development

April guides corporate M&A teams through membership and program opportunities that strengthen internal capabilities and support improved deal performance. She manages outreach and supports prospective members.

April brings a unique blend of experience in M&A professional development and technology, focusing on building practical, relationship-driven, and results-oriented programs.

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Greg Schlimm

M&A Research Faculty

Greg 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.

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Stephen G. Morrissette

Faculty Director

Professor Morrissette teaches Merger & Acquisition Strategy at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His 30 years of transaction experience includes various Chief Financial Officer roles where he was responsible for M&A and
post-merger integration.

Professor Morrissette has been teaching for the Transaction Advisors Institute since 2015. He was appointed to serve as the Institute's Faculty Director in 2020.

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Alyssa Kelly

Speaking Faculty Chair

Alyssa recruits and coordinates the Institute’s impressive speaking faculty, who share first-hand experiences, best practices, and guidance on delivering high performing transactions.

Before joining the Institute in 2020, she was a Business Development Senior Coordinator at the law firm Latham & Watkins.

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Abby Dolhay

Marketing Specialist

Abby designs and executes an integrated marketing communications program to promote the Institute’s M&A intelligence platform and vibrant knowledge network

Earlier, she worked as a sales enablement assistant at Stats Perform while attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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John Leroux

Executive Vice President

John guides the brand development and marketing programs to promote the Institute’s M&A intelligence platform and vibrant knowledge network.

His 25+ year career entails marketing services for the likes of Fortune 500 brands such as Nike, Western Union, GlaxoSmithKline, and Motorola.

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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.

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Spencer Lyons

M&A Specialist

Spencer supports Member engagement and M&A benchmarking. He also contributes to the Institute’s operational excellence and reporting.

He is a recent graduate of Indiana University Kelley School of Business, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance and International Business.

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