ACG M&A East 2026

Author of “The Board Game—How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors”

Cheryl Vijjeswarapu has been working in the private equity space since 2008 as a consultant, investor, and now a technology advisor to the industry at NetSuite. She helped to launch NetSuite's Private Equity Practice in 2014 and currently leads the East Coast division. NetSuite Private Equity partners with sponsors to help advise on technology value creation as they take on carve-outs, add-on acquisitions, and other growth-oriented activities at their portfolio companies.

Hani has 20+ years of operational improvement, corporate advisory and merger and acquisition experience and has assisted both corporate and private equity clients throughout the deal and non-deal cycle. Hani supports and leads supply chain related pre-acquisition due diligence, post-acquisition or pre-exit value creation and transformation to ongoing performance improvement initiatives. Hani is aligned to Supply Chain Vertical solution area, addressing clients needs across all major supply chain processes including: end-to-end supply chain strategy and transformation, strategic sourcing / procurement execution, integrated demand and supply planning,, manufacturing and logistics (distribution and transportation). Hani has extensive industry experience in technology, media & entertainment, telecom, consumer products, retail / franchise operations, manufacturing and distribution industries.

As president at Arch Channel Retail, John Beering is responsible for all sales and operations of nation’s second largest retail provider of wheelchair accessible vans and SUVs – serving the disabled community with wheelchair accessible minivans, full-size vans with lifts and commercial fleet vehicles. Thousands of individuals and business clients are impacted by the products and services provided. Arch currently operates an expanding footprint of 49 locations across 4 brands and 15 states. Beering brings more than 28 years of experience and expertise in leading, growing, and improving business operations across a wide variety of businesses and industries globally. Beering has served as chief operating officer for Trojan Battery LLC, senior vice president and general manager of commercial powertrain with Eaton Corp. He also has served in multiple sales and marketing positions at Eaton, Pratt & Whitney, and in engineering and product management roles with Carrier Corp. Beering currently serves in a variety of non-profit board roles Board Member, Purdue University Industrial Engineering Advisory Council Board Member, For the Children | Royal Family Kids Vice President & Board Member, Purdue Acacia Building Association Emeritus Board Member, Acacia Fraternity Foundation Member, VISTAGE, Worldwide Business Advisory and Peer Executive Coaching Network Member, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Beering earned a Master of Science degree in management, from the Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He currently resides in Chesterfield, MO with his wife of 28 years, Heather. Together they have two children, Andrew (21) in his fourth year in engineering at Purdue University, and Catherine (17), a senior in high school.

Sasha Bernier is a Senior Vice-President and Investment Committee member of Cheltenham Investments, a single family office focused on investing in both debt and equity primarily in real estate opportunities and lower middle market companies. Mr. Bernier formerly served as a Vice President of Revere Capital, a real estate debt fund with the responsibility for underwriting and structuring new investment opportunities in the real estate debt space. Sasha Bernier has also worked at investment funds GSC Group, a credit focused hedge fund, and Barrington Capital, a debt and equity event driven hedge fund. Mr. Bernier graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BS in Business Administration and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Elizabeth is Head of Entrepreneur & Family Office (“EFO”) Partnerships for RedBird. In this role, she works with families and business founders to create bespoke relationships across transaction sourcing, company building and co-investments. Prior to joining RedBird in 2019, Elizabeth was a senior member of the investment team and helped oversee external relationships for DNS Capital, a prominent Midwest family office. As part of her responsibilities, she served as a board member or observer in six portfolio companies across the fintech, consumer retail, specialty ingredients and hospitality sectors. Prior to joining DNS Capital, Elizabeth was an Associate in Goldman Sachs’ investment management division in Chicago, with previous experience advising on M&A and private equity transactions for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Beijing. Elizabeth received her M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.A. from McGill University with Great Distinction. Elizabeth resides in Chicago with her daughter, where she is a member of the Midwest Steering Committee for the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE); PEWIN; and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Clint Bucholz has led GLE Precision, a cutting-edge precision machining company, for 11 years. He has 28 years of manufacturing experience, ranging from assembly and distribution to high precision manufacturing for industries such as medical, automotive, aerospace, and semiconductor. In July 2015, Clint led GLE Precision through the ownership transition from Bosch to a private investor group, led by Colfax Creek Capital. Since 2015, Clint has increased the capabilities and industry end-markets for GLE Precision. This includes investing and developing leading technology to reduce costs and to expand its machining capabilities. Also, he has developed a proactive sales and marketing function to diversify the customer base with new fiber optic, aerospace/defense, and medical device customers. Clint worked at SPX Corporation early in his career, starting with high volume machining and assembly operations supporting tools and diagnostic manufacturing for the automotive industry. Later, he moved into distribution at SPX and led the business in developing distribution structures and techniques for its North American operations while facilitating supply chain, logistics, and continuous improvement activities throughout North America and Asia.

Jim Caruso is CFO of Simplura Health Group, a private equity-backed provider of home care, responsible for financial reporting, tax, treasury, risk management, information technology, lender and investor relations, and day-to-day financial operations across the Simplura group of companies operating in seven states, as well as for all merger and acquisition activity. Jim had a prominent role in a successful exit for Simplura’s private equity sponsor, with a recently-announced agreement to be acquired by Providence Service Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC); the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. Prior to joining Simplura, Jim served as lead partner of the Finance & Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) group for the PA/NJ market of RSM US LLP. Jim assumed leadership of this then-fledgling FAO practice upon joining Fesnak LLP, a regional Philadelphia CPA firm, in late 2005, which was merged into RSM on January 1, 2015. At the regional firm, Jim also led its Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) practice. Jim oversaw all aspects of both the FAO and TAS service lines, including business development and day-to-day management, while acting as part-time CFO for various clients and leading financial due diligence on more than 50 acquisitions. Previously, Jim was EVP/CFO of a private equity-backed manufacturing company, held financial management roles in operating units of two Fortune 500 companies, was a management consultant in a boutique firm specializing in process improvement and ERP implementations, and worked for Deloitte in two separate stints in both auditing and management consulting roles. Jim is a member of the Pennsylvania CPA Journal Editorial Board and a regular contributor of content for the Journal’s print and online publications, as well as for its podcasts and videos. He serves on the Association for Corporate Growth’s Private-Equity Executive Roundtable (ACG PEER) Steering Committee. Jim was named a “CFO of the Year” finalist by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2019. From 2014-2017, Jim was an adjunct professor in the Strategic Design Executive MBA program at Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University).