Meet our team

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We combine decades of top-tier private equity experience with the values of service forged in the military. We are operators, investors, and partners who believe that character is the ultimate asset.

Alexander Mears
Managing Partner

Alex combines twenty years of private equity experience at Carlyle and Blackstone with combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, he teaches Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition at Georgetown.

Alexander Mears
Managing Partner
Alexander Mears
Managing Partner
Brydon Team

Alex combines twenty years of private equity experience at Carlyle and Blackstone with combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, he teaches Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition at Georgetown.

Steve Ressler
Managing Partner
Brydon Team

Steve has two decades of experience founding, growing, and selling multiple govtech companies, including GovLoop, GovDelivery, Granicus, and Callyo. He started his career in government services and holds degrees from Penn and Miami University and teaches Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition at Georgetown.

George Dutile
Managing Partner
Brydon Team

George brings experience from J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, following 16 years in Marine and Naval Special Operations with ten combat deployments. He received his MBA from Wharton and teaches Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition at Georgetown. He has 23 more tattoos than the rest of the Brydon management team combined.

Allison Watson Pugh
Partner, Head of Portfolio Operations
Brydon Team

Allison has two decades of experience leading strategic and operational transformations at McKinsey, where she built global go-to-market and client service capabilities. A Duke alum and military spouse, she supports veteran transition programs and is an avid swimmer.

Jenny Boardman
CFO/COO
Brydon Team

Jenny has extensive experience in fund accounting and operations at Realterm and PwC. A Bucknell graduate and CPA, she has led GAAP reporting, valuation, and strategic initiatives across real estate and private equity funds.

Dudley Arbaugh
Director of Business Development
Brydon Team

Dudley brings sales leadership experience from Delinea and prior SaaS and marketing roles, where he built teams and drove top-of-funnel growth. A Xavier graduate, he lives in Arlington with his family and is an enthusiastic golfer.

Sarah Higgins
Director, Talent and Portfolio Operations
Brydon Team

Sarah joins Brydon after eight years at McKinsey, where she led operations and transformation and advised financial services clients on talent and change. She holds an MBA and MPA from NYU and a BA from UNC Wilmington.

John McMillian
Operating Executive
Brydon Team

John brings two decades of global experience in strategy, sales, and go-to-market leadership across Vista, the Advisory Board Company, and GSK. A Virginia Tech and Darden MBA graduate, he specializes in new-market launches and B2B sales excellence.

Kyle Herman
Principal
Brydon Team

Kyle has investing experience at NaviMed and corporate development work at the Advisory Board. A UVA graduate and Wharton MBA, he focuses on healthcare, pharma, and life sciences services.

Tabitha McHale
Vice President
Brydon Team

Tabitha is a Vice President with private equity experience at Blackstone and Carlyle, including investing in Blackstone's GP Stakes platform. A Virginia Tech graduate, she is a CPA, CFA charterholder, and former Division I athlete.

Jack Strabo
Vice President
Brydon Team

Jack was Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Modern Markets and previously worked at Carlyle after starting his career at Morgan Stanley. A Princeton undergrad and Stanford MBA graduate, he earned Academic All-American honors in varsity lacrosse.

lan Epperson
Vice President
Brydon Team

lan was COO and Chief of Staff at AirTera and did consulting work at McKinsey with aerospace and private equity clients. A former Marine officer, he holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon, LSE, and Harvard Business School.

Kevin Connor
Senior Associate
Brydon Team

Kevin was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, serving automotive, industrial, and private equity clients. Before McKinsey, he spent five years in the electrical distribution and controls industry.

Alex Rice-Slothower
Associate
Brydon Team

Alex joins Brydon after three years at McKinsey, where he advised clients across private equity, agriculture, technology, and sustainability. He holds an M.S. in Finance and a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt and enjoys running and playing music.

Lucy Huang
Associate
Brydon Team

Lucy joins Brydon with experience in portfolio operations and value creation at MERU, after starting her career in growth strategy at Accenture. She holds an Economics degree from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Wharton.

Devin Salmon
Portfolio Operations Associate
Brydon Team

Devin joins Brydon after founding Clove Lakes Group and previously consulting at BCG, where he supported strategy, product, and due diligence work for Fortune 500 and private equity clients. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Haverford College.

Justin Mullinax
Associate
Brydon Team

Justin joins Brydon after four years at L.E.K. Consulting, where he supported private equity and corporate clients on M&A and growth strategy. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan and enjoys cooking and basketball.

Nolan Terry
Sourcing Analyst
Brydon Team

Nolan has experience in consulting, asset management, and private equity. He holds certifications from FINRA and the Corporate Finance Institute (FMVA). Nolan holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Sales from The Catholic University of America, where he served as Co-President of the Finance Club, and a Sales Program ambassador.

Maddie Van Slyke
Sourcing Analyst
Brydon Team

Maddie was a sales development representative at FiscalNote where she focused on client outreach and business growth. She received her BA in Economics from Denison University where she also played on the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse team.

Claire Gormley
Communications and Operations Coordinator
Brydon Team

Claire supports Brydon with a background in digital marketing, analytics, and communications, including experience at Crayola, Miller PR, and ArtsQuest. An Elon graduate, she enjoys baking, reading, and crafting.

Liam Bateman
Fund Accountant
Brydon Team

Liam joins Brydon after two years in RSM's assurance practice focused on public sector clients. A Loyola Maryland graduate, varsity lacrosse player, and CPA, he enjoys golf, live music, and boating.

Courtney Katz
Talent Analyst
Brydon Team

Courtney worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as part of the firm's leadership development program, gaining experience in finance, talent development, and operational strategy. She holds a B.S in Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Vivek Chhabria
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Vivek was a McKinsey Associate Partner leading growth strategy, operational transformations, and Al-enabled deployments across financial services and industrial clients. He holds an MBA from Kellogg, an engineering degree from Ohio State, and is an ICF-certified coach.

John B. Esterhay
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Jack is CEO of Select Veterinary Health with experience in private equity operations, McKinsey, and Navy intelligence. He has led value creation across several industries and holds degrees from Harvard, LSE, and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Julia Kastner
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Julia was a C-suite leader at NeuroFlow, overseeing product, engineering, data, and clinical operations through 200x growth. A former product leader across SaaS and Al companies, she advises digital health startups and holds degrees from McGill and Harvard Business School.

Tyler Moore
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Tyler led chaos and reliability engineering programs for Amazon Stores, building new capabilities in incident response and peak readiness. A former software engineer turned organizational leader, he holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Wesley Sadler
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Wes brings experience from McKinsey's energy and nuclear practices and earlier service as a Navy nuclear surface warfare and strike warfare officer. A former Northwestern instructor, he holds an MBA from Kellogg and a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Will Strickland
CEO-in-Residence
CEO-in-Residence

Will is Co-Founder of Brydon Energy with experience in operational transformation at McKinsey and earlier finance leadership roles at Walmart. A CPA, he holds an MBA from Kellogg and a B.S.B.A. from the University of Arkansas.

General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal
Advisor
Advisor

General McChrystal is the founder of McChrystal Group. He was the former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command.

Adam J. Palmer
Advisor
Advisor

Adam is Co-Founder and Partner of Capitol Meridian. He was previously global head of Aerospace and Government Services at Carlyle.

Linda Bammann
Advisor
Advisor

Linda is the Chair of the Risk Committee at JP Morgan Board of Directors.

Mitch Weiss
Advisor
Advisor

Mitch is a professor at the Harvard Business School, teaching Introduction to Entrepreneurship.

Jim Hopkins
Advisor
Advisor

Jim is the president of CPI-HR. He was a founder and CEO with mulitple exits in insurance and benefits.

David Bard
Advisor
Advisor

David is a Partner at the Halifax Group with experience investing at American Securities and Bain Capital after starting his career at McKinsey. A Wharton Senior Fellow, he holds degrees from Cambridge and Penn's M&T program and lives in Washington, DC.

Karen Spencer
Advisor
Advisor

Karen was a part of the founding team and COO at searchfunder.com. She was also the founder of Fetch Strategies, which does consulting in the ETA space.

Joe Heieck
Advisor
Advisor

Joe is the founder and chairman of gWorks. He was a former Navy intelligence officer.

Stephen Minor
Advisor
Advisor

Stephen is the founder of Fleming Corp, a private equity holding company with interests in financial institutions, infrastructure, and ADG. He is also the founder of Fleming Re, a global reinsurance carrier. He was a principal at Torch Hill Investment Partners, specalizing in aerospace defense and government services.

Anthony Woodhams
Advisor
Advisor

Anthony connects small business owners with Brydon's CEOs-in-Residence, drawing on experience in SaaS, aerospace and defense, govtech, and consulting. He holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from Georgetown and Indiana University and enjoys hiking and writing.

Take the Next Step.

You’ve read the values. You’ve seen the track record. The only thing left is to determine if the mission aligns. Let’s look at the numbers and map out a potential future.