Meet ACG’s New Chair and Board Members for 2024-2025

The 2024-2025 term for the ACG board of directors will begin at DealMAX in Las Vegas next week, as Steve Castino commences his one-year term as ACG chairman.

Castino is the chief growth officer for Rehmann, an integrated business consulting and professional advisory firm with 17 offices in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Based in Winer Park, Florida, Castino joined Rehmann in 2022 as part of a business combination with Vestal & Wiler CPAs, where he was a shareholder and member of the Executive Committee for over 16 years. He is a member of the ACG Orlando chapter.

In addition to volunteering with ACG, Castino serves as chairman of the board for Florida Citrus Sports, a nonprofit event management group that promotes economic development in Central Florida, including hosting college football’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He is also a director of Dr. Phillips Charities, an organization that has granted and pledged over $220 million.

Castino begins his term as board chair at a time when many ACG members are anticipating increased levels of deal flow and greater stability in the market.

“There’s an undercurrent of cautious optimism in the middle market about deal activity, which is expected to pick up from last year,” says Castino. “It’s an exciting time to step into the role of board chairman, and I look forward to helping ACG meet the needs of its members in the current market, with relevant programming, networking opportunities, research offerings and more.”

Castino succeeds Christine Nowaczyk, senior vice president and private wealth advisor at U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, who will continue to serve on the ACG board as immediate past chair. Aaron Polack, head of business development at Denver-based Lion Equity Partners, will become incoming board chairman.

DealMAX marks the end of the term for two board members—David Gershman, partner and general counsel at Trivest Partners; and Dan Ryan, managing director at MidOcean Partners.

Josh Hollingsworth Joins the Board

ACG will also welcome a new board member: Josh Hollingsworth, a partner at law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Hollingsworth has spent nearly 20 years at Barnes & Thornburg, where he specializes in M&A and corporate finance. He currently chairs the firm’s Private Equity team, and he serves as co-chair of the Entrepreneurial and Emerging Companies team and as administrator of the Corporate Department in the Indianapolis office.

Hollingsworth is a former president of the ACG Indiana chapter, where he continues to be a member. He currently serves on the Indiana Business Law Survey Commission and is an active member of Indianapolis’ sports community, having served on the host committees for the 2012 Superbowl, the 2022 College Football Championship and the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

As he begins his tenure on the ACG board, Hollingsworth hopes to use his position in part to help strengthen membership recruitment and retention at the local chapter level.

“ACG isn’t a place to close one-off deals; it’s a community, where deep relationships are formed among middle-market professionals,” says Hollingsworth. “Membership is a fundamental part of maintaining that community, and I look forward to supporting ACG chapters as they articulate the value of joining our organization, particularly to younger professionals.”

Remembering Richard Jaffe

Next week, DealMAX will feature an onstage tribute to longtime ACG member Richard Jaffe, who died on March 31.

A highly respected corporate attorney, Jaffe most recently served as partner and head of the Private Equity practice at law firm Duane Morris, which he joined in 2010.

Jaffe became a member of the ACG Philadelphia chapter in 1995 and played an influential role in its growth. He also made significant contributions to ACG at the national level, including as co-chair of the Public Policy committee and as a member of the ACG board of directors, which he chaired from 2015-2016. Jaffe was instrumental in creating ACG’s Private Equity Regulatory Task Force, now called the Private Equity C-Suite Network.

ACG honored Jaffe in 2019 with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the association’s annual conference. In a press release announcing the award, the board chair at the time, Angela MacPhee, a partner at Baker Tilly, described Jaffe’s impact on ACG.

“Richard’s wisdom and commitment to advancing issues important to the middle market is both present in ACG’s governance structure and on Capitol Hill,” she said. “Whether trumpeting his favorite charity or making a meaningful contribution to his synagogue, Richard is a generous volunteer who finds a way to both inspire and complement others.  I’m proud to lead the board that Richard once chaired.”

Katie Maloney is ACG’s content director, based in Chicago.

Middle Market Growth is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To learn more about the organization and how to become a member, visit www.acg.org.