The Ladder

Ballard Spahr, a national law firm, has appointed BRIAN DOERNER and MAGGIE TATTON as co-practice leaders of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice group. Doerner, who also serves as co-practice leader of the firm’s Life Sciences and Technology practice group, and Tatton represent public and private companies and private equity funds in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and spin-offs, restructurings and recapitalizations, and cross-border transactions. They also provide ongoing legal services related to general corporate governance, contract review and negotiation, strategic initiatives and joint ventures.

KORI S. CAREW has joined law firm Seyfarth Shaw as chief inclusion and diversity officer. In this newly created role at Seyfarth, Carew is responsible for advancing the firm’s inclusion and diversity strategy, and accelerating its existing portfolio of award-winning programs and external partnerships. Prior to joining Seyfarth, she served for the past seven years as director of strategic diversity initiatives at law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon.

Huron Capital, a lower middle-market private equity firm based in Detroit, announced a new partner has joined its Flex Equity team, TONY PULICE. An experienced industry professional who has held leadership positions at Rockbridge Growth Equity Management and Goldman Sachs, Pulice will use his experiences and skills to identify, execute and manage non-control equity investments for the firm.

SARITA GAVHANE has joined Edgewater Capital, a performance materials investment firm, as vice president. As a member of the firm’s investment team, she is responsible for identifying and developing key investment themes for new investment opportunities, transaction execution and supporting the management teams of portfolio companies. Gavhane joins Edgewater Capital from Canal Holdings, where she served as vice president.

Carl Marks Advisors, a New York-based investment bank, has added DANIEL IRELAND (top) as managing director and PAUL HUETTNER (below) as vice president. Both will work toward expanding the firm’s health care, retail, higher education and family business practices. Ireland, who will focus on restructuring and corporate finance, most recently served as managing director at FTI Consulting. Huettner was most recently an associate at Chilmark Partners.

JIM OWEN has joined Stout as a managing director in the firm’s Investment Banking Group. He brings more than 20 years of experience executing mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, capital raising, board advisory, valuation and strategic alternatives analysis for middle-market and large companies, and he has deep experience in the construction, engineering, utility services and industrials sectors. Before joining Stout, Owen was a senior advisor at Verit Advisors.

Trinity Hunt Partners, a middle-market private equity firm based in Dallas, announced it has promoted GARRETT GREER (top) to principal. Since joining Trinity Hunt in 2016, Greer has executed multiple platform investments and add-on acquisitions. He also assists with evaluating new investment opportunities and managing portfolio companies. Trinity Hunt also promoted JOHN OAKES (below), to vice president. Since joining the firm in 2015, Oakes has supported the firm’s investments. As vice president, he will assist in sourcing, deal execution and portfolio company growth initiatives.

Global law firm Morrison and Foerster has added two partners to its San Francisco office. JESSICA ISOKAWA has joined the firm’s Global Private Equity Investments and Buyouts Group and will also work closely with its Global Mergers and Acquisitions Group, while BRADLEY KONDRACKI has joined its Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group.

JOHN CURRY has joined WILsquare Capital, a St. Louis-based private equity firm, as vice president. Curry joins the firm having graduated with an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to business school, John spent seven years at investment bank Robert W. Baird & Co., where he participated in a wide range of M&A and financing transactions for middle-market companies.

StepStone Group, a global private markets specialist, has named SCOTT HART as co-CEO. Hart, who has worked at StepStone for 12 years, serves as head of private equity and as a member of the executive and private equity investment committees, and helps to run the firm’s global co-investment practice. As co-CEO, Hart will work closely with Monte Brem, a founding partner and CEO since 2007, to oversee the firm’s management and strategic direction.

GERALD CONNOLLY has joined Potter Electric Signal Company—a provider of products to the fire and life safety industry and a portfolio holding of San Francisco-based private equity firm Gryphon Investors—as CEO. He succeeds the previous CEO, who elected to retire after 40 years with the company. A 30-year veteran of the building solutions and fire safety industry, Connolly most recently served as president of Legrand SA.

Pharos Capital Group, a physician- founded health care private equity firm, has promoted RYAN SHELTON to principal. Shelton, who has been with the firm since 2006, is responsible for evaluating and executing investment opportunities, performing transaction due diligence and working with management teams to implement operational and growth strategies. He previously served as vice president.