The SPAC Conference 2026 Speakers
John D. Agogliati III, CFA, ASA is a Senior Managing Director at Marshall & Stevens and is a practice leader for the Transaction Advisory Services practice and the Dispute Resolution & Litigation Support practice. With more than 25 years of valuation and financial analysis experience, John has advised on over 100 transactions; he has also served as an expert witness in 45+ matters. and performed hundreds of business valuations across diverse industries for litigation, transaction, tax, and financial reporting purposes.
Cynthia is a partner in Ogier’s Corporate team and a member of the firm’s multi disciplinary Private Equity team. Having advised on several landmark transactions in the Cayman Islands, she currently advises on a broad range of public and private M&A transactions, equity capital markets (with a focus on SPACs), private equity, venture capital, joint ventures, inbound and outbound investments, corporate advisory and corporate restructuring matters. Cynthia brings fifteen years of experience from top tier law firms in Sydney, Melbourne and New York to her Cayman Islands practice, and she maintains multiple current admissions including in New York and Australia.
Jocelyn Arel is a pioneer in the U.S. for her innovative work for clients on SPACs, with nearly two decades of successful SPACs transactions under her belt. Jocelyn advises clients in all aspects of the SPAC lifecycle, including the formation and structuring sponsor entities, representing SPACs and SPAC sponsors in initial public offerings (“IPOs”); representing operating companies, their investors and SPACs in business combinations, or “SIPO transactions”; structuring the debt and equity financing transactions that are often needed to facilitate the closing of SIPO transactions; and, advising investors in both SPAC IPOs and SIPO transactions. In addition to her extensive knowledge of the legal issues related to SPACs, Jocelyn has a deep understanding of the business, financial and marketing issues that affect the success of SPACs. In addition to her leadership in the SPAC market, Jocelyn represents clients in a wide range of capital market transactions, including initial and follow-on public offerings, private placements of debt and equity, alternative financing and 144A transactions, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. She has extensive experience in cross-border financings and acquisitions, as well as in providing advice on other U.S.-based activities for companies headquartered in Canada. A significant portion of Jocelyn’s practice includes counseling clients on ongoing reporting requirements of public companies, corporate governance matters and various other matters affecting public companies, their officers and directors. She also has considerable expertise in structuring and executing secondary sales and other private liquidity programs for private companies and their investors.
Edward Bechold is the national leader of the Capital Markets industry group and a shareholder in the New York City and New Jersey Assurance Services departments. He has more than 15 years of experience providing audit and business advisory services to publicly-traded companies, closely-held businesses, private equity, and hedge funds.
His expertise includes planning, managing, and overseeing private and SEC audit engagements (accelerated and smaller reporting); consulting on and overseeing private and SEC compliance requirements with respect to financial reporting; assisting on strategic acquisitions, reverse mergers, private placements, and public offerings; and advising both start-ups and growing companies on numerous complex accounting issues.
Edward works closely with the stakeholders of the Company to assess business and financial reporting risks, internal controls, quality of earnings and assets, and liquidity issues as a basis for identifying critical risks and opportunities for improvement.
He has a specialty in analyzing and valuing complex financial instruments, including preferred stock, convertible debt, warrants, share-based compensation, and other assorted financial instruments.
Edward is versed in various complex accounting matters including accounting for hard-to-value investments, business combinations, income taxes and purchase accounting, accounting for income taxes, and revenue recognition for construction and production type activities.
Adam Berkaw, a co-head of the SPAC practice at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, represents clients in all aspects of corporate and securities law, with a particular focus on SPAC IPOs and DeSPAC transactions. In addition, he also has significant experience in advising domestic and international clients on corporate governance, SEC reporting requirements, stock exchange rules and regulations and other regulatory compliance matters. Mr. Berkaw has represented clients in a diverse range of industries, including SPACs, banking, manufacturing, retail, consulting, pharmaceuticals, food service, energy, shipping, telecommunications, quantum computing, fintech, and digital currency mining, among others.
Mike is the co-chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He focuses his practice on corporate finance and securities law, including securities offerings, public company advisory, SPACs and de-SPAC deals, private equity and venture capital transactions, and general corporate representation. Mike regularly counsels public companies on strategic transactions, capital markets offerings, and general corporate matters. He represents both issuers and underwriters in U.S. and non-U.S. capital markets transactions, including IPOs and direct listings, and advises on corporate governance and securities market regulation.
Chris is a Partner with CFGI’s capital markets practice, providing complex accounting advisory services to public and private companies of all sizes across various industries. He works closely with his clients to prepare them for the capital markets. This work includes preparing required filings, such as registration statements, as well as assessing and implementing reporting process changes. Chris developed extensive experience in the IPO process by serving in Deloitte’s Emerging Growth Company practice prior to joining CFGI.
He works to guide companies in planning their unique path to an IPO. This includes identifying critical milestones, meeting SEC reporting requirements, addressing SEC comments, performing SOX compliance assessments and conducting business and fraud risk assessments.
David S. Briones is the founder and managing member of Brio Financial Group, a management consulting and CFO advisory firm that advises companies on financial reporting, internal controls, capital strategy, and IPO readiness, including SPACs and reverse mergers. Previously, he led the Public Company and Hedge Fund practices at Bartolomei Pucciarelli and was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, contributing to major financial services IPOs. In 2024, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Waterkeepers Alliance.
Jenn Calabrese began her career at KPMG, LLP specializing in the Information, Communications and Entertainment industry, amassing knowledge and experience that would guide her life’s work. Jenn also spent several years working for publicly traded companies, serving as Corporate Controller, Director of Accounting and SEC Reporting, Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
She specializes in SEC financial reporting, compliance, and consulting services to facilitate the reporting between auditors and public companies on behalf of clients. Jenn founded Calabrese Consulting, LLC (“CCL”) in 2012, a minority/woman-owned, full-service accounting and advisory firm which currently employs over 50 employees, serving more than 350 clients around the world. She applies a hands-on approach that stems from her tenure on both the client and audit sides, and exemplifies her dedication to her craft.
Desiree Carlo is the Senior Vice President of Client Services at Laurel Hill Advisory Group, where she leads the SPAC proxy campaign department with a focus on strategic guidance and an unwavering attention to detail. With over 18 years of experience in the stock transfer agent industry, Desiree brings deep knowledge in securities regulation, proxy campaigns, and shareholder engagement.Desiree’s leadership is rooted in responsiveness and proactive planning. She has successfully overseen hundreds of meetings, guiding clients from initial timeline planning through the final certification as the Inspector of Election. She is recognized for delivering tailored solutions and is a trusted partner to clients navigating high-stakes, time-sensitive SPAC and de-SPAC campaigns.
James Cotto is a Managing Director – Wealth Management, Wealth Advisor at The Cotto Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley Global Headquarters in Purchase, New York. He built his practice by providing entrepreneurs and other clients with the guidance they need to pursue financial independence for themselves and financial sustainability for the philanthropic organizations most important to them. James’ growing, diverse team of next gen Latinos and women collaboratively work together to serve clients of unique segments such as high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, professional athletes and entertainers, special purpose acquisition companies, endowments, foundations, and more.
James began his career in the financial services industry in 1988 and joined Morgan Stanley in 2009. Throughout his time at Morgan Stanley, James received various designations and titles, including Family Wealth Director, Global Sports and Entertainment Director, Corporate Client Director, Portfolio Management Director, International Client Advisor, Workplace Advisor – Equity Compensation, and Lending Specialist – these are a direct reflection of his knowledge and offerings to better serve clients with a suite of tailor-made solutions. His mission is to help clients design, scale, and deliver on their business and personal goals while giving back to their community.
Yelena is a Senior Vice President and Head of SPACs at Woodruff Sawyer, a Gallagher company, which is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms worldwide. She advises clients on M&A- and IPO-related insurance solutions, including representations and warranties insurance (RWI) and directors and officers (D&O) insurance for public companies, SPACs and deSPACs.Yelena is a frequent speaker and author, featured in many publications including S&P Global, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, Investment News Today, Business Law Today, Law360, CFO.com, Business Journal and Bloomberg. She won the JD Supra top author award in M&A in 2024, 2023 and 2022. Yelena also serves as the M&A Executive Editor of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Today and is the Executive Editor of the SPAC Notebook, a blog series that covers SPACs and SPAC risks.In 2022, Yelena was named in Insurance Business America’s “Hot 100,” which lists top professionals whose contributions have helped shape the insurance industry.Prior to Woodruff Sawyer, Yelena practiced as a senior capital markets associate at Clifford Chance and a corporate associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (later Dewey & LeBoeuf) and earned her BS in Economics from Cornell University and her JD from Fordham University School of Law.
Douglas S. Ellenoff, a member of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP since its founding in 1992, is a corporate and securities attorney with a focus on developing innovative securities programs for entrepreneurs, like SPACs, PIPEs, and Crowdfunding. Mr. Ellenoff has represented public companies in connection with their initial public offerings, secondary public offerings, regulatory compliance, as well as, strategic initiatives and general corporate governance matters. During his career, he has represented numerous broker-dealers, venture capital investor groups and many corporations involved in the capital formation process.
In the last several years, he has been involved at various stages in numerous registered public offerings, including several hundred financings and, with other members of his firm, hundreds of private placements into public companies, representing either the issuers of those securities or the registered broker-dealers acting as placement agent. Along with other members of his Firm, Mr. Ellenoff has been involved at various stages with over 1,000 registered blind pool offerings (commonly referred to as “SPACs”); In addition to our IPO experience with SPACs, he has been involved with hundreds of SPAC M&A assignments. The Firm represents nearly 100 public companies with respect to their ongoing 34 Act reporting responsibilities and general corporate matters. He also provides counsel with regard to their respective ongoing (SEC, AMEX and NASD) regulatory compliance.
Mr. Ellenoff is routinely requested to be a panelist and presenter at industry conferences.
Dimitre Genov has three decades of experience in investment banking, special situations investing, finance and asset management. Dimitre Genov is currently a Managing Director at Brookline Capital Markets, advising clients on traditional public, private, and other alternative capital-raising and investment strategies including SPACs, PIPEs, private placements and public offerings. Before Brookline Capital Markets, Dimitre was a Portfolio Manager at Balyasny Asset Management, where he was part of the event-driven group, managing a SPAC portfolio with peak AUM of over $1bn. Prior to Balyasny, Dimitre worked at Magnetar Capital where he was a Sector Head for a SPAC portfolio with over $1B of peak AUM. Prior to Magnetar, Dimitre was a Partner and Director of Research at Noster Capital, where he focused on global value investing and special situations. Prior to Noster Capital, he was a Portfolio Manager at Julius Baer, where he co-managed the Global Equity and Global Balanced Asset Allocation funds with over $1B peak AUM. Prior to Julius Baer, he was a Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst in JP Morgan’s Global Event-Driven Group. Dimitre Genov started his career at Lazard as an investment banker, advising companies on capital markets financings, mergers and acquisitions and restructurings.
Dimitre received a dual M.B.A. with Honors from Columbia Business School and London Business School, and a B.A. with Honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard.
Zaia Lawandow is Founder & CEO of The IR Studio, where he builds investor relations functions for companies navigating IPOs, spin-offs, and SPAC mergers. He advises CEOs and CFOs on capital markets strategy, investor messaging, guidance frameworks, and sell-side engagement throughout the public listing process. Previously, he led investor relations and corporate development at publicly traded media companies, including a de-SPAC, working through growth phases, activist situations, and complex restructurings. He began his career in capital markets and equity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Sandler O’Neill (now Piper Sandler).
Neil brings more than 40 years of public accounting experience with deep expertise serving SEC registrants, privately held enterprises, emerging growth companies, and organizations across healthcare, not-for-profit, and other regulated sectors. He has directed complex audit engagements for companies ranging from small-cap issuers to large multinational groups, and he is widely recognized for his technical depth in PCAOB compliance, SEC reporting, audit quality, and transaction support.Before joining MarcumAsia, Neil served as Co-Managing Director of CBIZ’s Southern New Jersey offices, where he also previously led the firm’s Public Company/SEC Practice. In that role he established quality-control procedures, oversaw regulatory compliance, and provided technical guidance on audit and accounting standards. Neil has built a distinguished career advising companies on financial reporting, tax strategies, M&A structuring, internal controls, and operational efficiency — while also driving business development and long-term client relationships.
Mr. Levine is Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Investment Banking. His primary focus is on private placements, public offerings, restructurings, mergers and acquisitions and financial advisory work.
Prior to EarlyBirdCapital, Mr. Levine was Vice President of Investment Banking at Southeast Research Partners, Inc., (a predecessor to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.) an investment banking and research firm with offices in New York and Florida that specialized in institutional research and sales, covering middle market private and public companies. In June of 2000, together with Mr. Nussbaum, Mr. Levine launched EarlyBirdCapital to focus on financing and advisory opportunities with small and mid-market private and public companies. From 1980 to 1991 he headed a New York-based food distribution company, a role that gave him hands-on experience in running a mid-sized business.
Mr. Levine earned his B.A. from George Washington University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from George Mason University School of Law. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.
Machua Millett is the Chief Innovation Officer and Alternative Investment Practice Leader at Lockton Financial Services, in which role he creates new insurance products for unaddressed risk exposures and serves as a technical expert on management and professional liability issues for private equity, venture capital and hedge fund managers, SPACs and target companies, and private and public companies. He works on a regular basis with GPL policies, portfolio companies, D&O programs, SPACs, and companies making the transition from private to public through initial public offerings (IPOs) and reverse mergers, D&O/management liability, pension trust liability, fidelity/crime, employment practices liability, private equity/venture capital professional services liability, internet/e‐commerce/cyber liability, kidnap and ransom, and merger and acquisition facilitation products. Mach has also been involved in creating new insurance products relating to wage and hour liability, FCPA investigation costs, FERC investigation costs, the responsible corporate officer doctrine, Dodd Frank compensation claw-back, cyber liability, social engineering loss, Chief Compliance Officer personal liability, intellectual property infringement liability, reputational risk, medical billing and coding liability, and transaction facilitation. Mach came to Lockton after twelve years at Marsh and ten years as an attorney at Skadden Arps, Bingham McCutchen, and Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, where he practiced law as an intellectual property, securities and general commercial litigator and insurance coverage defense lawyer. He has extensive experience crafting insurance contracts and litigating, arbitrating, mediating and negotiating the settlement of complex securities, intellectual property, business and insurance coverage disputes.
As President & Chairman of Continental, along with 40 years of industry experience, Steven plays a key role in the company’s operations, client initiatives and strategic direction. A magna cum laude graduate of Brandeis and NYU Law Review honoree, he has practiced law at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and served as a Federal prosecutor. He chairs the Securities Transfer Association’s Legal Committee and serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President, driving meaningful industry change.
Mitch Nussbaum is co-chair of Loeb & Loeb. He focuses on representing emerging growth companies and investment banks in initial public offerings of operating companies and SPACs, follow-on public offerings, shelf takedowns, registered direct placements, PIPEs and other private placements (144A, Reg D, Reg A, Reg S, etc.). Mitch also regularly represents public companies regarding their SEC and NYSE or Nasdaq listing compliance and has acted as outside general counsel, including corporate, securities, M&A litigation and business counseling, to hundreds of private and public companies as well as their officers and directors. He also negotiates and documents acquisitions, mergers, going-private transactions, reverse mergers, proxy contests, tender offers, control contests, fund formations and secured lending financings and has represented issuers and underwriters in hundreds of SPAC public offerings and business combinations for over 20 years. Mitch was responsible for developing the groundbreaking IPAC, which features many of the benefits of the SPAC, but offers increased flexibility on pricing and deal structure, along with a more rapid transaction cycle.
Michael Tomasulo is the Sr. Managing Partner and National Management Liability Practice Leader at The Baldwin Group. With 30 years of experience, he has advised thousands of SPACs, publicly traded companies and IPOs on management liability and D&O insurance. Previously, he led Management Liability and Northeast operations at AHT Insurance and held leadership roles at AON, Nasdaq Insurance Agency, AIG, and Zurich. Michael is an industry speaker on board education and corporate governance.
Ms. Van Valin is a principal member that leads the U.S. sales expansion for Odyssey Transfer. Her core focus is to profitably grow market share for Odyssey Transfer’s transfer agent and trust business by partnering with executive management teams at domestic and multinational corporations to deliver shareowner service solutions that serve the needs of clients and their investors. Ms. Van Valin has more than 12 years of experience working in the transfer agent and trust space, focusing on complex corporate action events, Mergers and Acquisitions, and IPOs.
Mr. Gaurav Verma has been covering the Technology, Media, and Telecom sector for over 15 years and has executed over 100 billion in transactions encompassing sell-side and buy-side M&A, IPOs, equity offerings, SPACs, converts, high yield and investment grade financings. Mr. Verma has advised C-Suite executive teams on mergers and acquisition assignments, business development opportunities, growth strategies and capital allocation policies. Prior to joining D. Boral Capital, Mr. Verma was a Director at Nomura spearheading the TMT coverage efforts and executed several financial and strategic transactions and was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch within their TMT investment banking group. Mr. Verma received his MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from NYU Stern School of Business and BS in Computer Science and Economics from Rutgers University.
Bio Coming Soon!
Mr. Wright serves as Chief Executive Officer of Belay Global Partners and is a member of the Board of Directors. He is a seasoned capital markets executive with extensive experience advising SPAC sponsors, growth-stage companies, and institutional investors on public market readiness, investor engagement, and complex transaction execution. Mr. Wright’s is currently the CEO of McKinley Acquisition Corporation, Belay’s active SPAC.
Mr. Wright is the Founder and President of Intro-act, LLC, a capital markets advisory firm that partners with investment banks and investor relations firms to support private and public companies with peer benchmarking, investor targeting, and institutional positioning. He also serves as President of PartnerCap Securities, LLC, a registered broker-dealer, where he focuses on investment banking activities including structured financings, PIPE transactions, and SPAC capital formation.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Wright held senior roles across the buy-side and sell-side, including Analyst and Portfolio Manager at AI Capital Management, Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald, and Director of Research at Tradition, covering emerging technology. He began his career as an equity analyst specializing in semiconductors at CIBC World Markets and Fidelity Investments.
Mr. Wright holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he concentrated in finance.
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