The Blueshirt Group, LLC - About

Alex Wellins , , , Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Alex brings 25 years of investor relations, media relations and corporate communications experience to Blueshirt. After earning his B.A. from the University of Michigan, he spent his first years on the west coast providing marketing communications counsel to emerging Silicon Valley software startups. Alex then spent five years at Morgen-Walke Associates focusing on financial media relations then transitioned to manage investor relations programs for the largest group of technology clients at the firm. Alex has been a strategic advisor on the IPOs of many Internet, software and digital media companies and has participated in numerous high-profile M&A transactions in the technology sector.

Chris Danne , , , Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Chris has more than 25 years of IPO and investor relations experience and has helped more than 100 companies go public. Prior to forming Blueshirt, Chris was a Principal at Morgen-Walke Associates, where he ran the West Coast office. After graduating from Duke University, Chris spent two years working in Europe and Asia before joining Mallory Factor and The Equity Group in New York.

Lisa Laukkanen , , , COO and Managing Partner

Lisa brings more than 20 years of experience in investor relations, corporate communications and on Wall Street to Blueshirt. Prior to joining Blueshirt, Lisa launched and led the investor relations practice at Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations where she managed teams in New York and San Francisco and led the investor relations efforts for numerous IPOs, mergers, acquisitions and corporate initiatives both domestically and internationally. Lisa has worked with a wide range of technology companies in the semiconductor, software, and Internet sectors. Her previous experience includes managing investor relations for technology companies while at Morgen-Walke Associates and various marketing roles at PaineWebber. Lisa holds a B.A. in Management from Pine Manor College.

Mark Roberts , , , Managing Partner – BCA

Mark runs Blueshirt’s Capital Markets Advisory efforts. Mark brings both operational experience, as a CEO of a clean tech business, as well as over 15 years of investment banking experience. As a banker, Mark worked on a diverse range of IPOs, capital raises and M&A transactions in a variety of roles, including co-head of software at Thomas Weisel Partners, and global head of semiconductors and semiconductor capital equipment at Bear Stearns. He holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU, and a B.A. from Duke University.

Brinlea Johnson , , , Managing Partner

Brinlea joined Blueshirt in October of 2001 in San Francisco, and transitioned to our New York office in 2003. Brinlea has been a strategic advisor on many IPOs and has participated in numerous high-profile M&A transactions in the technology sector. She manages client relationships both in San Francisco and New York, and also coordinates non-deal roadshows around the country. Prior to joining Blueshirt, she worked in institutional sales at Robertson Stephens. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a BA in Communications and Psychology.

Lana Adair , , , Managing Director

Lana is a veteran finance professional with two decades of sell-side, buy-side and strategic advisory experience. Most recently, Lana founded LLA Advisors to help early stage companies with pitch development and venture capital raising. Previously, Lana covered small- and mid-cap consumer and internet stocks as an equity research analyst with Piper Jaffray and Banc of America Securities. Earlier in her career, Lana was an associate at North Castle Partners, a $600m private equity fund in Greenwich. Lana began her career in Salomon Brothers’ investment banking analyst program and worked on IPO, follow-on equity and M&A transactions. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University.

Michael Anderson , , , Managing Director

Mike brings 30 years of capital market experience to Blueshirt. The majority of his experience is in equity capital markets at firms including JP Morgan, UBS and BMO, working with clients across multiple sectors as well as with leading private equity firms. Prior to equity capital markets, he spent time in leverage finance and privately placed debt capital solutions. Mike earned his BA from Tufts and an MBA from Yale.

Lori Barker , , , Managing Director

Lori has 30 years of finance and in-house investor relations experience, including building the first in-house Investor Relations programs for Symantec, SanDisk and Remedy Software. She has managed crisis communications, including hostile takeover offers, shareholder litigation and proxy battles. Her expertise includes M&A, perception studies, investor targeting and growing analyst coverage. Industry experiences include Technology, Semiconductor, Software, Fortune 500 IT Distribution, Consumer Goods and Retail. Lori is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and she holds an MBA from Santa Clara University. She began her career as a CPA at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co.

Nicole Borsje , , , Managing Director

Nicole has been with Blueshirt since 2014 and focuses on both public company Investor Relations and Capital Markets advisory for private companies. Nicole has supported numerous companies across the Software and Internet landscape through the transition from private to public company life. Nicole has also worked extensively with public companies supporting Investor Relations programs in various capacities. Prior to joining Blueshirt, Nicole spent eight years working on the execution of equity transactions on the Equity Syndicate desks at Jefferies and UBS. Nicole received her B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s Robert E. McDonough School of Business.

Irmina Blaszczyk , , , Managing Director

Irmina joined The Blueshirt Group in 2017, with 13 years of in-house investor relations and strategic communications experience in the Technology space. She was previously at Symantec, managing investor relations during the spinoff of VERITAS Technologies. Irmina has extensive experience as a corporate spokesperson, implementing effective investor relations’ strategies at public and private companies and managing crisis communications during corporate transactions. She began her career in investor relations at ATI Technologies in Canada and moved to San Francisco after its acquisition by AMD. Irmina also spent two years at Deloitte and Deloitte Hong Kong developing and implementing a worldwide partner-training program across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Irmina has a BA in Economics with a Finance Specialization and French Minor from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Stacie Clements , , , Managing Director

Stacie brings over 15 years of investor relations experience, serving as strategic advisor to leading public and private technology companies. Stacie re-joined Blueshirt in 2020 as a Managing Director where she focuses on client relationships in the software and consumer internet sectors. Prior to this, Stacie served as the Vice President of Investor Relations at Quotient (NYSE: QUOT) where she advised and created strategies around corporate positioning, transformational events, M&A and proxy solicitation. She also led Quotient’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. Stacie started her investor relations career in 2005 at Blueshirt where she implemented dozens of IR programs. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from California State University, Chico.

Gary Dvorchak , , , Managing Director

Gary brings significant capital markets and media expertise to Blueshirt. Before joining Blueshirt from a competing IR firm, he had two decades of experience as a portfolio manager and analyst in the institutional investment management business. Gary co-founded an investment boutique that successfully IPOed a closed-end mutual fund (NYSE:FAV); was a portfolio manager on a long-short equity fund; and was a co-portfolio manager (covering technology) for an institutional small cap strategy with over $4 billion of AUM. Gary started his investment career in research at investment bank Hambrecht & Quist. From 2004 through 2014, Gary was a high profile contributor to Jim Cramer’s Real Money financial news website. Gary earned his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Before business school, Gary spent four years in the computer industry as a software developer and project manager. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Gary earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1996. Gary resides in Beijing, China.

Jeff Fox , , , Managing Director

Jeff has over 20 years’ experience in PR and communications, specializing in helping companies refine their messaging and bring their stories to national business and financial media. Jeff has worked with private and public companies across all industries and has helped numerous companies through their IPOs, SPACs and Direct Listings. He was recently recognized by Business Insider as one of the Top PR Pros for IPOs. Jeff holds an M.B.A. from George Washington University and a B.S. degree from the University at Buffalo.

Monica Gould , , , Managing Director

Monica brings more than fifteen years of Investor Relations and Wall Street experience to Blueshirt. She was previously Executive Director of Investor Relations at Time Warner. Prior to that Monica established and ran a Corporate Access desk for Credit Suisse and served eight years as a sell-side equity analyst on a top-ranked Institutional Investor team at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank where she covered the telecom equipment sector. Monica holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU and a B.A. in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Albany.

Christine Greany , , , Managing Director

Christine has more than 25 years of experience in investor relations and IPO advisory encompassing the consumer, retail, apparel, footwear and internet sectors. Prior to joining Blueshirt in 2013, Christine ran an independent IR/Corporate Communications practice for 12 years. Previously, she spent two years as Senior Partner at ICR and 10 years at Morgen-Walke Associates, where she was SVP and Group Director. Throughout her career, Christine has led client engagements for iconic brands and leading consumer companies across the retail, footwear, apparel and consumer products landscape.

Drew Haroldson , , , Managing Director

Drew joined Blueshirt in December 2020, bringing sell-side research and in-house investor relations experience. Drew graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science, and holds a Master of Science in Finance from Johns Hopkins University.

Jennifer Jarman , , , Co-founder & Managing Director

Jennifer Jarman is a founding member of The Blueshirt Group and has 15 years’ experience developing and implementing comprehensive investor relations programs for companies in the Internet and digital media sectors. Prior to joining Blueshirt, she spent over two years in the technology group at Morgen-Walke Associates. Before starting her career in investor relations, Jennifer lived in Brussels, Belgium where she worked for Network Operations Worldwide, an executive recruitment company, and The Wall Street Journal Europe. She holds a B.A. in Communication and Psychology from Tulane University.

Rachel Kahn , , , Managing Director

Rachel leads the Blueshirt Strategic Media Team and has over 15 years’ experience in public relations and corporate communications, most recently serving as head of corporate communications at Activision Blizzard. Rachel was previously vice president and head of Sparkpr’s technology, media, and entertainment practice, creating high-impact programs for clients such as Walmart, Warner Bros./DC Entertainment, and eharmony. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Marketing from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.

Whitney Kukulka , , , Managing Director

Whitney joined Blueshirt in 2014, bringing both investment banking and institutional investor advisory experience. While at Blueshirt, Whitney has worked with companies across a wide range of industries, including internet, software, consumer and media in both Pre-IPO Advisory and public company Investor Relations capacities. Prior to joining the firm, Whitney worked in the investment banking group at Sandler O’Neill & Partners where she focused on business valuation for IPOs, M&A and capital raises for financial institutions. Previously, Whitney worked at Cambridge Associates, an investment advisory firm, designing portfolio management strategies for institutional investors. Whitney earned her B.S. in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management.

Chris Mammone , , , Managing Director

Chris brings more than 25 years of experience in investor relations, equity research and investment banking to Blueshirt. Chris has an extensive track record in building strategic, high-impact internal investor relations programs for publicly-traded companies in the Financial Technology sector, including Nuvei, Verifone, and Green Dot. Prior to pivoting into investor relations, Chris spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, primarily as a senior equity research analyst providing lead research coverage for a variety of Payment Services, Transaction Processing, and Financial Technology companies. Chris holds a B.A. of Business Administration, Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

Sabrina Mathews , , , Managing Director

Sabrina joined Blueshirt in 2018 and has worked with small to large cap private and public technology companies. Her sector experience spans Cybersecurity, Software, and Internet. She has supported numerous clients from IPO preparedness through their ongoing investor relations programs. Sabrina received her Bachelor of Science in Commerce with a concentration in Marketing from Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and is based in New York City.

Scott McCabe , , , Managing Director

Scott joined Blueshirt after 17 years on Wall Street, with 5 years on the sell side and 12 years on the buyside. Scott was a Vice President at Lehman, as part of a #1 I.I. ranked research team focused on enterprise and carrier technologies. On the buyside, Scott was a senior analyst, sector head and senior portfolio manager focused on the tech, media, and telecom industries at JAT Capital, Talpion, Columbia Threadneedle, UBS Asset Management and Millennium Management. He has BAs in Economics and Mathematics from Northwestern University.

Gregory McNiff , , , Managing Director

Gregory McNiff is a Managing Director in the New York office with more than 20 years of technology and telecom experience. Prior to joining Blueshirt, Greg worked at Nomura as a sell-side equity analyst covering the communications infrastructure sector. Prior to Nomura, Greg ran Business Development for XO Communications. Greg also has experience in early stage venture capital, investment banking, and corporate strategy. Greg holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an M. Litt. in Shakespeare Studies from the University of St. Andrews and a BA in Classical Languages from Columbia University.

Lindsay Grant Savarese , , , Managing Director

Lindsay joined Blueshirt in April 2014. Prior to Blueshirt, Lindsay worked in the Multifamily Finance group at Walker & Dunlop where she underwrote commercial mortgages. Lindsay graduated from Washington & Lee University with a BS in Business Administration.

Lauren Sloane , , , Managing Director

Lauren Sloane has been with The Blueshirt Group since 2012, advising technology companies on investor relations strategy through SPAC transactions, IPOs, and as public companies. Her experience includes supporting innovative, technology-driven companies across, software, digital engagement, AI-enabled platforms, and autonomous vehicles.

Lauren specializes in developing and implementing investor relations programs for her clients, working closely with management teams to position their company for successful entry into the public markets. Drawing on her deep experience and broad exposure across the technology landscape, she provides strategic insight and trusted counsel on investor messaging, program execution, and maintaining a clear, consistent long-term investment narrative. In addition to overseeing core investor relations deliverables for public companies, Lauren advises clients through a wide range of complex and high-profile situations, including public and private M&A transactions, management and board transitions, shareholder activism, and other transformational events.

Prior to joining Blueshirt, Lauren began her career in investor relations at MidOcean Partners, a New York–based private equity firm. Earlier, she worked as an analyst at Paradigm Investment Group. Lauren holds an M.A. in International Business from New York University and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, San Diego.

Tiffany Behany , , , Senior Director

Tiffany is a skilled communications professional and former CNBC producer with more than a decade of experience in helping companies tell their stories. She specializes in broadcast and media relations with a proven track record of success in developing and executing media strategies for consumer and technology clientele. She has secured top-tier media coverage for companies including Activision Blizzard, Realtor.com, eharmony and DC. Tiffany holds an M.A. in Strategic Communications from Seton Hall University and B.A in Communications from Rutgers.

Alex Awad , , , Director

Since joining the firm in 2021, Alex has worked with both private and public companies across numerous sectors in the technology space. Alex also helps spearhead the firm's Generative AI efforts. Alex graduated from Wake Forest University in 2020, where he founded and led the Analytics and Scouting organization for the baseball team.

Cassidy Fuller-Patterson , , , Director

Cassidy joined Blueshirt in October 2019. While at Blueshirt, Cassidy has worked on a variety of both private and public technology companies. Prior to Blueshirt, Cassidy worked as a Fundraising Assistant on the Investor Relations team at Irving Place Capital. Cassidy graduated from Washington & Lee University with a BS in Business Administration.

Ellen Davis Hayes-Roth , , , Director

Ellen joined The Blueshirt Group in 2011 where she manages investor relations (IR) for software and hardware companies. In addition to advising clients on their IR programs, Ellen also leads Blueshirt’s recruiting efforts in investor relations and related corporate functions. Having spent over 8 years providing strategic counsel to both public and pre-IPO technology companies, Ellen is well suited to understand the blended finance and communications skillset required to be successful in IR roles. Before joining Blueshirt, Ellen worked for one of the nation’s largest institutional investment firms providing equity financing for residential real estate development. She holds an M.A. Investor Relations from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Sociology from San Francisco State University.

Amanda McRae , , , Director

Amanda joined The Blueshirt Group in 2022 and has worked with public and private technology companies across the software, internet, and cybersecurity sectors. She has experience supporting clients from IPO preparation to public-company IR execution. Prior to joining Blueshirt, Amanda worked in strategic communications and public affairs. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Hilary Sumnicht , , , Director

Hilary joined Blueshirt in 2021, bringing marketing, asset management and institutional investor advisory experience. Prior to Blueshirt, Hilary worked at GCM Grosvenor focusing on diversified infrastructure investments. Hilary received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management.