ACG Boston Appoints Three New Members to the Board of Directors

BOSTON, MA – September 19, 2019 – ACG Boston, the Boston Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) announced that the ACG Boston board has elected three new members to its Board of Directors, further strengthening the chapter’s leadership in supporting important strategic initiatives for the organization. The new board members are: Thaddeus “Todj” Gozdeck, Managing Director, Grant Thornton; Danielle Lussier, Business Development Officer, KeyBank Business Capital; and Daniela Messina, Director of Business Development and Investor Relations, Avante Capital Partners.

ACG Boston serves over 500 Boston members who are directly involved in M&A transactions – including private equity investors, intermediaries, corporate development professionals, family offices, lenders and service providers – and is dedicated to helping middle-market M&A professionals build and maintain trusted and productive relationships through membership and event opportunities.

“ACG Boston is committed to supporting the New England dealmaking community, and by continuing to add talented and experienced representatives from our core deal making constituencies, we will ensure that ACG Boston provides programs and events that are responsive to the changing needs of our members,” said David Clark, President, ACG Boston. “The backgrounds and personal experiences of our new board members in transactional services, lending, family offices and women’s initiatives will allow them to have an immediate impact and help shape the direction of our organization.  We are extremely fortunate to have such a strong board of impressive individuals and dealmakers.”

Background – ACG Boston’s New Board Members

Thaddeus “Todj” Gozdeck
Managing Director
Grant Thornton

Todj leads the New England Transaction Service practice for Grant Thornton and is based in Boston.  Before joining Grant Thornton, Todj was at a Big Four accounting firm in both San Francisco and Boston where he led and managed dozens of M&A transactions in a variety of industries.

With 20 years as a financial and advisory professional, he has experience assisting both financial sponsors and strategic buyers and sellers in complex cross-border merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions. 

Todj has led assignments involving target companies across the Americas, Asia and EMEA including leveraged buyouts, growth acquisitions, strategic mergers and complex carve-out transactions. Todj’s transaction experience includes leading buy-side and sell-side due diligence projects focused on financial quality of earnings analyses (QofE), tax, IT and human capital issues impacting the transaction.

Todj lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, Todj enjoys reading, attending his sons’ high school games and volunteering with Sudbury for Wounded Warriors.

Todj holds a BS from the University of Connecticut.  Go Huskies!

Danielle Lussier
Business Development Officer
KeyBank Business Capital

Danielle is a Business Development Officer for KeyBank Business Capital, responsible for sourcing new commercial lending facilities ranging from $5MM-$40MM in commitment size. At the time KeyBank acquired First Niagara Bank, Danielle was First Vice President, Sr. Portfolio Manager responsible for managing portfolio relationships; proactively identifying and responding to the ongoing needs of her borrowers. Prior to joining First Niagara, Danielle was a Vice President, Portfolio Manager with Salus Capital Partners, responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of asset-based loans. Danielle also previously served as an Assistant Vice President, Senior Credit Analyst, and Assistant Vice President, Senior Treasury Analyst, at Wells Fargo Capital Finance, responsible for supporting the borrowers’ cash management needs. She has also worked as a Senior Treasury Analyst and as Supervisor of Banking Relations at the Office of the Massachusetts State Treasury. 

Danielle is a board member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) of New England, the TMA's Network of Women (TMA NOW) committee co-chair, board member and Treasurer of the International Women's Insolvency Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), and the co-chair of the Association of Corporate Growth's (ACG) Women in Leadership Committee. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.B.A. both from Simmons College.

Daniela Messina
Director of Business Development and Investor Relations
Avante Capital Partners

An accomplished attorney and expert communications and business development executive, Messina began her career in investor relations for a high-tech PR agency and a global provider of analytical instruments and services. Daniela has done impactful and transformational work in both the private and public sector.

She served as a Deputy General Counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. For nearly a decade, she served as Director of Business Development for Nixon Peabody’s private equity and family office practice where she led a number of strategic initiatives including the launch of a Women in Private Equity effort in Boston and NYC, as well as expanded visibility in the family office industry. In addition, Messina oversaw the development of the firm’s deal sourcing referral program.

In addition to her corporate, legal and political experience, Messina held leadership roles and has been active with the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce including their Women’s Network Advisory Board and Executive Leadership Institute, Bentley College Executive Club and The Boston Club, one of the largest organizations for women executive and professional leaders in the Northeast. She has served as a member of the Massachusetts Regional Competitiveness Council for the Northeast Region and was appointed by Massachusetts Governors Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick to the Salem State University Board of Trustees.

Messina has volunteered for numerous non-profits including mentoring women and minority law students through Suffolk University Law School’s Alumni Mentoring Program and pro bono legal services through the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Foundation, Family Law Project.

Daniela has been recognized for her community service and outstanding leadership efforts including Small Business Nominee for the North of Boston Businesswomen of the Year Award and the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus prestigious Wonder Woman Awardee.

Messina graduated from Bentley College and received her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar.

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