ACG St. Louis Women Entrepreneurs: Leading a Business From Start Up to Sale sponsored by PNC Bank

Karen Jordan is a partner in Dentons US LLP’s Corporate practice and also managing partner of the Firm’s St. Louis office.  She concentrates on advising corporate, municipal and financial institution clients in a wide range of corporate, finance and commercial transactions. Karen has been recognized as a Best Lawyer for Banking and Finance Law since 2020 and has completed transactions totaling in excess of US$5 billion.  Karen serves on the Board of Governors for the National Bar Association and is an active member of the Leadership Counsel for Legal Diversity, the Association for Corporate Growth, the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the National Association of Securities Professionals. 

Karen received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business.  Karen also received her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law. 

Karen serves on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Arc and the St. Louis County Library Foundation and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Deborah Weaver, President of Lexitas-Alaris Business Unit, began her career as a court reporter before purchasing the firm she worked for in 1985. Over the years, that firm grew and evolved into Alaris, a litigation support company providing court reporting, trial support and alternative dispute resolution services. Headquartered in St. Louis with seven additional regional offices, Alaris grew into one of the largest and most successful firms in the Midwest, with market-leading clients and some of the best independent contractors in the industry. In 2021, Alaris was acquired by Lexitas, a leading provider of technology-enabled litigation services and a portfolio company of funds advised by Apax,

Throughout her career, Debbie has been actively involved in numerous community and professional organizations and has spoken on topics ranging from Technology in the Courtroom to Diversity in the Legal Profession: A Moral Imperative and Professional Obligation. In addition to being recognized as 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year by the St. Louis chapter of Entrepreneur Organization, she has received numerous other awards and honors throughout her career from organizations such as the St. Louis Bar Association, Enterprising Women magazine, Journal of Court Reporting, Missouri Lawyers Media. The Alaris team has sponsored and participated in charity and service projects including Motion for Kids, Let’s Start, Read Across America and Dollars for Depositions.

Debbie attended Southeast Missouri State University and received her Court Reporting degree from Brown’s Business College.

Joan Malloy is a Regional President at MAI. She joined the firm in 2020 as a result of the acquisition of Greenway Family Office, which she founded in 2010. Joan advises business owners, individuals and multi-generational families in succession, governance, investment, tax and philanthropic planning.

Her experience includes co-founding and serving as President of The St. Louis Trust Company, where she led the creation of the firm’s family service methodology. She was previously a Partner at Arthur Andersen, LLP where she led the region’s Family Office and Investment Advisory Services and participated as a member of the Investment Committee, and a Managing Director at Price Waterhouse in the tax division, specializing in tax and financial planning for corporate executives in single stock risk management, hedging and monetization.

Joan earned her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also a Certified Public Accountant, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Joan is President of the International Women’s Forum-Missouri and actively involved in Young Presidents Organization (“YPO”) Gold in addition to several other community organizations.

After more than 2 decades working as a CPA as auditor in the Big Four to a CFO in Venture Capital, since 2001 Michelle has focused her expertise in the private fund industry. Previously, the Director and CFO of Prolog Ventures, a life sciences VC firm, she administered three private funds with over $120 Million in AUM, made over 30 investments, and served on several boards of primarily seed and early stage companies.

She founded Segue Partners in 2010.  Segue Partners provides Fund Administration services to Venture Capital, Private Equity, small Fund of Funds, and Family Office clients across the United States  

Michelle has received the Innovation in Accounting Award, her firm has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in St. Louis, and she is a member and St. Louis Chapter program chair of Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) helping to create a global network that serves the unique needs of the entrepreneur.

On September 15, 2021, Michelle sold her equity ownership in Segue Partners to JTC Group, a global Fund Administration firm headquartered in the Jersey Channel Islands and listed on the London Stock Exchange FTSE 250.  Now, Segue Partners offers a deeper bench of 33 years of experience to draw upon to expand its footprint in the US with Michelle leading the team and holding a position on the North American Board.

No one starts a fund because they want to manage complex regulatory and accounting requirements. That's what she does, it's her passion and her purpose is fostering a values-centric culture at Segue Partners ensuring her team has opportunities to challenge themselves, passionately serve their clients, and fulfill their dreams.