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   Dewayne Southern, Audit Partner and Carolinas Technology Industry Leader, Grant Thornton LLP

Dewayne Southern is an Audit partner in Grant Thornton’s Raleigh office and also leads the Technology Industry Practice in the Carolinas. Dewayne is well-known in the technology industry in the Triangle and committed to the community and helping NC companies find success through efficient and effective business practices.

Dewayne serves technology, manufacturing, distribution and services clients. He has IFRS experience, and the majority of his clients have significant international operations. He also has significant SEC experience and has served public companies his entire career.

In addition to providing standard assurance services, he also has experience in:

• Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 internal control implementations;
• Mergers and acquisitions (including performing due diligence, consulting on purchase accounting and financial reporting);
• Public and private debt and equity offerings; and
• Consulting on internal controls and process improvements.

Community/professional involvement:

• Board of Directors and Finance Committee, Communities in Schools of Wake County
• Board of Directors and Treasurer, Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina

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   Matt McCleary, Audit Senior Manager, Grant Thornton LLP

Matt is a Senior Manager in Audit at Grant Thornton LLP and has been practicing in public accounting for more than a decade. His focus is on serving an array of public and private companies, predominantly in the technology industry with revenues ranging from start-up enterprises to public entities with over $1 billion in sales as well as those with significant international operations.

Matt also has experience with an array of SEC filers and privately held companies in the telecommunications, life sciences, software and manufacturing industries.

In addition to his audit responsibilities, Matt has participated in various consulting projects for his clients, including Oracle/Hyperion implementation and upgrade scoping project, transaction services including acquisition due diligence, as well as SEC filings including stock offerings and reverse merger IPO engagements. Matt is also a member of Grant Thornton LLP’s national team for implementation of the new revenue recognition standard.

Prior to joining Grant Thornton LLP in 2005, Matt worked with another public accounting firm focused on SOX implementation.

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   Sid Mitchener, Managing Partner, Vaco Raleigh

Sid Mitchener is the partner of technology services and co-founder of Vaco Raleigh, LLC, where he is part of the core management team that manages new business opportunities in addition to day-to-day operations. One of the top producers in the information technology (IT) division, Sid has spent the last seven years assisting in the launch of the technology division at Vaco offices in Raleigh and Richmond, Va. 

Sid has more than 19 years of recruiting and sales management experience in the fields of engineering, IT staffing and consulting, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Virginia Military Institute. Prior to joining Vaco, he spent six years with a $3 billion, privately held technical consulting and placement firm, where he established offices in Knoxville, Tenn., and Atlanta for the contract engineering division. Sid consistently achieved President’s Club sales levels, and both new offices were recognized in the top fifth percent of sales growth for the firm. He later worked as a producing branch manager developing the IT consulting and placement division with a S&P 500 staffing firm in Raleigh. Sid joined forces with David Rhode in 2004 and co-established the Raleigh office of Vaco. 

Sid donates his time to the Membership and Ambassador committee for the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) and serves on the board of directors for Triangle Technology Executive Council (TTEC) as director of public relations. An active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Raleigh, he has participates in the Tour de Cure charity bike ride benefiting the American Diabetes Association.

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   Sam Whitt, Attorney, Nexsen Pruet

Sam Whitt is a seasoned transactional lawyer with a broad range of experience. His practice is focused primarily on general counsel services and start-up initiatives focused on specific verticals, such as sustainable development and Internet applications.

Sam represents corporate clients ranging from start-up ventures to Fortune 500 companies. He has served as General Counsel and a C-level executive of several venture-backed companies in the Research Triangle Park, NC area. His hands-on experience and versatility enables him to counsel clients on a broad range of activities, such as:

• General Corporate

• Mergers & Acquisitions

• Financing: Debt & Private Equity

• Economic Development

• Contract Analysis

• Corporate Strategies

• Asset Protection

Sam earned his B.S. in Accounting from BYU and worked for a “Big 8” public accounting firm prior to Law School. He earned his Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law where he served on the Law Review. He is a native of Vienna, Virginia. He and his wife raised their five children in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he remains an active member of the community through church and various civic organizations. In his younger years, Sam was recognized as “40 Under 40” by the Triangle Business Journal.

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