Darrell Williams Every business needs a strategy that makes sense. Company: DuSable Capital, LLC Location: Chicago, Illinois Website: www.dusablecapital.com

Biography:
Darrell A. Williams is founder and Managing Member of DuSable Capital LLC, a financial investment and advisory practice targeting growth oriented companies and the organizations (private equity funds, business development groups, etc.) that support them. Through DuSable, Darrell seeks opportunities for direct investment in business services companies, with particular interest in communications.

He also executes advisory assignments for clients seeking to acquire or divest businesses, establish internal and external financial reporting infrastructure, raise new capital, rebalance or realign corporate capital structures, align capital structures to strategic objectives, or effectively address increasingly complex corporate strategy and governance requirements. To this effort, Darrell brings over 20 years of deal execution and advisory experience for entities ranging from start-ups to successful publicly traded companies in a broad array of industries. Darrell has executed transactions at every level of the capital structure with particular expertise in private equity.

Prior to founding DuSable, Darrell was Chief Investment Officer of the Washington DC based Telecommunications Development Fund (“TDF”). There, Darrell established an early-stage communications focused investment strategy and led a staff of four investment professionals in the execution and management of ten start-up investments. Darrell came to TDF from Ameritech Development Corporation (“ADC”), a subsidiary organization that executed strategic investment, acquisition and divestiture services on behalf of its parent company Ameritech Corporation. As Vice President of Venture Capital, he executed, managed and successfully liquidated early stage venture capital investments in a diverse array of nascent telecom-related businesses. Before focusing on venture capital, Darrell executed Ameritech’s interests in corporate divestitures, acquisitions, and strategic partnering transactions.

Prior to joining ADC, Darrell worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Department at the First National Bank of Chicago. There, he executed middle market M&A assignments in a wide range of industries including food ingredients, plastic injection molding and packaging. Darrell began the investment banking phase of his career as a Corporate Finance Associate at Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. While at Dean Witter, Darrell worked on both public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities for companies in the recreation, banking, retail credit card and energy industries.

Darrell has served on the boards of directors of 12 companies, developing an intimate understanding of and familiarity with the business execution, human resource, strategic, governance and capital issues facing both emerging and established businesses. For the last year, Darrell has supported the family shareholders of the Afro-American Newspapers as a member of the board of directors. Until 2006, Darrell was a member of the board of directors of Intrado Inc., the premier provider of operations support systems, software and services for mission critical public safety communications. Darrell served Intrado shareholders as an independent director, chairman of the company’s audit committee and member of the compensation committee. Through his work at both ADC and TDF, Darrell developed valuable insights into the effective structure, operation and governance of private equity firms. He used this experience in support of SB Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm where Darrell served as a member of its Board of Advisors.

Darrell holds a Bachelor of Science degree from DePaul University’s College of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business.

In addition to his many business involvements, Darrell is an active member of St. James AME Church, serving as a Trustee, Sunday School teacher and Lay Organization President. Past community and professional involvements include service on the board of directors of the National Black MBA Association, INROADS Chicago, Inc. and the United Center Economic Development Company as well as memberships in the Executive Club of Chicago, the Illinois Venture Capital Association and the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago. A native Chicagoan, Darrell lives on the South Side with spouse Allison Grant and son Maxwell.

Availability:
Available to speak on entrepreneurship, raising capital, business strategy and governance, and communications.