Mr. Lee has over 30 years of executive financial services experience as an investment banker, private equity investor, lender and operating executive. He has served as the Chairman and CEO of NMEF since December 2016 and previously was the CEO of Colford Capital Holdings, the former parent company of NMEF and its asset-based lending affiliate, North Mill Capital, from 2012 until the sale of NMEF to Wafra Capital Partners in August 2018. Previously, Mr. Lee served as President of D.B. Zwirn & Co., a $6.5 billion AUM alternative asset manager and successfully navigated that firm through the 2008 financial crisis and eventual merger integration into Fortress Investment Group. He was the Founding Managing Partner of Saturn Venture Partners and a Partner with the private equity firm of Sandler Capital. For the first half of his career, Mr. Lee was an investment banker, most recently serving as a Managing Director at Lazard, where he advised on M&A transactions valued in excess of $50 billion. Mr. Lee graduated magna cum laude from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986.
Mr. Bonanno is a Certified Public Accountant who joined North Mill as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer in the summer of 2016. Prior to joining North Mill, he was Chief Financial Officer at Advantage Funding, a commercial equipment finance company based in Lake Success, New York. He previously spent sixteen years at General Electric in various financial management roles, including Finance Manager of the Corporate Initiatives Group, CFO of Xerox Capital Services and Operational Controller of GE Energy Financial Services. Mr. Bonanno was educated at the University of Massachusetts, from which he holds a BBA in accounting and is a Certified Black Belt, Six Sigma. He is also a graduate of the GE Management Development Course.
Pier Snider is North Mill’s Chief Financial Officer.
Pier joined North Mill Equipment Finance in 2017 as Vice President and Controller. She was promoted in 2018 to CFO responsible for directing and overseeing the financial activities of the company.
Prior to joining North Mill, Pier held various finance and risk positions in multinational corporations, including GE Capital, Daimler Benz and Chrysler Capital. She gained experience across a variety of industries and sectors including transportation, infrastructure, aviation and commercial real estate. In her last role at GE Capital, she was responsible for various aspects of regulatory compliance within the financial services sector supporting the company transformation as a U.S. regulated entity.
Pier earned both a BS in finance and economics and an MBA in accounting and finance from the University of Bridgeport, CT. She is green belt certified.
Tom Lyle is NMEF’s Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer (EVP&CXO). Prior to joining NMEF, Tom was the Chief Operating Officer at PEAC Solutions, a $4+ billion independent equipment financing platform, where he oversaw operational digitization and efficiency optimization. Before his role at PEAC, Tom was Head of Global Leasing at Xerox Financial Services, where he led a $3+ billion captive leasing business across North America and Europe. He has also served in various credit and operations roles at Pitney Bowes and HP Financial Services. Tom earned his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business and lives with his family in Westport, CT.
Louis E. “Lee” Bergeron is an innovative, entrepreneurial executive with extensive experience in transforming struggling businesses into successful operations. Widely recognized as having a dynamic, consultative leadership style, Mr. Bergeron is thoughtful about building sustainable organizational structures, and works closely to mentor and advise rising talent. He has a proven history of success in revenue generation and growth, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic sales across industries.
Mr. Bergeron was instrumental in transforming the Delta Financial Group, a fledgling startup equipment leasing company, into a commercial powerhouse. By strategically introducing the business to the lending community, Mr. Bergeron propelled the company to unprecedented heights, booking $200 million in lease volume and sourcing over $2 billion in opportunities within just three years. This remarkable achievement earned Delta Financial Group prestigious recognition, securing a spot at #26 on the Monitor’s Top Independent Leasing Companies list and #115 on the Monitor 101+. This journey underscores [Name]’s acumen for business development and an unmatched ability to deliver consistent, scalable success.
Mr. Bergeron previously served as President of Wheeler Financial from Pitney Bowes, where he directed strategy, operations, policies, procedures, sales, cloud facilities, and revenue expansion and sat on its Board of Directors. Originally recruited to launch and grow the startup leasing company, Mr. Bergeron successfully commercialized Wheeler Financial as a wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Bank over a one year period. In addition to this major accomplishment, he consecutively grew quarterly revenue, resulting in 350% quarter-over-quarter growth, and signed up over 50 clients in a one year period. He worked tirelessly to grow the National Sales organization from zero to 27 originators and sales managers within one year. Mr. Bergeron also streamlined operations and client experience by implementing a comprehensive cloud-based solution to allow client access to services such as underwriting, funding, and lease accounting.
Prior to joining Wheeler Financial, Mr. Bergeron served as President of Taunton Commercial Capital, a privately held, full service business to business equipment leasing and financing company serving a variety of industries.
In addition to these roles, Mr. Bergeron has served in a variety of leadership roles with major organizations including MailFinance, General Electric, GE Government Finance, GE Federal Finance, and GE Commercial Equipment Finance.
Mr. Bergeron graduated from Texas Christian University’s MJ Neely School of Business with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. He has also completed studies in Core Leadership Training with the Jack Welch Learning Center at GE, and holds a Six Sigma Certification as a Green Belt. This combination of education and experience allows Mr. Bergeron to deliver strategic vision for sustainable, profitable growth and value. He currently serves as a subject matter expert in tactical vision and implementation, business performance enhancement, and strategic partnerships.
Blair Dawson is NMEF’s CMO and SVP. Before joining North Mill, Blair founded Sterling Rose Marketing and Communications Solutions in 2023, specializing in marketing strategy, branding, and content development. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Director of the STRIPES Leadership Program. Blair entered the equipment finance industry in 2019 as Vice President of Marketing and Events for the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA). Her extensive experience in marketing and leadership development allows her to drive impactful strategies and nurture high-performing teams.
Blair has a BS in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband Jake and their daughters Victoria and Charlotte.
Mr. Dion has over twenty five years of credit, collections, documentation, and sales experience in the small and middle market commercial equipment finance industry. Currently, Mr. Dion manages the Credit and Documentation and Funding Departments of North Mill. Additionally, he is a member of the firm’s Credit Committee, the group of executives that sets the credit strategy for the company.
Prior to joining Equilease/North Mill in 2007, Mr. Dion held various credit-focused positions including AVP, Center Capital Corp; VP, GE Capital; Director of Credit and Contracts, Phoenixcor, Inc.; and Credit Analyst at MetLife Capital.
Craig Hohl is North Mill’s Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for the company’s overall technology infrastructure and strategy to support North Mill’s growth. He manages all application development, infrastructure, systems integration, and data processing activities across the company. Prior to joining North Mill, Craig was the Head of Technology at Amur Capital Management in White Plains, NY, overseeing all aspects of technology and telecommunications across Amur’s global subsidiaries, including Amur Equipment Finance in Grand Island, Nebraska. Before Amur, he was the Head of IT Digital Business at Chubb Insurance in Warren, NJ, and spent over fifteen years at Prudential Financial in various technical leadership roles including eBusiness CIO. Craig graduated from Clarkson University with a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Mike Morris joined North Mill Equipment Finance as Vice President of National Accounts. An industry veteran with more than 12 years in the leasing space, Mike came to North Mill with a proven track record of growing accounts by deepening relationships and customizing solutions. In his role, Mike is responsible for gaining market share and identifying new opportunities for growth. Prior to joining North Mill, Mike held various sales and leadership positions at both Marlin Equipment Finance and LEAF Commercial Capital. At Marlin, Mike served seven years as the Director of Sales for the Office Equipment Group and managed the largest relationship at Marlin. At LEAF, he managed a sales team in the Diversified Markets Group. Mike earned a BA from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences. He resides in South Jersey with his wife.
Maria Borges-Lopez is North Mill’s Vice President of Human Resources, responsible for compliance, staffing, training, and employee development and relations. She is an accomplished HR professional with over 25 years of experience and has been with North Mill and its predecessor company for 18 years. Prior to joining North Mill, Maria was the HR Manager and Controller at Neumade Products, a manufacturer of motion picture theatre projection systems in Newtown, CT. Maria has served on various Community Boards and civic organizations and is a former Board Member of the Norwalk Hospital, Fair Rent Commissioner, Norwalk Senior Center.
Zuzanna Capozzi joined NMEF in June 2021 as a Treasury Manager. Prior to joining North Mill, she worked as PMS System Administrator/Accountant at Triple Point Technology, Inc in Westport CT, and Trade Finance Coordinator/Treasury at Kolmar Americas Inc. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Philology/Economics from the University of Finance and Management in Poland and AS in Business Administration from Norwalk Community College.
Paul Cheslock joined North Mill Equipment Finance in the fall of 2018 as Vice President, Customer Relations. Leveraging his more than 25 years of leasing sales leadership and customer relations experience, he supervises North Mill’s account management team. The team is responsible for cultivating relationships with referral agents and overseeing the many transactions that are submitted daily to the company. Paul is also responsible for building the strategy for North Mill’s business development program.
Before joining North Mill, Paul was Vice President, Indirect Markets for TimePayment, focusing on expanding and enhancing the company’s third-party referral source pipeline. Prior to TimePayment, he held various sales leadership and client relationship management roles at Marlin Equipment Finance, Leaf Equipment Finance and GE Capital in support of their small-ticket leasing and program initiatives. Paul earned his BS in Business Management from Almeda University. He resides in Columbia, Missouri with his wife and two children.
Kristin Coster, CLFP, is North Mill’s Vice President of Operations. She joined the company in the spring of 2017 as a paralegal. A few months later, Kristin was tapped to lead the company’s asset management department where she brought a new perspective to the team. Kristin introduced leading-edge technology and embedded a results-oriented methodology that greatly improved NMEF’s recovery efforts. Her role continued to expand and in 2019 she took on additional duties managing NMEF’s insurance and titling departments. A senior leader at NMEF, Kristin was listed in Monitor magazine’s esteemed “40 under 40” in 2021. Prior to joining North Mill, Kristin worked as a paralegal for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. She earned an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut and a BS in Criminal Justice from Montclair State University.
Matt Davis, VP of Accounting, is responsible for devising accounting efficiencies and strategies to improve the financial performance of North Mill. In this role, he works closely with team members, auditors and other external constituents to meet reporting requirements for the organization. Matt joined North Mill through the company’s acquisition of Aztec Financial. As an Aztec employee for 7 years, Matt oversaw all accounting and finance activities including the monthly close process, cash management, budget preparation, and consolidated financial reporting. Prior to his position at Aztec, Matt was the Corporate Controller for Liberty Safe, Inc. and Lake City International Inc. for 15 years where he performed similar roles. Matt also worked at a local CPA firm for 5 years specializing in audit and tax after earning both his MA and BA in Accounting from Southern Utah University. He resides in South Jordan, UT with his wife and 3 daughters.
Bruce Hudson, Assistant Vice President, Operations, joined NMEF in 2021. He’s responsible for creating, supporting, and continually evolving the sophisticated data infrastructure of the company given NMEF’s goal of being a fully data-driven organization. Bruce develops the reports that senior leadership uses to make critical business decisions. Prior to joining NMEF, he was the Operations Manager at Aztec Financial, a company NMEF acquired in 2021. In that role, Bruce was also responsible for maintaining the company’s data infrastructure. A graduate of The University of Utah, Bruce enjoys riding motorcycles during his free time and serves as a volunteer and technical consultant for a charity supporting survivors of domestic violence.
Doug Jackson, AVP of Documentation & Funding, CLFP, is responsible for refining the documentation process and customer experience for North Mill. Given Doug’s acumen and leasing experience, he’s also responsible for training all new employees in the department. Prior to joining North Mill, Doug held various roles at Hitachi Capital America Corp where he honed his leasing skills. In his last role with Hitachi, Doug managed all aspects of generating and booking loan contracts and developed advanced risk modules to improve the company’s data profile. Doug earned his BS in Finance from Syracuse University and received his CLFP in 2021. He resides in Norwalk, CT with his wife Allison.
Ellen Miller has over 30 years of experience in the leasing industry, specifically in the legal field. She joined North Mill in 2001 as a Paralegal and has taken on additional responsibilities over the years. She was promoted in 2020 to Vice President of Legal where she oversees a team of Paralegals that handle the various needs of the company. Before joining North Mill, Ellen was a Paralegal for 15 years at Mercedes-Benz Credit Corporation. She received her paralegal certificate at Gibbs College and continued her education at Western Connecticut State University.
Andrea joined NMEF in 2021, playing a key role in expanding North Mill’s West Coast presence. Having previously worked for both a vendor and a broker, her well rounded knowledge of the industry helped establish and grow North Mill’s discount programs and expand into the 1MM transaction space. Prior to working in the equipment finance industry, Andrea worked in Investor Relations handling tender offers, proxy contests, and merger & acquisitions services for clients like JP Morgan and Trian Partners. Andrea attended Columbia University and is currently enrolled a Professional Certificate Program through UCLA. She obtained her CLFP in 2022.
Kim Nugent has over 30 years of experience in the finance industry. She joined NMEF in 2021 as Vice President of Collections where she oversees a team of portfolio managers. Prior to joining NMEF, Kim held various leadership positions at both New Lane Finance and Marlin Business Solutions. At Marlin, Kim served 20 successful years in various positions, with the most recent position of Collections Manager. At Marlin, Kim was responsible for leading the collections department that consistently reporting some of the lowest delinquencies in the leasing industry. She initiated and implemented the company’s first dialer system and created a training program. At NewLane Finance, she was the Director of Servicing, managing the Customer Service and Collection Teams. Kim earned her BA in Finance from the University of Louisiana. She resides in South Jersey with her husband and 4 children.
Dedicated to improving operational adoption and efficiency of the proprietary FASTT originations platform and Salesforce.com. Over his career he has held positions in many facets of the business operations world including customer service, IT support, Salesforce.com administration, marketing, accounting, operations, reporting, team management and training, and even some HR roles. Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Weber State University. Lives in the Sale Lake City, UT area with his wife and three children.
Jeff Schick joined North Mill in the fall of 2020. He leads the portfolio accounting group overseeing cash applications, the recording of new originations and modifications, and performance metrics and efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining North Mill, Jeff spent twenty-five years at GE and GE Capital in various accounting roles including technical finance leader for the real estate services group where he led the implementation of the new lease accounting standard and earned Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. Jeff earned his BBA in accounting at Western Connecticut State University and an MBA in management at the University of Massachusetts.
Denise Steinberger joined North Mill in the Spring of 2021 as Vice President, Western Region. In her new role, Denise will be responsible for managing our west coast operations. Previously, she was the Director of HR and administration for Beazer Homes, a public home building company. She moved on to become the Director of Lease and Rental Operations for Great Western Leasing & Sales, a nationwide truck and trailer dealership. Prior to joining North Mill, Denise was with Partners Capital Group, a “Market Leading” brokerage where she was the VP of Operations. Denise received her AA in Communications from Orange Coast College.
Pierina Silvestre, AVP of Information Technology, CLFP, leads the development of North Mill’s operational process automation and the integration of the company’s data warehouse designed to bolster analytics and predictability. Prior to Pierina joining North Mill, Pierina worked as the business manager in the bespoke leather industry in which she cultivated relationships with high-end clientele, vendors, and manufacturers. Additionally, Pierina was an insurance producer when she was the principle of the Silver Lining Agency. She wrote hundreds of property and casualty policies and managed a revolving team of freelancers and independent insurance agents. Pierina earned her CLFP in 2021 and is currently enrolled in the University of Connecticut’s School of Business with an expected graduation date in 2023. She resides in Trumbull, CT, with her husband and daughter.
Mitch Tobak leads and supports initiatives in capital markets, financial reporting, portfolio analysis, M&A, and strategic projects. Having joined NMEF in early 2021, Mitch’s prior experience includes roles at both a global investment bank and global asset manager, where he gained significant experience in the analysis, structuring, and execution of various transaction structures in the transportation and energy sectors. At NMEF, Mitch employs both quantitative and qualitative acumen to solve some of the company’s most complex problems concerning risk, growth, and strategy. Mitch earned his degree from New York University with a double major in Physics and Economics.
Mary Armstrong joined NMEF in 2024 as a AVP – Relationship Management. She has been in the leasing industry for more than 2 decades. Most recently Mary held a similar position at Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., where she was a top performer for the past 16 years. Mary began her leasing career at Advanta Leasing, then moved to Canon Financial, where she held various positions including funding supervisor, and sales manager mentoring 20+ sales reps. Mary prides herself on building solid relationships with Third Party Originators. She obtained her CLFP designation in 2010 and in 2013 served on the Board of Directors.
In his role, Dan analyzes and prepares NMEF’s financial statements across the organizational structure, working closely with the Controller and the financial accounting team. Dan built his broad knowledge of accounting practices at his prior roles, which includes accounting positions at large companies in the foodservice and janitorial supply industry as well as inspection services. At NMEF, Dan utilizes his experience to produce NMEF’s financials accurately and efficiently and works to increase reporting efficiency on a forward-looking basis. Dan earned his BA in Accounting from The College of New Jersey.
Griffin Dulligan joined NMEF in 2017. During his tenure he’s worked in a variety of different departments from Customer Service, Remarketing, Account Management to his current role as AVP in Credit and gained invaluable experience along the way. In his current role Griffin is responsible for analyzing and structuring the thousands of deals North Mill receives each year. Griffin is a graduate from Indiana University (go Hoosiers!) and earned his CLFP in 2020.
Kate LeConey joined North Mill Equipment Finance in January 2021. She has close to 10 years of leasing industry experience including front-end sales, insurance, GPS, hard asset repossessions, and contract terminations. She is responsible for supporting the company’s referral agents with a focus on sales and marketing strategies. Prior to joining North Mill, Kate was a Senior Business Development Manager for Marlin Capital Solutions, showcasing an annual booked volume of over $12M. Kate resides in South Jersey with her husband and 2 children.
Deana joined North Mill in September 2021 through the acquisition of Aztec Financial, LLC. In January 2023, she was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Asset Recovery where she leads a team in arranging for the repossession of assets nationwide on contracts deemed to be in default by an Obligor. Deana has 9 years of finance and leasing experience which include front-end sales. Before joining North Mill, Deana was a Business Development Manager for Marlin Capital Solutions prospecting and booking sales in the transportation industry. Prior to business development, she was the finance manager for Rush Truck Centers of Utah, LLC, a premier solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry. Deana resides in Grantsville, UT, a suburb of Salt Lake City, UT where she spends much of her free time enjoying the great outdoors with her husband, 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
Max has been with North Mill for 5 years. Currently Assistant Vice President of Asset Management where he lead a team for evaluating assets on the front end and also sell repossessed assets on the back end. Additionally collaborate with other departments on a need be basis to help resolve any issues. His team prides itself on being professional, efficient and accessible while striving to achieve North Mill’s pursuance of excellence. Previously, Max worked in construction, sales and played professional baseball for the Los Angeles Angels. Outside of work Max enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 year old son, Leo.
A 10-year veteran of the equipment finance industry previously with Direct Capital and CIT Bank, having started in customer service and worked his way up to an AVP of Credit. Now in the same role at NMEF, Evan is responsible for managing our key relationships in the medical and franchise sectors, working larger/more complicated submits and assisting in training our analysts on how to handle these respective disciplines. He’s a remote employee working from New Hampshire that loves spending time outside with his fiancé in his beautiful state, and always enjoys the trips down to Norwalk to catch up with all our wonderful team members.