GA-Advisors

James R. Sasser, Senior Diplomat and Political Advisor – Mr. Sasser served as The United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 1995 to 2001. He currently serves in an advisory role of U.S. FORTUNE 500 companies engaged in business in the People’s Republic of China. Prior to his service in China, the Ambassador was the United States Senator from the State of Tennessee from 1977 to 1995. In that capacity, he was Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget. He has also served as a Fellow for the Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.

M. William Benedetto, Senior Capital Markets Advisor – Mr. Benedetto has extensive experience in corporate finance advisory services and fundraising for private equity firms. He is a founder of Benedetto Gartland and Co., which has provided services to a wide variety of companies including Household International, Monsanto, Carey International, the Donna Karan Companies and the Potomac Electric and Gas Company. Prior to the formation of his firm, Mr. Benedetto served as Executive Vice President, Director and Manager of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. Investment Banking Division, where he was responsible for corporate advisory services and the development of investment products for the firm’s retail and institutional distribution systems. Mr. Benedetto is a member of the Board of Directors of Georgetown University, Chairman of its Board of Regents and former Chairman of the Securities Industry Association’s Corporate Finance Committee.

Dennis I. Meyer, Senior Legal Advisor – Mr. Meyer has extensive experience in the Travel and Tourism Industry through his leadership in the expansion of Baker & McKenzie LLP worldwide; his involvement in the leveraged buyout of Northwest Airlines; his development of several Tournament Players golf course communities, including the TPC at Avenel (Potomac, Maryland) and the TPC at Piper Glen (Charlotte, North Carolina); his participation with the Portman Group in the development of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City; and as a member of the Board of Directors of Carey International, Inc. He is Senior Counsel, Baker & McKenzie LLP; former Chairman of the Executive Committee of Baker & McKenzie LLP; and Adjunct Professor in International Law at Georgetown University Law School.

John G. Quigley, Senior Private Equity Advisor – Mr. Quigley has extensive experience as a principal investor in the private equity and venture capital business for over twenty-five years. He was a founder and managing partner of Nassau Capital, the independent firm established in 1995 to exclusively manage the Princeton University endowment’s alternative investments. Nassau was formed with the mandate to invest for Princeton (whose endowment today is roughly $15 billion) across the spectrum of venture capital, private equity, real estate and energy, both in funds and directly.  Mr. Quigley's seminal experiences came in the 1980s as a partner of Adler & Shaykin, a pioneering firm in the leveraged buyout business. Over the years, Mr. Quigley has served as a director of companies in a wide range of industries, as well as on the advisory boards of a number of private equity firms.  Mr. Quigley is a graduate of Georgetown (A.B., summa cum laude), Stanford (J.D., M.B.A.) and Columbia (M.Phil.), and a Trustee of the Woodstock Theological Center, the prominent Jesuit thinktank.

David Mongeau, Avington Financial – Mr. Mongeau is currently Founder and Chairman of Avington Financial. He previously worked for CIBC World Markets as Vice Chairman and Global Head of Hospitality Investment Banking as well as Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions. Prior to that, he spent seven years working with the Four Seasons Hotels in various capacities, including Senior Vice President, Strategy and Acquisitions, and General Counsel. Mr. Mongeau is currently Vice Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council. He earned his LLB degree from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, and is recognized as a leading Investment Banker in the travel, tourism, hospitality and leisure industries. Avington Financial and Global Alliance Advisors will act as Alliance Partners, with activities that include co-advisory relationships and the sharing of resources.