Staff Profiles

John R. Burley, Jr.
President and Principal Acquisition Advisor

Mr. Burley serves as the Firm’s President, Principal Acquisition Advisor, and Senior Valuation Analyst. His primary areas of expertise include business valuation, acquisition consulting, deal structuring, negotiations, and due diligence. Mr. Burley has served as President, Vice President, and Director of various technology companies ranging in size from $1 million to $200 million in annual revenues, including such organizations as Gestalt Systems, Washington Data Systems, International FiberCom, and Computer Technology Services. With over 10 years experience in the technology sector, Mr. Burley has led numerous corporate acquisitions, and is an acknowledged expert in the sale, merger, and acquisition of small and mid-size technology companies.

Mr. Burley is also a published author of articles relating to the technology industry. He has been an expert guest on technology programs, and has delivered numerous seminars and trainings on topics including corporate development, M&A, and business valuation. Mr. Burley has extensive training in financial management, financial recasting, and mergers and acquisitions. He is a Certified Business Transfer Specialist and Financial Recasting Consultant, and is a member of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.

As a leader in the community, Mr. Burley has also served in roles ranging from volunteer to committee chair. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the State of Maryland Department of Education, the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, and other non-profit organizations.

Christina L. Kinzer
Associate Director, Acquisition Management

Ms. Kinzer serves as the firm’s Associate Director of Acquisition Management. She has extensive experience working with high-level executives, small businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures. The firm also benefits from Ms. Kinzer’s previous positions as an Operation Manager, Office Manager, Marketing Specialist and military experience. Furthermore, Ms. Kinzer is training and skilled in finance, accounting, and business operations.

Craig W. Gilbert
Acquisition Advisor

Mr. Gilbert serves as a Senior Acquisition Advisor, Managing Director of Capital Markets, and Valuation Analyst.  His primary areas of expertise include acquisition consulting, business valuation, acquisition search and management, interaction with capital markets, and investor relations consulting.  Mr. Gilbert draws on a broad and diverse background that includes Director-level investor relations positions with The Black & Decker Corporation and Washington Gas, and multiple product management positions with P&L responsibilities. Mr. Gilbert’s experience includes small and large corporations, regulated and unregulated, public and private. He has specific expertise in technology, manufacturing, engineering and service firms.  Over his 16-year corporate career prior to Burley & Associates, Mr. Gilbert has been involved in mergers and acquisitions on a number of levels.  He has integrated new acquisitions on a marketing operations level, assisted in the search and analysis of acquisitions from a corporate finance perspective, and communicated mergers and acquisitions to Wall Street on an investor relations level.

Mr. Gilbert holds a BSBA from the University of Delaware and an MBA in Finance and International Business from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Active in the community, Mr. Gilbert has been involved in athletics for over two decades with experience coaching youth baseball in  Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In addition, he is active in his church and other community organizations.

Lorette D. Farris
Acquisition Advisor

Ms. Farris serves as an Acquisition Advisor and Director of Small Business Development. Her primary areas of expertise include corporate securities, acquisition search and management, SEC and NASD compliance, and business development consulting. Ms. Farris’ professional background is inclusive of Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Compliance with two full service investment-banking brokerage firms. Overseeing syndicate functions for corporate finance activities, due diligence reviews, deal structuring, negotiating underwriting contracts for private placements, IPOs, and secondary offerings. Ms. Farris also has extensive experience working with corporate executives and upper management in developing and designing company goals, plans and procedures, including exit strategies and acquisition plans.

Ms. Farris has appeared in several respected publications and has been honored on numerous occasions for her diligence and dedication to assisting entrepreneurs and emerging companies. She has generously applied her expertise as a guest speaker, panelist, and workshop/seminar trainer on numerous occasions.

In touch with her community, Ms. Farris has held board seats with such organizations as the Urban Financial Services Coalition, PAL and the Little League.

Martin J. Lattman
Management Consultant

Mr. Lattman serves as a management consultant to many clients of the Firm. His primary areas of expertise include acquisition search methodology, process management, market positioning, and strategic consulting. Mr. Lattman is particularly adept at assisting management in preparing their company for a merger or acquisition and developing the strategic approach to completing these transactions. Mr. Lattman came to the Firm with a comprehensive set of skills from his 26-year corporate career in the technology sector, where he held a variety of executive positions including President of RAD Data Communications, a $40M provider of telecom equipment; and President and CEO of Rocketseed, Inc., a start-up software company. He also held positions earlier in his career as a Vice President of Marketing, Vice President of Product Management, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, and Vice President of Channel Sales. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Lattman was intimately involved in a number of corporate acquisitions and other strategic partnerships which are directly related to the Burley & Associates M&A practice.

Mr. Lattman is also an active educator. He serves as a member of the Practitioner Faculty at the Johns Hopkins University Graduate School of Business, where he teaches MBA courses in marketing management and financial analysis. At Johns Hopkins University, he has been appointed to several key posts, including membership on the Practitioner Faculty Committee and a seat on the Faculty Board of Advisors. Mr. Lattman holds an MBA degree from Cornell University and a BA degree from The College of Wooster.

In his community, Mr. Lattman has served as President of the local sports association, as well as commissioner and coach, and enjoys making a contribution to our youth.