Mike is the Co-Founder and CEO of Alder Brooks. He is a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur with a proven track record in commercial leadership, having co-founded Wolf Hill Group (sold to Slone Partners) and served as Chief Commercial Officer at Pathology, Inc.

Before co-founding Alder Brooks, Mike co-founded Wolf Hill Group, a cybersecurity executive search firm that was acquired by Slone Partners in 2022.

Earlier in his career, Mike was the second employee at Slone Partners, where he played a key role in the firm's growth, holding leadership positions including Chief Operating Officer and President of Cybersecurity. He also held VP of Sales roles at LabCorp and Sonic Healthcare and served as Chief Commercial Officer at Pathology, Inc., backed by ABS Capital (sold to LabCorp).

Mike graduated with honors from Le Moyne College, earned an M.A. in Applied Physiology from Columbia University, and completed his MBA at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.

He enjoys skiing with his family, swimming, and walking his Bernese Mountain Dogs in the Colorado mountains.

Stephen is an Advisory Board Member of Alder Brooks and Co-Founder.  Stephen was formerly a Senior Managing Director within Blackstone’s advisory business located in New York and London.  While at Blackstone Stephen advised the firm's corporate and sovereign clients on acquisitions, divestitures, private capital raises, and financial restructurings.  Stephen began his career on Wall Street at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.  In 2015 Stephen founded Acabonac Farms, a regenerative agricultural enterprise that works to better the environment and improve animal and human health.

Stephen is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Stephen is married, has three children, enjoys ranching, traveling and playing blackjack.

Tim Johnson has over 25 years experience of combined healthcare private equity, M&A and financial advisory experience.  He has been an active investor and board member and led the growth in numerous healthcare companies including: Horizon Infusions, LabConnect Inc., BioInformatics Inc., Pathology Inc. (exited), DrugScan, Inc. and DSI Medical Services (exited), and DCL Medical Laboratories (exited).  

Tim has been a Partner at BroadOak Capital, was a co-founder of Mt. Weather Capital, and founding partner of England & Company.  Previously, he was an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney, CIBC World Markets, and Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. and began his career as a CPA at Arthur Andersen.

​Tim earned a B.S. in Accounting (magna cum laude) and M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Maryland.

Ms. Vicki DiFrancesco is an influential leader in the laboratory industry and was formerly responsible for building and executing XiFiN’s corporate business development strategies including acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships that advance company growth. She remains a Strategic Advisor for XiFiN after retiring in 2022 and now is also a Board Advisor for Alder Brooks.

Ms DiFrancesco was appointed as the first member of US HealthTek’s Advisory Board in March 2023 and a Non Executive Board Director for SpeeDx in September 2023.

Prior to XIFIN, Vicki served as President and CEO of Pathology Inc., the west coast’s premier women’s health laboratory that was acquired by LabCorp in March 2016. Previously, DiFrancesco was Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Spectrum Laboratory Network where she grew revenues and drove expansion into new markets. She also served as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Specialty Laboratories Inc., where she oversaw marketing, customer service and was instrumental in sale of company to Ameripath in 2005.

Earlier in her career, Vicki worked as the Vice President of Hospital Sales and Marketing at Quest Diagnostics, Inc.  She has also held executive level positions with American Medical Laboratories, sold to Quest Diagnostics, and Laboratory Corporation of America. Vicki formerly served on the Board of Directors of PWNHealth, LLC, sold to Spectrum Equity.

Chris is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Chief Clinical Officer at Calm, playing a key role in shaping the brand’s evidence-based programs and spearheading clinical research. With his wealth of experience as an executive healthcare leader at Yale New Haven Health, Johnson and Johnson, Rivermend Health, Advanced Recovery Systems, Vida Health, and a Board Advisor for Alder Brooks, Chris has demonstrated his expertise in building and leading integrated healthcare services.

Chris is also a seasoned Registered Dietitian, noted for his acumen in launching and growing health-focused organizations. His thought leadership is evident in the numerous scientific publications, clinical  programs, and presentations he’s developed on a variety of topics such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mental health, integrated care, obesity, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.

Chris received his undergraduate degree in Biology & Psychology from Bucknell University, his MS in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts, his PhD in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt, and his MBA from Yale.

Dr. Thane Kreiner is an experienced biotech executive and board member with deep expertise in scientific innovation, global growth, and inclusive leadership. He was instrumental in scaling Affymetrix (now Thermo Fisher) from startup to IPO and a $10B market cap, commercializing the world’s first DNA chip systems.

Thane has served as founding CEO of four venture-backed bioscience companies, including iPierian (acquired by BMS), Presage Biosciences, Second Genome, and iAccessCare. He currently serves on the boards of ADEii Health and Conservation X Labs, and advises startups on strategy, governance, and investor relations.

As Executive Director of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, he expanded its global accelerator to 1,000 enterprises in 100 countries—impacting over 450 million lives. He co-founded Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) at Santa Clara University, connecting hundreds of executives to corporate board service.

Thane holds a PhD in Neurosciences and an MBA from Stanford University, and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.