Our Associates

Brian McMerty

Managing Partner
bmcmerty@ccesearch.com

Brian is a Partner at Carlyle & Conlan. A North Carolina CPA, graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with an MBA from the Duke University School of Business, Brian has held high level executive officer positions in finance and accounting over the years, including Chief Financial Officer of a large, international public real estate development and management company. While employed by a Big 8 accounting firm, Brian helped lead the audits of several public and private companies, including one of the largest corporations in the world.

Before joining Carlyle & Conlan, Brian led several successful high-tech companies. His dynamic style and ability to form solid business alliances has uniquely qualified him to lead Carlyle & Conlan. Brian specializes in placing top-tier mid-level and senior-level professionals in world-class companies.

Anastasia C. Pucci

Senior Partner
apucci@ccesearch.com

Anastasia is a founding partner of Carlyle & Conlan and currently serves as Carlyle & Conlan's Managing Partner. Anastasia has fourteen years of experience in Executive Search and Recruitment, with special emphasis on Clinical Development in the field of Life Sciences.

Anastasia began her career in Canada, working with one of the country's largest search and consulting firms. Early in her tenure she was recruited to open the company's first U.S. office in Raleigh, NC. For four and a half years, Anastasia was instrumental in growing their local office into a multi-million dollar business. Her contributions included building a diverse network of clients from many major corporations, including Nortel Networks, IBM and GlaxoSmithKline, to a group of "skills-on-demand" emerging growth companies.  She consistently ranked as the #1 U.S. Search Consultant within the firm and Top 5 globally. 

Since co-founding Carlyle & Conlan nine years ago, Anastasia has been personally involved in launching each specialty practice area, recruiting the best and brightest Search Consultants to join Carlyle & Conlan's team and continuously developing and enhancing Carlyle & Conlan's strategic approach to executive and individual contributor search.

Anastasia is also very active in the local community serving on the Board of the CED, CED's Executive Committee, and chairing CED's Human Resources Committee.  In 2008 she was named one of Business Leader's Movers and Shakers and a Top 25 Human Resources Impact Player.   

Anastasia is a graduate of Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, having spent her formative years in England and South Africa.  Her passions include her family and her business, and her hobbies include scuba diving and occasional rounds of golf.

Don Alexander

Vice President, Life Sciences Development and Commercialization
dalexander@ccesearch.com

With over a decade of executive search industry experience, Don has spent the last several years focusing on executive search with a concentration on local and national search projects for mid to senior level professionals in the Life Sciences. His searches have involved senior level individual contributors through C level executives, with particular emphasis on sales, business development, marketing, product development, project management and pre-clinical R&D. In addition, Don has prior experience recruiting in Technology and Engineering. An enabler of relationships that have resulted in quantifiable goodwill for his constituency, Don is recognized by his clients, candidates and peers, as routinely creating value through a powerful network and deep industry knowledge. Throughout his recruiting career, Don has consistently finished in the top quartile of his peer group.

Prior to the recruiting industry, Don spent several years in the financial services industry and managed several million dollars in assets. He holds the designations of CFP® and AAMS® and a BA in Business Management and Economics from North Carolina State University.

Anna Bonner

Senior Search Manager
abonner@ccesearch.com

Anna Bonner is a Senior Search Manager who supports both the Life Sciences and Technology search practices.

Anna began her career as a bench scientist in human health research, specifically Neurotoxicology and Inhalation Sciences (also published under AM McElveen). After closely working with scientists of multiple levels (technical, postdoctoral, director) for 8 years, she transferred her investigational skills into the scientific recruiting arena. Anna is a graduate of UNC Greensboro holding degrees in Biology and Biopsychology.  

Anna is dedicated to cultivating long-term relationships and to providing exceptional quality and service. Her searches are both local and national in scope, including mid- to senior level professionals from individual contributors through executive level management.

Anna is kept very busy with her lively family, and she especially enjoys the outdoors with a passion for fly fishing.

Erica Langdon

Director, Technology
elangdon@ccesearch.com

With over seven years of industry experience, Erica Langdon is focused on fostering excellent relationships with her clients while enhancing her candidate's careers. Erica spent the first part of her career as a Recruiting Manager, working across several industries and disciplines to assist her clients with their interim consultant needs. For the last four years, Erica has focused her efforts on executive leadership and individual contributors within the fields of Technology, Sales, and Marketing.

Erica has won many sales and team contribution awards, in addition to being awarded standing in the President’s Club for the past three years. Erica is a graduate from the University of Maine with a Master's Degree in Communications. When not working, Erica spends her leisure time reading, jogging and playing golf.

Joe Lucas

Director, Accounting/Finance
jlucas@ccesearch.com

With over 15 years of executive search experience, Joe concentrates on recruiting C-level to mid-level accounting / finance professionals dedicated to driving long-term organizational success. Joe helps clients, ranging from fortune 500 to early stage companies, build and restructure teams that can meet continuous competitive challenges. In doing so, Joe recruits talent for C-level, VP, Director, and individual contributors heading critical functions in accounting / finance.

Joe’s corporate career includes holding senior level roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and General Electric Company, before starting a successful career in executive search over 15 years ago.

Cody Hamilton

Business Manager
chamilton@ccesearch.com

With over 15 years of business management experience, Cody Hamilton joins Carlyle & Conlan in the role of Business Manager. In this capacity, Cody supports the day to day accounting, finance and operations functions of Carlyle & Conlan. Further, he carries the responsibilities for human resource administration, facilities maintenance and internal technology project management.

Cody grew up outside of the Charlotte, NC area, later attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterwards, he opted to remain in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill area and has lived and worked in all 3 major local markets during his professional life. Needless to say he enjoys calling NC’s Triangle area his home.

In his spare time, he likes to explore the world and has traveled extensively. After traveling to destinations in Europe, Asia-Minor, Northern Africa, as well as many parts of the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, it is his dream to be able to say one day that he has set foot on all major inhabited parts of the entire world.

 

Thomas Lyell McMerty

Research Associate
tmcmerty@ccesearch.com

Lyell joined Carlyle & Conlan in 2009 as a Research Associate following his education at Duke University. He is primarily responsible for supporting executive search and recruitment efforts in the Life Sciences and Technology practices. 

Lyell enjoys exercising, biking, swimming and hunting, as well as relaxing with his many friends.

Andi Matt

Research Associate
amatt@ccesearch.com

Andi Matt joined Carlyle & Conlan in December 2009.  In the role of Research Associate, Andi works with Account Executives to advance their executive search and recruitment efforts.  Making efficient use of a variety of research strategies and tools, she supports all of the company’s practice areas, including Life science, Technology, Accounting and Finance, and Healthcare. 

Andi grew up on the coast in Wilmington, NC, where she attended Cape Fear Academy from the first through the twelfth grade.  A Tar Heel fan since birth, Andi headed to Chapel Hill after high school to complete her undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina; in May 2009, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor degree in Social and Economic Justice. 

Outside of her professional life, Andi enjoys traveling, politics, singing, sports, and spending time with her family and friends.