Meet the Team

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

Before co-founding Alder Brooks, Mike co-founded Wolf Hill Group, a cybersecurity executive search firm acquired 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 magna cum laude 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.

Patty Sipes is a seasoned executive leader and strategist with over 30 years of experience driving growth, operational excellence, and organizational transformation across the healthcare, diagnostics, and life sciences sectors. Recognized by Top 100 Magazine as a Top Innovator and Entrepreneur, Patty brings a proven record of success as a CEO, CCO, and consultant to both private equity-backed and publicly traded organizations.

Her career includes executive leadership at Incyte Diagnostics, Inform Diagnostics, and PAML, as well as founding and leading Esoteric Lab Consultants — a strategic advisory firm specializing in business turnarounds, infrastructure optimization, and M&A readiness. Patty is known for her ability to assess leadership dynamics, identify growth opportunities, and match top talent with organizations positioned for transformation.

At Alder Brooks, Patty leverages her extensive C-suite experience and deep understanding of healthcare, diagnostics, and technology-driven businesses to advise clients on executive search, leadership alignment, and commercial strategy. She brings a unique blend of analytical precision, emotional intelligence, and integrity — ensuring every placement strengthens both the leadership team and the organization’s long-term success.

Colleen brings more than 25 years of experience across life sciences and healthcare, spanning enterprise sales, global talent leadership, and retained executive search. She has built talent functions from the ground up, partnered with leadership teams to drive growth, and delivered executive searches across life sciences and healthcare organizations.

Her unique combination of operating experience and search expertise makes her exceptionally well positioned to help companies secure the leadership they need—exactly when they need it.

At Alder Brooks, Colleen will lead Interim Leadership Solutions, a dedicated division focused on placing fractional and interim executives for organizations navigating critical moments—whether that’s rapid growth, leadership transitions, or post-close integration. She will also partner closely with clients as they convert interim needs into permanent executive hires.

Alicia Montgomery is an executive search and talent strategy leader with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations build the leadership teams needed to grow, scale, and transform. She brings deep experience across life sciences and healthcare, with a focus on biopharma, health tech, and private equity. Most recently, she served as Chief Talent and Recruiting Officer at Slone Partners, where she led recruiting operations, developed high-performing teams, and partnered with senior leadership on talent strategy and organizational effectiveness. Prior to Slone Partners, Alicia served as Senior Engagement Director at Morgan Samuels, where she advised clients on critical leadership hires and played a key role in managing and growing the firm’s medtech practice.

Alicia brings a practical understanding of how talent and leadership hiring decisions shape business performance, team effectiveness, and long-term growth. As Managing Director, she partners with C-suite leaders, investors, boards, and executive teams to understand the business priorities behind each search and develop clear strategies to identify and attract the right talent. Alicia believes the right leader can change the pace, performance, and trajectory of a business - unlocking growth, scale, and potential that cannot be achieved through strategy alone. 

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Holly Smith is an experienced executive search consultant with over a decade of experience supporting life sciences companies from early-stage through commercialization. She specializes in partnering with founders, CEOs, andinvestors to deliver targeted search strategies for leadership roles that require deep scientific fluency and industry expertise.

Her career includes executive search leadership at Slone Partners, founding her own boutique firm, Holly Smith Strategic Search, and earlier sales and product leadership roles at Charles River Laboratories. This combination of operating experience and search expertise gives her a strong understanding of the full drug development lifecycle and the talent required to build and scale high-performing teams.

At Alder Brooks, Holly focuses on executing retained searches for high-growth life sciences companies, bringing a high-touch, consultative approach to each engagement. She is particularly experienced in biopharma and AI-driven business models, strengthening the firm’s ability to support clients building teams in complex and emerging areas of the industry.

Holly holds an MBA with a specialization in Health Care Administration from Rivier University and is a Lean Six Sigma White Belt.