PAUL PIGNATARO is the founder and CEO of the New York School of Finance (NYSF). He has over thirteen years of experience in investment banking and private equity in business mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, asset divestitures, asset acquisitions, and debt and equity transactions covering the oil, gas, power and utility, internet and technology, real estate, defense, travel, banking, and service industries. At NYSF, Mr. Pignataro continues to participate on the training team, actively providing training at bulge bracket banks and M&A teams at corporations and billion dollar funds. Prior to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Mr. Pignataro worked at TH Lee Putnam Ventures, a $1 billion private equity firm affiliated with buyout giant Thomas H. Lee Partners. Prior to that, he worked in the Investment Banking department of Morgan Stanley.