Leadership Team

John Dearing

John Dearing has played a key role in the growth of Capstone since 1996. As Managing Director, he oversees Capstone's project teams and leads strategic growth efforts for public and private clients, both internationally and domestically.

His experience transcends numerous manufacturing and service-oriented industries, including contract manufacturing, medical devices, life sciences, food processing, specialty chemicals, design, filtration, biotech, precision metal components, transportation, environmental consulting and financial services.

John's background also includes credit assessments and loan officer duties with the Export-Import Bank of the United States, The Americas Division, where he developed international banking and finance skills. As Co-Administrator of a health care insurance fund, John focused on accounting and operational efficiencies for for-profit and not-for-profit corporate entities. He gained additional consulting experience and privatization expertise while attending the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria.

John has taught hundreds of executives about proactive external growth, namely M&A, and valuation. He spoke on "Finding, Selecting, and Appointing Distributors: Your New Strategic Partner" at the Center for Innovative Technology's exporting technology conferences in Williamsburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia. He was subsequently asked to lead the VALET Program's lecture on "Strategic International Partnerships: Exploring External Growth" sponsored by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Additionally, his talk on "International Growth Strategies: Finding the Right Partner" was presented to the Central Virginia Trade Network. John is also the Chairman of the VITAL program's Mergers and Acquisitions Task Force.

John graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration at Georgetown University.

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), John is a member of the Washington Society of Investment Analysts. He is active on Bucknell's alumni board, and the founder of an investment partnership.

Advisory Board

James P. Dunn

Jim Dunn Jim is the CEO of TelStar Hosted. Jim led the acquisition of Telstar in 2009. Jim has spent over 30 years in the information and telecommunications industries in executive management roles. Prior to joining TelStar, Jim was a founding member and managing partner for D Partners, a boutique consulting firm focused on transforming tough business situations into profitable business ventures in the High Tech, Financial, BPO and Customer Care industries. Jim has operated as executive management for publicly and privately held companies like GE ITS, SITEL, Stream International, Access Graphics, Oppenheimer Funds, and Kemper. In addition to Capstone, Jim serves (or has served) on various boards including Remote Power, and CLBL.

Jim holds a BSBA and MBA from the University of Denver.

Dennis Mussell

Dennis Mussell is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicken of the Sea International, a nationally branded packaged seafood company. He served in that capacity from August 1997 until January 2005. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMND) He previously served in various senior capacities with Van Camp Seafood Company, Inc., the predecessor corporation to Chicken of the Sea International, including most recently Chief Operating Officer. Dennis has extensive work experience in the packaged food industry.

He holds a BS from Southwest Missouri State University.

Chris Cantarella

Chris Cantarella is a Senior Client Partner in the Dallas office of Korn/Ferry International where he is a member of the firm’s Private Equity, Technology, and Aerospace/Defense Practices. Chris’ specialty is working public and private equity backed companies that are poised for very significant growth or experiencing a buyout. Before entering the business world, Chris served eight years with the US Navy as a Radar Intercept Officer flying F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.

Chris received a BS in Engineering from the US Naval Academy and an MBA from The George Washington University. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s High Potentials Executive Leadership Program.

Janet White

Janet White Janet Kendall White is founder and President of Berkshire Group, Inc. an Ohio based national consulting firm that provides the full range of organization development services including strategic planning, process and profit improvement, training and development and executive coaching and facilitation.

Janet's expertise is in coaching leaders and working with groups of people to identify their desired business outcome and mobilizing energy to receive desired results. She is often called on to help facilitate complex problems with diverse groups of people and then to implement the project plan that is devised.

Janet holds an MBA from Hofstra University and has completed post-graduate work at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and National Training Labs. She is a Certified Professional Consultant (CPC) and is certified in a number of leadership and assessment instruments. Janet speaks nationally on leadership, entrepreneurship, process improvement and organization change.

Jamie Hutchinson

Jamie Hutchinson, a partner in Goodwin Procter's Business Law Department and a member of the Private Equity Group, practices in the areas of corporate, securities and private equity transactional law, primarily on behalf of private investment funds and their portfolio companies. He joined Goodwin Procter in 2006.

Jamie's practice has involved a full range of corporate and commercial transactions, including leveraged buy-outs, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and mezzanine financing transactions, private and public equity and debt offerings, senior secured loans, joint ventures and general corporate matters for public and private companies and private equity investment groups. In recent years, his practice has included assisting clients on behalf of private equity groups in the formation and acquisition of companies in various consolidating industries. In connection with this practice, Jamie is engaged in all aspects of leveraged buyouts, including equity formation documents, mergers and acquisitions and secured financing transactions.

He earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993 and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988.