University & Family Business Centers Committee Chair Believes His Group Key to Future PDA Growth

When Nicholas Tyszka received an inquiry from a long-term client who was considering an ESOP for his family business as a way to take cash off the table during a generational transition, he had to get conversant on the nuances of those transactions. And he had to do it quickly. That’s how he found the Private Directions Association (PDA).

Along with a flurry of articles from legal journals that helped get him up to speed with the nuances of Employee Stock Ownership Plans, he discovered PDA’s course on ESOP Governance Essentials.

“While the solution for our client was ultimately not to do an ESOP, the best outcome for me was really getting to know the Private Directors Association and beginning to understand the resources that it has for its members. And what I discovered was a vibrant and growing organization, really filling a gap for smaller to middle-market companies that were often forgot about by some of the larger governance organizations.”

Not too long after completing the Certificate in Private Company Governance and the two elective courses on ESOPs and Private Equity, a founding PDA member reached out to Tyszka to gauge his interest in getting involved with the organization’s committee work.

An attorney at Handler Law, LLP in Chicago with an advanced LLM degree in corporate governance, almost all of his work is confined to advanced planning for family offices and their businesses – often working with families as they progress from the operation of a legacy business into the development of a family office. And while most of the lawyers in his firm focus on tax and estate planning, Tyszka’s niche has become governance.

So when Tyszka discovered that PDA had a committee focused on University & Family Business Centers, it seemed like a natural fit. Nine months later, he was selected to chair the committee during the 2025 year.

Purpose of the Committee

The committee’s charter explains that: “The purpose of the University & Family Business Centers (UFBC) Committee is to build institution-level relationships with University-Based Family and Private Business Centers, executive business administration and governance education programs, and associated academic accelerators, innovation centers, incubators involving governance programs throughout the U.S. (and internationally), to establish and leverage the PDA as a go to resource for private company success through effective governance.”

Composition of Committee

To be credible with these sorts of centers, it was abundantly clear to Tyszka that if the committee was to be successful, it would need to include members who had significant experience within family businesses. He is happy to report that aside from himself, almost all of the committee members played an active role in at least one of their own family’s enterprises – ranging in gross annual revenue from $5 million to over $1 billion.

In addition to Tyszka, 2025 committee members include: Daniel Linder; Chris Anderson; Collin Chung, Ferey Faridian, Jeffrey Koeze; Christin McClave; Glenn Smith; and Allie Taylor.

“Our committee members all have both business acumen and experience working within a family business –  and all of the relationship dynamics that go along with it. And that’s really perfect for what we’re trying to accomplish when we’re working with colleges and universities and approaching them with partnership opportunities.”

“Whether it’s a center director or a participating business, they don’t want to feel like they are being solicited by an outside service provider who wants to sell consulting,” Tyszka added. “To be credible, we had to have folks with real world experience within family businesses and who believe in the work of fostering good governance. And that’s exactly what we got from this year’s committee applicants.” 

Current Initiatives

“PDA is undergoing a lot of change right now,” Tyszka said. “And our committee is evidence of this. Instead of it being comprised of just a couple of people like last year, we now have eight folks and an ex-officio past chair. So there’s a good opportunity for our committee to get more done.”

“But before we can strategize on what our PDA offerings will be for these centers moving forward, we felt that it was essential to assess the critical needs of these programs,” said Tyszka. “Rather than tell centers what we can deliver, we first need to understand the challenges that are being faced by these programs and their member businesses. We need to know what they need, from their perspective.”

“The obvious first step was to create a survey for these programs so that they can prioritize their needs and we can better identify how our resources align with their gaps.”

That survey is in process, and the committee hopes to release its results by mid-Fall.

Why the Committee Matters

“You never want to say that one committee matters more than another,” said Tyszka. “But my gut feeling is that if our committee is successful, so too will PDA. Many of these academic centers have dozens – if not hundreds – of member businesses. And most of them belong to these family business centers as a way to improve their governance and navigate challenges as they face rapid growth or even exit. Our committee stands to be the nexus between those businesses and our “one PDA” organization.”

“If PDA can demonstrate value and provide much-needed resources to programs that are often under-funded, we can become a long-term partner. We want to be a peer in effort toward better corporate governance in America, not just a service provider.

“We stand to be an important educational provider, a place for peer networking, and a resource for placing board members as they expand outward and begin to include independent directors.”

According to Tyszka, the Centers often need help with programming and content. Businesses seek that, along with opportunities for peer networking. They also often need help with it comes to finding board talent versed in the special dynamics of a family business. And he believes that fits nicely with the work of PDA.

How the Greater PDA Membership Can Help

The committee has identified more than ninety such programs across the country. And with eight committee members, there is opportunity for non-committee members to also get involved.

“If you are a PDA member and are already working closely with one of these programs, please call me or e-mail me,” said Tyszka. “While we’re working to build new relationships with centers with whom we’ve never partnered, it’s far easier to build upon existing relationships if our members already have them. We are building the future infrastructure through relationships, and we welcome to the broader membership’s help.”

“My feeling is that if we’re successful, it will also benefit local chapters as they consider events and programs within their own regions,” Tyszka added.

Looking Ahead

Once the survey is concluded, the committee expects to publish its results and begin to assess what the greatest needs are among these groups. The committee will then work across PDA to determine what resources already exist, and what can be developed to accommodate other needs.