David Ackert, MA
Co-Founder and CEO
David is Co-Founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, PipelinePlus. He is a highly regarded business development thought leader. Over the past two decades, David has pioneered revenue acceleration programs for hundreds of professional services firms around the globe.
He is the founder of several groundbreaking ventures in the industry, including Legal Lift, the MLR100, the MLR200, BDI, numerous Managing Partner Roundtables, and the PipelinePlus software suite. His programs have won “Your Honor Awards” in both the U.S. and Canada, and his software has been featured in NLJ’s “Technologies on the Rise.” David regularly keynotes at partner retreats and speaks at industry conferences. He also serves as a guest lecturer at USC’s Marshall School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, and at the UCLA School of Law.
David is the bestselling author of The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most, published by Greenleaf. The book is a Gold Winner of the 2025 Nonfiction Book Award. His work has also been published and quoted in several other business books and media, including the Los Angeles Times, the National Review, the Daily Journal, the Wall Street Journal, Above the Law, Attorney at Work, The Recorder, ALM, and the Los Angeles Business Journal. His Market Leaders Podcast has won JD Supra’s Reader’s Choice Award for two consecutive years.
David volunteers as a Big Brother with the Big Brothers and Sisters program in Los Angeles. He is also the co-founder of Voices in Harmony, a mentoring organization that has worked with at-risk youth around the globe. He co-produced and appeared in the documentary film, “After Kony: Staging Hope,” chronicling mentoring programs he helped to design and facilitate for former child soldiers in Northern Uganda. The film was used as part of an awareness-raising campaign that raised millions of dollars for health and education in underserved Ugandan communities. David’s charitable work earned the “Difference Maker” award from one of his alma maters, Ithaca College.
David holds a master’s in psychology and is a Fellow at the College of Law Practice Management.
Rebecca Nassi, JD, MA
Co-Founder & Senior Coach
Rebecca Nassi, JD, MA, is Co-Founder & Senior Coach at Ackert. She is also a highly sought-after advisor among Ackert’s esteemed faculty of Senior Coaches. Rebecca’s expertise in coaching draws on her own experiences as an entrepreneur, service provider, and former practicing attorney, and her work is further grounded by her Master’s in Psychology, coaching certification, as well as research in wellness and neuroscience.
Rebecca is passionate about positively impacting her community through her involvement in various non-profits. She contributes her expertise to various organizations in the Los Angeles area. She has also worked with war-torn youth in Northern Uganda, chronicled in the award-winning documentary feature film, “After Kony: Staging Hope,” available on Amazon Prime.
When not working with clients or researching the latest trends in neuroscience, Rebecca whips up a matcha latte and unplugs over a good book (fantasy and magic realism are her favorite genres) or TV show (mostly BBC period and crime dramas). She also enjoys meditation and long hikes by the ocean and is an enthusiastic dog-lover.
Hannah Smith, JD
Director of Business Development
Hannah Smith serves as the Director of Business Development at PipelinePlus, where she leads strategic growth efforts, partnerships, and sales initiatives across the company’s coaching, consulting, and software offerings. With over a decade of business development experience—and a background practicing law—Hannah understands firsthand the challenges professionals face when it comes to building meaningful relationships and growing a book of business.
Her ability to “speak the language” of lawyers and other professionals allows her to bridge the gap between high-level business development strategy and practical, everyday implementation. She partners with firm leaders and BD teams to help them translate growth goals into simple, effective actions that drive results.
A Cincinnati native, Hannah recently returned to her hometown after several years living across the country. When she’s not helping firms tackle business development challenges, she’s busy with her favorite new role: mom to her baby girl, Sophia. You can also find her spending time with her husband and two dogs or cheering on her Bengals.
Jennifer Castleberry
Fractional Marketing Director
Jennifer Castleberry is a certified coach and senior marketing strategist with deep expertise in brand strategy, campaign development, and client engagement for professional services firms. As Fractional Marketing Director for PipelinePlus, she brings a strategic, hands-on approach to initiatives that elevate visibility, drive business development, and deliver meaningful client experiences.
Over the course of her 20-plus-year career, Jennifer has built and led high-performing marketing teams at Am Law 100, 200, and mid-sized firms. Her portfolio includes award-winning brand campaigns, video productions, website launches, and client-focused innovation programs. She has developed and executed firm events that attract high-value clients and sponsors, and she leads integrated marketing campaigns from initial concept through final delivery, always with a strong focus on client impact.
A dedicated mentor and people-first leader, Jennifer obtained her coaching certification in 2024 to further strengthen her approach to BD coaching, marketing, and team development. Outside of work, she serves on the board of her local YMCA, pursues photography, and is currently learning the art of silversmithing.
Jackie Kappus
Director of Community and Strategic Alliances
Jackie Kappus is a connector, strategist, and advocate for real conversations in the legal industry. As Director of Community and Strategic Alliances at PipelinePlus, she leads the firm’s invitation-only roundtables for law firm leaders, as well as Legal Lift — a one-day forum designed to bring in-house counsel and law firm partners together to collaborate, challenge assumptions, and build trust.
Jackie began her journey in legal nearly a decade ago, building best-in-class forums for in-house leaders and forging deep relationships across the legal ecosystem. Her work with Joe Tiano at Legal Decoder gave her a firsthand look at the operational and financial side of law firm life — particularly the nuanced challenges around pricing, value alignment, and client expectations. That experience continues to inform how she approaches conversations between firms and clients today.
At PipelinePlus, Jackie also oversees the development of strategic alliances with legal tech companies, consultants, and expert faculty. She believes that strong communities don’t just happen — they’re designed — and she’s committed to creating spaces where smart, generous professionals can share ideas, solve problems, and connect on a human level.
She is known for her relationship-first approach, unrelenting curiosity, and talent for turning informal conversations into meaningful collaboration.
