Home
People
Private Credit

Private Credit Team

Our private credit team provides senior debt, junior debt, unitranche and minority equity co-investments as a lead or participant with other lenders.

James D. Conklin, Managing Director & Group Head

James Conklin is managing director, Group Head of Private Credit for Western & Southern Financial Group. He joined the company in 2022 to help launch a lower middle-market focused unitranche lending strategy.

Conklin has 20 years of experience in financial services. Before joining Western & Southern, he was a managing director at First Financial Bank where he was responsible for sourcing, structuring and monitoring leveraged credit transactions. Prior, he held a number of roles of increasing responsibility at Fifth Third Bank, concluding his career there as a managing director.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from Xavier University and a Master of Business Administration cum laude from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife reside in Cincinnati with their two children.

Charley M. W. Barrett, Vice President

Charley Barrett is vice president of private credit for Western & Southern Financial Group. He joined the company in 2023 to support business development, structuring and portfolio monitoring for the company’s private credit business.

Barrett has 15 years of experience in lending and capital markets. Before joining Western & Southern, he was in business development at Fifth Third Bank, where he focused on off-the-run middle market lending opportunities. Formerly, he was a workout officer at First Financial Bank with primary responsibility for the restructuring of troubled commercial loans. He began his career in securitization at Barclays Investment Bank.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from Fordham University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati.

He and his wife reside in Cincinnati with their four children.

Dominic A. Hering, Vice President

Dominic Hering is vice president on the Private Credit team at Western & Southern Financial Group. He joined the company in 2023 to support the development and expansion of a lower middle-market focused direct lending strategy. He is currently responsible for sourcing, executing, and monitoring debt investments.

Dominic has more than 10 years of experience in financial services. Before joining Western & Southern, he was vice president at RKCA Investment Banking where he was responsible for sourcing and executing middle market sell-side M&A transactions. Prior to RKCA, Dominic was vice president at Deerpath Capital, a lower middle-market private debt fund.

Dominic earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Ohio University and is a CPA (inactive). He and his wife reside in Cincinnati with their son.

Michael Byrne, Senior Associate

Michael Byrne is senior associate on the Private Credit team at Western & Southern Financial Group. He joined the company in 2024 and is responsible for sourcing, executing, and monitoring debt investments.

Michael has more than six years of experience in financial services. Before joining Western & Southern, he was in the Corporate & Investment Banking Group at Fifth Third Bank, where he covered industrial companies nationwide. Formerly, he was an analyst and associate in Fifth Third Bank’s Leveraged Finance Group where he structured and underwrote leveraged credit transactions.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with an Information Systems Minor from the University of Cincinnati.