David Andrews

David Andrews

David coaches individual leaders, teams and work groups within government agencies, international development, non-profit organizations, and in the private sector. His work focuses on helping leaders develop their capacity for effectively responding to the challenges of creating pathways and solutions toward success and building and maintaining the relationships necessary to support the process. 

David’s leadership coaching and strategic consulting is based on his years of experience as a leader, learning expert, and communicator himself. As World Bank staff for ten years, he built relationships and delivered programs to increase the effectiveness of leaders and teams across the globe. He has led teams of trainers and communicators in international development, information technology, and education.  As a full-time employee and a consultant, David has vast experience working with multi-cultural teams and individuals helping them to develop their leadership skills while maintaining a high level of responsibility for others and their world. He’s the founder and principal of his firm, David Andrews Coaching & Consulting in Washington, D.C. 

David supports individuals and teams through coaching and development activities in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Department of Justice, the Comptroller of the Currency, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, the Hudson Bay Corporation, Price Waterhouse Coopers, the United National Development Program, the Pan-American Health Organization, and others.  Additionally, David supports non-profit clients including Moveable Feast and the Leadership Roundtable. 

David received his certificate in leadership coaching from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. He has completed extensive coursework and training in leadership development as it applies to executive coaching and team development. He is certified in a number of instruments used to help leaders become more effective. Those include the The Leadership Circle Profile 360, The Leadership Circle Collective Leadership Profile, The DiSC Leadership Profile, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. David is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, where in 1993 he earned a Master’s of Education and of the University of Maryland-College Park, where in 1991 he earned a Bachelor’s of Art degree in both English and Political Science.

Linda Bidlack

Linda Bidlack

Linda is a Georgetown University-certified leadership coach and consultant with a passion for coaching leaders to find and use their voice, presence, and values to elevate their entire organization, while also flourishing as human beings.  Her clients want to take their impact to the next level but realize that a shift of some sort is required, and they’re not quite sure what it might be.  Also an award-winning facilitator, she has helped hundreds of people develop capacities they didn’t know they had, build their authentic presence and influence, address their blind spots, or wrestle with what they want to do next.  

Linda has been coaching and consulting for 30 years in organizations across the federal government including the White House and Intelligence Community, for associations like the National Peace Corps Association and the American Hematology Association, and commercial businesses such as Paypal, Honest Tea, the American Red Cross, Sodexo, and Capital One.  

Linda earned an M.A. in Counseling from the University of Maryland in 1990 in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership. She is on the faculty of the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certificate Program, and coaches leaders in executive programs at UMD, AU and GWU, as well as the Mandela Fellows Program.

In 2016-17 during non-work time, she co-led a year-long initiative with 90 black and white coaches and professionals studying African-American history together, and is currently a volunteer Moderator for Better Angels, which brings together 8 conservatives and 8 liberals for 1-day workshops to practice frankly discussing issues in a depolarized way. She is certified in the Leadership Circle Profile 360, the Hogan Leads series, MBTI, EQi/360, ESCI 360, OPM360, and the Team Conversational Norms Diagnostic assessments.

Linda lived in Haiti as a child, has backpacked through China and Nepal, and is based in Silver Spring, MD.

• Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certificate, 2012.
•  Coaching Teams for Sustained Performance, 2013.
•  Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training, 2012.
•  M.A., Counseling / Career & Adult Development, University of Maryland, College Park, 1990. cum laude; thesis in collaboration with Center for Creative Leadership.
•  B.A., Anthropology, Hiram College, Ohio, cum laude.

Ilona Birenbaum

Ms. Birenbaum is a leadership and organizational consultant/leadership coach with over 25 years of experience and a diverse organizational development background. She is an adjunct professor and coach with American University’s School of Public Affairs, Key Executive Leadership Program. Her specialties include leadership coaching, facilitation, change management, leadership assessment and development, performance management, training, and strategic planning and conflict resolution.

Ms. Birenbaum has significant international and multicultural experience through the work that she has done in Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, and Bolivia. She has worked in many different industries that include petrochemical, technology, consulting, and non- profit. Examples of Ms. Birenbaum’s clients include:
•  Conference of State Bank Supervisors
•  Deloitte
•  Discovery Communications
•  Ironshore
•  KPMG
•  MITRE
•  National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
•  Rapiscan Systems
•  Schusterman Foundation
•  United Bank
•  United States Agency for International Development

As a leadership coach, Ilona offers her clients a practical approach to solving such issues as communication, presentation skills, leadership presence, delegation, teamwork, conflict management, and strategic thinking. Through insightful questions, she helps her clients increase their self-awareness and enhance skills in managing themselves and others. Known for easily building rapport with senior executives, Ilona combines her psychology and organizational development backgrounds with her business experience in working with senior executives. As an organizational development consultant, Ilona is known for partnering with her clients to solve complex human capital challenges and develop customized solutions that will work in specific client environments.

Ms. Birenbaum has held leadership roles for American Management Systems (AMS) and Watson Wyatt Worldwide. As a Principal with AMS and a Senior Consultant with Watson Wyatt she led multiple change initiatives which included the design and implementation of performance management systems, introduction of career development frameworks, developing and leading train-the-trainer efforts for major change initiatives, developing and managing leadership development programs within a corporate university, designing and implementing multiple employee surveys, and facilitating hundreds of workshops, training sessions, and meetings.

Ms. Birenbaum has been published by the Washington Business Journal, Association of Training and Development and Washington CEO Magazine. She is fluent in Russian and enjoys yoga, travel, reading, and spending time with her family.

Ms. Birenbaum earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University. She is a certified facilitator of the Drexler Sibbett Team Performance Model, MBTI, DISC, The Leadership Circle, Lominger’s Voices, CCL’s 360̊ Assessments, Hay Group’s Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), and is an Action Learning Coach. In April 2009, Ms. Birenbaum obtained her leadership coaching certificate through Georgetown University and holds a Professional Certified Coach Certificate through ICF.

Marilou Bova

Marilou Bova

Marilou Bova has over 30 years of experience empowering organizations and individuals to realize their potential. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a seasoned group facilitator, she coaches leaders to embody their potential, be authentic, and live their purpose.

Marilou has coached hundreds of leaders from federal, for-profit, and non-profit organizations. She has designed and delivered leadership development programs focused on increasing self awareness, improving leadership proficiency, and building leadership presence.

Some of Marilou’s clients include NASA, NOAA, Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Army, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Results for Development, Global Integrity, Plan International, Democracy Fund, Union of Concerned Scientists, American Institute of Architects, GMMB, Ad Astra, Chevron, Fannie Mae, and Miles & Stockbridge P.C.

Marilou believes everyone is a leader with the capacity to influence positive change. Each leader has a purpose, as well as a unique combination of gifts, skills, values, experiences and perspectives that are theirs alone to give to the world. When leaders are living in alignment with their purpose and values and are congruent in body, mind and emotion, they are more effective at making choices and taking actions in ways that positively influence those they lead.

Her approach is highly values-based, holistic and appreciative. It provides the foundation that helps her clients gain agility and resilience in the face of complex leadership challenges. After working with Marilou, her clients note greater ability to:

  • clarify, lead, and live from their purpose and core values
  • increase self awareness, understand/manage their emotions, and identify stories/perspectives that enhance or detract from their ability to achieve their vision and inspire high performance in others in service to that vision
  • explore solutions from new diverse perspectives and focus on action strategies that leverage their strengths and values

Marilou is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Strozzi Institute Certified Somatic Coach (CSC). She holds a B.S. degree in Human Services and has apprenticed with consciousness leaders in the body-mind sciences for over 35 years. Marilou is on the faculty for Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership for the Leadership Coaching Program and American University’s Key Executive Leadership Programs.

Dan Brown

Dan coaches individual leaders, teams and work groups within government agencies, non-profit organizations and private enterprise. His work focuses on helping mid- and upper-level managers not only develop hard skills, such as delegation and strategic thinking, but to fundamentally expand their views of themselves and how they perceive their work surroundings so they can step up to increasingly complex challenges and solve them creatively and collaboratively.

Dan’s leadership coaching and strategic consulting is based on his own 28 years of experience as a business owner and leader himself. He has held many positions in his career, from line supervisor, to president of a company, to serving on the governing board of one of America’s largest B2B information companies. This experience gives Dan a deep understanding of the challenges leaders at all levels face and what it takes to grow and develop. He’s the founder and principal of his firm, Xponential Coaching & Consulting in Washington, D.C.

Dan has been a coach with American University’s Key Executive Leadership Programs and the TSA Leadership Institute since September 2013. His Key clients have held positions at the DHS, National Science Foundation, U.S. Postal Service, NIH, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Federal Reserve Board, USDA and the Social Security Administration. His clients outside of AU have included The American Red Cross, AARP, Montgomery County Public Schools, software providers, trucking and construction companies, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Dan received his certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University and holds the distinguished Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation. He has completed extensive coursework and training in adult development theory as it applies to executive coaching and he is certified in a number of instruments used to help leaders become more effective. Those include the Hay Group’s Emotional Social Competency Inventory, The Leadership Circle Profile 360, Maturity Assessment Profile, the Leadership Agility 360 and the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator. He is a certified Immunity-to-Change Coach, the coaching method developed by Drs. Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey of Harvard University, which is used to help leaders and organizations overcome resistance to change. Dan is a graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park, where in 1980 he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in agriculture.

Tracy Burnett

Tracy Burnett

Tracy is a Leadership Coach based in metropolitan Washington, DC and is passionate about helping leaders discover their path to achieving individual and organizational goals. Tracy is the principal of Burnett Leadership Coaching & Development, which provides one-on-one coaching and leadership development for senior and emerging leaders. As an executive coach, he has purposeful conversations with clients, helping them bring clarity to an issue and develop a plan of action to address it. His belief is that self-awareness and the ability to communicate are key to being an effective leader.

Tracy’s successful 25-year career in Federal law enforcement leading investigations on behalf of the U.S. Departments of Justice, State, and Defense, among others, makes him particularly attuned to the challenges of leading in complex, pressure-driven situations.

His work around the globe (Bolivia, Peru, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, South Korea, Germany) also gives him critical perspective on the impact of cultural differences in building a unified vision and optimal cooperation within systems.

Tracy is also aware of the challenges of simultaneously leading teams while managing expectations at the highest levels, having directed complex, sensitive investigations while working with Ambassadors, Inspectors General, Military Generals, Congressional Staff and the White House, as well as multinational organizations.

As a senior leader and a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), he has revitalized investigative offices, directed and coordinated strategy and implemented effective change processes in areas including budget accountability, policy and procedure, training, communication and talent development.

Tracy holds a Master’s level certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University and has earned his Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certificate from the International Coach Federation. He is certified to use Center for Creative Leadership 360 instruments, HayGroup (ESCI), Leadership Circle Profile, and DiSC assessments. He has a B.A. from the University of Central Florida and a M.P.A. from American University.

Olu Burrell

Burrell Photo

Olu Burrell is an Executive & Leadership Coach and People Strategy Consultant. He has more than fifteen years of experience working with individuals and teams in multiple arenas including Government, Not-for-Profit, the Private sector, as well as on the Secondary and Higher Education levels.

As an HR/Organization Development expert in the lead human resources agency in the nation’s capital, Olu provides training and workplace coaching for management and agency executives across the District.

In addition to this work, he also manages the Executive Leadership Program; a partnership with George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership-- a cohort-based program that prepares agency executives for cabinet-level posts within the Washington, DC government.

In addition to being an executive coach in the Key Executive Leadership program, Olu also serves in dual roles in the other Executive program within American University’s School of Public Affairs—the Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD). Those roles include Leadership Coach as well as a Learning Community Facilitator (where he teaches the experiential learning cycle). Olu counts storytelling as part of his strengths and, where appropriate, includes them in his coaching engagements in encouraging his clients to craft their own legend.

A student of inquiry, he treats the interrogative as the imperative in establishing connection, and--most importantly--breakthrough. Olu supports individuals and teams through coaching and development activities around team dynamics, leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. A native Washingtonian, Olu makes his home in the nation’s capital with his wife Farran, and their two children Samara and Solomon.

Olu earned a Master of Science in Organization Development from American University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University. Additionally, Olu received a graduate certificate in Comprehensive Evidence-Based Coaching from Fielding Graduate University and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. He also holds certifications in Leadership, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Leadership Circle Profile 360°, the Emotional-Social Competency Inventory 360°, and InsideOut Coaching.

Angela Chiarenza

Angela Chiarenza

As an executive coach, Angela enjoys working with clients eager to explore and realize greater potential. There is something so powerful about that moment when someone’s perspective shifts. In this space, learning and innovation occur. Angela creates that space, generating impactful experiences that develop leaders, shift behavior, and enhance professional development.

Via her work as an organizational development consultant in government contracting, an independent consultant for nonprofit and for-profit organizations and educational institutions, a faculty member with the Center for Creative Leadership, an ICF Certified Coach, and as a Division I athletic recruiter and rowing coach, Angela holds a diverse portfolio of experience that brings a fresh, creative perspective.

Angela holds a master’s level certificate in Evidence Based Coaching from Fielding University and has earned her Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certificate from the International Coach Federation. She is also a US Rowing Performance Coach and coached Division 1 Collegiate Athletics. Angela has a M.A. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego.

Assessment Certifications

  • The Leadership Circle Profile
  • CCL Assessments
  • Hogan Levels 1 & 2
  • American Society for Training &
  • Development Master Trainer
  • Human Performance Institute
  • Corporate Athlete Train the Trainer

Jeri Darling

Jeri Darling

Jeri Darling is President of Darling Global, LLC and has more than 25 years of experience working with diverse organizations in the areas of strategy, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. 

Ms. Darling has been a trusted advisor to many organizations and senior teams, providing support to plan and implement leadership and change initiatives and to build new strategies and structures. She has designed and facilitated large-scale initiatives and targeted development programs for private and public-sector organizations.

Her most recent internal role was as Global VP, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness with BAE Systems, providing strategic direction for leadership, talent management, and organizational performance including cultural integration of new acquisitions. She has held senior consultant and management roles with Mercer Delta, EnCompass, and Work in America Institute. She also led her own New York-based firm, Organization by Design, for a decade.

Ms. Darling is known for thought leadership related to integrated approaches to executive and organizational development, global leadership, and social networks. She has published related articles in HR Professional, Executive Excellence, OD Journal, Perspectives, and the Journal for Nonprofit Management, as well as in Leading in Complex Worlds recently published by Jossey Bass.  She has also received mention in the International Who’s Who.  

Jeri holds a MA from George Washington University, a MBA from Case Western Reserve University, a BA from the University of Wisconsin, and a Leadership Coaching certificate from Georgetown University. She is an adjunct faculty at American University and a member of The Washington Chorus. Jeri has traveled extensively and is conversant in several languages. 

Mimi Darmstadter

Mimi Darmstadter

Mimi Darmstadter is an executive coach and seasoned leader in the Human Resources field (e.g. learning and performance). A sample of her federal and private sector clients include the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Navy, Department of Transportation, Department of Treasury, and Department of Veteran’s Affairs as well as organizations in the banking, environment, healthcare, international development, and legal industries.  Mimi also is the co-founder of a group coaching program for high-achieving working moms. Currently, she is leading four such groups for an international financial institution.

In her coaching activities, Mimi’s foremost goal is to support individual success and satisfaction in “work,” broadly defined. Mimi’s coaching with clients emphasizes new levels of self-awareness, skill, and behavior that her clients seek to build professional capacity (e.g. build skills, leverage strengths) and/or make desired shifts in their career identity.

Mimi’s areas of topical interest/expertise include individual growth and capacity building, leadership development, employee lifecycle issues (on-boarding, performance management, individual development planning, retention), workforce engagement, mentoring, diversity/ inclusion, communication skills, emotional intelligence, mindfulness/stress management, and team building.

Mimi is certified in a number of assessments, including the Strong Career Inventory, the EQi 2.0 self-assessment and 360 tools, the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), DiSC, and PDI Ninth House’s Profilor 360 instrument. She is also a certified trainer through Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Mimi's prior professional experience includes 12 years of employment for Covance Inc., a global organization in the pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare consulting space.  She completed her tenure as its Senior Manager for Training and Development. Highlights of her career at Covance included championing the full design and implementation of a global mentoring program, overseeing Covance’s diversity and inclusion training initiatives, contributing to leadership and workforce development programming, and executing the “top 150” succession planning process.

Mimi’s personal interests include watching independent films, creative writing, and working out, including yoga and teaching cycling (“spinning”) classes. She also is a blogger for the Huffington Post. Mimi resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Mimi earned a double Bachelors Degree in Psychology/Creative Writing from the University of Michigan where she was the recipient of a Hopwood Award for Underclassman Fiction Writing. Her Master's Degree in Social Work is from the University of Chicago.  She completed Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program.

Anne Ferrante Ghosh

Anne Ferrante Headshot 2021

Dr. Anne Ferrante, an educator and executive coach, coaches individual leaders and senior professionals working in government agencies and in the private sector.

Anne's coaching approach is derived from in-depth experiences in people development, domestically and internationally, as an internal organizational development consultant and human resources director in the private sector and as faculty member in graduate schools of business.

During her corporate career, Anne led a business unit organizational transformation initiative during the multi-year ATT divestiture that included designing organizational culture change and leadership development programs. While living and working abroad, Anne established in country expatriate transition and host country employee development programs in Europe and the Middle East.

During her academic career, Anne co-founded and was Director and faculty in the Global Leadership Executive MBA program at the University of Texas at Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Management. She was also Director of Graduate Programs and professor at the Kogod School of Business and adjunct faculty in the School of Public Affairs at American University. Anne teaches graduate courses in Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Power and Politics, and Strategic Leadership.

She holds a PhD in Human and Organizational Development from the Fielding Graduate Institute, and an MS in Human Resource and MBA in Organizational Management from Rutgers University. Anne received her certificate in Executive and Professional coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas, Leadership, Organizational Development and Executive Coaching program and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation.

Joan Fletcher

Joan Fletcher Headshot

Throughout her over three-decade career, Joan started her own company, Winning Ways, Inc., became a certified Leadership Coach through Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program.  Joan is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the Washington DC Metro Area and has extensive experience developing high performing leaders and teams.  Using 360 assessments and other validated tools, she facilitates senior leadership teams’ growth and development. She has the rare ability to obtain measurable results through helping leaders learn how to increase their awareness and insight.

The focus on Discovery to Practice to Mastery results in a leader’s evolution in becoming a more effective leader.  Joan’s programs offer leaders the space and guidance to observe their thoughts and actions, so they achieve the results they want. Her success is evident through client’s promotions, new careers, salary increases and, most importantly, increased wellbeing by growing their internal self.   

Joan also developed the Leadership Evolution Program (LEP) to help senior leaders become the leaders they envision themselves to be. This in-depth program guides participants through a five-step self-awareness methodology that provides the content, practical experience, and the learning individuals need to raise their emotional intelligence (EQ), retain and implement their learning, and transform culture by becoming a more effective leader. She is also designed the Connecting Future Leaders Program. It is a leadership mentoring program for women professionals. It focuses on increasing the number of women in high level leadership positions and supporting emerging leaders as they increase their leadership skills. 

Joan has successfully provided individual and team coaching services for The Bernstein Companies, WSSC, GHT, CDC, JLL, CBRE, Microsoft Corporate, Dixon Hughes Goodman, Sodexo, Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney, ChildFund International, American Bankers Association, Hilton Worldwide, Inova Fairfax, Inova Loudoun and Inova Foundation, Reston Limousine, and more. 

Joan received her MAIS with a concentration in communication, adult education, supervision and business from George Mason University. She holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is certified in The Adult Stages of Development, The Right Conversation, EQi, and Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Additionally, she is a certified Professional Behavioral Values Analyst, Emotional Intelligence expert and job benchmarking professional through Target Training International (TTI).

Catherine J. Fox

Catherine J. Fox Headshot

Catherine Fox is Founder and Principal of an international consulting and coaching practice CJFox Associates to support organizations and their leaders in implementing change.

She is consultant to U.S. government and United Nations agencies and has a private coaching and focusing practice in addition to being an instructor and executive coach for the American University Key Executive Leadership Programs. Retired in 2008 from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ms. Fox was a Senior Management Analyst for 10 years and applied her institutional development expertise for another 10 years in country program sectors, such as urban revitalization, labor markets, and institution strengthening initiatives in Central and South America. Prior to working at the IDB, Ms. Fox was employed by UNICEF, and the World Bank.

Ms. Fox is bilingual in Spanish and English. A Johns Hopkins Fellow in Organization and Community Systems, she holds a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Applied Behavioral Science with a concentration in organization systems. She is an accredited coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation, a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program, and accredited by The Focusing Institute as a Certified Focusing Trainer specializing in Domain Focusing. Ms. Fox is also certified to conduct The Leadership Circle Profile (TLC), Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), Team Conversational Norms Diagnostic, (TCND), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC workplace profile, and the TetraMap workplace profile.

Dr. Gail Funke

Gail Funke Headshot

Gail is a professional coach, leadership consultant, and Organizational Development specialist. She has over 2000 coaching hours, and years of experience working with senior leaders in the federal, state, and non-profit sectors. Her focus is on equipping leaders with the capacity and mindsets for creating lasting organizational improvements and change as well as employee development.

Gail brings over twenty-five years of experience and has served as faculty and Dean for the Federal Executive Institute. She specializes in curriculum development, whole-organization vision and change, Power-based leadership, and coaching for results. She has worked both domestically and internationally and headed FEI’s first Diversity Task Force. Her book chapter, “Leading for Team Success” has appeared in both editions of The Trusted Leader-Building the Relationships that Make Government work (CQ press). Her work in America’s criminal justice system (Local Jails; Assets and Liabilities of Correctional Industries, Lexington Books) led her to examine policy and leadership in over forty states.

Gail’s clients have included numerous senior offices at the Food and Drug Administration, senior leaders from US Agency for International Development, US Navy, United States Postal Service and the US Marine corps. She has coached widely in the Department of Homeland Security, USAID, Florida Department of Health, NSA, and various other agencies.

Gail holds the PhD in Economics and Public Policy from the City University of New York Graduate Center; the MA from Hunter College, and a BA from Rutgers University. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the worldwide accreditation body, the International Coach federation, is a Newfield Certified Ontological Coach NCC), and currently has completed about 2000 hours of executive coaching. Her teaching appointments include the aforementioned Federal Executive Institute and James Madison University. Gail is certified in a number of leadership instruments, including the Leadership Circle Profile and the Collective Leadership Assessment, the Emotional and Social Competency inventory (ESCI), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Steps I and II, Belbin Team Roles, the Conflict Dynamics Profile (Individual and 360), Skillscope, Keys, the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory, the DISC, William Bridges’ Change and Transition program, and is a certified practitioner of Neuro-linguistic programming.

Maureen Gallen

Maureen Gallen Headshot

Maureen coaches individual leaders, teams and work groups within government agencies, non-profit organizations, and in the private sector. Her work focuses on helping leaders develop their capacity for effectively creating healthy motivated workplaces that are accountable and effective in achieving organizational success.  

Maureen’s leadership coaching and organizational consulting are based on decades of experience as a leader, employee engagement expert, and organizational culture specialist. As a senior level manager in various agencies across the government for over 20 years, she built relationships and delivered programs increasing the effectiveness of leaders and teams across the nation. She has led a number of innovative efforts including labor and management partnerships, reorganization teams and process re-engineering partnerships. Maureen has extensive experience working with those responsible for national programs related to health, science, defense, and law-enforcement helping them to develop their leadership skills while maintaining a high level of personal and organizational effectiveness. She’s the founder and principal of her firm, By Choice Coaching LLC serving the Washington, D.C.  and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas.

Maureen supports critical leadership individual and team development activities at Department of Homeland Security including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, Federal Emergency Management Administration and Transportation Safety Administration components, as well as Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and others. Additionally, Maureen supports non-profit clients including the Friendship Place.

Maureen received her certificate in leadership coaching from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. She has completed extensive coursework and training in leadership and team development. She is certified in a number of instruments used to help leaders become more effective. Those include the The Leadership Circle Profile 360, The Leadership Circle Collective Leadership Profile, Kouzes & Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory, and Hogan Personality Inventory. Maureen is a graduate of Champlain College, where in 2016 she earned a Master’s of Science in Executive Leadership; the Naval War College, where in 2005 she earned a Master’s of National Strategy and Security; and of Hood College, where in 1992 she earned a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Business Administration.

Dr. Jerusalem T. Howard

Jerusalem T. Howard Head shot

As an executive and leadership development coach, I accompany clients on their journey to enhance their professional growth as a leader. My professional passion to facilitate the success of others is the driving force behind my desire to coach.

I have extensive experience within the Federal government coaching in several leadership development programs. I work with Senior Executive Service (SES) executives, to interpret their 360° assessments and to develop their leadership development plan. Additionally, I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and GlaxoSmithKline in various HR roles. Areas of expertise that I developed in my HR roles include: leadership development, organizational development, diversity, training, and mentoring. I also have had operations experience working in the financial services, and consulting industries for Merrill Lynch and Andersen Consulting respectively. These experiences have shaped and sharpened my coaching skills and my professional fluency in the areas of leadership and organizational development, and operations management.

Having an engaging and welcoming demeanor enables me to not only create effective partnerships, but also to quickly build trust with those that I coach. I use a creative approach to problem-solving and action planning that focuses on my clients’ goals. Being organized, thoughtful and orderly enables me to effectively co-create outcomes that my clients desire.

As an adjunct Assistant Professor, I have taught Human Resources Management and Organizational Development at the graduate and undergraduate levels. I have published peer-reviewed articles and presented at professional conferences in the areas of coaching, diversity and mentoring.

Ph.D., Education, Syracuse University
M.S., Organizational Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania
B.S., National Security & Public Affairs, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

International Coach Federation, Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Credential, 2019 Hogan Assessments, September, 2019
International Coach Federation, PCC Markers Training: Cohort 14, 2019
Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching, University of Texas at Dallas, 2018
Leadership Circle Profile Certification, Washington, D.C., December 2018 Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 Coach Training, Orlando FL, March 2018 Gallup’s Successful Strengths Coaching Program, Washington, DC, 2017
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Certification, Myers & Briggs Foundation, Fairfax, VA, 2015

Roselyn (Roz) Kay

Roz Kay Headshot

Roz coaches and consults with leaders and teams to vision, strategize, build capacity, and develop teams with the capacity to deliver high performance. She uses positive strength-based approaches, including Appreciative Inquiry, to support her clients in discovering who they are at their best, recalling what they value, and in taking bold action to elevate their their performance.

Roz founded New Heights Group LLC (NHG) in 2001 after 10 years in leadership at Fannie Mae. NHG was a Partner for 7 years with Innovation Partners International, a consulting firm bringing clients positive, strength-based approaches to change. In her work with leaders, she draws upon her senior leadership experience, strong business acumen, and her advanced study of human behavior.  She coaches leaders and teams to increase flexibility and presence, enhance relationships, and to grow or deepen leadership skills that help them deliver high performance while frequently navigating the rapids so prevalent in today’s work environment. 

Roz co-designed and co-facilitated Leadership and Change: an Appreciative Inquiry program, and Conscious Leadership: Leading from the Present Moment.   She wrote a chapter in Embodying Change On Becoming a Leadership Coach 2nd edition (2013). Roz serves on the faculty of Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership as an instructor and learning advisor for the Leadership Coaching Program and is an instructor/coach on Emotional Intelligence (EI) for the Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management Certificate Program (SDIM). She is also a Practicum Advisor for the American University/NTL, Master in Organization Development program.

Roz has coached, trained, and consulted with senior executive leaders and emerging leaders from Mars, Incorporated, CACI, Miles and Stockbridge Law, U.S Army, Avalere Health, Mercy Hospital, Baltimore, OCEUS Networks, Novartis, AIR, USGS, USPS, Department of Education, HHS, Federal Reserve Board, FDIC. HUD, Parkland School, Cenlar, Fuqua School, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA, Headquarters, AARP, AFGE, and Fannie Mae.

Roz holds a Masters in Organization Development from American University/NTL. She has an M.S. in Business from Franklin Pierce College. Roz completed Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program in 2001 and is a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and a Master Somatic Coach. She is certified in MBTI, FIRO-B and Everything DiSC, ESCI and Leadership Circle 360. Roz is certified in Tetramap, a holistic diversity and synergy based team development program.   In addition, she is certified to deliver the Emotional Intelligence (ESCI), Cultural Transformational Tools (CTT) and Leadership Circle 360.

Vinay Kumar

Vinay Kumar Headshot

Vinay Kumar is a thought leader in the field of leadership development and personal growth.  He coaches leaders and teams within government agencies, private enterprises and non-profits.  His primary focus is developing leaders who come from technical backgrounds.  He also designs and delivers leadership education programs and workshops, as well as designs, facilitates, and leads retreats.  The majority of his clients are based in the United States, Israel, United Kingdom and India.  He strongly believes that as leaders grow from the inside out, so do those they lead.  And that this in turn leads to greater collaboration, innovation, stronger engagement, retention and organizational performance. 

Vinay is the co-author of Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence: How Extraordinary Leaders Build Relationships, Shape Culture and Drive Breakthrough Results.  His book is required reading in MBA programs and Leadership Development and Leadership Coaching Programs at major universities, federal agencies and corporations, including Georgetown University, George Mason University, The College of William and Mary, Newfield Network, NASA, TEOCO Corporation and REI Systems.

His experience includes Fortune 100, federal government, small business and consulting. Vinay successfully spearheaded and led a privately held business before becoming a leadership coach, author and speaker. Vinay has extensive experience with an array of roles, including leadership, management, project manager, business development, marketing, client services, training, and operations.  

Vinay grew up in a multicultural family and today lives in Great Falls with his wife and two daughters.  In his spare time, he frequently travels internationally, treks in the Himalayas, practices yoga, enjoys running, reading and going for long walks in nature. 

Vinay received his certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. He has completed extensive coursework and training in adult development theory as it applies to leadership coaching and he is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile 360, which is used to support leaders become more effective.  Vinay is a graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park, where in 1981 he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.

Carylynn Larson

Carylynn Larson

Cary combines deep scientific expertise in the social sciences with extensive C-suite coaching and consulting experience to elevate even the most successful leaders. Cary’s clients describe her as brilliantly insightful, pragmatically blunt, and contagiously positive. She has a knack for knowing which frameworks and resources will profoundly impact her clients. Cary helps her clients activate new awareness and heighten conversational, relational, and emotional capacities.

Cary is diversely accomplished in multiple fields. As a researcher and scientific practitioner, she helped the US military adapt to the new (post 9/11) nature of warfare. As a consultant, she designed systems and programs to support some of the world’s most influential organizations. Cary has facilitated hundreds of management retreats and is designated a “Master Facilitator” by the International Association for Facilitation. She is regularly called upon to facilitate senior leadership meetings and to speak at leadership conventions on topics such as employee engagement, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

Cary has served on faculty at The George Washington University, George Mason University, and the United States Naval Academy. She has conducted applied research with organizations such as The Center for Creative Leadership, the U.S. Air Command & Staff College and the Army Research Institute. Her research has helped organizations promote leader adaptability, accelerate team formation, and strengthen coaching programs.

Cary is herself an entrepreneur and community leader, founding a national non-profit and serving as its Executive Director, and currently, President. As a passionate learner, Cary enjoys reading and writing, particularly during the solitude of long flights. Her greatest joy is spending time with her husband, son, and extended family.

Cary holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (George Mason University) and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching (Georgetown University). She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach with over 1200 hours of leadership coaching experience.

Joe Mangino

Joe Mangino

Joe Mangino has more than 20 years of experience in organizational development consulting, leadership training, and executive coaching. His areas of expertise include leadership and team development, strategic planning, transitions, conflict resolution and the management of complex change. He is the President of Mangino Resources, a consulting organization which designs and delivers programs for organizational transformation for government and corporate clients.

Joe is an adjunct professor and executive coach with American University’s Key Executive Leadership Program where he teaches Leading Change in Complex Times. He particularly enjoys teaching this course because his executive students learn skills and knowledge to assist them in transforming their organizations in these times of uncertainty.

In addition, Joe is an adjunct faculty member of the Federal Executive Institute where he serves as a team facilitator, executive coach, consultant, and course instructor for his course Leading Individual & Organizational Change. Joe has also taught Leading Change for several Treasury Executive Institute SES Candidate Development Programs.

Joe has served as a certified executive coach for more than 15 years with over 4,000 hours of coaching. He has provided executive coaching to more than 400 senior executives and managers from the EPA, Social Security Administration (SSA), TSA, NSA, NASA, Army, Navy, Air Force, DoD, VA, FAA, FRA, NGA, DHS, ICE, CBP, Census Bureau, Department of State, FCC, DOJ, DOE, OPM, Treasury, DOT, USDA, NOAA, and USAID. He has assisted many organizations to transform themselves and create superb strategic plans as they dealt with significant and comprehensive change. His recent coaching & consulting clients include EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Office of Water (OW), the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds Management (OWOW), Office of Compliance & Assurance (OECA), Office of Grants & Debarment (OGD), Office of Policy (OP), and the Office of Federal Activities (OFA). Joe has also served as an Executive Coach & consultant with the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, DOE’s Golden, Colorado’s Field Office, IRS’s Human Capital Office, IRS’s Senior Manager Readiness Program, the FBI, the US Army Chief of Staff for Installation Management, the Transportation Security Agency, and the Defense Information Systems Agency.

Representative of Joe’s consulting efforts is a three-year streamlining program at EPA, during the agency's transformation to a team-based culture. This project incorporated a fully developed partnership with the union, the design and conduct of a 360-degree evaluation of leadership, and a complete training strategy for over 1000 personnel. His certifications include: Leadership Circle Profile (360), Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (360), OPM 360, MBTI Step II, FIRO-B, Strength Deployment Inventory, the Change Style Indicator (CSI), and certified Executive Coach. Joe’s distinguished military career included command and leadership positions throughout the USA as well as in Southeast Asia, Germany, and Greece.

Joe is a graduate of Columbia University’s Advanced Program in Organizational Development and Human Resource Management, and the U.S. Army’s Organizational Effectiveness Program. His teaching credentials also include adjunct professor of organizational behavior and personnel management at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

Formal education includes a BS (Engineering) from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, and an MA (Organization Development & Human Relations) from Webster University, St. Louis.

Colin T. McLetchie

Colin McLetchie

Colin believes in lives worth living, leaders worth following and organizations worth being a part of, all of which create communities and a world worth living in. He brings his unique blend of compassionate challenge to his clients and seeks to listen deeply, provide meaningful insights, and partner effectively to move clients forward toward achieving their goals and their success. He is known for being wickedly intuitive and creative.

With some 25 years in human resources, Colin advised and coached leaders as they lead their organizations. He is deeply steeped in leadership, management, employee relations, employee communication, organizational change, organizational effectiveness, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, performance management, etc. He has a demonstrated ability to leverage relationships with executives and key stakeholders to meet strategic objectives. And he uses his expertise in coaching various domains including mindset, language, thoughts, emotion, movement/body, etc. He is a deep believer in self-awareness and conversational competency as the keys to powerful leadership, combined with a deep sense of purpose.

Colin’s clients come from a wide spectrum and include CEOs, executives, managers, and high potential team members in non-profit, association, government and corporations. He has worked, coached and facilitated in software/technology, education, retail, board governance, banking, alcohol and food distribution, painters and allied trades, data, wellness, health care and other industries. Major clients have included Dun & Bradstreet, FHFA, Blackboard, Territory Foods, Prince William County, Diligent Corporation, Council of Better Business Bureaus, City of Newport News, Capital Bank of Maryland, and Ultimate Software.

Colin received his certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. He has completed extensive coursework and training in leadership development as it applies to executive coaching and team development. He is certified in a number of instruments used to help leaders become more effective. Those include the Leadership Circle Profile 360, The Leadership Circle Culture Survey, the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, the EQ-i2.0 emotional intelligence 360 and individual assessments, Korn Ferry Voices 360 & Leadership Architect Competency Model, CCL Benchmarks 360 and related assessments. Colin is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal & Public Communication. He also is a Board-Certified Polarity Practitioner as certified by the American Polarity Therapy Association.

Susan Palmer

Susan Palmer Headshot

Susan Palmer serves an international clientele of individuals and organizations dedicated to elevating their leadership agility, creativity and effectiveness in complex environments. Since 2009, Susan has worked with scores of non-profit, higher education, public sector and socially-conscious for-profit leaders in over a dozen countries.

Prior to establishing her leadership development practice, Susan was the Dean of Woodbury College (Montpelier, Vermont) and held various other administrative and teaching positions at Woodbury and at Goddard College. Before she made the career shift to higher education, Susan was a Vermont Assistant Attorney General in Consumer Protection and a Poverty Law Project attorney at Vermont Legal Aid. Susan became a professional coach when she completed her graduate-level certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership in Washington, D.C.

 

In addition to her credentialed membership in the International Coaching Federation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Susan is certified to administer the Leadership Circle Profile™ 360° evaluation instrument. She is a Registered ICF Mentor Coach, and volunteers as an Alumni Mentor to students enrolled in Georgetown’s Leadership Coaching Program. She is an active member of the Growth Edge Network, a global collective of professionals with a deep interest in how adults evolve their capacity for navigating complexity. Susan is the author of Seasons of Leadership: A Self-Coaching Guide, which explores ways in which the cycles of leading and learning mirror the cycle of the seasons. Her current areas of inquiry include adult development, conscious leadership and presence-based coaching.

Susan holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School, a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Vermont, where she was a Graduate Teaching Fellow, and a B.A. from Middlebury College. Susan lives in Montpelier with her artist husband, Chris Jeffrey, and their rescue dog, Ella.

Lloyd Raines

Lloyd Raines

Lloyd is a seasoned executive Master Coach (MCC, International Coach Federation) and leadership development consultant. As principal of Integral Focus, he brings over 30 years of experience in working with leaders and teams from a systems perspective, applying insights from research on leadership, business and organizational best practices, and holistic development.

Lloyd has coached top-level executives, leadership teams, emerging leaders, and managers in the public, NGO, and private sectors. Sample private sector clients include: Sodexo, Booz Allen Hamilton, Conair, EDS, Hewlett-Packard, MCI, E*Trade Bank, AOL, and Marriott International. Sample public sector and NGO clients include: United Nations, International Food Policy Research Institute, HarvestPlus, AARP, and the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Interior, NASA, Homeland Security and the intelligence community.

Lloyd’s undergraduate degree is in psychology (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and graduate work in the administration of justice (American University). In his early professional years, Lloyd led a non-profit organization working with juvenile offenders in Washington, DC, and then became director and instructor of an undergraduate honors program at American University. At the University of Maryland University College, he taught business and professional ethics for seven years. He was a founding faculty mentor in the Federal Judicial Center Leadership Program, working with mid-level leaders for one year each. He is a founding faculty member of Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching Program (launched in 2000), where he continues to teach. Over the span of his executive and leadership development career, he has coached hundreds of leaders from an internationally diverse group of business, government, and NGO organizations. 

Marcia Ruben

Marcia Ruben Headshot

The signature of an effective leader is his or her organizations’ ability to rise to the challenge, amidst uncertain, complex and ambiguous conditions. Marcia Ruben instills in her clients the confidence to lead and the conviction and skills to build more resilient, responsive teams that thrive in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments.

As executive coach, consultant and facilitator, Marcia brings 25 years of experience in untangling complex interpersonal and organizational dynamics. Whether the need is stronger leadership presence, increased conflict management skills, enhanced collaboration, higher emotional intelligence or more persuasive influence, Marcia’s laser-focused approach facilitates transformation and business results.

Marcia has experience with leaders in a variety of sectors, including high tech, clean tech, biotech, healthcare, financial services, retail, private equity, nonprofits, government, and professional services firms. Coaching, consulting and facilitation engagements include work with CEOs, EVPs, executive directors, general managers, vice presidents, and senior directors at organizations ranging from start-ups to Global 50 companies, including Autodesk, Dropbox, Google, Nestle Waters, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Additionally, she is an Associate Professor, the Program Director for the MS Leadership, the chair of the graduate Management Department at Golden Gate University. She also was the 2016-1018 Russell T. Sharpe Research Professor and, in that capacity, did cutting edge research in designing an experiential process based in neuroscience, leadership, and goal achievement.

Marcia received her Evidence Based Coaching certificate from Fielding Graduate University and holds the distinguished Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coach Federation. She earned a PhD and MS in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University. She earned a Master’s in Counseling from California State University, Hayward. Marcia earned her Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

Marcia was recently trained in the 7 Paths Forward Coaching Methodology which focuses on delivering faster, better transformational coaching results. As a result of this training she is now also an ACE Certified Coach and is a facilitator in the Journey to Mastery Certification Program. She is certified in several assessments, including The Leadership Circles, My Brain Solutions, MBTI, DiSC, HBDI, EQi-2.0, and all of the Lominger (now Korn Ferry) products.

Joseph Sclafani

Joe Sclafani

Dr. Sclafani, President and founder of Change Management Associates International (CMAI), has more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in strategic management, the planning and management of organizational change, and individual and group coaching within public and private sector enterprises.  He provides short and mid-term management support to organizations seeking to design and implement changes in their strategies, structures, or operating processes, and coaches individual executives and groups as they wrestle with the uncertainties of organizational change.

As a coach, Dr. Sclafani brings a unique perspective that links individual performance issues with larger organizational and social dynamics that make up a client’s environment.  His focus is on supporting the effective performance of individual leaders and groups in their existing, evolving, or newly assumed organizational roles. He partners with a client to improve individual and ultimately organizational performance by facilitating client insight into their leadership behavior and style, clarifying purpose, improving relationships, broadening perspectives, and increasing the client’s ability to manage self and others in a changing organizational environment.

Recent and ongoing coaching engagements include: professional development for executives, middle-managers, first-time supervisors (Fordham University); leadership development (Department of Homeland Security; and Goodwill Industries); support for first-time managers (Fashion Institute of Technology).  

Dr. Sclafani has a doctorate in sociology from Brown University, a Master in Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University. He is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF), a Certified Mentor Coach (CMC) and an Advanced Certified Personal & Executive Coach (ACPEC) with the ICF-accredited College of Executive Coaching, and a Certified Action Learning Coach (CALC) with the World Institute of Action Learning (WIAL).

Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh

Mandeep is a coach, facilitator, and organizational transformation consultant with a background that spans 35 years of hands-on experience creating and facilitating the creation of solutions to complex problems involving multiple stakeholders. In his career, he has worked internationally, across cultures and organizational boundaries, to build IT Systems, reengineer business processes, provide organizational and innovation consulting services, nurture client and employee relationships, and grow companies in roles spanning individual contribution, project, line and executive management. He has done this within large international organizations, federal and local governments, non-profits, consulting companies, and start-ups. 

As coach, Mandeep brings this experience, and his fundamental belief in each person’s innate abilities, to create the non-judgmental and energized space for leaders to truly get in touch with what is important to them, and rev up the energy and momentum to make it happen. In the process, they take ownership of their own power. They also leverage their own observations to get deep insights into what's holding them back and then break those habits. Many of his clients have reported their work together has been transformative. 

In addition, these leaders begin to accept the world as it shows up, rather than the way they wish it would. That accepted, they hold the courage of their convictions pragmatically, communicate their vision authentically and directly, and set about influencing the people, networks and systems of which they are part to create the enabling environments within which their organizations, projects and people succeed. Mandeep considers himself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to express his passions through two completely different careers separated by two decades. The path of transition has been less than easy, and has provided Mandeep the direct experience and insights which make him the coach he is. 

•  Georgetown University Certification in Leadership Coaching (CLC) 
•  ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) 
•  360 Instruments: DiSC Assessment; Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI); Hogan Assessments (HPI, HDS, MVPI); The Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) 
•  MBA, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, 1980 
•  BSEE, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, 1978 

Cathy Wright

Cathy Wright

As Founder and President of New Ground Consulting Group, Inc., Cathy’s focus and passion are on helping leaders and their organizations cultivate untapped potential to:

  • build a culture of commitment that has everyone pulling in the same direction; overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and seize game-changing opportunities;
  • develop skill to effectively execute change strategies and sustain improvements;
  • assure enterprise-wide understanding of the organization and where it’s heading.

Throughout her 20-year career in executive coaching and organizational change consulting, she has become a trusted advocate and strategic partner to leaders of Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, national labor unions and non-profit groups. She has coached and consulted to clients that include American Airlines, the American Business Women’s Association, the American Red Cross, Bell Helicopter, Hertz, Department of Veterans Affairs, Exelon Corp., Federal Aviation Administration, National Weather Service, North Carolina Network of Grantmakers, SASK Power, Scott Trade Financial Services, Solar Marine Solutions, Superior Manufacturing, among others. 

As a long-time member of the Consulting Consortium at Overland Resource Group, Cathy led a multi-year transformational change project that propelled the Federal Aviation Administration from near bottom in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey on employee engagement to the top third in the federal sector. At American Airlines, she initiated a business education process that resulted in 85 percent of a representative sampling of the 70,000-member workforce indicating their understanding of the business “improved” or “greatly improved.” 

She serves as an adjunct faculty member at American University in Washington, D.C., where she develops and teaches a variety of courses that include “Leader as Team Builder,” “Leading Change for Results,” “Leading an Inspired Culture,” and "Cultivating Collaboration.”  In this capacity, she works with leaders in the federal sector, including those in the Senior Executive Service, to cultivate and deepen leadership skill as they confront challenges in creating high performance organizations at the Departments of Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, Agriculture, Defense and the Office of Personnel Management, among others. 

She is a Professional Trainer with Marcus Evans, Inc., of Chicago where she designed and teaches courses on Leading Change and Managing Reputation for Results.

Cathy is a certified professional coach and also holds certifications in Leadership Circle Profile and Leadership Circle Culture Assessment, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and MBTI Step II, Extended DISC, Leader Skills™, Team Tools Interactive™; Seeing Systems: Organization Workshop; and Future Search Facilitator. A frequent contributor to blogs at Plant Services magazine and www.orginc.com, recent work has been published in Government Executive, the American Society of Training Public Manager magazine, and theLabor and Employee Relations Association’s Perspectives on Work journal. 

Prior to her consulting career, Cathy worked in Organizational Communication for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Public Affairs at Miller Brewing Company, and as a journalist with daily newspapers in her native North Carolina. She earned a BA in English from Appalachian State University, an MBA from Averett University, and a Certificate in Corporate Citizenship from Boston College.

Ruth Zaplin

Ruth Zaplin

Ruth is the Director of Coaching for the Key Executive Leadership Programs, Department of Public Administration & Policy, at American University. Her clients primarily include Federal C-suite executives and their team members from a diverse array of agencies across the Federal government including the Transportation Security Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Institutes of Health, State Department, Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Transportation, Department of Justice, and the General Accountability Office among others.

She is one of only 60 coaches in the country certified to conduct and score the subject object interview— an interview designed specifically to generate data about how a person is making meaning according to Harvard professor, Robert Kegan’s constructive developmental theory. To support clients to move toward self-authorship of their lives, Ruth listens for the client’s story and the structure of the client’s “meaning making.” She supports clients to be fully present to better enable them to take themselves as object and notice the lens they are using to make sense of themselves and their organization. Ruth also applies the principles of emotional and social intelligence and positive psychology.

As an Senior Executive-in-Residence in the School of Public Affairs, Department of Public Administration & Policy at American University, Ruth teaches courses focused on leadership, ethics, managing conflict, organizational analysis, and leader as coach, a course designed to help Federal agencies grow the kind of leaders needed to face today’s complex challenges. Ruth’s teaching is a marriage of deep theoretical knowledge—about organization development, leadership, and complexity—and practical tools to enable students to think and act in new ways and apply what they learn immediately to their work situations.

Ruth is President of The Zaplin Group, an organization that supports leaders and organizations to grow more thoughtful and compassionate leaders. Her background includes serving as: Executive Director of a nationally known non-governmental organization; curriculum and program development; serving as editor of two internationally known textbooks on female crime and delinquency; designing and leading international and Federal, enterprise-wide change initiatives; and, extensive social science research.

Ruth is a longtime student of meditation and an authorized teacher in the lineage of the Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa. She integrates mindfulness meditation as part of the courses she teaches for American University and regularly conducts mindfulness meditation workshops for Federal agencies, both nationally and internationally, including for the National School of Government in South Africa.

Ruth holds a DPA, MPA, MA, and BA. She received her Executive Coaching certification from Georgetown University and is certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation.