The Number One Facilitation Company in the U.S.

David Adelman, CVF™

Energetic, Engaging, Insightful

David has more than 25 years of experience as a Training Leader, Instructional Designer, Facilitator, e-Learning Designer, and Project Manager with world-class companies including Disney and Merck. He is an experienced consultant to senior leadership with deep experience in assessing training needs, identifying performance improvement opportunities, and delivering performance improvement interventions. David’s experience includes creating comprehensive, branded, measurable training processes for the organization that are integrated with the talent management process, address performance gaps, and minimize costs while maximizing return on investment.

He has a strong background in the hospitality, healthcare/pharmaceutical, and insurance industries, and is an active member of the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD), currently serving as President-Elect, and on the Board of Directors.

Areas of specialty include:

• Organizational Development
• Learning & Design Strategy
• Corporate Cultural Transformation
• Leadership/Executive Development
• Team Alignment

Representative consulting engagements:

• Implementing a Leader as Coach training system to maintain a small training infrastructure within a geographically large organization.
• Creating and Implementing a measurable culture of Customer Service.
• L&D branding and marketing and other performance solutions.
• Creating hire to retire Executive Development curricula integrated with talent management systems including: orientation, job role training, professional development, and transition preparation.
• Designing blended learning curricula that minimize cost and measurably maximize return on investment.

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Neerja Arora Bhatia

Neerja is a dynamic facilitator and an organizational development consultant with expertise in cultural transformation, emotional intelligence, leadership development, change management, conflict resolution, team building and strategic planning.  Known for providing simplified and experiential approach to problem dissolving, she thrives on shifting individual mindsets for extraordinary results.

Neerja has worked with leaders around the world. With more than 20 years of experience, her partial client list includes Nobel Biocare, Schering Plough, Philips, Altria, UBS, Covidien, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eileen Fischer.  In the non-profit sector, Neerja has worked with Mid Columbia Producers and served as an internal organizational development specialist at WakeMed Health and Hospitals.

Neerja’s formal studies include Management Development and a Masters in Applied Eco-Psychology.  She is a published author, and her certifications include:

What Clients Say:

“Neerja Bhatia facilitated a leadership development rollout, and the program has been incredibly successful. The shift in the energy and the attitude has been exceptionally transparent.  Neerja artfully uncovered the underlying needs that were causing resistance within our teams and has inspired (us) all to take positive action – delivering outcomes with measurable results impacting our morale and engagement as a team.” – Anmarie Wheeldon, Human Resources Manager, Nobel Biocare

“This is by far the best course my team attended. Neerja was excellent. She used personal experiences with additional experiences, theories and beliefs to make the class very interesting. She knew the material, was passionate about the subject, she taught from her heart, and she drew everyone into the sessions.” – Susan McGee, Philips Lighting

“Neerja has a deep knowledge of Emotional Intelligence and is an excellent teacher. Her insight and skills would be of value to any business working to enhance the effectiveness and productivity of its people.” – David Hurwitt, Renaissance Executive Forums

“Neerja’s message is very insightful, inspirational and her delivery is creative and thought provoking. We have received rave reviews on her presentation.” – Carol Zera, Women’s Leadership Initiative Co-Chair, Covidien

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Robyn Carnes

Fun, Flexible, Focused

Meet Robyn Carnes, a dynamic force in the world of strategic communication, renowned for her service-driven approach and results-oriented partnerships with clients. Robyn’s broad skill set encompasses everything from project management and strategic planning to visioneering and facilitation. Her expertise in conducting focus groups, training, team development, coaching, and fundraising is reflected in the high regard held for her by her clients. With an impressive career spanning nearly 22 years, Robyn has left her mark in diverse fields including education, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. Her experiences across these various business sectors have shaped her into a professional of matchless versatility and understanding. No matter what your needs are, you can trust Robyn to deliver, inspire, and exceed expectations.

Robyn adorned her academic cap with a B.A. in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa and then packed her bags for Colorado in 2003. She was on a mission to achieve her M.A. from Denver Seminary and launch More Than Funds, a professional services organization aimed at catapulting human performance to new heights.

In 2011, she became a Core Team Member for Leadership Strategies, contributing her dynamic skillset to the team. She’s not just an ordinary team member though – she’s a certified MBTI Instructor and has hands-on experience with both DISC and StrengthsFinder.

In 2021, Robyn decided to run for a City Council position, a race that was all about people and issues, not party affiliation. She won and is serving a 4-year term, working tirelessly for her community.

Robyn’s roots are planted deep in the Dutch community of Northwest Iowa, a testament to her strong work ethic and humble beginnings. Today, she’s made a home in the vibrant city of Centennial, CO, alongside her supportive husband and two spirited sons. Her life outside of her professional commitments is just as full and enriching. Nothing beats a robust cup of coffee to kick start her mornings followed by a run with her faithful 84-pound companion, Samson. She is her boys’ biggest cheerleader, her voice echoing from the sidelines at their sports events. Her life is a testament to balance, joy, and resilience, a constant source of inspiration.

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Dr. Todd Chester

Engaging, Dynamic and Meaningful

Todd has more than 25 years of experience as a Facilitator, Training Leader, Focus Group moderator, e-Learning Designer, and Project Manager with organizations in all sectors. He is an experienced consultant to employees at all levels with deep experience in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, assessing training needs, identifying performance improvement opportunities, leadership development design and delivery, and delivering performance improvement interventions.

Recognized as a Facilitator and People Leader that adjusts to meet people where they are without judgement, Todd provides current thinking and best practices to design and deliver facilitated solutions that have helped over 15,000 employees learn at any time and from anyplace worldwide. Todd is known for his engaging, dynamic, and meaningful facilitation style and has facilitated at industry conferences, leadership/community summits, workshops, and strategic planning events for clients in all work sectors for groups

Areas of specialty include:

Representative consulting engagements:

Todd holds a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, has a strong background in the corporate, non-profit and governmental sectors and is an active member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), International Association of Facilitation (IAF), and the Mid-Atlantic Facilitator Network.

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David Deaton

Energetic, Humorous, Insightful

David Deaton is an energetic and results-focused professional with nearly three decades of experience facilitating strategic planning sessions for clients throughout the globe. He has extensive expertise working with organizations to develop and define their strategy, gain team alignment, execute effectively, and navigate myriad challenges to achieve success.

David began his facilitation work in Hong Kong conducting market research throughout Asia, including 1:1 in-depth interviews, focus groups, and executive roundtables. That work evolved into strategic planning facilitation for nonprofit organizations, corporate entities, and academic institutions worldwide. Throughout his career, David has applied facilitation concepts to form, develop, and lead high-performing teams in functions ranging from sales, technology, and finance to education, fundraising, and marketing. Additionally, he is highly proficient in project management, change management, design thinking, and quantitative and qualitative research techniques.

David earned his undergraduate degree in business from Indiana University Bloomington and an MBA from Texas Christian University. He is a frequent keynote speaker who brings energy and humor to his talks on purpose-driven business, strategy, and business resiliency. He is on the board of directors for the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC), an advisory board member for the Early Music Access Project, and serves on the board development advisory committee for the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF). He has served as a volunteer mentor with the University of Virginia Darden School of Business i. Lab Incubator and has been a guest lecturer for community startups with the Community Investment Collaborative (CIC).

Facilitation Style

Energy, humor, and analysis are the hallmarks of David’s facilitation style. As a seasoned researcher, he asks questions to spark creative and innovative ideas that can be integrated into an organization’s strategy. David is hyper-focused on empowering clients to foster the best ideas and take ownership to ensure they will be successful. With a quick laugh and insightful question, the group will find they can tackle the most daunting challenges with his support. Disciplined in time management and goal orientation, David is highly efficient and productive in every session.

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Kimberly Douglas

Engaging, High-Impact, Results-Driven

Kimberly has attained IAF Master Certification, the highest level of facilitation certification. She is a recognized expert, with more than 25 years of experience designing and facilitating a wide array of meetings and events, including strategic planning, team effectiveness, innovation and large-scale conferences. She has collaborated with hundreds of leaders – at organizations such as Coca-Cola, Home Depot, the CDC, McKesson, AT&T and even the U.S. Marine Corps – to dramatically improve their business performance. She also holds a Master of Science in industrial/ organizational psychology.

Her critically-acclaimed book, The Firefly Effect (Wiley), gives leaders the tools to build creative, collaborative, and productive teams. It’s full of stories, techniques, and insights that are proven to increase a team’s effectiveness and deliver stronger business results.

 Kimberly is passionate about helping leaders to ignite the creativity on their teams to deliver even better business results. She has collaborated with a wide range of organizations – from Fortune 10 to Fortune 500, nonprofits to universities – specifically to help them:

In addition, as a certified expert facilitator and partner to ExperiencePoint, an award-winning learning and development company, she has successfully facilitated more than 80 sessions over the last eight years with 2000+ participants for organizations such as Coca-Cola, Home Depot, the CDC, AT&T, Baxter, and Johnson & Johnson.

Specific Specialties:

“Our CEO customers wanted to move to a more interactive format for our annual leadership summit, so we adopted a roundtable approach. The discussions needed to be centered around strategic healthcare issues. Kimberly was a key element in working with our team to establish processes, moderator training and roundtable program deployment. Post program surveys showed that our attendees deemed the roundtables to be highly successful.”

Stephen Passalacqua, Vice President of Field Marketing             

“Kimberly has a special talent for understanding the unique challenges faced by teams in today’s business environment. Her talent transcends awareness of issues and barriers to implementing solutions tailored to the individual or team. She is a valuable coach in the creation of high-performing organizations.”

Haven Riviere, VP Marketing Operations

“Kimberly clearly understands the balance an effective facilitator must strike between sparking creativity and driving results. The sessions she has led have all driven substantive outcomes that are having a positive impact on our business.”

Brad Shaw, VP Corporate Communications and External Affairs

“Your facilitation ability and people skills enabled a specialized, talented group of 21 Senior Directors and Special Staff members to come out of their fox holes and work together as an effective cross-functional team of experts. Thanks for a job well done.”

Colonel B.G. Lee, Chief of Staff, Logistics Command

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Mark Edmead

Mark is an IT Transformation consultant and facilitator.  Since 1982, Mark has provided IT transformation and business improvement services that align information technology with business goals to drive bottom-line performance and growth.

A facilitator contributes structure and process to interactions, so groups are able to function effectively and make high quality decisions. A helper and enabler whose goal is to support others as they achieve exceptional performance. As a facilitator, Mark helps guide people through a process to an effective result. This process could be a meeting, a brainstorming session, training and development, a planning session, team building, conflict resolution, or any situation involving a group of people where there are desired outcomes, goals, or targets (or where there certainly should be).

Mark excels in managing the tight-deadlines and ever-changing tasks related to mission-critical project schedules. His focus is on IT transformation, change management, process improvement, enterprise architecture, technology road mapping, strategic IT planning, IT organization analysis, IT portfolio management, and IT governance. International assignments include United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany and Scotland.

Clients include: Irving Oil, Department of Veteran Affairs, IRS, DHS, Verizon Wireless, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Epson, and State of Tennessee. Sample engagements include:

I have used Mark in key roles with high visibility clients. Without hesitation I would highly recommend Mark for any facilitation and consulting engagements. His professionalism, deep knowledge, and results oriented work style are deeply valued by not only me, but more importantly by all those who are lucky enough to use his services.

You are a great facilitator. I had a great experience and learned a lot in your class. You certainly put us, the students, at ease and, created an environment of fun learning and encouraged constructive discussions and information sharing. Please don’t hesitate to use my name if you need a reference.

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Steve Finkelstein

Energetic, Engaging, Magical

Steve is an accomplished business coach, facilitator, speaker, and author.  He is an expert in strategic planning, project management and business execution having been a Consulting Partner with both Deloitte and Grant Thornton, and a Senior Manager with Dun & Bradstreet Software. He helps his clients achieve their business objectives by unlocking innovation, cultivating collaboration, comprehensive planning, and disciplined execution.

Steve has worked with hundreds of companies across many industries, including manufacturing, nonprofit, professional services, government, restaurant, software, all sizes of businesses, including Fortune 500 international companies. Two significant projects include: Strategic Planning for Wendy’s International who was inducted into the balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame and a Global Shared Services/Software implementation for Case Corporation who received the CFO Magazine Reach Award for world-class processes.

As a business coach, Steve works with business owners, teams and executives to enhance their leadership effectiveness resulting in improvements in individual performance, employee engagement, alignment of resources, and organizational performance.

As a speaker, Steve shares his depth and breadth of experience and tools to inspire change to drive results. Several of his favorite presentations include: Creativity in Business, Are You Ready to Grow?, The Right Measures to Drive Results, Execution, Strategic Planning and Process Improvement.

Steve uses his engaging, interactive and results-driven facilitation skills to achieve workshop objectives and gain ownership, commitment and accountability for results.  His key to success includes the right preparation, planning, prework surveys, workshop design, actions plans, specific follow-up while making it interactive and fun.  Key facilitated workshops include strategic planning, project scoping and planning, process improvement and creative problem solving.

He co-authored two books: Execute to Win – How Leaders Get Results and Play Smart to Win in Business. Steve uses sports analogies to raise your game and apply the same winning concepts to business.  These include preparation, being in shape, having the right equipment, practicing, planning, developing strategy, keeping score, building a strong team, and executing/play to win.

He started his career with Monsanto in a variety of accounting, systems, quality improvement and special project positions. After his consulting career with Deloitte and Grant Thornton, Steve became an entrepreneur and co-founded a management consulting firm in 2008.  In 2016 Steve received the University of Missouri Distinguished Career Achievement Award and in 2017 he was selected as “100 St. Louisans You Should Know to Succeed in Business”.

Steve enjoys sharing his expertise with others transferring knowledge, experiences and tools.  His clients have requested critical leadership classes be developed and taught to include: Project Management – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced; Business Case Development, Balanced Scorecard, and Process Improvement.   On the soft skills side, he delivers content on leadership, time management, decision making, active listening, meeting management and planning.

Steve is an active member in three international magic clubs and has earned his Doctorate in Magic. He is Army veteran with a passion working with nonprofits and veteran groups. Steve has a B.S.B.A from the University of Missouri – St. Louis.

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Tierah Lothbrok

Tierah is a senior manager with Leadership Strategies, as well as the founder of a firm specializing in providing clients with consulting services in the areas of planned change, performance improvement/acceleration, culture assessment and alignment, strategic growth and vision refinement and attainment.

Tierah is accomplished in directing and leading multi-faceted, highly effective training initiatives in rapid growth, regulated environments. As a facilitator, she is extremely knowledgeable in the latest technology and methodology for developing skilled and motivated professionals who embrace continued growth. Tierah specializes in making complex concepts and technologies easy to understand and creating innovative training programs to improve performance.

Tierah is an award-winning facilitator, garnering multiple honors for the results achieved through her leadership and her ongoing contribution to the field. Leveraging her depth in training as well as meeting facilitation, she consistently delivers comprehensive, customized solutions that address the needs of the entire system rather that just treating a symptom within it. The results are sustainable, scalable and meaningful growth in individuals and elevated performance throughout the organization.

2015 – Gold Impact Award – International Association of Facilitators

2013 – Facilitator of the Year – South Eastern Association of Facilitators

2013 – Gold Impact Award – International Association of Facilitators

2009 – Facilitation Impact Award – South Eastern Association of Facilitators

2006 – 500 Fastest Growing Companies – Honored as a member of the six-person leadership team – Inc. Magazine

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Janice Neitzel

Engaging, Analytical, Collaborative

Janice Neitzel, a senior manager, core facilitator, and trainer with Leadership Strategies brings 20 years of group facilitation experience to our team. With an MBA in Sustainable Management, Janice facilitates business, government and non-profit leaders using methodology while leveraging group dynamics to bring the group to consensus. She has the ability to hear a client’s needs to prepare a customized approach of best practices. Janice combines professionalism with her enthusiastic demeanor to lead a group to simplify complex issues and implement practical solutions.

She has facilitated and trained in various industries, such as AT&T (Telecommunications), BP (Energy), Baxter (Healthcare Devices), CNA (Healthcare Insurance), Discover Card (Finance), Kroger (Grocery), Solo Cup (Manufacturing), McDonalds (Restaurant), Sears (Retail), Compass Group (Food Service) and Unilever (Food Manufacturing).

With keen insight into the culture and motivation of non-profits, Janice has facilitated success for the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Food Animal Concerns Trust, The Field Museum, The Art Connection, PAWS Chicago and more.

Janice was chosen to be part of a select team facilitating nationwide community-based stakeholder engagements for the US Department of Energy (DOE). She has provided facilitation training for the US Departments of Education (ED) and Environment (EPA).

An experienced consultant and project manager, Janice is CEO and Founder of Sustainable Solutions Group. Janice has published “Facilitating Sustainability Strategy” on GreenBiz.com, “Sustainable Sourcing to Innovate a Private Brand” in the Journal of Brand Strategy and was quoted in “The Business Case for Responsible Sourcing” in Store Brands Magazine. In addition to graduating Summa cum Laude with an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, Janice has a B.S. in Computer Science, graduating Magna cum Laude and with University Honors from Northern Illinois University. She was named NIU Woman Student Leader and earned the Dean’s Award for the Department of Computer Science.

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Gregory Nielsen

Gregory is an experienced CEO, consultant, and professional facilitator committed to helping leaders and organizations excel.  He is a licensed attorney and military veteran with experience working with corporate and nonprofit clients.   He is also a frequent speaker on leadership and governance.

Gregory began his career as an officer and attorney in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps.  He served as the Chief of the Legal Assistance Division and later litigated court martial cases across the country as a Trial Defense Counsel.  He subsequently served as a Vice President with Bank of America, negotiating contracts, and implementing key strategic initiatives with corporate partners.

In 2015, he was recruited to lead the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNPE) as its CEO, where he expanded the reach of the organization to serve more than 500 nonprofits and corporations through consulting and professional development. During this time, Gregory also helped launch Destination: Excellence, a 6-month leadership development program for executives and Circles of Excellence, a peer-to-peer learning program. The growth and accomplishments of CNPE under his leadership were recognized locally and nationally, and the organization was honored with awards from the Better Business Bureau for Ethics and the Louisville Urban League for championing diversity.

Today, Gregory is a nationally recognized CEO and speaker, experienced facilitator, and sought-after Consultant and Coach.  He assists corporations and nonprofits nationally to develop and drive strategy, enhance leadership development, and elevate governance effectiveness.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School and has earned the prestigious BoardSource Certificate in Nonprofit Board Consulting.  In 2016, Gregory was named a “40 Under 40” honoree by Louisville Business First publication.

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Bill Olsen

Engaging, Impactful, Consensus-driven

Bill is a globally ranked Facilitator and Trainer focused on delivering accelerated results through group-process facilitation, Creative Problem Solving® and applied-creativity.  Whether facilitating Strategic Planning, Partnering, Ideation or Start Ups he has a reputation for delivering dynamic sessions, tangible outcomes and strong consensus.  He integrates processes into purposeful, highly-interactive workshops that are also practical. Okay… they’re fun!  A frequent Trainer, he has a passion for accelerating performance.  Having supported clients in 22 countries and virtually around the globe, he serves those with a genuine need for meaningful change.

As a US Navy Commander, Bill had a reputation for tackling challenging Programs. Leading a high-risk project in 1996 he applied Creative Problem Solving; his team achieved unparalleled success, and was awarded the Nation’s “Silver Hammer Award for Reinventing Government”.  Suddenly in demand, he facilitated other programs to achieve four more ‘Silver Hammers’. As a university professor he then shared these skills in his Think 101™ Change Management courses, which were formally recognized as “the most popular electives in the history of the University”.

Consulting since 1999 and with Leadership Strategies since 2004, his clients include:

Some highlights of his experience & qualifications:

Testimonials:

Bill is a recipient of multiple trainer, speaker & creative leadership awards.  Clients say: “Accomplished more in 4 months than the last 4 yrs” “Achieved our 5 yr goals in 9 months” “Nailed our 3-yr milestone in 7 months” “Reached our 25 yr Vision in 9 months” “Tripled our market share” “I never knew Strategic Planning could be so much fun!” “You led us to an Achievable, Implementable & Affordable strategic plan… with strong consensus!”  “Your passion & ability to transfer skills are exciting!” ”Valuable, insightful, practical & entertaining experience!” “First public Town Hall meeting that’s ever gone well!”  “Masterful virtual meeting!  We learned more about Webex in 6 hrs than in the last 6 months!”  

 Bill is a Certified Professional Facilitator® (CPF), and a regular keynoter, emcee and presenter in conference events.  He has served as a Board member or Advisor to many associations and coach to C-Suite executives.  Featured in the FindAFacilitator.com global database, and based in Washington DC/Baltimore area, he provides his services globally, and virtually.

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Suzanne Onorato

Engaging, Fun, Results-Oriented

Dr. Suzanne Onorato is an award-winning learning and organizational development professional with 15+ years of experience engaging leaders and teams in transforming ideas into action.  Suzanne is recognized for building partnerships, leading diverse teams, implementing successful change management practices and delivering results in ever-changing environments.  She has dedicated her life to helping individuals, teams, and organizations develop to their fullest potential and has worked with clients such as the United Way of Miami, Macy’s, the University of Florida, and Emory University School of Law to align processes with mission/goals, develop strategic plans, and facilitate leadership development.  She has an infectious way of engaging everyone she meets with her positive outlook.  Her engaging style and command of the process ensure participants are involved and leave them energized and armed with the skills and knowledge to take them to the next level.

Suzanne’s expertise includes:

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Cynthia Pace, CPF™

Dynamic, Energizer, Developer

For more than 25 years, Dr. Cynthia Pace has been known as a Master Facilitator and Trainer. Using various group-processes along with creative brain-friendly problem-solving techniques, Cynthia focuses on delivering explosive results and outcomes. Cynthia’s passion is, as she says, to “Hold the space and place for individuals and organizations to experience their greatness”.

Cynthia delivers dynamic and highly interactive sessions for organizations in all sectors.  She is enjoyable to work with and has an uncanny sense of humor coupled with style and grace.  This approach to her work is what allows participants in her facilitated events to bring their best to the process.

She is the coauthor of Process-Based Facilitation the basis for offering workshops and seminars for her clients to master the art and science of facilitation.

As a master process-based facilitator, Cynthia’s straightforward style creates the opportunity for the client to develop the path forward. This leaves the client excited about the plans and defined outcomes they have created to meet their goals.  One client commented as such:

“Facilitating a strategic planning session requires a quick mind, analytical listening, and an engaging heart. Dr. Cynthia Pace possesses all these qualities but makes it her business to meet in advance of the session, to understand the clients’ objectives, and to work collaboratively toward a deliberate and effective outcome. Cynthia is a true professional. (And I have been in many strategic planning sessions.)!

-Leonard, R Railey, Baltimore Washington Quarter Chamber Board of Directors Chair., President and CEO, University System of Maryland Foundation, Incorporated.

It is her experience as a former college President and Professor that allows Cynthia to be a leader in her field, modeling the practices and behaviors that produce Level 5 leaders in various industries.

The training and facilitated events align the clients existing “normal” and creating a “new normal” in real time. Unlike most, Cynthia offers the opportunity to experience in session, their leadership capacity, which is memorable, penetrable, and remarkable.

Cynthia is known for leading teams and employees to embrace a culture of “trust and personal responsibility.” This is most important because it directly affects the bottom line of any organization, turning an irregular organizational heartbeat into a drumbeat. Turning a jungle into a garden.

Cynthia Pace is passionate about turning boring meetings, retreats and business sessions that produce less than optimal results, into Meetings that produce magic. Cynthia’s work truly is a gamechanger.

Wayne Pendle

Captivating, Caring, Capable

Wayne Pendle is a Senior Manager with Leadership Strategies (LSI) — a firm specializing in providing clients with professional facilitators to lead sessions in strategic planning, process improvement, information needs analysis, and issue resolution. The organization also focuses on teaching leadership training classes in group facilitation, consulting, project planning, team building and management excellence.

Wayne has 20 years of extensive technology, logistics, business and leadership know-how through his years as an Army officer and business consultant. His skills and expertise at understanding static processes as well as mastering the dynamic challenges of people has allowed him to influence a wide range of organizations – from Fortune 100 executives to leaders of start-up tech firms. He has developed a reputation for communicating in a practical, dynamic, and interactive manner. As an instructor, many have evaluated the training that Wayne presents as “the best course ever taken.” Those classes include The Effective Facilitator, The Facilitative Consultant, Masterful Meetings, Facilitation for Trainers, and The Seven Separators. His most recent project was to take LSI’s flagship course, The Effective Facilitator, and redesign and modify it into a 100% virtual course called The Effective Virtual Facilitator. Not only it is taught virtually but the facilitation principles and best practices are skillfully modeled throughout the training.

Wayne is a member and serves as current chairman of LSI’s Core Team Council. The purpose of this council is to provide a bridge between the leadership team at LSI and the Core Team Members (approximately 40) around the world.

He has a B.A. in Psychology from Furman University, an M.B.A. and M.S. in Management from Colorado Technical University and is pursuing his doctorate in Organizational Leadership. He lives in Fairhope, AL with his wife and three children.

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Leigh Ann Rodgers

Energetic, Flexible, Optimistic

Offers Extensive Experience in:  

Experience/Background:

Leigh Ann is a thought-leader in maximizing employee engagement and improving team dynamics. She has been recognized by leaders around the world for the ability to get tough and resistant teams to open up and participate actively. She is collaborative and flexible, working to meet the unique needs and expectations of each client, partnering with them to help resolve issues and reach their goals with her positive energy and thought-provoking questions. In Leigh Ann’s podcast, Leading Better Teams, she addresses the challenges leaders are facing in this complex, ever-changing world.

As an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and INIFAC Certified Virtual Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field, Leigh Ann is a skilled coach, trainer, and meeting facilitator working in North America, Canada, Europe, and Asia with numerous Fortune Global 500 companies to help leaders cultivate cultures that are both highly productive and positive.

For over two decades, Leigh Ann has cultivated a passion for developing leaders and teams. Motivated to provide solutions for the common challenges that all leaders and organizations face, she channeled her passions into creating the Better Teams Model and Assessment which includes five components, all critical for a high-performing team: Alignment, Readiness, Happiness, Leadership, and Trust. She has also founded a membership program, Forward, for leaders, facilitators, and coaches focused on building happy and high performing teams.

As a speaker, facilitator, coach, and trainer, Leigh Ann brings a sense of excitement and connection to help improve team alignment. Her individualized approach provides measurable, actionable goals giving leaders clear next steps to help change the culture of the organizations in which they lead. Teams in the modern business environment are comprised of many interconnected and complicated elements; Leigh Ann helps break down these components in a more manageable way to increase engagement amongst teams of all types.

During her time as a Human Resources Manager for SunTrust Bank, Leigh Ann developed and delivered a successful three-month, eight-course management training program for the company’s managers and supervisors designed to train employees in the fundamentals of management. As a Coach and Facilitator with GP Strategies and The Glenbrook Group, she has coached hundreds of leaders to maximize their potential by managing the self, individuals, teams and ultimately the enterprise. Fueled by a keen sense of empathy and a desire to understand all perspectives on the team, Leigh Ann proved to be instrumental in significantly improving relationships for a major consulting organization faced with a conflict between their leadership team and more than 20 contractors.

Leigh Ann has been recognized for her volunteer service, serving as the Vice President of Programming for the Southeast Association of Facilitators where she was honored with the President’s Award for two consecutive years. She enjoys riding her bike, dining at locally owned restaurants, and volunteering multiple times a week at an animal sanctuary for farm animals.

Representative Clients/Accomplishments Include:

·         The Kellogg Company (Kellogg’s)

·         MARS

·         Georgia Leadership for School Improvement (GLISI)

·         JRS Biodiversity Foundation

·         SafeGuard International ·         SunTrust Bank

·         Leadership Strategies

·         Urology Centers of Alabama

·         Univision

·         Santander Banks

·         Center for Disease Control (CDC)

·         The Arc of Texas

Education:

Certifications and Authorizations for Assessments and Courses:

“We worked through a very packed agenda over the last few days. But, as we learned from folks over dinner last night, the session you led was among the most appreciated and – almost certainly – the most critical. Indeed, we have welcome external facilitators in the past. However, we’ve rarely received such strong feedback on both the facilitation and the activities – well-deserved praise, especially given the very short turnaround time and tight schedule.”

~Nicole Lindsay, Vice President, Strategy & Operations, Mastercard

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Jeff Ross

Jeff Ross is a Senior Manager with Leadership Strategies, Inc. He is a certified instructor for our firm’s flagship course – The Effective Facilitator, and our management excellence course – From Management to Leadership. Since May of 2000, Jeff has trained over a 1000 people in the facilitation principles.

Jeff’s primary focus has been on developing the skills of newly promoted and existing leaders, and facilitating group meetings to discover inconsistencies and implement solutions for organizational change. His expertise has been noted by session participants who have commented on his keen ability to model techniques presented, and create an enthusiastic and enjoyable learning environment.

Prior to Leadership Strategies, Inc., Jeff was a Project Manager and Senior Facilitator with Delta Air Lines Inc., responsible for managing the creation, implementation and delivery of leadership development training. He was also certified through Delta Air Lines to facilitate the Time Management and Situational Leadership II courses, respectively designed by Franklin Quest and Blanchard Training & Development, Inc. Jeff also facilitates Change Management courses for Executives, Managers and Individual Contributors, The 4 Disciplines of Execution and The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, Leading at the Speed of Trust and Five Choices of Extraordinary Productivity. For the past 15 years, Jeff has had extensive public contact and training experience with all levels of management ranging from frontline and mid-level management to senior and executive level management. Jeff currently focuses his work in facilitating and consulting in Strategic Thinking and Planning and Lessons Learned Facilitated Sessions. Jeff’s client list ranges from The CDC Leadership Management Institute, National Australian Bank, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Atlanta Journal Constitution and a host of others in the US and Europe.

Jeff received his B.A. in Business Management at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff is a licensed pilot and enjoys flying small aircraft, water skiing and cherishing his time with his wife and 9 year old daughter Lindsey.

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Mark Smith

Provocative, Energetic, Experienced

Mark S. Smith uses his many talents as a professional facilitator, executive coach, change agent, and organizational development consultant to work with leaders to position their organizations for long-term success.

Known for his versatility and ability to inspire critical behaviors to reach targeted results, Mark has worked with dozens of senior teams and boards of Global 1000 Multi-National Corporations and Non-Profit Organizations to enhance decision-making and build leadership competencies. Mark has worked in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Mark facilitates senior teams to align around common goals and priorities. Among other areas, this skill enables him to work in environments requiring the integration of business units, the breaking down of barriers to develop high performing leadership teams and planning sessions requiring high levels of collaboration. He is adept at bringing disparate ideas into Strategic Plans and aligning teams around implementation of those plans.

Among his current and former clients are:

Mark’s business experience began with IBM in 1984, after which he held senior positions with growing firms in the United States, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Switzerland. He is also a seasoned entrepreneur, having founded and grown a strategic consulting practice, before transitioning it to a multinational consulting group.

Mark is also a sought-after executive coach. His focus areas for coaching include enhancing communication through authenticity, building relationships, developing high performance teams, personal brand development, achieving inspirational leadership, and creating a culture of candor and trust. Through compiling his most impactful coaching lessons, Mark authored “Distinctions: 52 Lessons in Leadership” which was published in 2015.

Mark’s areas of expertise include:

He also partnered with Stanford University to provide coaching to CEOs of high growth companies as part of the Stanford Executive Program- “Leadership for Growth.” The program combines facilitation and executive coaching to drive business results. Now in its fourth year, the program has won numerous awards for its innovative approach to CEO learning and problem solving.

Background and training

Mark earned his M.B.A. with a focus in Operations Management from Syracuse University and a Certificate in International Business from Pace University of New York. He has a B.S. in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. In 1992, Mark co-authored the professional guide, Principles of Business Engineering, which later became the framework for the Business Strategy and Process Improvement methodology deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Mark has facilitated hundreds of strategic-planning, business-process transformation interventions and workshops across a wide range of commercial, non-profit and government organizations.

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Chris Steely

Collaborative, Engaging, Thought-provoking

Rated as one of the most effective facilitators in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Indonesia, and across the United States and Canada since 2003, Chris’s capacity to facilitate and inspire audiences is proven, as is his talent for creating a relaxed, team-oriented rapport, while getting teams actively engaged and experiencing optimal performance dynamics.  Chris has been called “The Unconventional Facilitator”; doing it differently, inspiring power, passion and possibilities.

Chris has over 20 years of professional facilitation experience, specializing in Strategic Planning, Team Building, Diversity & Inclusion, and Change Management, bringing decades of leadership, business development, and team-building experience. Chris’ background includes international management consulting, business ownership, corporate VP in the Technology sector, service as an active duty United States Marine Corps logistics officer, and NCAA national rowing championship and coach.

Chris earned his MBA from Boston University, BS in Marketing from the University of Central Florida,  and a secondary diploma from Culver Military Academy. He holds numerous business coaching certifications, and is a certified Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner.

“Chris is clearly an expert on helping individuals and teams make break-through transitions from “good to great.”

“This event was an excellent opportunity for me to learn from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in business. It was the perfect pace, interaction, and information to keep everyone engaged. I learned so much! Thank you for the invitation, Chris. I am truly grateful.”

“Attending Chris’s event has been a game changer for me professionally. The information received, coupled with the roadmap to success, is way more than I expected and feel I am now ready to take my company to the next level.”

“In just a few hours, I was able to formulate a strategy and plan to grow my business for the current year. I did not think that was possible in such a short period of time.”

“Chris Steely is an amazing, insightful facilitator, using his genuine presence, offering professional input to the subjects of sales, marketing and team building. I have gone away with a greater understanding of myself, more coaching tools and greater awareness of the business community. Thank you, Chris.”

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Andrea Young

Enthusiastic, Interactive, Inclusion

Andrea Young is a facilitator, planner, and trainer at Leadership Strategies specializing in needs assessments, process analysis and strategic planning. Andrea has been delivering facilitation training workshops, collaborated and executed plan development and facilitated process improvement sessions for more than 13 years, working with clients ranging from volunteer and paid first response organizations to government sector and non-governmental organizations such as for-profit conglomerates, volunteer-based organizations, hospitals and institutions of higher education.

In addition to her Core Team work with LSI, Andrea is currently working with the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), a start-up non-profit organization funded through the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. She has been responsible for interpreting the language of the cooperative agreement submitted to DOJ and taking the concept of the NCCPS program to actualization, successfully implementing a nationally recognized educational program in under 18 months. Andrea has developed and facilitated more than twenty critical issues in higher education forums with practitioners from colleges and universities around the country.

Andrea’s professional history, combined with her experience in customer service and as a volunteer, has provided her with the skills and ability to work with clients of diverse backgrounds to gain consensus. Her approach to facilitating is enthusiastic, interactive, and most importantly, drives results. Andrea creates a safe, personal, and energized environment in which all participants get involved, are challenged, and contribute to the success of the group. Andrea works to assist clients in translating their needs into achievable outcomes. She then collaborates with the client to map out the best process to reach their objectives using a variety of methods and techniques, vesting accountability with participants to ensure success.

Early in her career, Andrea satisfied her desire to give back to the community through working with AmeriCorps in a joint venture with Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer coordinator during which time she was responsible for volunteer management and donations. She has worked with governmental and non-governmental organizations, including technology firms, conglomerates, dozens of institutions of higher education, the American Red Cross, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly – Boston, the New England Radiological Health Compact, the New England Transportation Consortium, multiple state agencies, the InfraGard, FEMA, the United State Postal Service, and several hospitals and health departments, among many others.

Andrea has been invited to speak at National Homeland Security Conferences on the processes utilized for reporting on preparedness, and her policies and procedures in grants management and programmatic monitoring have been listed as a Best Practice nationally. Andrea’s internally developed courses have been delivered to hundreds of participants at the local and state level, and she has been invited to provide these trainings to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Andrea earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Business Management and Accounting from Norwich University and her Master Exercise Practitioner designation from the Emergency Management Institute.

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