THE NEEDS AT THE TOP ARE COMPLEX
We understand, because we've been there.
Each executive consultant has been chosen for their track record of excellence in real-world senior leadership roles and for their experience with executive coaching, consulting, mentoring, and assessment methodologies. As former senior executives, they fully understand the strategic and operational pressures our clients face, and are adept at identifying issues quickly and knowledgeably.
Our consultants work both individually and as engagement teams, ensuring that the highest level of specific expertise is leveraged for each client. Their collective capabilities ensure our clients’ toughest leadership challenges transform into sustainable organizational results.
EXECUTIVE
PRESENCE
POWER &
INFLUENCE
CHANGE
IMMUNITY
STRATEGIC
LEADERSHIP
DEI
EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
Each executive consultant has been chosen for their track record of excellence in real-world senior leadership roles and for their experience with executive coaching, consulting, mentoring, and assessment methodologies. As former senior executives, they fully understand the strategic and operational pressures our clients face, and are adept at identifying issues quickly and knowledgeably.
Michael Takagawa
Founder and CEO
"We transform organizations, building the talent of a company so they are more prepared to take on the big initiatives of the future."
Michael Takagawa is the Founder & CEO of Corporate Edge, and visionary of an advanced and original organizational model that distinguishes itself from traditional leadership consulting firms and individual coaching professionals.
In his 20+ years as a Fortune 500 senior executive, including president and COO roles, Mike discovered that traditional models of executive coaching did not address the more complex needs of CEO’s, presidents and senior leaders, but were rather geared towards mid-level managers. Mike set out to develop a different type of client relationship—one that would address the unique needs of the highest level of leader. Leveraging team efficiencies, Corporate Edge consultants are often integrated into high stakes initiatives —working seamlessly across the organization—fully aligning Corporate Edge services with the client’s overall business and organizational goals.
Prior to launching Corporate Edge, Michael was president and COO of Discovery Toys, where he helped lead a successful business turnaround and company sale. In addition, he had a successful career in consumer marketing and brand management, including a variety of vice president roles for Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, Del Monte, and Kikkoman International.
A native of San Francisco, Michael earned his MBA from Stanford University and his Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
“The success of an organization is the interdependent sum of all its parts, working seamlessly, with all short-term goals aligned with a defined mission.”
The President of a premier leadership-consulting firm, Wende leads a powerful team of executive leadership consultants. She works closely alongside her team, and values people first. It is her mission to build trusted relationships with senior-level clients, and she works collaboratively to find creative and custom solutions to their biggest business challenges. Wende operates both in front and behind the scenes, establishing touch points and strategizing for the future of the company’s brand, direction and growth.
Wende has an MBA from Golden Gate University, a BA degree in Business Management, a Paralegal Certificate from Saint Mary's College, and holds a certificate in Executive Coaching from Brown University. She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She has completed Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation and Leadership, has training with Integrative Enneagram Solutions and Positive Intelligence by Shirzan Chamine, and is a Certified Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP Institute of California). She is an avid and lifelong learner.
Wende balances her career with her most important role as a mother, and as an involved member of her community. She serves as a Board Member for the Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation (dedicated to serving cancer patients), as well as the Golden Gate University, Alumni Association Board of Directors. Wende is a passionate advocate for the education and success of youth and women. She is the Board Vice-President for Impact 100 East Bay, empowering women to have a lasting impact in the local community, and a mentor at WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. (The Women's Organization for Mentoring, Education, and Networking).
Wende Amerie
President and Chief Operating Officer
Lynn Barsnick
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Brand Implementation and Employee and Client Experience
"A great leader rolls up her sleeves and joins the masses. It is only as an equal and connected member of the team, with an intimate understanding of their driving fears and motivations, that she can lead them to greatness."
Lynn is a leadership development expert, a trusted advisor, and an experienced executive coach.
Lynn leverages 25 years of business experience as a strategic advisor who helps senior level to C-suite executives drive actionable people solutions and provide practical insights on business strategy that strengthens the skills needed to lead their organizations gaining tangible business results.
Lynn’s expertise comes from a breadth of experience leading HR and Learning and Development across many prestigious companies and serving on executive teams. She is highly focused on empowering leaders to think about who they are so that they can show up as their best self. She has worked with thousands of professionals in a diverse array of businesses organizations, coaching them to strategically manage their own professional learning, leadership development, and personal brand – for their company and themselves.
Lynn holds a certificate in Executive Coaching from Brown University, a BS in health science, and is certified in Enneagram, Disc, Insights Discovery, and EQi Emotional Intelligence.
In her spare time, she volunteers to work with many nonprofits, helping organizations become more collaborative and effective in their strategic plans and organizational goals.
MASTER STATUS: Strategic Planning, Change Management, Performance Management, and Team Dynamics and Effectiveness
Michael Cherry, Ph.D.
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Leadership Transitions and Leadership Development
"Everyone deserves to discover themselves, achieve success, and become outstanding leaders."
Mike serves as a trusted adviser to high potential leaders and groups to improve their leadership impact, collaboration, and productivity to drive business success and achieve personal fulfillment. He has coached in a variety of organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profits, and has worked with business owners and executives in financial services, insurance, healthcare and more.
Mike works best with individuals and groups that have an intense desire to improve their leadership and function. Mike leverages evidence based coaching practices, his experience and education to prepare leaders to manage change, engage cross functional teams, and effectively influence organizational strategy. Mike’s coaching approach blends client’s strengths, areas for improvement, and business objectives to create, and execute on, a customized development plan.
Mike’s education background includes an Organizational & Leadership Coaching Certificate from Lewis University an Ed.D. in Ethical Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University and an MSA in Not-for-Profit Management from the University of Notre Dame. In addition, Mike has an MBA in Leadership & Organizational Change from San José State University and his undergraduate degree is a BSC in Business Administration from Santa Clara University.
In addition to Mike’s experience as a coach, he is currently an Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership for the College of Business at Lewis University. Lewis University's Organizational Leadership program focuses on the human side of leadership in the workplace, teaching how people function and how leaders can help them reach their full potential.
MASTER STATUS: Organizational and Leadership Coaching, Career Transition Coaching, Strategic intent coaching, and Executive Presence Coaching
Dennis Driver
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Strategic Management
“Every leader must be able to lift people up. Nothing does this better than praise.”
Dennis, having recently completed a highly successful career as a Human Resources executive, is now dedicating his energy towards executive coaching. Being able to, now, focus on targeted one-on-one connections with leaders in support of their efforts to create workplace environments that maximize the passion and potential of every employee is, for Dennis, “living the dream”.
He has worked in companies ranging in size from Fortune 100 companies to companies with as few as 300 employees. Additionally, he worked and lived in Europe for five years. He has worked across industries including Forest Products, Aerospace, Technology, Health Care, and Biotech. Dennis believes that the depth of his experience and his broad exposure position’s him well to assist others in developing the ability to manage high degrees of organizational complexity, manage change, and to value cultural differences.
His leadership coaching style is influenced by Hay-Mcber, the Situational Leadership Model, and the Servant Leadership Philosophy.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Stillman College (summa cum laude), did graduate level studies in Human Resources at Pepperdine University, and is a former officer in the United States Marine Corps. In his spare time, Dennis is a member of the Salk Institute Board of Trustees. He also serves on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Museum Foundation Board (San Diego). As well, when possible, he plays golf and pickleball.
MASTER STATUS: Strategic Management, Executive Presence, Influence, Next Level Leadership, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Carol Gallagher, Ph.D.
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive, Team, Organizational and Board Development
“Human beings are amazing! We have everything within us to identify and achieve our purpose."
Dr. Gallagher is committed to supporting leaders, organizations and Boards of Directors in getting clear on what is most important to their success and guiding them in accomplishing that. She has worked with senior leaders and Boards of Directors across numerous for-profit and nonprofit organizations and industries. Her breadth of experience has spanned the organizational spectrum from individual executive development to organizational redesign of departments and large corporate structures, to merging corporations, Boards of Directors and Medical Groups.
Carol has written the best-selling book Going to the Top, published in English and Chinese by Viking Penguin. She uses the lessons learned from hundreds of executive interviews to facilitate the growth of leaders and organizations. Carol has been in senior leadership roles at large organizations such as IBM, Goldman Sachs and Accenture.
Carol has a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, now Alliant International University, where she served nine years on their Board of Trustees as an officer, member of the Executive Committee, and Chair of both the Nominating Committee and Institutional Advancement Committee. Carol was also on the Wyndham International Hotels and Resorts Advisory Board, helping them to build a marketing strategy to attract the up-and-coming executive traveler.
Carol and her family love living in their home in Diablo with their small dog Lola. Although her collegiate basketball career has passed, she is still an active pickleball player, paddleboarder, and loves cycling and hiking up Mt. Diablo.
MASTER STATUS: Executive coaching, team development, organizational redesign, board transformation
Karen Elmhirst
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive Presence and Building High Performing Teams
“When you connect with your authentic warmth and personal power, your light shines, you discover presence, and your path to greater impact.”
Karen is an expert in the field of Executive Presence.
Executive Presence is all about influence. And, the good news is that this so-called “It” factor can be learned and developed over time. Although the term has become a buzzword recently, Karen has been coaching clients on the elements of “Executive Presence” for over a decade. She has also expanded her program to include teams and helps them grow their presence as they build trust, gain alignment on their shared vision and learn to lead from every seat.
Karen has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and started her career in sales and marketing, becoming a leader in companies ranging from large, multi-national firms to a small internet start-up. She continues to expand her knowledge in support of her passion - how people communicate and their relationship to work.
Whether it’s preparing a client for a challenging conversation, a high-stakes presentation, or facilitating a team’s strategy meeting, Karen brings her own authentic warmth, personal power and insight to help identify the best path forward.
MASTER STATUS: Executive Presence, Mission/Vision/Values, Stakeholder Management, On-Boarding and Change Processes, Communications and Team Performance, Influence and Impact
Alan Gellman
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Enhancing Impact and Joy for Executives and their teams
"Our daily decisions and habits have a huge impact upon both our levels of happiness and success.”
Alan is a former Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager who now helps successful executives develop in ways that help them drive stronger results, build stronger teams and achieve greater joy.
He brings the informed perspective of having been a senior operating executive before becoming a coach. As the Chief Marketing Officer of Esurance he was named by Business Insider as one of “The 50 Most Innovative CMOs in the World.” He has held executive positions in companies ranging in size from Fortune 100 to startup, across industries including Financial Services, Health Care and Consumer Packaged Goods.
His approach recognizes the realities of the corporate world while bringing humanity to the issues his clients face. He helps them develop through authentic and comprehensive conversations, and a pragmatic examination of behaviors and outcomes which include development of new skills and competencies. His clients appreciate his ability to quickly grasp their situation, his clarity, pragmatism, results orientation and sense of humor.
Alan’s clients work in functions including C-Suite, marketing & advertising, finance, technology, analytics and operations, across many industries, and their companies range in size from Fortune 50 to startups.
MASTER STATUS: Executive Coaching; Leadership Development; Team Coaching, Development & Facilitation; High-Potential Executive Development; Interpersonal Communication & Influence; Change Management; Diversity Equity and Inclusion. His focus on diversity, equity and inclusion comes from a personal passion; he is the chair of an organization that supports adopted kids of color, like his daughter
"We combine our diverse talents, knowledge of the culture, relationships, and heart to facilitate profound, system-wide improvement."
Before founding her s-corp in 2008, Denise spent 14 successful years leading at Oracle Corporation and Charles Schwab & Co., where she last served as Director of Leadership Development in IT. Denise has coached and inspired thousands in High Tech, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Consumer Products industries. She is a sought-after speaker and author of Work-Life Brilliance: Tools to Break Stress and Create the Life and Health You Crave (Amazon, April 16, 2017).
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in French from Arizona State University (summa cum laude), a certificate from the University of Paris Sorbonne, and a Masters from Stanford University.
She draws on her experience as a car accident and illness survivor, and her deep knowledge of the brain and behavior change, to help people overcome any obstacle and step into their potential. She lives in Oakland with her daughter and wonder-mutt Andy.
Denise is passionate about turning research into tools that make the most of her clients’ time, so they achieve powerful results with minimal effort.
MASTER STATUS: Brain-based leadership to inspire trust and bring out the best in others, Brain-based Habit Change, Executive Presence, Influence, Stress Reduction, Time and Life Management. Reducing Overwhelm & Boosting Productivity in Individuals and Teams. Unique STEAR Coaching Model to shift painful thoughts
Renata Hodges, Ph.D.
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing as a Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist
"My passion is guiding leaders on the journey from identifying their most compelling purpose to achieving meaningful, sustained results.”
Renata is a change agent and accelerator, enabling clients to close the gap between where they are and where they dream to be.
Before Corporate Edge, Renata coached and consulted for 17 years with Accenture, Deloitte, McKesson, and Korn Ferry. Her expertise includes executive coaching, leveraging assessments for strategic talent decisions, and driving change. Combining deep inquiry and expertise in adult development, Renata fosters heightened awareness and insight. Her coaching weaves together skill building, deliberate practice, metrics-based accountability, and support to create lasting change.
Renata graduated from UC Berkeley and Duke (Ph.D., Clinical Psychology). Her doctorate on work/life stress continues to define her work; she uses a holistic approach to optimize performance and fulfillment. Her coaching toolkit includes certifications from International Coach Federation, Immunity to Change, Leadership Circle, Hogan, Enneagram and other empirically-validated assessments.
With a lifetime spent traveling the globe and now as a parent, Renata loves exploring life’s big questions.
MASTER STATUS: Aligning Purpose with Impact, Mindfulness, Navigating Transitions, and Skillful Relationships
Kathleen Joy
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Change management and Creativity
“I believe humans are incredibly adaptable. We are designed to find creative solutions to impossible situations.”
Kathi is in the service of bringing out the inspired brilliance in leaders, teams, and organizations that wish to fulfill their wildest dreams.
Kathi has consulted to senior leaders, teams and divisions in Fortune 500, mid-size and start-up companies in the USA and Europe. She’s worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, finance, high tech, and bio tech. Kathi’s clients are high performing; smart, driven professionals and organizations who want to have purpose, innovation and impact with their work. They influence, manage and guide the work lives of others and are responsible for critical organizational outcomes. After 20+ years of experience working with leaders globally, there are a few things Kathi has noticed. Few people use all the resources and intelligences available to them to get want they really desire. Kathi has identified the 4 major intelligences needed and developed a methodology to create individual, collective and cultural brilliance so they can create consciously and fully.
Kathi holds a MA in Organizational Development from The California Institute of Integral Studies and a BA in Public Relations from the University of Michigan. She completed graduate-level work in Cross-Cultural Studies at the Universite de Lyon II while working in France for several years.
Kathi has the pleasure of living in the San Francisco area with her two blooming daughters and a 50 pound ‘lap dog’ named Coco.
MASTER STATUS: Executives in Transition, Executive Presence, Multi-Intelligence Approach to Development and Problem Solving, Subtle Body Assessment and Practice Plans
Lori Lennox
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Leadership Transformation and Executive Effectiveness
“Leadership is not an event or a place of arrival—leadership is perpetual and a dynamic opportunity for evolution.”
Lori brings deep behavioral wisdom as a facilitative leadership resource to ignite transformative change in the art and science of leadership.
During her 18-year corporate career, Lori achieved measurable success in cross-functional leadership positions with Fortune 100 companies including Cisco Systems and General Electric. She gained much of her organizational development expertise in her eight-year tenure with GE under the leadership of Jack Welch. In 2001, Lori launched her coaching consultancy and works with a client list that includes Adobe, Cisco, and Kaiser Permanente. Keenly perceptive and highly educated in human behavior, Lori moves from micro to macro, facilitating the exploration of uncharted possibilities and helping clients leverage their strengths and tap into opportunities otherwise shielded in blind spots. Lori specializes in empowering the intersection between insight and action.
Working from creativity, wisdom, and attention to consciousness, Lori partners with each client on an organic level to identify his or her unique learning edge.
Lori holds a B.S. in finance from Virginia Tech and has done extensive master’s-level work through the John F. Welch Leadership Development Center. She holds numerous certifications across the landscape of leadership development and is a continuous learner in commitment to her own evolution as a human, a parent, a leader, and a coach.
MASTER STATUS: Executive Presence, Difficult Conversations, Immunity to Change, Conscious Leadership, System Coaching, Stakeholder Influence, and Emotional Intelligence
Sheryl Nigro
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Transformational Leadership Development and Graphic Facilitation
"There is 'the life of business' and 'the business of life' and the two are inextricably bound."
Sheryl works exclusively with individuals and teams who wish to lead boldly.
Sheryl has been coaching for 23 years. She spent the first decade pursuing leadership development in the realm of experiential education, most notably as a wilderness instructor with The Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. While there, she developed her capabilities as a leader, guide and facilitator of human dynamics in extreme environments. She then used her understanding of team process to launch her next career supporting and facilitating strategic planning meetings for executive groups across industries around the globe. Finally, she landed where she is today coaching and advising senior executives, top level teams and leaders in business, professional sports, the performing arts, global politics, diplomacy and philanthropy.
Sheryl holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication Study from UCLA, Magna Cum Laude, and numerous certifications spanning the robust discipline of organizational and leadership development.
Sheryl loves spending time with her dogs, designing and curating her home & garden, and making an art of cooking and eating. Sheryl is a lifelong learner and has a very well-developed, albeit off-the-wall, sense of humor.
MASTER STATUS: Physician and Care Delivery Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Team Development, Leadership Transition/On-Boarding
Lori Ogden Moore
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive Leadership & Change and High Performance Teams
“Leaders impress with their strengths but connect with their vulnerability.”
Lori helps leaders enhance the capacity of their organization to create what matters most.
Lori works with senior-level individuals and teams to achieve client objectives for better business results and stronger working relationships. She provides leaders with feedback and trusted partnership. Key issues include getting from reactivity to creativity through conscious choice, enhancing communication and trust, hiring/onboarding, becoming a coach leader, and practicing more effective conversations. Lori has been coaching for over 15 years in private, non-profit and government organizations of all sizes and stages.
She has an BA from Stanford in Communications and Psychology, an MBA from Yale, and a post-grad Leadership Coaching certification from Georgetown.
Lori’s coaching career follows prior years as a leader in branding and marketing. She has raised three teenagers, serves on Grace Cathedral’s Board, is President of the Ghiberti Center for Culture, and volunteers for Stanford and her children’s schools. She loves reading, working out, basketball, football, ballet, music and great conversations.
MASTER STATUS: System Coaching, Team Acceleration, Designing/Delivering Executive Team Off-sites, Women and Leadership, Developing Positive Learning Cultures, Innovation, and Adult Development
Hawlan Ng, PsyD
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive Influence
"People will obey you because of your title. They will follow you because of who you are.”
Hawlan draws on his diverse background as a business leader, executive coach and psychologist to help executives heighten self-awareness, unlock new perspectives, and transform leadership effectiveness.
Hawlan has twenty years of experience in the fields of executive coaching, leadership assessment, politics, education, and clinical psychology. Earlier in his career, Hawlan was Partner at RHR International, where he coached and consulted to boards, C-suite, and senior executives in the healthcare, medical device, consumer goods, retail, and technology industries. As Principal and Senior Director of Leadership Assessment Services at Korn/Ferry International, Hawlan built and led a practice to assess development needs for executive search clients.
Hawlan earned a PsyD in clinical psychology from The Wright Institute (Berkeley), a master’s from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s in political science from Brown University.
He is certified in the Hogan Inventories, Decision StylesTM assessment and several Lominger Architect Suite assessments. He is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys spending time with his wife and twin children. An accomplished actor, Hawlan has appeared on television, film and stage in the U.S. and Europe.
MASTER STATUS: Leadership Influence, Stakeholder Management, Executive Presence, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Personal Branding, Preparing for a New Role, Transitioning from Manager to Leader, Change Leadership, Navigating a Matrixed Organization, On-boarding, Cross-cultural leadership
Saara Robles
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive and Leadership Team Development and Equine-Guided Leadership
True leadership is knowing when to step forward and when to step back; when to lean in and when to give space for others to take center stage. It's about knowing how to leverage the very best from your team.
Saara believes that you cannot serve the world or others at your highest level, until you know who you are and how you impact the world.
Saara’s executive leadership and teamwork spans over 25 years. Her direct, pragmatic approach creates the best environment for others to rise to their best levels of leadership, whether that’s for work, community, family or in service to making the world a better place. Saara has worked in every type of business and industry with leaders across the globe partnering to enable their greatest contributions to the organizations and teams they lead. Her view is that knowing oneself first is an underpinning that creates leaders who are their most satisfied, productive, real selves.
She is committed to people finding joy in their work, no matter the level, environment or role. Her mantra remains ‘if people are to have passion for what they do, then going to work each day shouldn’t be a chore, it should be an opportunity’.
MASTER STATUS: Leading Large Scale Change, Transforming Culture, Inclusionary Engagement, Executive Presence, Guiding Teams to Their Top Performance, Developing Leaders Who Others Love to Follow
Hana Rotman
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Team Performance and Development
“Creating new leadership awareness that enables transformational shifts in behavior.”
Hana uses her own leadership experiences along with a high touch approach to inspire individual and organizational change that improves business results.
Hana is respected for her successes in leadership roles in preeminent corporations including Oracle, Schwab, and Blue Shield, where executives several levels her senior sought out her advice. As a strategy consultant at Accenture, she became known for her collaborative style and ability to establish meaningful connections at all levels in a client organization. Her corporate expertise spans product development, marketing, and organizational development. As a coach and consultant for the past 10 years, Hana has worked with leaders across a variety of industries including healthcare, bio technology, high tech and financial services.
With degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (BSE) and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business (MBA), Hana shares her clients’ objectives for bottom-line optimization and aligns her coaching strategies to help them reach their business goals.
A proud mother of two daughters and a rescue mutt, and deeply committed to healthy living, Hana partners with her clients as they seek to balance life’s numerous priorities.
MASTER STATUS: Leadership Influence, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Planning, Mission/Vision Development, Team Performance and Development, Employee Engagement
Loretta Stagnitto
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Leadership Behaviors & EQ, Team Performance & Peer Group Coaching
“To inspire true commitment, leaders must practice what they teach. They must model the behavior they expect of others."
Loretta empowers leaders and teams to align their commitments with the right actions, inspiring them to model the behavior they expect of others.
Leaders and teams often confuse effort with results, making commitments that are not tied to actions. Even with the right intentions, lack of awareness about unproductive leadership behaviors or practices can create the wrong perceptions, causing unintentional impact on staff, peers and other cross-functional teams. Loretta helps leaders and teams build a new awareness of how they can more effectively inspire, operate and inter-relate in their organizations. With a focus on behaviors, actions and effective management practices, she has worked with hundreds of leaders who have transitioned from one level of leadership scope to another; lead in dynamic, highly matrix and culturally engrained structures; influenced without authority, dealt with difficult people and built high-performing teams.
Loretta has also developed an expertise in the causes of workplace anxiety and burnout and helps leaders develop strategies for building resilience. She has coached extensively in the healthcare, technology, finance, and bio-tech industries for more than 20 years. As a VP of Marketing in the early years of the Internet in Silicon Valley, Loretta orchestrated multi-million-dollar marketing and brand development campaigns for object-oriented application development, voice-over-Internet (VOIP) and online photo-sharing companies that fundamentally changed the way consumers and businesses use technology.
She holds a B.A. in Journalism/PR from SJSU, is certified as an Executive Coach, and has completed extensive leadership coursework at the Institute for Generative Leadership. She is also certified in several psychometric and behavioral-based analytical tools and team-development models. The mother of two adult children, Loretta supports women’s leadership as a member of the RiseUpTogether.org Leadership Council, and Guide for several Core groups of C-suite women in CHIEF. She also enjoys rowing, Pilates, bike-riding, outdoor walks and interior design.
MASTER STATUS: Executive and Peer Group Coaching; Personality, Work-Style and Stress Assessment, High-Performance Team Development, Emotions Management, New Leader Assimilation, Workplace Anxiety and Burnout, Mastermind Facilitation for Women
Seema Yasmin, MD
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Medical and Science Centric Consultative Services
“Change is inevitable. Yet too often it is perceived as a point of weakness and disorientation. I help leaders use transitions as powerful points of growth and deep transformation.”
Seema helps leaders connect with their core values and purpose to chart a bold path and map a distinct vision at times of instability and change.
As an Emmy Award-winning journalist and Pulitzer prize finalist, she’s an expert communicator who leverages her skills of storytelling and deep human connection with her training as a medical doctor to not only guide leaders through times of uncertainty but to leverage that uncertainty into a more innovative and bolder vision.
With the right guidance and mindset, Seema has found that periods of uncertainty and transition can serve as launchpads for profound growth and realization. By connecting the dots of a leader’s past trajectory and identifying sticking points that can limit growth, Seema helps her clients come unstuck and collaborates with them to chart an authentic and braver onward path.
With her own “harmonic career” which encompasses writing nonfiction and poetry books, teaching crisis communications to business school students and compassion and empathy classes to medical students, researching the spread of misinformation, writing TV shows, and incorporating stand-up comedy into her work, Seema embodies her belief that we must bring our whole authentic selves to the table in order to lead with integrity and passion.
A graduate of the University of Cambridge Medical School, Seema trained in journalism at the University of Toronto. She served as a disease detective in the U.S. Epidemic Intelligence Service and a correspondent for major TV and print outlets. Her expertise has been called upon by the White House, the Vatican, the Aspen Ideas Festival and others.
MASTER STATUS: Crisis Management, Medical and Science Centric Consultative Services, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, and Communications Coaching.
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Miriam Nigl
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in Executive Presence & Effectiveness and Building High Performing Teams
“I believe the role of leaders is not to manufacture innovation, but rather to set conditions within an organization so that it grows into a healthy, adaptive network capable of problem-solving in response to any challenge.”
Miriam Nigl is passionate about honing leadership, crafting strategy, and building teams.
Working over ten years as a management consultant before becoming a government strategist and coach gave Miriam an appreciation for the impact she could make through helping leaders get grounded in their values, clarity on goals, and confidence around executive presence. It also fine-tuned her ability to lead through influence, usually in highly matrixed organizations, and often despite lack of authority. She has been Chief Strategist to a series of government Senior Executives, during which time she advised and coached them through some of the most challenging issues confronting the US government today. Her leadership skills, strong intuition, and creative curiosity make Miriam uniquely valuable in working through complex challenges. A master at building innovative partnerships and creating connective tissue across teams, Miriam thrives on exploring what an effective organization and competitive advantage look like in a post-pandemic society.
A graduate of West Point, Miriam brings her values of service and excellence to not only her federal employment, but also to her executive coaching practice. She holds a master’s degree from Georgetown’s Security Studies Program and a graduate certificate from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. Miriam built on over a decade of consulting, leadership, and strategy work by becoming a certified coach through Brown University’s ACT Leadership and Performance Coaching Program.
Miriam is in a lifelong pursuit of mastery in a variety of areas ranging from leadership skills, to playing piano, to running [slowly]. Of all the areas she has dedicated herself to, she ultimately found she learns most from matching wits daily with her young children and husband, a Montessori teacher.
MASTER STATUS: Executive Presence, Highly Matrixed Organizations, Leading through Influence, Strategic Planning, Team Dynamics and Effectiveness, Strategic Messaging
Laura Clapper, MD
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Specializing in team coaching, system coaching, executive effectiveness, strategic leadership, people strategy, operations, growth, integrating acquisitions, innovation
“The real challenge in leadership and organizations is how to innovate and be future focused while achieving success in business as usual. Partnering together, we can gain insights, achieve clarity, challenge assumptions, and build a path forward to accelerate results and impact.”
Laura’s specialty is working with leaders new to executive roles or leading challenging strategic or innovation initiatives to broaden their mindset and perspective, facilitate leaders gaining insights on what they are not seeing, and effectively partner with the team and all the ecosystem stakeholders.
As an executive coach, physician, and healthcare executive with more than 25 years of broad industry experience, Laura has first-hand experience as a C-Suite executive and understands the complexities of highly matrixed, global organizations, challenges in healthcare, and the pace of agile, fast-paced business environments. Laura believes development is personal and is most successful when focused on what the client needs within the context of the organization. As a coach and thought partner, Laura works with clients to build on their strengths, enhance communication and leadership skills, and take their leadership to the next level. Laura’s entrepreneurial approach builds value for her clients and supports them in developing future thinking, practical solutions.
As a Designing Your Life facilitator, Laura brings design thinking into her coaching practice. Laura received her BA from Stanford University, Medical Degree (MD) from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and MPPA from Claremont Graduate University.
Laura has a special interest in coaching healthcare/physician executives, emerging leaders, and women executives. She has raised 4 boys and loves outdoor sports, yoga and reading.
MASTER STATUS: Strategic planning, change management, talent development, organization development and performance management, succession planning, implementing innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, healthcare transformation
