Areas of Specialization

Consulting to individuals, businesses, and organizations to enhance individual and organizational performance.
Facilitating group processes to support strategic planning and change management.
Designing and delivering presentations and training programs on a diversity of topics including strategic planning, organizational development, leadership, change management, career and entrepreneurial planning, communication and presentation skills, and women's issues.

Professional Experience

Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker, Trainer 1986 to Present
Los Angeles, CA; Cambria, CA; and Kalamazoo, MI

Designed and delivered speeches, seminars, and consulting services to enhance the success of individuals, organizations, and businesses. Key client projects have included:

Consulting and Group Facilitation:

San Luis Obispo County: Facilitated an organization-wide culture change process to enhance organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. Conducted strategic planning retreats for the County Board of Supervisors, County Administrative Office, Public Health Department, Office of Emergency Services, Risk Management, Probation, General Services, Planning, Assessor's Office. Facilitated a process to enhance departmental goals and performance measures for 30 departments. Coached management teams to support organizational transformation and manage change. Partnered with an Employee Advisory Board to design and implement an in-house Employee University to provide training for 3,000 employees to enhance individual, team, and supervisory effectiveness. Conducted needs assessments, designed programs, customized curriculum, and implemented strategies to calculate return on investment.
Lee Hecht Harrison: Opened and operated outplacement and in-placement career centers for 1,300 employees of PG&E Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plan. Designed and directed client services to support internal career planning, reemployment, or entrepreneurial development with an emphasis on skill and interest assessment, resume writing, business card design, job search strategies, interviewing/negotiating skills, and business plan development.
San Luis Obispo County Office of Education: Facilitated a comprehensive planning process with multi-cultural, multi-lingual neighborhood teams to design programs to support children, ages 0-5, in enhancing school readiness.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department, Paso Robles/San Miguel Health Collaborative, Atascadero Health Collaborative, Oceano Community Center: Served as a coach to support the Public Health Department in enhancing their partnerships with community-based organizations in order to evaluate and meet the unique needs of each community.
Group Process Facilitation: Supported the strategic planning efforts of numerous government, educational, non-profit, and community based organizations by facilitating short and long-term group processes, synthesizing results, and designing action plans.
Cuesta College, Small Business Development Center: Provided consulting services to support small business development in San Luis Obispo County. Advised clients on business plan development, strategic planning, and entrepreneurial development.
Drake, Beam, Morin (DBM) & Right Management Consultants: Provided outplacement career planning services to over 1,000 individuals and conducted 1, 2, and 3-day small group seminars.
L.A. Gear: Designed a $1.5 million sales force automation program to automate manual systems, enhance corporate communications, and reduce operating costs. Created training programs for to increase employee productivity.
Career Transitions: Owned and operated a career consulting private practice providing custom-designed individual and group programs for over 500 clients. Facilitated career transitions and entrepreneurial business development including envisioning the "ideal future", creating short and long-range transition plans, developing business plans, and designing cost effective promotional materials.

Speaking and Training:

San Luis Obispo County Employee University: Designed customized curriculum to meet the unique needs of the culture and delivered training to County employees on numerous topics including: High Involvement Teamwork, High Performance Management, Understanding Style Differences, Career Development, Creating a Motivating Environment for Teams, Stress Management, Change Management, and Presentation Skills.
National Seminars Group: Served as a professional speaker conducting one-day seminars around the country for audiences with 50 to 200 participants per day (over 20,000 individuals trained). Generated $4 million in revenue and sold $400,000 in educational training resources. Topics included: Managing Anger and Conflict for Women, Handling Negativity in the Workplace, Understanding and Using the Internet, Conducting Online Research, Online Marketing Strategies for Executives, and Creating Multimedia Presentations with PowerPoint.
Hill Enterprise, Inc./Microsoft Corporation: Facilitated 3-day training programs for employees of Microsoft to enhance the consulting skills of technical consultants and the virtual teaming skills of technical sales specialists. Delivered training in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and numerous U.S. locations.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and California State University, San Bernardino: Created and facilitated programs for management and supervisory staff on change management, career planning, and cultivating a motivating environment for employees.
Cuesta College, Institute for Professional Development: Designed curriculum and delivered training for employees of the college and businesses in the community to enhance team building, organizational development, change management, and presentation skills.
California Specialized Training Institute and Hewlett Packard: Designed and delivered seminars to trainers and sales executives to enhance their ability to utilize multimedia presentation technology.
California Association for Non-Profits, South Dakota Association of Healthcare Administrators, California State University at Northridge, and Xerox Credit Union: Presented courses to adult education students, employees, and association members to enhance communication skills, facilitate career planning, and effectively utilize the internet and technology to enhance professional and organizational success.
NASA: Developed and presented speeches and seminars for female employees to enhance internal career opportunities.
Keynote Speeches: Designed and delivered over 100 programs to women's organizations, professional associations, conferences, community groups, and individuals nationwide. Topics included: The Trends for Women in Business; Can I Really Do What I Love and Make a Living at It? Effective Job Search Strategies; Creating the Vision: An Entrepreneurial Program for Women; and Cultivating Internal Career Opportunities.

Director of Operations, A Touch of Care
W. L.A., CA 1985 to 1986
Directed the business operations of an adult residential psychiatric treatment program including recruiting, training, and managing 50 employees in Client Services, Accounting, Human Resources, and Office Services.

Regional Claims Mgr. /Mgr. of Claims Admin., Home Life Insurance Company, L.A., CA/N.Y., NY 1980 to 1985
Directed the operations of a health insurance regional claims office including recruiting, training, and directing a staff of 40 employees servicing 450 group policyholders with health claims totaling $30 million/year. Managed a Claims Administration Department with 12 employees responsible for statistical analysis, budget forecasting ($4.5 million/year), and life claims administration ($15 million/year).

Education & Professional Development

B.S., Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Teaching Credentials: Special Education K-12, Elementary Education
Member: National Speakers' Association