We are a boutique learning & development consulting company working with progressive companies in innovative ways. We pride ourselves on creativity, integrity and results.

Our Story

Founded in 2002, The Turk Group is a learning and development consultancy creating innovative solutions for clients worldwide. Our passion is helping both organizations and individuals achieve new levels of performance through services including individual and team coaching, training programs, customized learning solutions, and workshops and events.

We are proud to work with a variety of industries, including digital publishing, media, advertising, technology, investment banking, oil and gas, energy services, pharma/biotech, retail, hospitality, healthcare, professional and financials services, insurance and real estate, professional sports, and nonprofits.

The Turk Group is the winner of the Leadership Excellence Award 2015 (Management Essentials) and is recognized as one of the most impactful learning and development companies.

Our Team

  • James Turk

    CEO & Founder

    James Turk

    CEO & Founder

    James Turk sets the direction for all of the Turk Group’s consulting, training and coaching services and cultivates relationships with global clients.

    Since 2002, James has delivered training and coaching for clients include Condé Nast, FanDuel, BuzzFeed, Droga5, SpaceNK, John Hardy, Strivectin, BP, Shell, Morgan Stanley, Aol, Kantar Media, AXA Equitable, Southern California Edison, CEMEX, Enterprise Products, Irving Oil, Amgen, Crown Relocations Services, Visa International, Manulife Financial, AFLAC, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nike, Disney, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

    Drawing on his creative, corporate, and life experiences, James is known for his fresh, energized approach. As a trained actor, he intuitively understands the importance of connection to establish trusting, productive relationships. His ability to quickly grasp client needs has made him a thought leader and sought‐after advisor. James is also the creator of TurkTalk℠, a multimedia platform in which James engages his many followers directly through podcasts, webinars, and videos.

    James holds a BS degree from The New School. He previously worked in human resources at Random House and at Goldman Sachs.

  • Adriana Estrada Genao

    Facilitator

    Adriana Estrada Genao

    Facilitator

    Adriana has led learning and development programs across a number of industries. Over the last 10 years, she’s worked with established brands like Reader’s Digest and Conde Nast, as well as start-ups like FanDuel, focused on manager and employee development. In addition to overseeing learning and development programs, Adriana has experience in people operations, leading the US HR function for FanDuel.

    Adriana received her B.S. from the University of South Florida, with a major in Biomedical Science and minors in Public Health and Physics. She is currently pursuing a postbaccalaureate in psychology and counseling professions.

  • Douglas Howe

    Executive Coach and Master Facilitator

    Douglas Howe

    Executive Coach and Master Facilitator

    Douglas is an executive coach and master facilitator who supports leaders in their continued growth and development by helping them build the most meaningful life they can in whatever situations they find themselves.

    Across his 25-year career, Douglas has led workshops and delivered 1:1 coaching for clients including Diageo, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Kelkoo, Tapestry, Stop & Shop, Reckitt Benckiser, Dentsu Aegis, Paramount, Burberry, Uber, NBCUniversal, Petco, Sony, Pinterest, Audi of America, Allianz, M&G, McKinsey, Citadel, Carlyle Group, AbbVie, Zoetis, Dell, Starbucks, BASF, Hitachi, and Microsoft.

    Douglas is a certified professional Co-Active coach (CPCC) and is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He has trained with David Peterson (Google) in the ‘Fundamentals of Great Coaching’ and with Dr. David Drake in ‘Narrative Coaching’. He is also certified to deliver Hogan assessments.

    Born and raised in New Jersey, where he currently lives, Douglas has resided in New York City, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Paris, and Sydney. As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, he also enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh.

  • Gina Lucente-Cole

    Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

    Gina Lucente-Cole

    Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

    Gina Lucente-Cole is a consultant and executive coach with more than 20 years of project and team leadership experience, directing multiple departments in complex organizations.

    Gina specializes in helping organizations improve performance and results through her expertise in organizational development, team facilitation, management and leadership development, performance consulting, and executive coaching.

    Her clients include multi-tiered public companies and private firms, as well as non-profit organizations in business, science, service, financial, and educational industries.

    Gina’s certifications include the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Coaching Certificate, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), Goleman Boyatzis Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), Facet5 personality profile, and she is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®).  She holds a Master of Science in Training and Development from Lesley University, and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bentley University.

  • Natasha Georgatos

    Master Facilitator, Executive Coach, Instructional Designer

    Natasha Georgatos

    Master Facilitator, Executive Coach, Instructional Designer

    As a coach, facilitator, designer, and consultant, Natasha helps senior and rising leaders deliver on their individual and team goals. Having worked for Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups, Natasha knows the demanding expectations and challenges her clients face.  She partners with busy, successful leaders to help them identify what they are trying to solve for and to design and execute on measurable solutions.

    Natasha has experience working with all management levels and is especially skilled in helping leaders understand the key emotional intelligence competencies that improve relationship building for effective leadership skills in both individuals and teams. Natasha’s clients value her focus on personal and team performance optimization, goal setting, and accountability. She is skilled at conducting needs analyses and getting to the root-cause before designing and delivering on a solution.

    Natasha incorporates her spiritual/life coaching into her coaching practice where appropriate. Her intuitive abilities and calming approach allow her to guide her clients through difficult times and navigating complex organizational dynamics. Nicknamed by her clients as “Doctor Tash,” she quickly becomes a trusted advisor, coach, educator, encourager, and strategic thinking partner. She is a reiki master and enjoys educating others on the value of mindfulness, meditation, and mental toughness.

    Natasha’s work is informed by 15 years of experience in Learning & Development supporting leaders and teams.  She has worked with companies such as Lehman Brothers, Barclays Capital, Geometry Global (a WPP company), AOL, and Disney ABC. Early in her career, she worked with investment bankers on Wall Street as well as their supporting infrastructure teams.  She then changed industries to advertising and gained experience creating Learning & Development departments from the ground-up. She implemented learning management systems and customized programs such as “The Art of Selling Creative” and “Account Management 101.” She then moved on to advertising tech and worked within Sales Enablement helping leaders and teams improve their sales effectiveness.

    Prior to becoming an independent consultant and coach, Natasha spent the last 5 years as the lead Talent Development Partner at Disney ABC in NY. Her experience included (but was not limited to): managing teams, consulting, instructional design, facilitation, teambuilding, mediation, change management, mentoring, coaching, and conducting 360’s.

  • Hywel Berry

    Master Faciilitator

    Hywel Berry

    Master Faciilitator

    Hywel is an independent trainer and facilitator who brings his experience and energy to every session he delivers. His goal is for everyone to leave feeling inspired and energized to change.

    Hywel spent the bulk of his corporate career in sales and leadership for the Financial Times and FT.com. During his 9 years with the newspaper he developed, grew, and managed multiple million-dollar client relationships. He also recruited and trained over 60 team members, ultimately managing a team of 25 and budgets of $50m.  

    In 2010 Hywel transitioned careers and began working for The Mind Gym, a global training and development organization. Over the next ten years, as the head of their facilitators network, Hywel delivered over 1500 training sessions to over 50,000 people, the largest being a group of 7,000 at the United Center in Chicago.

    Hywel has worked with a wide range of companies from startups like Etsy, Uber and WeWork, to Fortune 500 companies as diverse as Nike, JP Morgan, and Microsoft. His work has covered a wide range of individuals from new graduates to C-level, and topics ranging from sales training to leadership development, to diversity, equity & inclusion, and many more.

James Turk

CEO & Founder

James Turk sets the direction for all of the Turk Group’s consulting, training and coaching services and cultivates relationships with global clients.

Since 2002, James has delivered training and coaching for clients include Condé Nast, FanDuel, BuzzFeed, Droga5, SpaceNK, John Hardy, Strivectin, BP, Shell, Morgan Stanley, Aol, Kantar Media, AXA Equitable, Southern California Edison, CEMEX, Enterprise Products, Irving Oil, Amgen, Crown Relocations Services, Visa International, Manulife Financial, AFLAC, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nike, Disney, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Drawing on his creative, corporate, and life experiences, James is known for his fresh, energized approach. As a trained actor, he intuitively understands the importance of connection to establish trusting, productive relationships. His ability to quickly grasp client needs has made him a thought leader and sought‐after advisor. James is also the creator of TurkTalk℠, a multimedia platform in which James engages his many followers directly through podcasts, webinars, and videos.

James holds a BS degree from The New School. He previously worked in human resources at Random House and at Goldman Sachs.

Adriana Estrada Genao

Facilitator

Adriana has led learning and development programs across a number of industries. Over the last 10 years, she’s worked with established brands like Reader’s Digest and Conde Nast, as well as start-ups like FanDuel, focused on manager and employee development. In addition to overseeing learning and development programs, Adriana has experience in people operations, leading the US HR function for FanDuel.

Adriana received her B.S. from the University of South Florida, with a major in Biomedical Science and minors in Public Health and Physics. She is currently pursuing a postbaccalaureate in psychology and counseling professions.

Douglas Howe

Executive Coach and Master Facilitator

Douglas is an executive coach and master facilitator who supports leaders in their continued growth and development by helping them build the most meaningful life they can in whatever situations they find themselves.

Across his 25-year career, Douglas has led workshops and delivered 1:1 coaching for clients including Diageo, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Kelkoo, Tapestry, Stop & Shop, Reckitt Benckiser, Dentsu Aegis, Paramount, Burberry, Uber, NBCUniversal, Petco, Sony, Pinterest, Audi of America, Allianz, M&G, McKinsey, Citadel, Carlyle Group, AbbVie, Zoetis, Dell, Starbucks, BASF, Hitachi, and Microsoft.

Douglas is a certified professional Co-Active coach (CPCC) and is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He has trained with David Peterson (Google) in the ‘Fundamentals of Great Coaching’ and with Dr. David Drake in ‘Narrative Coaching’. He is also certified to deliver Hogan assessments.

Born and raised in New Jersey, where he currently lives, Douglas has resided in New York City, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Paris, and Sydney. As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, he also enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh.

Gina Lucente-Cole

Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

Gina Lucente-Cole is a consultant and executive coach with more than 20 years of project and team leadership experience, directing multiple departments in complex organizations.

Gina specializes in helping organizations improve performance and results through her expertise in organizational development, team facilitation, management and leadership development, performance consulting, and executive coaching.

Her clients include multi-tiered public companies and private firms, as well as non-profit organizations in business, science, service, financial, and educational industries.

Gina’s certifications include the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Coaching Certificate, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), Goleman Boyatzis Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), Facet5 personality profile, and she is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®).  She holds a Master of Science in Training and Development from Lesley University, and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bentley University.

Natasha Georgatos

Master Facilitator, Executive Coach, Instructional Designer

As a coach, facilitator, designer, and consultant, Natasha helps senior and rising leaders deliver on their individual and team goals. Having worked for Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups, Natasha knows the demanding expectations and challenges her clients face.  She partners with busy, successful leaders to help them identify what they are trying to solve for and to design and execute on measurable solutions.

Natasha has experience working with all management levels and is especially skilled in helping leaders understand the key emotional intelligence competencies that improve relationship building for effective leadership skills in both individuals and teams. Natasha’s clients value her focus on personal and team performance optimization, goal setting, and accountability. She is skilled at conducting needs analyses and getting to the root-cause before designing and delivering on a solution.

Natasha incorporates her spiritual/life coaching into her coaching practice where appropriate. Her intuitive abilities and calming approach allow her to guide her clients through difficult times and navigating complex organizational dynamics. Nicknamed by her clients as “Doctor Tash,” she quickly becomes a trusted advisor, coach, educator, encourager, and strategic thinking partner. She is a reiki master and enjoys educating others on the value of mindfulness, meditation, and mental toughness.

Natasha’s work is informed by 15 years of experience in Learning & Development supporting leaders and teams.  She has worked with companies such as Lehman Brothers, Barclays Capital, Geometry Global (a WPP company), AOL, and Disney ABC. Early in her career, she worked with investment bankers on Wall Street as well as their supporting infrastructure teams.  She then changed industries to advertising and gained experience creating Learning & Development departments from the ground-up. She implemented learning management systems and customized programs such as “The Art of Selling Creative” and “Account Management 101.” She then moved on to advertising tech and worked within Sales Enablement helping leaders and teams improve their sales effectiveness.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant and coach, Natasha spent the last 5 years as the lead Talent Development Partner at Disney ABC in NY. Her experience included (but was not limited to): managing teams, consulting, instructional design, facilitation, teambuilding, mediation, change management, mentoring, coaching, and conducting 360’s.

Hywel Berry

Master Faciilitator

Hywel is an independent trainer and facilitator who brings his experience and energy to every session he delivers. His goal is for everyone to leave feeling inspired and energized to change.

Hywel spent the bulk of his corporate career in sales and leadership for the Financial Times and FT.com. During his 9 years with the newspaper he developed, grew, and managed multiple million-dollar client relationships. He also recruited and trained over 60 team members, ultimately managing a team of 25 and budgets of $50m.  

In 2010 Hywel transitioned careers and began working for The Mind Gym, a global training and development organization. Over the next ten years, as the head of their facilitators network, Hywel delivered over 1500 training sessions to over 50,000 people, the largest being a group of 7,000 at the United Center in Chicago.

Hywel has worked with a wide range of companies from startups like Etsy, Uber and WeWork, to Fortune 500 companies as diverse as Nike, JP Morgan, and Microsoft. His work has covered a wide range of individuals from new graduates to C-level, and topics ranging from sales training to leadership development, to diversity, equity & inclusion, and many more.

  • Melissa Gutierrez

    Graphic Designer

    Melissa Gutierrez

    Graphic Designer

    Melissa is a freelance creative director with over 16 years of industry experience. She believes that the most successful designs are created through problem solving and visual storytelling. Melissa has worked with a diverse group of clients, including A+E Networks, The Players Tribune, Ad Age, FanDuel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Glory Kickboxing, and Excel Sports Management.
    Previously Melissa worked at AS Roma Football Club as the lead designer of the Global Partnerships department and ensured that the club’s creative strategies were consistent across all platforms. Before that, Melissa worked at Madison Square Garden for seven years as a Creative Director. While there she supported the NY Knicks, NY Rangers, NY Liberty, MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment through the creation of sales and marketing materials.
    Melissa graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Communication Design.

  • Nick Clayton

    Executive Coach

    Nick Clayton

    Executive Coach

    With over 30 years of experience in strategic sales and marketing leadership, Nick brings experience and insight in organization development consulting, learning design, large scale change management, and people leadership. He was recently responsible for defining and executing the global sales strategy for the Corporate Learning market at Harvard Business Publishing.  In addition to leading the sales organization, he also led the team of consultants responsible for developing learning solutions for clients. He sat on the leadership team and was ultimately responsible for Harvard Corporate Learning’s growth over ten consecutive years.  

    Nick has spent his career dedicated to helping organizations improve performance through learning and performance improvement interventions. Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, he held global sales and marketing leadership responsibilities at the Forum Corporation, and Interaction Associates.  He also manages his own consulting firm, helping mid-sized companies create competitive advantage through identifying and developing key levers for strategic growth. He has consulted with many global clients to help develop leaders, create growth strategies, and build customer loyalty. Highlights of his career include:

    • Global Strategic Leadership responsibilities that led to international expansion and growth through multi channels, including direct, channels, and partnerships. 
    • Global experience in multiple geographies and sectors, including financial services, technology, energy, pharma/biotech, and professional services. 
    • Led and developed people to realize potential and exceed personal and professional objectives.

    Nick holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University and degrees from California State University in business and instructional design. He lives in Boston and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

  • Juan Cortés

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Juan Cortés

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Juan Cortés Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    For 25+ years, Juan Cortés has been building and shepherding inclusive cultures for world-class brands in various industries, including advertising, digital marketing, hospitality, media, entertainment, retail and publishing. As cofounder of MatterOfCulture, he helps organizations become exceptional places to work by designing employee-centric strategies and programs that foster intentional culture and inspire employee engagement. 

    In his most recent corporate role leading Learning & Engagement at Wunderman Thompson, Juan founded the agency’s first employee resource group, solidifying the framework for other affinity groups he also championed. As a member of a cross-agency executive council, he helped define the DEI mission and objectives for the agency’s holding company’s 130,000+ global workforce.

    Prior to that, Juan built the L&D function for POSSIBLE, a WPP digital agency. He created learning platforms for subject matter experts and industry leaders to swiftly share knowledge and build capabilities across the globe, and designed and facilitated leadership and interpersonal skills workshops grounded in EQ. 

    While working at Starwood Hotels, Juan led the service culture transformation of some of the organization’s brands. After training 700+ leaders of two dozen hotels across North America, and certifying property leaders as trainers and in-house advocates, properties saw significant increases in guest satisfaction, as well as employee engagement.

    Juan is a master facilitator and an innovative change agent with a growth mindset. He holds professional certifications in training, facilitation, executive coaching, and is qualified in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

  • Patrick Murphy

    Executive Coach & Facilitator

    Patrick Murphy

    Executive Coach & Facilitator

    Patrick Murphy is an executive coach and facilitator based in Brooklyn, NY. He is known for his unwavering enthusiasm and spirit to help leaders succeed. 

    Organizations served include Capital One, McKinsey & Co., AARP, CNN, Bloomberg Industry Group, 3M, Dow Jones & Company, TEGNA, Aramark, ServiceNow, Princess Cruises, Vital Voices, USAID, University of Maryland, American Chemical Society, National Industries for the Blind, and Bauducco Foods. 

    Patrick has partnered with Capital One on a variety of high-impact initiatives; the initial roll-out of Capital One’s People Leader Training Program, creating a world-class People Leader culture enterprise-wide; training, coaching and certifying Capital One’s internal peer-to-peer coaches, developing robust internal coaching capabilities across the enterprise; co-developing Capital One’s Facilitator Train-the-Trainer course, and certifying internal facilitators in the McLean, Richmond, Plano, Wilmington, New York and Toronto offices, in support of Capital One’s internal ‘Core-Competency’ training roll out.

    Other highlights include: delivering extensive communication and presentation trainings for McKinsey & Co. employees; facilitating TEGNA’s Executive Leadership Program, training selected General Managers and functional VPs for larger leadership roles; partnering with AARP’s Emerging Leaders Strategic Engagement Employee Resource Group (ELSEERG), delivering cohorts of training and coaching on subjects ranging from personal resilience to mentorship; and delivering multiple trainings for Princess Cruises on skillsets of high-performing teams. His coaching clients have held positions from presidents and senior vice presidents through first-time managers. 

    He is certified through The Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC) and is accredited by the International Coach Federation (PCC). In 2023, he will join Georgetown University as Adjunct Faculty for the Leadership Coaching Graduate Certificate Program in the Institute of Transformational Leadership. He is a graduate of the Co-Active Leadership Program and is certified to administer and provide feedback for the Leadership Circle 360, Key Polarity Indicator 360 (KPI), and the EQi2.0 360. He has completed training in leadership, polarities and paradox, neuroscience, mindfulness, and improv and acting performance techniques.

  • Susan Justus

    Executive Coach

    Susan Justus

    Executive Coach

    Driven by a passion to help others succeed, Susan Justus draws on more than 15 years of experience in talent development to help professionals at all levels reach their goals.

    Throughout her career, Susan has helped build learning cultures within several industries, including financial services, business consulting, advertising, financial tech and insurance. She is comfortable and highly competent with onboarding program development for early career stage employees on up to through C-level executives. Susan has successfully managed leadership and development teams and regularly collaborates with all levels of management to chart employee improvement strategies and roadmaps.

    A broad thinker with a strong growth mindset, Susan offers a unique and deep understanding of leadership behaviors, life motivations, corporate insight and cross-cultural influences. As a coach, her approach begins with identifying individual talent and then utilizing a strategic method to help individuals embrace motivations and inherent strengths as they embark on their career journeys.

    Susan holds an M.S. in Human Resources Management with a focus in Human Development from the New School University, a Life Coaching Certification from the Certified Life Coaching Institute and a Career Coaching Certification from New York University.

  • Kristine Kern

    Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

    Kristine Kern

    Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

    Kristine Kern has a track record of helping entrepreneurial and creative companies build stronger teams and accelerate growth. She has a passion for coaching founders and senior business leaders and works regularly with CEOs and executive teams. Her consulting approach is informed by her years of orchestrating results in fast-paced environments. As a facilitator, she stands out because of her energizing style and her actionable take-aways. Kristine’s clients have included Pinterest, Microsoft, Genentech and Airbnb. Previously, she was director of business development at Inc. magazine and oversaw creative teams at Wired magazine. She holds MBAs from Columbia University and and the University of California’s Haas School of Business.

Melissa Gutierrez

Graphic Designer

Melissa is a freelance creative director with over 16 years of industry experience. She believes that the most successful designs are created through problem solving and visual storytelling. Melissa has worked with a diverse group of clients, including A+E Networks, The Players Tribune, Ad Age, FanDuel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Glory Kickboxing, and Excel Sports Management.
Previously Melissa worked at AS Roma Football Club as the lead designer of the Global Partnerships department and ensured that the club’s creative strategies were consistent across all platforms. Before that, Melissa worked at Madison Square Garden for seven years as a Creative Director. While there she supported the NY Knicks, NY Rangers, NY Liberty, MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment through the creation of sales and marketing materials.
Melissa graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Communication Design.

Nick Clayton

Executive Coach

With over 30 years of experience in strategic sales and marketing leadership, Nick brings experience and insight in organization development consulting, learning design, large scale change management, and people leadership. He was recently responsible for defining and executing the global sales strategy for the Corporate Learning market at Harvard Business Publishing.  In addition to leading the sales organization, he also led the team of consultants responsible for developing learning solutions for clients. He sat on the leadership team and was ultimately responsible for Harvard Corporate Learning’s growth over ten consecutive years.  

Nick has spent his career dedicated to helping organizations improve performance through learning and performance improvement interventions. Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, he held global sales and marketing leadership responsibilities at the Forum Corporation, and Interaction Associates.  He also manages his own consulting firm, helping mid-sized companies create competitive advantage through identifying and developing key levers for strategic growth. He has consulted with many global clients to help develop leaders, create growth strategies, and build customer loyalty. Highlights of his career include:

  • Global Strategic Leadership responsibilities that led to international expansion and growth through multi channels, including direct, channels, and partnerships. 
  • Global experience in multiple geographies and sectors, including financial services, technology, energy, pharma/biotech, and professional services. 
  • Led and developed people to realize potential and exceed personal and professional objectives.

Nick holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University and degrees from California State University in business and instructional design. He lives in Boston and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Juan Cortés

Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

Juan Cortés Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

For 25+ years, Juan Cortés has been building and shepherding inclusive cultures for world-class brands in various industries, including advertising, digital marketing, hospitality, media, entertainment, retail and publishing. As cofounder of MatterOfCulture, he helps organizations become exceptional places to work by designing employee-centric strategies and programs that foster intentional culture and inspire employee engagement. 

In his most recent corporate role leading Learning & Engagement at Wunderman Thompson, Juan founded the agency’s first employee resource group, solidifying the framework for other affinity groups he also championed. As a member of a cross-agency executive council, he helped define the DEI mission and objectives for the agency’s holding company’s 130,000+ global workforce.

Prior to that, Juan built the L&D function for POSSIBLE, a WPP digital agency. He created learning platforms for subject matter experts and industry leaders to swiftly share knowledge and build capabilities across the globe, and designed and facilitated leadership and interpersonal skills workshops grounded in EQ. 

While working at Starwood Hotels, Juan led the service culture transformation of some of the organization’s brands. After training 700+ leaders of two dozen hotels across North America, and certifying property leaders as trainers and in-house advocates, properties saw significant increases in guest satisfaction, as well as employee engagement.

Juan is a master facilitator and an innovative change agent with a growth mindset. He holds professional certifications in training, facilitation, executive coaching, and is qualified in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Patrick Murphy

Executive Coach & Facilitator

Patrick Murphy is an executive coach and facilitator based in Brooklyn, NY. He is known for his unwavering enthusiasm and spirit to help leaders succeed. 

Organizations served include Capital One, McKinsey & Co., AARP, CNN, Bloomberg Industry Group, 3M, Dow Jones & Company, TEGNA, Aramark, ServiceNow, Princess Cruises, Vital Voices, USAID, University of Maryland, American Chemical Society, National Industries for the Blind, and Bauducco Foods. 

Patrick has partnered with Capital One on a variety of high-impact initiatives; the initial roll-out of Capital One’s People Leader Training Program, creating a world-class People Leader culture enterprise-wide; training, coaching and certifying Capital One’s internal peer-to-peer coaches, developing robust internal coaching capabilities across the enterprise; co-developing Capital One’s Facilitator Train-the-Trainer course, and certifying internal facilitators in the McLean, Richmond, Plano, Wilmington, New York and Toronto offices, in support of Capital One’s internal ‘Core-Competency’ training roll out.

Other highlights include: delivering extensive communication and presentation trainings for McKinsey & Co. employees; facilitating TEGNA’s Executive Leadership Program, training selected General Managers and functional VPs for larger leadership roles; partnering with AARP’s Emerging Leaders Strategic Engagement Employee Resource Group (ELSEERG), delivering cohorts of training and coaching on subjects ranging from personal resilience to mentorship; and delivering multiple trainings for Princess Cruises on skillsets of high-performing teams. His coaching clients have held positions from presidents and senior vice presidents through first-time managers. 

He is certified through The Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC) and is accredited by the International Coach Federation (PCC). In 2023, he will join Georgetown University as Adjunct Faculty for the Leadership Coaching Graduate Certificate Program in the Institute of Transformational Leadership. He is a graduate of the Co-Active Leadership Program and is certified to administer and provide feedback for the Leadership Circle 360, Key Polarity Indicator 360 (KPI), and the EQi2.0 360. He has completed training in leadership, polarities and paradox, neuroscience, mindfulness, and improv and acting performance techniques.

Susan Justus

Executive Coach

Driven by a passion to help others succeed, Susan Justus draws on more than 15 years of experience in talent development to help professionals at all levels reach their goals.

Throughout her career, Susan has helped build learning cultures within several industries, including financial services, business consulting, advertising, financial tech and insurance. She is comfortable and highly competent with onboarding program development for early career stage employees on up to through C-level executives. Susan has successfully managed leadership and development teams and regularly collaborates with all levels of management to chart employee improvement strategies and roadmaps.

A broad thinker with a strong growth mindset, Susan offers a unique and deep understanding of leadership behaviors, life motivations, corporate insight and cross-cultural influences. As a coach, her approach begins with identifying individual talent and then utilizing a strategic method to help individuals embrace motivations and inherent strengths as they embark on their career journeys.

Susan holds an M.S. in Human Resources Management with a focus in Human Development from the New School University, a Life Coaching Certification from the Certified Life Coaching Institute and a Career Coaching Certification from New York University.

Kristine Kern

Executive Coach & Master Facilitator

Kristine Kern has a track record of helping entrepreneurial and creative companies build stronger teams and accelerate growth. She has a passion for coaching founders and senior business leaders and works regularly with CEOs and executive teams. Her consulting approach is informed by her years of orchestrating results in fast-paced environments. As a facilitator, she stands out because of her energizing style and her actionable take-aways. Kristine’s clients have included Pinterest, Microsoft, Genentech and Airbnb. Previously, she was director of business development at Inc. magazine and oversaw creative teams at Wired magazine. She holds MBAs from Columbia University and and the University of California’s Haas School of Business.

  • Desiree Saddler

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Desiree Saddler

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Desiree Saddler President/CEO of Saddler Consulting Group Inc. is passionate about helping businesses build strong teams that communicate clearly and work efficiently. Desiree’s Clients value her expertise in leading process improvement initiatives combined with her ability to connect with diverse groups. Desiree has a team of 6 professional leadership facilitators and executive coaches that assist her with the many clients she consults and provides leadership effectiveness.

    With over 30 years of experience in human resources, coaching and mentoring leaders, training and development, Desiree and her team have worked successfully with clients representing a variety of industries. Some of her clients have included:

    Los Angeles County Office of Education, LA Unified School District, North LA County Regional Centers, Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College, Marathon Petroleum Company, El Camino College Business Training Center, BuzzFeed, Veterans Affairs, City of Torrance and City of Redondo Beach, Toyota University, Deckers Brands, LA County Sheriff’s Department, eBay and Pay Pal and MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).

     

    Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., has taught over 10,000 workshops and has designed curriculum in numerous content areas including management and supervision, leadership, communication, generational differences, diversity development, performance management, customer service, team building, conflict resolution, sexual harassment, employee engagement and emotional intelligence. Consistently, Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., receives stellar reviews from past participants and organizations resulting in increased productivity from their employees, managers and leaders.

    The team is certified in over 20 different behavioral and leadership assessments including: MBTI, D.I.S.C., Situational Leadership II, DDI, Achieve Global, Benchmark and 360 for Managers and Executives.  She is also a Faculty Member for AMA (American Management Association), Channel Partner with the Ken Blanchard Companies, John Maxwell Certified Coach, Certified Icehouse Entrepreneurship Program and a Franklin Covey Delivery Consultant.

    Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., and associates provide high-level consulting, facilitating, interactive training workshops and coaching that are designed to improve the overall effectiveness of all individuals within organizations by providing a deliberate customized process that utilizes focused conversations and activities to create an environment for individual growth, purposeful action, and sustained improvement.

  • Melissa Christenson

    Master Facilitator & Designer

    Melissa Christenson

    Master Facilitator & Designer

    Melissa Christenson has over 30 years of experience in learning and development, encompassing needs assessment, curriculum design, implementation, evaluation, and post assessment. She motivates learners and ensures her messages stick by employing coaching, case studies, simulations, assessments, group exercises, and hands-on practice. Her previous experience includes serving as the worldwide training manager at Reebok International. Melissa holds certifications in change management, management/leadership development, Myers-Briggs, and time management. She received both her master of education in organizational development and applied group dynamics and bachelor of arts in human resources administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

  • Judith Francolini

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Judith Francolini

    Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

    Judy Francolini is a senior-level executive coach and management consultant. Her background includes principles of experiential learning, leadership development, executive training, and holistic/preventative health.  Her training has deeply influenced her approach to organizational consulting.  Judy has extensive consulting experience in coaching leaders at all levels of organizations.  She holds clients accountable to be leaders that are trustworthy, influential, and credible individuals to impact their organizations as powerful and competent leaders.

    Since 1985, Judy has partnered with Fortune 500 executive leaders to provide organizational development, leadership team integration and executive coaching, guiding clients to achieve and expand their organizational results.  She intentionally adheres to leadership principles that artfully blend the competencies that mark out successful organizations: Strategic Thinking and Complex Decision Making; compelling Leadership Presence, building Empowering Partnerships with direct reports and stakeholders; Delegation and collaboration to optimize business results; Effective Communication, and People Development.  Judy has pioneered leadership development for executive women and is the key facilitator at the Rutgers University Executive Leadership Program for Women.

    As a facilitator and executive coach, Judy provides leadership development and team effectiveness coaching.  In these contexts she has pioneered strategies that deepen clients’ self-awareness, motivation, and commitment. In addition, Judy has designed and facilitated cultural transformation programs that include diversity awareness and principles of inclusion.

    Judy has advanced degrees in training and development from The Johns Hopkins University (M.S.).  She has an undergraduate degree in Clinical Nutrition (B.S.) and advanced training in health counseling and coaching.  In addition, she is a member of the International Coaching Federation, a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a certified trainer in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and is a member of several professional organizations, including The American Management Association, the American Dietetic Association, and Coachville Coaching Network.

Desiree Saddler

Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

Desiree Saddler President/CEO of Saddler Consulting Group Inc. is passionate about helping businesses build strong teams that communicate clearly and work efficiently. Desiree’s Clients value her expertise in leading process improvement initiatives combined with her ability to connect with diverse groups. Desiree has a team of 6 professional leadership facilitators and executive coaches that assist her with the many clients she consults and provides leadership effectiveness.

With over 30 years of experience in human resources, coaching and mentoring leaders, training and development, Desiree and her team have worked successfully with clients representing a variety of industries. Some of her clients have included:

Los Angeles County Office of Education, LA Unified School District, North LA County Regional Centers, Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College, Marathon Petroleum Company, El Camino College Business Training Center, BuzzFeed, Veterans Affairs, City of Torrance and City of Redondo Beach, Toyota University, Deckers Brands, LA County Sheriff’s Department, eBay and Pay Pal and MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).

 

Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., has taught over 10,000 workshops and has designed curriculum in numerous content areas including management and supervision, leadership, communication, generational differences, diversity development, performance management, customer service, team building, conflict resolution, sexual harassment, employee engagement and emotional intelligence. Consistently, Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., receives stellar reviews from past participants and organizations resulting in increased productivity from their employees, managers and leaders.

The team is certified in over 20 different behavioral and leadership assessments including: MBTI, D.I.S.C., Situational Leadership II, DDI, Achieve Global, Benchmark and 360 for Managers and Executives.  She is also a Faculty Member for AMA (American Management Association), Channel Partner with the Ken Blanchard Companies, John Maxwell Certified Coach, Certified Icehouse Entrepreneurship Program and a Franklin Covey Delivery Consultant.

Saddler Consulting Group, Inc., and associates provide high-level consulting, facilitating, interactive training workshops and coaching that are designed to improve the overall effectiveness of all individuals within organizations by providing a deliberate customized process that utilizes focused conversations and activities to create an environment for individual growth, purposeful action, and sustained improvement.

Melissa Christenson

Master Facilitator & Designer

Melissa Christenson has over 30 years of experience in learning and development, encompassing needs assessment, curriculum design, implementation, evaluation, and post assessment. She motivates learners and ensures her messages stick by employing coaching, case studies, simulations, assessments, group exercises, and hands-on practice. Her previous experience includes serving as the worldwide training manager at Reebok International. Melissa holds certifications in change management, management/leadership development, Myers-Briggs, and time management. She received both her master of education in organizational development and applied group dynamics and bachelor of arts in human resources administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Judith Francolini

Master Facilitator & Executive Coach

Judy Francolini is a senior-level executive coach and management consultant. Her background includes principles of experiential learning, leadership development, executive training, and holistic/preventative health.  Her training has deeply influenced her approach to organizational consulting.  Judy has extensive consulting experience in coaching leaders at all levels of organizations.  She holds clients accountable to be leaders that are trustworthy, influential, and credible individuals to impact their organizations as powerful and competent leaders.

Since 1985, Judy has partnered with Fortune 500 executive leaders to provide organizational development, leadership team integration and executive coaching, guiding clients to achieve and expand their organizational results.  She intentionally adheres to leadership principles that artfully blend the competencies that mark out successful organizations: Strategic Thinking and Complex Decision Making; compelling Leadership Presence, building Empowering Partnerships with direct reports and stakeholders; Delegation and collaboration to optimize business results; Effective Communication, and People Development.  Judy has pioneered leadership development for executive women and is the key facilitator at the Rutgers University Executive Leadership Program for Women.

As a facilitator and executive coach, Judy provides leadership development and team effectiveness coaching.  In these contexts she has pioneered strategies that deepen clients’ self-awareness, motivation, and commitment. In addition, Judy has designed and facilitated cultural transformation programs that include diversity awareness and principles of inclusion.

Judy has advanced degrees in training and development from The Johns Hopkins University (M.S.).  She has an undergraduate degree in Clinical Nutrition (B.S.) and advanced training in health counseling and coaching.  In addition, she is a member of the International Coaching Federation, a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a certified trainer in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and is a member of several professional organizations, including The American Management Association, the American Dietetic Association, and Coachville Coaching Network.

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