You can now discover the wealth of learning and personal development insights from Converge 23 with our on-demand package. This convenient option allows you to access invaluable education from the comfort of your home or office. Learn at your own pace and choose from a comprehensive catalog of sessions on a wide range of topics. Whether you’re interested in coaching techniques, business strategies, leadership development, or personal growth, there’s something for every coaching professional.
Speaker, panelist, and facilitator bios can be found alphabetically by last name in the dropdowns below.
Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, Author and ConsultantDiana Kander revolutionizes the way businesses look at innovation and curiosity. A New York Times bestselling author, innovation consultant, and keynote speaker, she has spent her career challenging assumptions and asking thought-provoking questions. She is a serial entrepreneur who entered the United States as a refugee at the age of eight, and she has served as an entrepreneur in residence for H&R Block, Commerce Bank, and several government agencies.
Diana outlined her biggest lessons learned for launching new products in her first book, All In Startup, which has been used by over 100 universities in innovation courses and countless organizations to help employees think more like entrepreneurs. Her second book, The Curiosity Muscle, explains why it’s harder to stay at the top than it was to get there. The book walks readers through a methodology to keep curiosity alive and thriving inside of an organization, ultimately, future-proofing the business.
Creator
100things Philanthropic Movement
Sebastian Terry, creator of the 100things Philanthropic Movement, is driven by a passion to see others achieve. Sebastian’s one-of-a-kind story has organically become a powerful catalyst for personal growth and organizational transformation. Leveraging the power of goal setting and striving as a vehicle to maximize mental wellness, individual productivity, and team engagement, Sebastian’s action-based keynote integrates individual evolution with professional development.
Sebastian experienced a moment in his life where he asked himself a simple question, “Am I happy?” The answer was “NO,” and so, he created a list of 100things that he hoped would transform his life. For over a decade, Sebastian has been chasing down the goals on his list and teaching others how to do the same. Sebastian’s story has been turned into a bestselling book, his own reality show, and a renowned keynote that has inspired millions of people around the world.
Vice President
ICF Credentials and Standards
Carrie Abner is an experienced association executive who has advanced professional associations at the local, state, national, and international levels. With a passion for bringing together diverse communities of practitioners through common purpose and voice, Carrie has more than two decades of experience in certification, communications, domestic and foreign policy, and nonprofit management in her roles at the International Coaching Federation, The Council of State Governments, and the International Council for Voluntary Action (InterAction). She currently serves as vice president of ICF Credentials and Standards, where she works to strengthen and grow the certification of coach practitioners around the world and ensure the highest standards for professional and ethical practice in coaching. Carrie holds a master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Senior Manager, Learning Experience & Facilitator Development
Association for Talent Development (ATD)
Carrie Addington is the senior manager of Learning Experience and Facilitator Development at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and co-author of Facilitation in Action: Finding Your Authentic Training Style. She is a down-to-earth educator and people development coach with a passion for facilitating outcome-based learning programs. As a business consultant and facilitator for more than 12 years, Carrie has worked with a variety of industries including retail, beauty, education, and nonprofit, and has worked with C-level executives, directors, managers, and high-potential future leaders.
Carrie is a part of the coaching network with the prominent, global executive leadership and management company, The Mind Gym and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. As a certified ATD Master Trainer® and ATD Master Instructional Designer®, Carrie is knowledgeable about the development and delivery of workplace learning programs, enabling her to maximize impact through her deep understanding of how adults learn and grow.
Founder, Principal Executive Coach
ToluCoaches, LL
Tolu Akande, PCC, is a personal and corporate executive coach, serving individuals and organizations to walk in destiny — the place where opportunity and passion meet. Tolu has committed his career to coaching excellence.
Tolu’s training focused on intercultural coaching and shaping leadership and career legacy. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and conflict resolution and does his best to bring a global perspective and approach to his coaching clients.
Currently Tolu is an executive coach at a Big 4 professional services firm. Previously, Tolu was the principal coach as well as career and executive coaching department head at a Fortune 50 company. He’s also served on many management and executive teams with a focus on leadership development and conflict resolution. Tolu allows these experiences to fuel his coaching engagements while keeping the client as the focus.
Founder
Vertical Development Institute
Alis Anagnostakis, PCC, PhD, is an adult development researcher, group facilitator, executive coach, and founder of the Vertical Development Institute. For over 15 years, she has supported the development of leaders towards later stages of psychological complexity and maturity, which is conducive to more adaptive, resilient, and wise leadership practices.
Alis is an experienced coach educator and mentor, having accompanied hundreds of coaches on their path to certification. She has a master’s degree in positive leadership and strategy and a doctorate in vertical development. Her research focuses on studying leaders’ lived experience of development and ways to foster it through coaching and leadership programs. As she walks the fine line between rigorous research and the practice of leadership development, Alis aspires to creatively cross-pollinate between these two spheres of knowledge and help generate new insights to inform more effective learning interventions for the leaders of tomorrow.
Co-Founder
CareerBlast
William Arruda is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and the world’s leading authority on the topic of personal branding. He’s the bestselling author of several books on the topic including Digital YOU, Career Distinction, and Ditch. Dare. Do! A personal branding pioneer, he has been credited with turning the concept of personal branding into a global industry. He created the leading personal brand survey, 360Reach, which has been used by nearly two million people and certified more than 1,000 executive coaches in his personal branding methodology. William has appeared on the Discovery Channel, BBC, CBS and NPR, and he has been featured in 1,000+ publications, including Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, GQ, Inc., and The New York Times. He’s a senior contributor to Forbes, where his column has received more than 15 million views.
Leadership and Career Coach
The Coaching Mentors
Tracy Asamoah, ACC, MD, is a leadership and career coach, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and writer who partners with emerging leaders, leaders in transition, and other high-achieving professionals to navigate career transitions and thrive in their professional and personal lives. She specializes in partnering with individuals in higher education and medical organizations.
Tracy works with clients in her private practice and collaborates with organizations such as the American Medical Women’s Association, Physician Coaching Alliance, StrongLead consulting firm, RechargedMD, Spiro Coaching Institute, and the Academy of Creative Coaching. She’s contributed to publications including GoodRX, Psychology Today, and Psychotherapy.net.
When not immersed in her professional pursuits, Tracy enjoys hanging out with her husband, two daughters, and their pet bunny Mylo; traveling; and interior design.
Member, Independent Review Board
BacheCoaching
Jürgen Bache has been working as a certified individual psychological (Adlerian) management coach and project and strategy coach for over 25 years. He supports people in understanding their life situation, recognizing interrelationships and interactions, and deriving new evaluations and actions from this with the goal of achieving an inner balance.
He has been closely involved in promoting the profession of coaching for more than 15 years and actively contributes to quality development, transparency, and professionalism in coaching by lending his time as a volunteer leader to ICF and other coaching organizations.
Jürgen especially appreciates the many professional discussions with colleagues that deepen ethical understanding and, for example, also clarify cultural commonalities and differences. For him, ethics in coaching is not black and white, but it is colorful with millions of colors.
Founder & CEO
Potentials Coaching & Consulting
The Reverend Claire W. Bamberg, PCC, DMin, LMFT, is dedicated to helping people uncover a clear pathway towards their goals, while realizing potential they did not know they had. As an executive coach, accomplished consultant, mental health professional, and certified mediator, she is the founder and CEO of Potentials Coaching & Consulting. Her diverse team is located throughout the United States and is dedicated to bringing a coaching culture and discipline into a variety of systems worldwide. Their approach, no matter the application, is to modify practices and approaches to meet client needs, while they themselves continue to learn and develop, remaining grounded in community.
Claire has worked with thousands of individuals and organizations. With such a rich blend of experience and professional knowledge, Claire offers a quality of presence that allows her clients to envision potential in their careers, lives, and relationships, whatever the challenges may be.
Coach, Coach Supervisor and Mentor Coach
Inga Arianna Bielinska
Inga Bielinska, ACTC, MCC, is a team coach, mentor coach and coach supervisor. She works globally with clients who undergo change, struggle with managing remote and culturally diverse teams, find communication challenging, or wish to progress to executive positions. During her career, she gained experience as a managing partner, business owner, consultant, and a board member for nonprofit organizations, which allows her to bring hands-on, credible experience to her work.
Inga has been working in different countries that can contribute to her understanding of cultural diversity and its role in managing people, collaborating, and communicating with internal or external stakeholders. She currently lives in Silicon Valley, California, USA, where she globally supports engineers and leaders in dealing with challenges of fast-paced VUCA reality. She published two books for leaders in Polish and regularly writes articles for American issues of Forbes and Newsweek.
Director
Positive Acorn
Robert Biswas-Diener, PCC, Dr Philos, is among the pioneers of positive psychology coaching. As a researcher, he has more than 70 publications on topics ranging from hospitality to leadership coaching to friendship. He has long leveraged his research expertise on well-being and other positive topics to find applications to coaching. These include assessments he has created, new coaching interventions, and frameworks to guide coaching conversations. He is the author of several books on coaching, including Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching and Positive Provocation: 25 Questions to Elevate Your Coaching Practice. Robert trains coaches at Positive Acorn.
Life and Leadership Coach
Paul Boehnke Life Coaching
Paul Boehnke, PCC, learned as a classical musician, performers’ tricks to train his brain to think what he needed it to think, when he needed it to think it. And when he turned those same skills to taming the negative thoughts of his inner critic voice, he realized he had the power to not only transform his own life, but the lives of others as well. Paul specializes in helping his clients transform the little voice in their heads that argues for their limitations into a champion of their potential. He has written a book about the process he uses entitled, Thoughts On Demand: Turn Negative Self-Talk into Unstoppable Confidence.
Director of DEIB
International Coaching Federation
LaKisha C. Brooks, M.Sc., M.Ed, CDP, CDR is the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at the International Coaching Federation and owns a talent development and diversity consulting firm. She is also a Certified Diversity Professional, and a columnist for The DimEnsIons of Organizational Development: The Bottom Line of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
She also serves as a Coaching and Mentoring Advisory Board Member for HR.com, a Leadership Council Member for the National Small Business Association, a Master of Leadership of Science Administration Professional Advisory Board Member at Central Michigan University.
A decorated talent management and leadership development consultant, Lakisha was a member of the Leadership Sandy Springs Class of 2017 and is currently a member of the Leadership Bartow Class of 2022.
She is also an award-winning professional, being recognized as the 2018 Trainer Showdown winner for the Association of Talent Development Central Florida Chapter and being honored as a Top 100 HR Influencer in 2021 in Talent Management for Engagedly.
LaKisha has over 14 years of sales and management consulting experience and 20 years of public speaking experience. She has worked with companies and organizations such as Rheem Manufacturing, Flexport, CLO Magazine, Papa Johns, just to name a few.
She has also traveled internationally training global clients in the areas of leadership, management, diversity, and sales as a consultant for Krauthammer USA. LaKisha has also worked for the Adidas Group under the Reebok brand, managing the field retail training.
Founder & CEO
Jump Street Coaching
André M. Brown, ACC, is an experienced, dynamic, empathetic facilitator and program development expert with over 30 years of experience. He dedicated most of his professional career to the State of Rhode Island, including eight years as a clinical training specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families. In this role, he created and implemented trainings in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
In 2020, André founded Racial Just Us, a division of his Jump Street Coaching agency, to promote actionable and meaningful racial change. Additionally, André developed the Coaching For Community Anti-Racism Series, a coaching and education program tailored to Black allies seeking to develop a personalized and meaningful approach to anti-racism. The program has become an innovative and impactful means for participants to accept and value the diverse range of differences among people.
André’s passion lies in effecting systematic change in the DEIB space. He currently serves as the Vice President of DEIB for the South Florida ICF Chapter. In addition, he presents self-developed trainings, including Social Impact: An Anti-Racism Perspective. André also works as a virtual coach specializing in DEIB on multiple on-line platforms, collaborating with clients to understand their needs and assists them in navigating challenging situations with patience and humility.
Beyond his professional endeavors, André is a lifelong New England Patriot fan and eagerly awaits Tom Brady’s potential return from retirement to restore the team to its former glory.
Courageous Conversations: The Challenges and Opportunities for LGBTQ+ Coaches
Founder
THE INTROVERT ENTREPRENEUR, LLC
Beth Buelow, PCC, is founder of The Introvert Entrepreneur and is a certified mentor coach, mediator, and facilitator. In addition to independent mentor coaching, she is a learning lab advisor with George Mason University’s Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being Program, and she serves as a mentor coach for Facilitivity, JST Coaching & Training, and ICC ISTOK. Beth’s facilitation work has been focused on conflict resolution, visioning, and planning for arts, social services, and faith-based nonprofit organizations. She is the author of The Introvert Entrepreneur: Amplify Your Strengths and Create Success on Your Own Terms. Beth has presented on coaching ethics and ICF Core Competencies to ICF chapters across the United States, as well as at ICF Converge 2017. She is a past president of the ICF Michigan Charter Chapter. When not coaching, she is a fine art photographer specializing in abstract, architectural, and natural world imagery.
Author
Shawna Corden
Shawna Corden, PCC, combines her 23+ years of Fortune 10 business leadership experience, with 15+ years of leadership coaching to partner for excellence. She is well positioned to coach leaders through change with credentials in coaching, project management, and change management. She is an executive coach, faculty member with Coach U, project management professional, change leader, and a former business leader in a Fortune 10 company. She has created pivotal work as a member of the ICF joint task force with the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) on the inflection points of where coaching and change management intersect for lasting change. Shawna is author of Coach Culture: A Playbook for Winning in Business and Meet Me in the Middle: A Guide to Overcoming & Preventing Polarization in the Workplace.
President and Founder – K Street Coaching®
Gideon Culman, MCC, enjoys working as an executive coach in the beating heart of Washington, DC, USA. With a warm curiosity for exploring our shared humanity, Gideon feels driven to study classical literary traditions from all over the globe. His belief that the growing MCC community is an invaluable gift to the world has led Gideon to record and share a series of cozy conversational portraits through the Master Coach Collection podcast.
While Gideon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic as well as Masters of Arts in Liberal Arts and Eastern Classics from St. John’s College, he credits his wife, son, and daughter with providing the nonstop, daily education he needs to show up and be present in all the ways that you’d expect from an MCC. Gideon is psyched to learn who is responsible for keeping you on your toes.
Leadership & Team Coach
Lodestar
Ann V. Deaton, PCC, PhD, TIPC, CTPC, earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, specializing in neuropsychology and health psychology. Her first career was as a clinical neuropsychologist in health care settings. After two decades in health care, Ann transitioned into a career in leadership and team coaching. Her work focuses on individuals, teams, organizations, and communities experiencing significant challenge and change. Ann works with leaders in government, health care, technology, higher education, and various other industries. She is certified as a Team Performance Coach and Polarities Master Practitioner.
Together with Kemia Sarraf and Antoinette Ayers, Ann co-created curricula in trauma mitigation coaching for experienced coaches and leaders and trauma leadership for organizations. Ann has authored two books about group and team coaching: Being Coached: Group & Team Coaching from the Inside and VUCA Tools for a VUCA World: Developing Leaders and Teams for Sustainable Results.
Chair, Independent Review Board
Life’s Next Chapter Coaching
Carrie Doubts, PCC, is a spiritual resilience coach who works with individuals experiencing major life transitions, whether it be in relationships, career, health, or spirituality. As founder of Life’s Next Chapter Coaching (LNCC), Carrie’s passion is helping people discover new dreams for themselves as they consciously and powerfully rebuild their lives after loss. The mission of LNCC is to assist clients to reconnect with their heart, reclaim their power, and realign with their purpose to create their life’s next chapter.
Carrie provides mentoring for coaches and students who are seeking ICF credentialing at the ACC and PCC levels. She joined the ICF Independent Review Board in 2019 and was appointed to the position of chair in 2023. Carrie holds a master’s degree in spiritual psychology with an emphasis in consciousness, health, and healing, as well as certifications in grief counseling, mentor coaching, transformational presence coaching, and relationship and divorce coaching.
Tonya Echols, PCC, is a multi-award-winning international executive coach, as well as a leadership and organizational development consultant. She is the managing principal of Vigere, selected as one of the Top 20 Leadership Development Training and Coaching companies for 2022 and a Global100 honoree for 2023.
Tonya is credentialed by the ICF, of which she is a director and officer of the ICF Professional Coaches Global Board and serves on the ICF Global Board of Directors.
Tonya has over 27 years of experience in corporate management, digital and traditional media, technology, finance, coaching, leadership development, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and as a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee in Business Administration-Accounting, Tonya is a doctoral candidate in Leadership Psychology with emphases in Neuroscience and Inclusive Leadership from William James College.
Professional Coach
Owner
José Manuel Estrada, PCC, is an Argentinian coach, certified since 2007. He has more than 4,000 coaching hours working with leaders from different industries, including mining, oil, services, insurances, financial, and sports, to develop teams, improving coordination, collaboration, and communication in the private and public sector in Latin America. He is also the director of training for an ICF accredited coaching education provider with more than 60 editions. For José, professional ethical education is a priority. He has served as an enthusiastic volunteer leader in a variety of roles for the ICF community since 2010, he was in different positions. He is a proud husband and father of two kids. Also, he is studying and practicing Taekwondo and Yoga. He has a Master of Business Administration, a degree in sports management, and a background in marketing and business.
Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, DEIB
International Coaching Federation
Aikyna Finch, PCC, DM, is a coach, educator, and TEDx speaker. She is a board member of the ICF Tennessee Charter Chapter. She coaches in empowerment, life, and social media from her company, Finch and Associates LLC. She speaks and livestreams on motivation, education, and social media. She has been interviewed and featured by the Huffington Post, Women Speakers Association, International Coach Federation, and many more.
As an educator, she has worked directly with students in grades 6-12 during the school year with behavioral disabilities and K-5 during the summer with autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy. She is a former campus and faculty dean who established three campuses’ enrollment records. Her teaching disciplines include business, leadership, marketing, social media, and information systems at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has published over 30 academic publications and presented on youth and adult education, social media, and job search topics.
Founder
VroomGroup International
Bret Freeman, PCC, is the founder of VroomGroup International, the director of thought leadership for the ICF United Kingdom Charter Chapter and a master facilitator with the NeuroLeadership Institute (NLI). He is a Results Certified Coach (RCC) with NLI, a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, and a graduate of the Oxford Executive Leadership and the MIT Sloan School of Management Neuroscience for Business programs. He holds a certificate in the foundations of NeuroLeadership from NLI, is a certified cognitive behavioral therapist, and is a full member of the British Neuroscience Association.
Bret has more than 25 years’ experience facilitating change and delivering key leadership development programs to large corporations in over 20 countries, is a frequent speaker at international leadership events, a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) through Toastmasters International and has been a featured TEDx speaker and coach at multiple TED events.
Division Chair
Mayo Clinic’s Leadership and Talent Development Program
Priscilla Gill, PCC, EdD, is an executive coach, author, and leadership/organizational development practitioner who leads Mayo Clinic’s Leadership and Talent Development Division, supporting physicians, scientists, and administrative staff in adapting to the rapidly changing health care environment. Priscilla previously led Mayo Clinic’s Coaching and Mentoring Center of Excellence, and she launched the Internal Physician Leadership Coaching Practice and the Mayo Administrative Leadership Academy.
Chief Well-Being Officer, Leadership, Performance, Mental Fitness & Gallup
Certified CliftonStrengths Coach
Victor Gonzalez Galeano, MHR, is a transformational coach who brings inclusiveness, innovation, and creativity to his clients’ development. He believes in creating a safe space to nurture a trust-based partnership for success. His goal is to help clients realize their potential and for them to progress in their leadership development.
With more than 20 years of management experience in business settings, Victor understands strategy, operations, and functional roles. His coaching brand powerfully combines his business acumen, expertise, and clarity. He aims to help his clients excel at home, work, and in the community — to uplift their holistic well-being.
Victor embodies diversity and inclusion. As a Latino, he helps his clients rise to better lead the demographic change in our workforce and is an expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is a global citizen and serves clients on a global scale from his home in South Florida, USA.
Generative Wholeness Practitioner
inviteCHANGE, LLC
Sarah E. Graves, PCC, is a passionate and practical coach, writer, and speaker who inspires people to live their life fully and bring their sense of exploration to “the greatest adventure of their life — themselves.” Sarah has been on the inviteCHANGE, LLC team for almost 10 years in a variety of roles in sales, marketing, delivery, and account management, all through an open, curious, coach-approach that has generated remarkable results and strong referrals year over year. She has brought the Generative WholenessTM process to her roots in the restaurant, wine, and wholesale businesses through individual and team coaching and leading conference workshops.
Spearheading the YouTube video channels for Coach Training and Leading and Development, coaches around the world are discovering inviteCHANGE. Sarah is a Certified Mentor Coach, a Generative Team Coach, and the past president of the ICF Oregon Charter Chapter, serving on the board of directors for seven years.
Sr. Principle – Executive Leadership Development
Chick-fil-A
Avina Gupta, PhD, is an organizational psychologist and senior principal of executive development at Chick-fil-A, where she advises on leadership strategy and leadership development with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She is also co-founder of CenterSpoke — a research-based consultancy where she and her co-founder, Stacey Robbins, EdD, partner with leaders to create inclusive workplace cultures based on a shared sense of belonging. Avina is a former consultant with Deloitte. She earned her doctorate in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Born and raised in Canada, Avina is fluent in Hindi and has working proficiency of both German and French. She met her German-born husband Sebastian on a mountain in South Africa and is mom to their delightful five-year-old son, Sai, and baby girl, Lani Mae. Avina and family currently live in Atlanta GA, USA.
Founder and CEO – Ovida AI
AI in service of Coach and Client Growth
Alex Haitoglou is a passionate coaching practitioner and advocate, a business leader, and a tech entrepreneur. Alex studied business economics and German in the United Kingdom and Germany; worked for Procter & Gamble, leading brands in multiple countries; and in parallel, ran the global GROW coaching program, training hundreds of leaders and coaches in coaching skills. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Alex continued corporate leadership roles for Walgreens Boots Alliance, leading the global health care organization and applying coaching into business.
Inspired by the huge positive impact coaching can have personally and organizationally, Alex founded the AI platform Ovida with a mission to train better coaches and leaders in coaching skills. Ovida aims to augment the human element of coaching by providing unique insights and data for self-reflection to coaches, assisting their trainers and supervisors, and providing objective data and insights for leadership and coaching skills to organizations that use it.
Leadership Coach
2638 Management Group, LLC
Angela V. Harris is a collaborative leadership coach, technology leader, and philanthropist with over 20 years of business experience in Fortune 500 companies. She has a deep understanding of the “unique experiences” Black women face in the workplace. In her coaching practice, Angela helps clients strategically navigate the corporate landscape so they can be seen, feel valued, and get promoted. Her intuitive approach brings clarity, direction, and positive support to her clients. Angela has a proven track record of success in coaching individuals to improve their performance, build their skills, and drive success for themselves and their organizations.
Angela completed her professional coach training through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), Certified COR.E Leadership Dynamics Specialist (CLDS), and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP).
ICF Ukraine Past President
Founder, The Coaching Today
Larysa Homans is a highly experienced leadership communication coach and mentor, business advisor, educator, and community leader. Larysa’s mission is to maximize authentic communication mastery and integrative impact of leaders and change-makers around the globe. She works with soul-driven leaders, executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs to help them define, design, execute, and expand their new transformational experiences in business, career, life, and community – one NEW STORY at a time.
Larysa has over 40 years of interrelated experience as a journalist, public relations consultant, strategic communication expert, and educational and developmental program leader in projects and organizations in Ukraine and other countries. She is the past president of the ICF Ukraine Charter Chapter, co-leader of international partnership initiatives, coaching volunteer, and co-host of the podcast Coaches Stand with Ukraine. Larysa is the founder and editor-in-chief of Coaching Today, the first media coaching platform in Ukraine.
Often called an “interpreter”, Jane Hyun is the leading authority for leveraging culture and diversity to drive business growth and innovation. A trusted coach to global Fortune 500 companies, she is an internationally recognized expert in cross-cultural effectiveness, inclusive leadership, and talent engagement, and she has worked to close the culture gap for Asian professionals inside global companies. Over the past 20+ years, she has helped leaders navigate change in high stakes business environments and has coached thousands of leaders to increase their agility in the workplace.
She is the author of the groundbreaking book, Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. She is also the co-author of Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences, which examines the skill of switching between communication styles to leverage the power of diversity in teams. Jane is passionate about working with individuals to flourish in their workplaces and in their communities.
Senior Advisor
BetterUp
Shana Montesol Johnson, PCC is a seasoned coach, facilitator, and strategic consultant. She is currently Senior Advisor, Coaching Partnerships at BetterUp, and serves on BetterUp’s Ethics Council.
Shana came to coaching from a career in management consulting with PwC and IBM. She earned an ICF credential in 2006, and launched a coaching and consulting practice, later serving as Adjunct Faculty with the Center for Creative Leadership. A Harvard-educated and ICF-credentialed coach, Shana has personally worked with over 1,000 leaders through coaching or learning programs. She has extensive experience catalyzing the growth of leaders within organizations of all kinds, including Fortune 500 corporations, global non-profits, and United Nations agencies.
An American of part-Filipino descent who spent most of her childhood in Latin America, Shana relishes cross-cultural work and has coached clients from 35 nations in Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East, and Australia.
Coach, Gestalt Therapist, Senior Trainer
Self Entrepreneur
Anett Kákonyi, PCC, is a certified business, team, and action learning coach. She was the president of the ICF Hungary Charter Chapter between 2021-2022. Her career as a business coach started 11 years ago. In 2015, she began to coach children (between 6 and 18 years). Anett’s mission is to help kids build strong resilience skills to be able to better cope with difficulties in their lives. She has completed three kids coaching programs, and she usually mixes different approaches and methods according to the children’s needs.
Anett is married and the proud mother to two adult kids. She enjoys being in nature, sailing, reading, watching movies, playing board games, and having meaningful conversations with family and friends. She is a committed humanitarian. Anett is the founder and the leader of the Saint Rita Caritas Organization at Csömör (Hungary).
Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized innovation and disruption strategist who works at the intersection of creativity, business, and technology. For 12 years, he helped leaders at Deloitte better plan for opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. In his high energy keynotes, Shawn draws on his extensive experience to provide audiences with an optimistic roadmap for the future; one that embraces unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant.
Since leaving Deloitte, Shawn has worked with hundreds of organizations on their journey to digital transformation. Today, Shawn is a partner with Queen & Rook, where he advises leading organizations and executives on disruptive trends and invests in early-stage ventures.
Shawn’s work has been featured in the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV. He’s been recognized by Avenue Magazine as one of their “Top 40 Under 40” and by Inc. magazine as one of the “100 Most Innovative Leaders.”
Founder & CEO
Zanga African Metrics
Nankhonde Kasonde-van den Broek, PCC, is an international award-winning executive coach, organizational change architect, and entrepreneur. She is the lead consultant at Nankhonde Kasonde Consultancy, and is founder and CEO at ZANGA African Metrics, a pioneer in the use of technology to develop affordable, accessible coaching and human capital development solutions for Africa.
Following a decade working in international development and finance globally, she returned to Zambia to pursue her purpose and desire to contribute to her country’s economy and the wider African development agenda. Over the last 12 years, she has coached over 800 clients, across 50 organizations, 7 out of the 10 provinces of Zambia and 7 other African countries. She has over 20 years of experience supporting multinationals, international organizations, and governments. She is an accomplished professional with a wealth of African, international, and multicultural experience in designing and leading large-scale change across multiple sectors.
Owner / Founder
Liberated Elephant, LLC
Jessica Katz is a trainer, mentor, and coach through Liberated Elephant. Jessica is passionate about working with individuals, teams, leaders, and organizations to help people discover and nurture their authentic selves. With this new knowledge, Jessica helps them uncover solutions that move them forward on their journey. Her methodology is informed by Agile values, principles, and practices — creating a safe space for clients to be wholly themselves without judgement.
Executive & Leadership Coach
Former Sales & Channel Lead at HP Enterprise
Saša Kerec, ACC, MBA, was a volunteer coach at a global corporation for six years, in addition to his leadership role. In January 2023, he started his practice as an executive and leadership coach. His mission is to help leaders become their best selves as they touch the many people around them! Saša is helping organizations build coaching culture and transform how they lead their business.
He was co-leading the HPE Coaching Network of volunteering coaches. Creating and executing the strategy and motivating volunteers to devote their time to coaching, he helped many talents reach their goals. He is an ICF Coaching in Organizations Board Director.
Saša has an Executive MBA degree from COTRUGLI Business School in Zagreb, Croatia, and master’s degree in computer science from Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb.
Director – Career Retention Navigation & Transition
University of British Columbia
Pooja Khandelwal, ACTC, MCC, is a coach, educator, certified mentor coach, Dare to LeadTM facilitator, and an organizational leader. Through individual, groups, and teams, she has transformed careers in transition across intersectional ecosystems for over a decade. She was one of the first ICF credentialed coaches in India.
At the University of British Columbia (UBC), she works with leaders, enhancing their individual resilience and collective capacity in retaining talent. Pooja supports a workforce of over 15,000 employees with their career resilience through systemic approaches to retention and transition. Her innovative work has shifted the culture on workplace engagement and employee transitions through the pioneering philosophy of career navigation.
In 2018, UBC was an ICF Prism Award Honorable Mention recipient for its strong coaching culture. Pooja was one of the founding coaches for UBC’s Organizational Coaching Certificate Program.
Health and Wellness Coach, Workplace Wellness Consultant, Coach Trainer
Ellen Kocher – WHEALTHNESS
Ellen Kocher, PCC, is an economist and certified workplace wellness consultant who holds a master’s degree in health and wellness coaching. She has served as co-leader of the ICF Health and Wellness Coaching Community of Practice and as chair of the Global Wellness Institute Wellness Coaching Initiative. She is a health and mindful eating coach and a certified digital well-being coach. Educated in the USA, Ellen has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years.
Following 10 years as a corporate executive, Ellen has dedicated the past 20+ years to coaching in the workplace. She has coached hundreds of individuals and groups in dozens of organizations worldwide to make sustainable lifestyle changes empowering them to go from knowing what to do to actually doing it. Today, Ellen also supports other coaches to build successful businesses like she has.
Ellen resides in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband and three children.
RADICAL HUMILITY: Be a Bad-Ass Leader and a Good Human
Koenig Speaking
Urs Koenig, PCC, MBA, PhD, has had a theme throughout his world-spanning career: transformation that leads to breakthrough success. After a highly successful skiing career, Urs became an ultra-endurance cycling champion, achieving multiple course records and race wins. In addition to physical mastery, Urs has also served as an assistant professor at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the Australian National University, as well as adjunct professor at Seattle University and has been widely published.
During his 20+ years as an executive coach, Urs has coached 350+ high-profile leaders and dozens of leadership teams across four continents, and he has become a sought-after leadership keynote speaker who transforms audiences around the globe. In 2017, Urs embarked on a new leadership adventure, serving as military peacekeeping commander in the Balkans — at age 50. Most recently, at age 54, he served as a United Nations military peacekeeper in the Middle East.
Mrs Teresa Leyman Coaching
Teresa Leyman, PCC, has expertise in creativity, imagination, and playfulness in coaching — both in practice with clients and in sharing knowledge with fellow coaches. She has a Master of Science in Coaching and Behavioral Change from Henley Business School. She is an experienced coach practitioner and change agent, with over 25 years’ experience working with individuals and teams within high-tech companies. She is IC Agile Coach certified and has GTCI Foundation Systemic Team Coaching certification and accreditation. With Stephanie Wheeler, she co-authored the book, Playfulness in Coaching.
Teresa’s experience is that it is very apparent that human factors are crucial for driving cutting-edge, high-performing, innovative change.
Cathy Liska, MCC, CMC, CDP, is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, and as the Guide from the Side® she is recognized internationally for her expertise in coaching, training, and conflict management. With over 35 years of experience in business ownership and management, Cathy is a highly sought after trainer and coach. She has successfully built a diverse team and extends her services to coaches around the globe.
Cathy’s personal mission statement is “People,” and her unwavering passion lies in empowering others to achieve the results they desire.
Cathy’s credentials include Certified Family Mediator, Certified Civil Mediator, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Real Estate Broker, Certified Apartment Manager, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Trainer/Facilitator, Certified DISC Practitioner, Certified Coach Trainer, and Master Certified Coach.
Cathy combines her coaching competency skills with a wealth of professional experience, allowing her to best serve her clients’ needs and ask meaningful, informed questions.
CEO | Executive Leadership Coach
Stacey Mahoney Consulting, LLC
Stacey Mahoney, ACC, CPDC, is an executive coach who focuses on developing inclusive executive leadership capabilities in professionals and entrepreneurs. With over 20 years of experience ad-tech industry, diversity and inclusion, and people development, Stacey has been passionate about developing and fostering inclusive communities in professional spaces. She holds multiple certifications, including Professional Diversity Coach (CoachDiversity Institute) and ADKAR Change Management (Prosci).
Stacey leads with authenticity, and leverages her lived experience, credentials, and skills to enable positive individual transformation, catalyze organizational change, and empower leaders and their teams to reach their full potential.
Originally from Washington, DC, Stacey currently resides in the Atlanta-Metro area (Georgia, USA). In addition to her professional achievements, she is a proud Silver member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and an alumna of Elon University. She founded Stacey Mahoney Consulting, LLC, in 2020 to drive inclusive leadership transformation for entrepreneurs and emerging leaders.
Performance Coach
KM Performance Coach
Katherine (Kathy) Maichel, PCC, works with high performers to help them reclaim their confidence in their mastery journey, build a healthy relationship with their profession, and perform optimally. With a background in music performance in the USA, and a master’s degree in psychology of music from The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom., Kathy focused on the science of performance anxiety and optimal functioning. Her coaching approach helps clients create psychological flexibility to enhance their work and life experience. Kathy has worked with performers in the US Air Force, with leaders in International NGOs, orchestras and universities around the world. Kathy is a coaching consultant for the well-being mobile application HOY.
President and Executive Coach
KC Mayer Consulting
Kathryn C. Mayer, PCC, a leadership development professional for over 20 years, leads workshops and coaches executives with a special focus on women in competitive businesses. Her perspective on leadership is shaped by her experience as a former top ranked amateur tennis player and her extensive experience leading change and developing talent in competitive corporate environments including Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, and Citigroup’s investment bank.
She is the author of Collaborative Competition™: A Woman’s Guide to Succeeding by Competing and How to Stay SANE and Successful in the COVID World: Thrive, Flourish, and Prosper Even When All the Rules have Changed. She is currently working on the book, Productive Perfectionism: A Woman’s Guide to Smashing the Shackles of Perfectionism. She writes on a blog for all those perfectionists in recovery like herself who are striving for excellence and want to enjoy life more.
Linda McLoughlin MCC is an award-winning coach and founder of LeadershipWorks specializing in coach training; executive education and gender intelligence. Linda is a Vice Chair of the ICF Professional Coaches Board of Directors 2019-2022. She was awarded ‘Coach of the Year’ and ‘Mentor Coach of the Year’ and is an accredited Master Certified Coach and a licensed facilitator of a range of psychometrics. She is based between Dublin and Dubai. Linda was a previous Board member of ICF Ireland Chapter. Linda is an expert in executive and leadership development and has worked across Europe; the Middle East; Africa; USA and South America. She is co-author of two books on leadership and change and an engaging conference speaker on coaching and leading. She is also a Reiki Master and avid traveler.
CoFounder | Executive Coach
2 Million Leaders Project
Miriam Meima, MCC, is passionate about creating impactful experiences that are fun and filled with actionable learning. Miriam has dedicated her life to the overlap between business and psychology and has been a coach and facilitator for over 20 years. Miriam has coached founders and executives at hundreds of companies, including a dozen valued at or higher than $1 billion US dollar. She works 1:1 with senior leaders, facilitates team offsites, and develops customized leadership development journeys for leaders at all levels. Her specialty is in helping people unlock the next level of performance while maximizing authenticity.
Miriam’s clients include Olympians, Academy Award winners, and executives at companies such as Slack, Glassdoor, Glossier, Flatiron Health, and Merlin Music. Miriam’s credentials include a Master of Arts in Organizational and Management Development, a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Psychology.
Transformation Coach, Reiki Master, Owner of Channeling Your Wisdom Coaching
Channeling Your Wisdom Coaching
Lynda Mettler, ACC, is a credentialed life coach, reiki master, and owner of Channeling Your Wisdom Coaching, which provides transformational life coaching to individuals and groups. In addition to coaching, she hosts meditation circles and trains coaches and other professionals in her deep-listening technique, “NICE!” Lynda is active in her community in her home state of Connecticut, USA, sitting on boards of Milford United Way, New Haven Country Club, and the ICF Connecticut Charter Chapter. She is also an avid golfer.
Assistant Director, Diversity and Community Relations
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Jennifer Mitchell, EdD, received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Georgia State University, Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling from Thomas University, and Doctor of Education from the University of Georgia. Her experience includes 15 years working in mental health and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with nine years in higher education. She worked in the field of disability services for eight years, and the last year has been in the field of DEI in medical education.
Jennifer is currently an assistant director at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, South Georgia campus. Her research interests include resiliency and persistence amongst marginalized groups of college students, mainly focused on race and gender and disability inclusion and justice in professional schools.
CEO
Wisdom Works
Renee Moorefield, MCC, PhD, is CEO of Wisdom Works, a social enterprise working with global companies to bring the science and practices of human thriving to life in their work cultures, brands, and leadership — and to make thriving a new standard of success. She is also executive director of Be Well Lead Well®, a platform of content, resources, and a pioneering multi-factor assessment for well-being leadership. Renee is on the advisory board for the wellness nonprofit, Global Wellness Institute and the program advisory board for the mental health nonprofit, John W. Brick Foundation, and she helps lead The Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease, a global call to action which reaches more than 5,300 organizations impacting 160+ million people. For over three decades, Renee’s inspiration has been to fuel a global movement of leaders who make thriving a priority at work, at home, and in all walks of society.
Chief Coaching Officer & Chief HR Officer
CoachSource
Jeff Nally, PCC, is the group coaching specialist, chief coaching officer, and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at CoachSource, the world’s most experienced executive coaching provider, where he designs group coaching and engages 1,100 coaches in global coaching engagements.
Jeff created the executive coaching practice at Humana and established Humana’s Women in Leadership Group Coaching Program for the top 120 women leaders. He is a co-author of Rethinking Human Resources, Humans@Work, and Coaching Wisdom with other HR and coaching thought leaders.
He is a Results Professional Certified Coach and graduated with distinction with a certificate in the foundations of neuroleadership through The NeuroLeadership Group. He earned a coaching supervision certification from the Goldvarg Consulting Group. Jeff is a past vice president of marketing at the ICF Ohio Valley Charter Chapter, president-elect at the Gay Coaches Alliance, and the 2021 recipient of the Thomas J. Leonard Coach Humanitarian Award.
Gavan O’Shea, ACC, PhD, served as technical lead during development of the new ICF Credentialing Exam and global analysis of coaching practice. He also partnered with ICF to conduct a rigorous study of team coaching and launch the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC) . Gavan’s areas of expertise include leadership, development and validation of custom assessments, job analysis, and competency modeling. He is a project director and manager at the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) and a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Lead Coach
LGU+
Caroline Ji-young Park, PCC, PhD, is an experienced lead coach at the Coaching Center at LG Uplus in Korea. With her extensive global work experience in the hospitality, manufacturing, and telecommunications industries, she has developed strong expertise in leadership development, team effectiveness, and culture change management.
Through her coaching, Caroline helps her clients identify and leverage their strengths, confront their areas of development, and achieve their goals. She believes that coaching can be a powerful tool for unlocking each person’s unique potential and helping them achieve their own definition of success. Caroline is fluent in English and Korean, and she has a deep appreciation for cultural diversity.
Co-founder
Coaching Works for You
João Luiz Pasqual, MCC, has been an executive coach since 2006. He is an ICF member and credential-holder, and he is also a certified administration counsellor, affiliated with the Brazilian Corporate Governance Institute (IBGC).
João Luiz served as president of the ICF Brazil Charter Chapter for three years, and he currently presides over the advisory board for ICF Brazil. He also serves vice chair of development on the ICF Independent Review and is one of the co-leaders for the ICF Coaching Education community. João Luiz is mentor coach, Certified by inviteCHANGE (USA), and an accredited coach supervisor at CSA-Coaching Supervision Academy (London, United Kingdom). He holds a diploma in organizational psychology and a master’s degree in consulting and coaching for change from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France). He also has a Master of Business Administration from the University of São Paulo Institute of Management (FIA in São Paulo, Brazil).
Torin Perez is on a mission to do inspiring work that uplifts humanity. This mission has led him to work — in the service of the ideals of leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) — as a sought-after speaker, bestselling author, five-star learning facilitator, coach champion of change-makers, and award-winning media talent and producer.
Featured by TED, Forbes, Culture Amp and various outlets as a trailblazer, influencer, anti-racism educator, and DEI leader to follow, his stories and ideas have inspired audiences at leading conferences and organizations, including Convening Leaders, Transform, Inbound, Oslo Pax, Cisco, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson.
One of 16 graduates from Lafayette College to be identified as an alumni Changemaker, Torin’s passion for creating change extends far beyond himself. His book Who Am I to Lead? was described by the late great Frances Hesselbein as a rejuvenating force in the world of leadership.
Leadership Coach
The Leadership Coaching Lab
Bethany Peters, ACC, PhD, is the founder and CEO of The Leadership Coaching Lab, where she provides coaching and training, specializing in leadership development, taking a coach approach to leadership, intercultural development, and transformational teamwork. She holds her PhD in organizational leadership and intercultural education from the University of Minnesota, and she has over 20 years of experience in leadership development and intercultural training. She serves as part-time faculty in multiple graduate programs in the fields of organizational leadership and education. Bethany is trained in coaching with assessments, such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram, and the Intercultural Development Inventory. She also is co-founder of The Coaching Mentors, a dedicated community of coaching peers who are committed to pursuing deeper coaching development.
Head of Coaching and Special Clinical Projects
Modern Health
Sanil Pillai, PCC, leads coaching strategy at Modern Health as the head of coaching. He is responsible for the development and training of the coaching network and ensuring that members have a high-quality coaching experience as part of their mental health journey. Sanil is an experienced leadership and career coach with extensive experience in software technology startups and large enterprises. He has had several management roles and was most recently the head of innovation at a software services company. Sanil pursued his passion to advance mental health and build leadership skills in professionals.
Today, he coaches leaders, middle managers, and senior professionals across multiple industries. Sanil is also an experienced facilitator and has designed and facilitated workshops for global companies across multiple geographies. Sanil has a Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from the King’s College London.
Founder
MentorLab
Rossella Pin, MCC, is a certified mentor coach and certified coaching supervisor. She holds a Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies. She is an expert in organizational development and project management with over 20 years of experience in leading companies. Positive and passionate about change, Rossella has successfully coached hundreds of newly appointed leaders and leadership teams in mastering their new roles and strategic development projects. She partners with internal coaches in group and team coaching activities, and supports them with coach training, mentoring, and supervision.
Rossella is also a global faculty trainer and Italian program director of the International Coach Academy, as well as the founder of MentorLab, which specializes in designing and supervising internal coaching and mentoring programs. She co-founded EMCC Italy and serves on the board of two Italian not-for-profit associations, providing solidarity coaching and mentoring in high schools and local communities.
Summer Joy Poole, PCC, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University, a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University, and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also pursuing a Doctor in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is focused on stress, coping, and marginalized groups in corporate America.
Shaped by her values of inclusion and empathy, Summer’s goal is to help organizations grow stronger by making strategic investments in their workforce. Summer has mastered communication and people development skills across multiple sectors including entrepreneurship, government, nonprofit, and health care. She is an experienced people strategist, consultant, and an advanced coach practitioner who leads organizations in creating the trust required to foster creativity, innovation, and optimize productivity.
Summer was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, USA, and is the proud mother of two curious and joyful Black boys.
President & CEO
Smiley Poswolsky, LLC
When companies want to increase workplace belonging, human connection, and team engagement, they call Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky. Smiley is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, workplace belonging expert, and bestselling author of three books that have been translated into multiple languages, including The Quarter-Life Breakthrough and Friendship in the Age of Loneliness.
Smiley shares industry-shaping insights and practical tools to attract and retain top talent across generations, create a culture of belonging, and engage high-performing teams at world-class organizations like Apple, Google, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, and the U.S. Navy. Smiley’s TED talk has been viewed 2 million times, and he has delivered 600 keynotes in front of 250,000 people in 25 countries. Smiley’s work has been featured in 100 media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the Wall St. Journal, Fast Company, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the World Economic Forum.
Assistant Professor of Leadership
Saint Mary’s College of California
Stacey E. Robbins, EdD, is a professor and consultant who uses her expertise in adult learning to support the development of inclusive leaders. Since 2003, Stacey has experience teaching, designing programs, conducting research, coaching professionals, and consulting in the areas of leadership development and learning and development. She has directed leadership programs for working professionals at two higher education institutions, including program evaluation and change implementation.
Stacey’s recent scholarship explores boundary-crossing team learning and the experiences and effectiveness of white diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practitioners. She has doctoral and master’s degrees in adult learning and leadership from Columbia University, and she is a Columbia University certified executive coach.
Professional Speaker
StoryMatters
James Robilotta is a leadership author, motivational speaker, emcee, and trained improv comedian. After years of leading teams, James followed an entrepreneurial dream and built two successful businesses. The first is an organization that incorporates freestyle rap into improv comedy (a success story for another day). And the second is his speaking and coaching business (a success story for today).
James has been speaking internationally to willing and unwilling audiences since 2009 and has found that quality humor is the secret to hosting powerful conversations that make a genuine impact. His attendees leave feeling recharged, introspective, and ready to get out of their own way.
With years of research (and a few too many real-life case studies), James has learned everything he can about fighting apathy and building real communities. He is on a mission to ensure that people are seen, heard, respected … and giggling a little, too.
Founder
Unscripted Sales™
Michelle Rockwood has sold real estate in one of the world’s wealthiest communities, slept on a dirt floor in West Africa while serving in the US Peace Corps, and once raised a million dollars for charity over a single lunch. Now a personal coach and widely recognized sales expert, Michelle has helped hundreds of heart-centered coaches discover sales methods that feel fantastic, transforming their businesses and their lives.
Michelle is the founder of Unscripted Sales, a consulting firm for sales teams and coaching certification companies of all sizes. She specializes in helping coach training companies teach their clients (coaches in training) how to create client-coach partnerships and sell their coaching. After personally hosting more than 400 sales conversations and shifting entire sales teams into life-changing revenues, Michelle wrote her new book, Joyful Selling, to share her knowledge with all the loving, heart-centered coaches our world so desperately needs.
Coach, Coach Supervisor and Hands-On Thinking facilitator
super9solutions
Paul Sanbar, PCC, is an ingenuity + executive coach, certified coach supervisor, and hands-on visual thinking facilitator. His life and career have been dedicated to the field of self-development and to effecting positive change through purposeful play, storytelling, and powerful conversations, initially as a psychotherapist and now as an ICF credentialed coach and an EMCC accredited coach supervisor.
A certified LEGO® Serious Play® methods facilitator/coach/trainer and a member of the MURAL Consultant Network, he believes that sustainable systemic development occurs when individuals and teams think and reflect not only with words but also with their eyes and hands, putting their imagination to work in both tactile and technological ways.
Kemia M. Sarraf MD, MPH, RCC, TIPC President | CEO
Lodestar Consulting & Executive Coaching
Kemia Sarraf, MD, MPH, RCC, TIPC, or “Dr. K, ”completed her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the University of Utah, and her internal medicine residency at Washington University School of Medicine. Her career spans more than two decades and has included medical practice and education, trauma-responsive executive coaching and leadership training programs, public health programming, multiple board positions in the public and private sector, and farming.
Dr. K founded Lodestar in 2016, responding to the need for trauma-responsive coaching for physician colleagues reporting high levels of severe burnout, vicarious trauma, and moral injury. Her work has since expanded to include consulting work across multiple industries, leadership training, and trauma-responsive culture building.
She is adjunct faculty at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and she co-leads several national initiatives focused on leadership development and trauma-responsive culture building.
Garry Schleifer, PCC, is a seasoned businessman with over 30 years of experience, bringing valuable expertise to his coaching. His “walk the talk” credentials stem from his experience as the visionary behind several multimillion-dollar corporations.
Garry employs a transformative approach, characterized as “Ruthless Compassion,” to challenge and support his business owner clients. With a blend of rigorous goal-setting, innate sensitivity, good humor, and non-judgmental guidance, he facilitates growth and success. Garry holds various coaching credentials, including his certification from the Coaches Training Institute, a Mentor Coach certificate from inviteCHANGE, and his PCC from the International Coaching Federation.
Additionally, he is owner and publisher of choice, the magazine of professional coaching, accessible at www.choice-online.com. Garry has served as Past President of the Toronto ICF Chapter, and Vice President of ICF Global Board. He has also contributed his expertise to several community-based boards.
Garry resided in Toronto, Canada, with his husband, Patrick.
Leadership & Life Coach
Justin Shelley Coaching
Justin Shelley, PCC, works with organizations and individuals to develop conscious and compassionate leadership skills, and to develop a resilient mindset. Justin also works with individuals as a life coach, supporting his clients through a variety of transitions. With 20 years’ experience in the financial services sector and an array of experience spanning global investment, brokerage, and retail banking, Justin combines his depth of industry knowledge with his unique coaching style to bring true value to his clients.
His intuitive coaching approach bring clarity, energy, direction, and motivation to his clients. Justin has worked with clients from top-tier investment firms and a variety of other sectors. Justin is an experienced trainer, speaker, and facilitator. Justin is an empathy ambassador for Functional Empathy.
Justin completed his professional coach training through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC).
Founder and Head Coach
Crescendo
Juliana Sih, PCC, is the founder of Crescendo, a leadership and life coaching company focused on helping people be happier, make more money, and have better relationships. Using a holistic approach, Juliana helps her clients get out of their own way into an empowered place, so they can reach their goals faster and with more velocity. Juliana calls coaching her life’s work, and her mission is to make an impact by helping people have a better relationship with themselves.
Tracy Sinclair is an Executive and Board Level Coach, leadership development designer/facilitator and public speaker. She works internationally across all sectors with business owners, executives and leaders in support of professional and personal growth and to develop organisational coaching cultures. Tracy is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a trained Coaching Supervisor, Mentor Coach and ICF Assessor. She has co-authored a book on coaching and the ICF Core Competencies, offers an ACSTH programme and trains Supervisors and Mentor Coaches. Tracy is dedicated to the development of the coaching profession and the global coaching community and has been volunteering with ICF since 2012 in a variety of leadership roles. She was the President of the UK ICF from 2013-2014 and has been an ICF Global Board Director since 2016, serving as Treasurer in 2017, Global Chair in 2018, Immediate Past Global Chair in 2019 and currently sits on the ICF Global Board as Vice Chair.
Director
RuhCo
Shruti Sonthalia, PCC, is an entrepreneur, executive coach, and organizational development consultant. A graduate of the London School of Economics, she is a deeply passionate coach educator. She has mentored and assessed coaches from around the world to receive their credentials, and she played a pivotal role in establishing transformational coaching in India. Shruti’s niche lies in authentic transformative conversations for decision-makers in family businesses, where emotion and passion are high.
A thought leader in coaching for social impact, she has designed and delivered coaching for humanitarian organizations such as the Peace Corps. A member of ICF Foundation Council of Ambassadors, Shruti has facilitated the creation of Ignite Coaching Initiatives for diverse organizations. She co-founded the Corona Quilt Project, a community-arts initiative that brought together 50,000 artworks into public installations to promote healing and belonging during the pandemic. In 2022, she was recipient of the ICF Young Leaders Award.
OWNER
GENESIS COACHING
Silvina M. Spiegel, PCC, is a multicultural ontological and executive coach, supervisor-mentor coach, team coach, and coach trainer. She works in Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, and English. Silvina is passionate about human interaction and development. She works for leading consulting companies, supporting executives from all over the world. She ss also passionate about the growth of the profession, supporting peers to obtain their credentials and grow as a community.
She is a Coaching Clinic® trainer, a Co-development® facilitator, and a Symbol on Reflection Method® Coaching Expert. As a volunteer in the ICF community, she has worked on initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB); volunteer engagement; and succession. Silvina has co-author on books about ICF’s Core Competencies and coaching ethics. Silvina was born in Argentina and has lived for 13 years in Brazil, where she continues to develop most of her work. She’s also studied and lived in Israel.
Morwenna Stewart has 25 years’ experience as a writer, editor, trainer, and coach, in public and private sectors. She is passionate about supporting people to achieve equality, work at their best, and enhance their quality of life. Morwenna is autistic and dyspraxic, and she has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She also has a teenage son (autistic and ADHD).
As a coach and trainer, Morwenna supports neurodivergent and neurotypical clients to work at their best, using strengths-based models. Morwenna believes that people are “creative, resourceful and whole” (Carl Rogers) and that they have all the solutions within themselves.
Morwenna also coaches and trains neurodivergent and neurotypical people to write books, graduate (PhD) theses/dissertations, and professional reports. She is an accredited trainer (classroom and online) and particularly loves supporting dyslexic writers to do their best work. Outside of work, she does yoga, swims, cycles, crafts, and is learning Spanish.
Director, AI
BetterUp
Moritz Sudhof, an AI technologist and entrepreneur, currently leads the development of AI-enabled products as director of engineering at BetterUp.
Holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computer Science from Stanford, Moritz has authored influential research on emotion and politeness in language and collaborated on AI research with institutions such as Stanford University, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and the Federal Reserve.
Passionate about using AI to foster empathy and understanding, Moritz led development of the first AI-enabled employee engagement solution as chief data scientist at Kanjoya and then as principal data scientist at Ultimate Software (UKG). Most recently, Moritz co-founded Motive Software, a company dedicated to helping organizations leverage language data to better understand and support their people. Moritz served as CEO until BetterUp acquired Motive in 2021. Now, he’s excited to participate in building a future where AI responsibly helps every coach, and every person, be their best.
Personal & Professional Development Coach/ DBA Candidate
jazzycoach.life / IE Business School, Madrid
Yasmina Suleyman Halawi, PCC, is an internationally certified self-development and leadership coach with a diverse background in government, education, policy development, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. She is an ICF credential-holder and Master Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner. Yasmina is currently completing her doctorate with a research focus on context-specific leadership development and coaching as a tool for developing leaders. She is a fellow at the Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School, contributing to research projects in the field of coaching and also the founder of jazzy coach.life, delivering millennial and intergenerational focused ExecuLife™ coaching.
Carson Tate serves as a consultant and coach to executives at Fortune 500 companies including AbbVie, Deloitte, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Heinz, Synchrony, and Wells Fargo. The author of Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Personal Productivity Style and Own It. Love It. Make It Work: How to Make Any Job Your Dream Job, her views have been included in top-tier business media including Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, CBS Money Watch, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review (HBR) blog, and The New York Times. Carson is the creator of the Productivity Style Assessment®, a professional tool featured in the HBR Guide to Being More Productive.
Prior to starting Working Simply, she worked in human resources and sales functions with Fortune 200 firms. Carson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in organization development, and a coaching certificate from the McColl School of Business at Queens University.
President
Thomas Management Consulting (TMC), LLC
D. Marlene Thomas, PCC, is president and CEO of Thomas Management Consulting (TMC), LLC, an international, woman-owned small business that provides strategic consulting and executive coaching to federal, state and private sector businesses. Marlene has over 25 years of demonstrated experience in management of complex systems in federal, state and local organizations. Her coaching and consulting practice is dedicated to supporting individual employers and leaders as they build productive partnerships, teams, and workplaces.
Marlene is the immediate past president of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Metro DC Chapter, the largest city chapter in the world with over 1,700 members. She received her coaching certifications from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Marlene’s area of coaching specialty includes leadership and executive development, career transition, personal and team effectiveness, and coach mentoring.
Bonita Thompson, EdD, MBA, is the New York Times bestselling author of Admired: 21 Ways to Double Your Value. She is the World’s #1 Collaboration Coach in the Thinkers50 Global Mentors & Coaches. She developed the world’s first collaborative leadership construct in the Chief Learning Officer doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania in partnership with Harvard University’s Kennedy School. She served as adjunct faculty for the Advanced Coaching Workshop at Harvard McLean Hospital Institute of Coaching and John F. Kennedy University. In 2019, Bonita was recognized as Business Leader of the Year at the Harvard Club NYC (GC4W) Global Connections for Women — awarded for her leadership innovation and workforce reinvention at Bank of America, Levi Strauss, Genentech, Virgin Unite, Varian, Pacific Telesis, and the World Bank. Bonita has been cited by the U.S. Congress and California Department of Education for her groundbreaking project-based learning programs in mathematics.
Chairman, Chief Executive Alliance
Ranked World’s #1 CEO Coach by Thinkers50, and NY Times bestselling author
Mark Thompson is ranked the #1 CEO Coach in the world by Thinkers 50 Leading Global Coaches, the American Management Association, and the 2021 Institute of Coaching McLean/Harvard Medical School. He is a three-time chairman and CEO and an honored alumnus of Stanford University. Mark is a founder of the Stanford CEO Summit Series, a New York Times bestselling author, and the first to be selected as a Global Guru in both the Leadership and Coaching categories. In 2022, Mark was among only six leaders in history to be inducted to the Global Gurus Hall of Fame Corps d’Elite.
With over 30 years’ operating experience, Mark focuses on new CEO readiness for more than 85 boards of directors. He specializes in high-profile leaders and celebrity CEOs, including Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, Google founder Larry Page, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, World Bank CEO Jim Kim, and Charles Schwab.
Founder and CEO
Maslow Leadership
Timothy Tiryaki, PCC, is a global expert in the intersection of organizational culture and coaching. He is the founder of Maslow Leadership, pioneering The Culture-Actualization Index© as a research-driven leading measure. Prior to founding Maslow, he worked at Procter & Gamble, Intel, and Index Group in sales, marketing, and HR. He has coached C-level leaders, and taught at Bogazici University Lifelong Learning Center, Global Knowledge Canada, and Simon Fraser University. He holds seven coaching certificates and is trained in multiple coaching styles.
Currently writing his PhD thesis on wise leadership for organizations, Timothy has four published books, including one on coaching, and has worked with clients such as MEC, Telus, Aviso Wealth, Doctors of BC, and Suncor.
Owner, CEO
Kinetic Clarity
Barb Van Hare, PCC, is the founder of Kinetic Clarity, a leadership and coaching firm helping leaders thrive in the face of increasing change and complexity. She has 27+ years’ experience as a leadership coach, talent development leader, and change consultant. She has extensive people-focused consulting experience via Accenture and IBM Global Services. She was also a director of talent development at First Data and TW Telecom.
Barb is on the coaching faculty for the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). She is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and an assessment enthusiast. She has a master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Minnesota Carlson School along with bachelor’s degrees in French and international studies. She lives in Denver, Colorado, USA, with her extended family. She uses her coaching and change skills every day, and she has a huge amount of passion about the intersection of coaching and change.
Mesha-Gay T. Walker, PCC, is a certified professional coach through the University of Miami. With over 15 years of experience across various industries, she brings her practice to leaders in corporate America, education, mental health, insurance and nonprofit industries.
Mesha-Gay is a champion of leadership. A leader herself, she believes in collaboration over competition and power with people. She is the current president, and has previously served as a board member for five years, of the ICF South Florida Charter Chapter. Under her leadership, the organization has had a 116% increase in membership growth and a 94% increase in retention. In 2020, she initiated a volunteer campaign — quadrupling the number of people in volunteer roles today. She’s also the visionary of the chapter’s prominent events: Masterclass by MCCs and Courageous Conversations.
Leveraging experience from all the above, Mesha-Gay specializes in working with teams, organizations, executives, senior leaders, and direct reports.
Mrs
Stephanie Wheeler
Stephanie G. Wheeler, ACC, has expertise in creativity, imagination, and playfulness in coaching — in practice and sharing knowledge with fellow coaches. She has a Master of Science in Coaching and Behavioral Change from Henley Business School and is an individual and systemic team coach.
Stephanie is also a LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) facilitator and contributing editor to the LSP Magazine. She has written and co-authored peer reviewed research articles relating to playfulness in coaching for such publications as the International Coaching Psychology Review and the Journal of Work-Applied Management. Stephanie is a former lawyer who specialized in international commercial dispute resolution.
With Teresa Leyman, PCC, Stephanie is co-author of the book, Playfulness in Coaching.
Chief Evangelist
LEVATA Human Performance
Kurt Wolf is a founder and chief evangelist for LEVATA Human Performance, where he leads the design and build of collaborative and productive relationships with current and prospective clients, colleagues, and partners. He is also the founder and president emeritus of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) Colorado Chapter, and a co-lead for the ICF-ACMP Global Joint Task Force, on behalf of whom he is speaking at Converge.
Starting in 1994 at Accenture, from there to Coors to three successive consulting firms of his own, Kurt’s passion and expertise in change management helped fuel the transformative growth of both his clients and organizations.
Ever since his first taste of executive coaching (via his co-presenter, Barb Van Hare, PCC), Kurt has been a champion and evangelist of executive coaching, encouraging the build-out of executive coaching practices within his firms and the embrace of this game-changing discipline by his clients.
Ashley Yousufzai, PhD, is the director of coach ethics, development, and partnerships at BetterUp, where she works to advance the science and practice of evidence-based coaching and behavior transformation in the workplace. Ashley is trained as an industrial-organizational psychologist, with deep expertise in coaching, organizational culture, and transformation, and she has been the architect behind numerous change initiatives that align people and talent strategies to organizational business priorities. Through her consulting and advising experience, Ashley discovered the transformative power of coaching and joined BetterUp shortly after completing her coach training. Ashley is passionate about ethical coaching and exploring ways to leverage the power of technology to augment the coach experience.
Navigating Generative AI in Coaching: Ethical Considerations
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