2020 Business Development Series Speaker Bios - International Coaching Federation
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ICF Converge 2023: Expanded Registration Options Available
COVID-19 Resources for ICF Coaches
  • William Arruda

    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 the definitive books on the topic: Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! His latest book, Digital YOU helps readers translate their real-world brands for the virtual world. William is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Reach Personal Branding and the co-founder of CareerBlast.TV – a personal and digital branding video learning platform for innovative organizations. His products have been used by over a million people across the globe. William is honored to work with many of the world’s most revered brands, including 20% of the Fortune 100. He regularly shares his thoughts on workplace trends and branding in his Forbes column. In 2015, he was awarded the ICF Chair’s Award for his contributions to the field of coaching.

  • Jeanine Blackwell

    Jeanine Blackwell is a leading expert on how to create and launch online courses and widely recognized as one of the most influential experts in e-learning. A “go to” expert on creating online courses, coaching products and building a “teaching others” business, Jeanine regularly contributes to cutting-edge publications such as Fast Company, Entrepreneur and Inc. In the online courses and live programs Jeanine offers, she works with thousands of coaches, consultants, authors and experts every year who are ready to share their work in a bigger way by creating their own products, programs and courses.

    If you would like to learn more about Jeanine’s courses and programs, visit jeanineblackwell.com.

  • Karen Cappello, MCC

    Karen Cappello, MCC, BCC is a master certified coach who works with coaches transitioning from the corporate world to coaching to grow their businesses and create the lives they have dreamed of.

    Karen is the former Chief Learning Officer of International Coach Academy and has trained coaches for six different coach training organizations.  Her own executive coach training program, Leverage for Leaders, is a founding accredited program with the Center for Credentialing and Education.

    In every area of her business and life, Karen’s passion for both the outer and the inner game is evident.   With her exuberant style and her commitment to living by her own values, vision and purpose, Karen is a role model for other coaches who want to grow their practices and achieve success with ease and joy.

    Her book, The Clients You are Seeking are Also Seeking You is an Amazon bestseller.

  • Susan Chritton, PCC

    When Susan Chritton was young her favorite board game was called Careers. She loved that she got to choose her formula for fame, fortune and happiness, and then create her own winning strategy. It had a special magic. Susan still loves that special magic. Now, as an Executive Coach, she’s excited to, “Use my magic to guide thousands of people through changes in their lives. I help them understand and develop their unique formulas and strategies—even if they come to me with blank slates.” The outcome? Her clients enhance their careers, work towards their goals and live more authentic and satisfying lives. “They can play by their rules,” says Susan, “and they love it! ”What is your formula for a good life?” Susan asks. “Do you love it?” Through 20+ years of work in the careers field as Master Career Counselor, Master Personal Brand Strategist and Hudson Certified Master Coach, Susan found that she loved Personal Branding. Now it’s one of the best tools she use to help my clients find their formulas.  “That’s why,” she says, “I wrote Personal Branding for Dummies. I’m grateful that my readers made it the #1 Personal Branding book on Amazon for years.”

  • Dorie Clark

    Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, and was honored as the #1 Communication Coach in the world at the Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Awards. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School. She is the author of Entrepreneurial You, which was named one of Forbes’ Top 5 Business Books of the Year, as well as Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor.

  • Gideon Culman, PCC

    Gideon Culman is the president and founder of K Street CoachingÂŽ. He takes great care to help his clients navigate their lives as they adapt to increasing levels of complexity and unpredictability. Gideon has held a Professional Certified Coach credential since 2014. He practices Growth Edge Coaching and received his coach training through Accomplishment Coaching. Gideon has earned MA’s in Liberal Arts and Eastern Classics from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM and a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME.

  • Lisa Ann Edwards

    Lisa Ann Edwards, leading expert in the field of coaching, possesses a unique skill-set — cultivating excellence in others while delivering tangible results. Her specialized ability to provide measurable return on investment for clients has demonstrated upwards of 251% ROI, and lifted employee engagement nearly 20%. Lisa is the globally acknowledged pioneer and thought leader on Coaching with ROI, a methodology she developed specifically for coaches to deliver measurable and tangible results in a traditionally unmeasured space, elevating the perception, impact, and importance of coaching worldwide. A featured speaker at 60+ universities and professional associations around the world, Lisa has presented to noteworthy audiences including: Columbia University, International Coaching Federation’s tour of India, Executive Leadership of Training Magazine’s tour of China, the World Business and Executive Coach Summit’s (WBECS) Conference, The Conference Board and International Coach Federation Global Conference, and more. She has trained more coaches how to measure, evaluate, and demonstrate the monetary impact of coaching than any other. A globally respected collaborator, author, speaker, and educator, Lisa has developed MyExcelia.com, an automated system to measure coaching ROI. Lisa has educated over 10,000 coaches globally and is a winner of the 2019 Leading Global Coaches Award. Lisa’s current pro bono work includes evaluating the impact of the International Coaching Federation Foundation’s coaching work in collaboration with the United Nations.

  • Maria Glenn, PCC

    Maria Glenn, PCC, CPCC, is an executive coach and leadership trainer who has a passion for inspiring leaders to get out of their own way and realize their full potential. She has a special interest in developing high-potential talent and helping organizations navigate change. A Merck & Company veteran of 25 years, Maria is all too familiar with corporate America quandaries. Many leaders struggle with the balance of being fully connected to their people, while remaining beholden to the bottom line. The goal of her coaching is for her clients to be extremely successful without having to sacrifice optimal fulfillment in their role and equilibrium in their lives. Encrypted on her DNA is a love of selling that makes her a perfect fit for motivated companies that want to close the deal. Her wealth of experience at Merck also included marketing, training, management and internal coaching. Empowered to go out on her own, Maria co-founded Assenter Coaching, LLC as a vehicle to custom design organizational trainings that enhance leadership, improve productivity and reach goal attainment. When Maria steps into the leadership and development space, executive coaching is inherently built within the programming to lock in the learning and create transformation that sticks.

  • Jason Goldberg

    What does a serial entrepreneur, a TEDx Speaker, a bacon-atarian (that’s a vegetarian who still eats bacon), a funky sock lover, a comedian and a former rapper (who opened for the Wu-Tang Clan – YES, really) have in common? They’re all the same guy! Jason “JG” Goldberg is an award-winning “Edutainer”, author of the #1 international bestseller “Prison Break” and creator of the Competition-Proof Business Immersion program. He has been a featured expert on ABC, CBS, and FOX, teaches on the Mindvalley and SoulPancake platforms and started a company in partnership with NASA while in graduate school. JG travels the world sharing his signature mix of simple and transformational wisdom, practical business mentorship, and belly-busting humor to help coaches build “Competition-PROOF” businesses full of impact and influence (and have a ton of FUN in the process)! Grab your free copy of JG’s latest book “How To Build a Competition-Proof Coaching Business” here: http://BeCompetitionProof.com.

  • Peter A. James, ACC

    Peter A. James is not just a credentialed coach. He is also a tenured Professor of Business & Entrepreneurship, holds an MBA, a Ph.D. (in Organization & Management), and is the Past-President of the Chicago Chapter of the International Coach Federation. His experiences have taken him from an officer in the military to sales & marketing in a global pharmaceutical firm to the faculty chair of a university business department. He has started and owned over 5 businesses and now maintains a thriving consulting practice in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

  • Connie Kadansky, MCC

    Connie Kadansky is an exceptional sales coach and trainer who works with clients to increase sales and revenue generating bandwidth. She has discovered the art of developing and maintaining a sales process that works. Connie has a passion for helping clients take proactive steps to move the sales conversation forward and make sure the client is served.

    For the past 22 years, Connie has been licensed by Behavioral Sciences Research Press, Dallas, Texas, the world-renowned behavioral scientists who address Sales Call Reluctance, the emotional hesitation to prospect and self-promote.

    She has consulted with more than 1900 clients across the globe and has coached and/or trained clients in the financial services, insurance, real estate, banking, pharmaceutical, software, medical device, executive coaches, medical malpractice and microbiological culture media manufacturing. Connie is particularly gifted in inspiring people to monetize their expertise and embody their value.

    As an accomplished business coach, trainer and public speaker, Connie is known for helping individuals develop strategy, structure and actions plans.  She simplifies proven sales techniques into bite-sized steps. At the strategic and tactical skill level, Connie developed and imparts fundamentally sound systems and tools that work.

    Connie was a speaker at ICF Converge 2019 and an ICF Event in Norway in 2007. She is President of ICF Arizona Charter Chapter. She authored a step-by-step process to sell coaching services at http://staging.coachingfederation.org/blog/monetize-your-expertise.

    Connie has been Interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business, Investor’s Business Daily, Forbes and Inc. Magazine. She was paid to do a radio commercial for American Express. She facilitates Roadmap to Revenue Groups for Coaches so that they run profitable businesses coaching their ideal clients.

  • Ellen Kocher, ACC

    Ellen Kocher is an Economist and Certified Workplace Wellness Consultant. Master’s Degree in Health & Wellness Coaching, Accredited ICF ACC, Health and Mindful Eating Coach. Educated in the USA, she has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years. Following 10 years in the Finance Industry, Ellen understands the challenges of a busy working lifestyle. In 2003 she lost weight and found her new self through nutrition and lifestyle change. She has dedicated the past 15 years to nutrition and workplace wellness promoting a non-diet, mindfulness-based approach to eating, physical activity, holistic health, and self-care. She has coached hundreds of individuals and groups in dozens of organizations and thousands of clients to make sustainable lifestyle changes empowering them to go from knowing what to do to actually doing it!

  • Sara Krisher, ACC

    Sara Krisher is the founder of STAND TALL, a confidence building company. She is committed to teaching leaders to lead from the front of the room with confidence. Her unique approach incorporates techniques that go beyond the technical aspects of delivering a presentation to address the mindset needed to encourage authenticity. Previously she was the director of Spoken Impact where she worked with hundreds of business leaders in developing their presentation skills. Currently, she is creating programs to support coaches who want to make a bigger impact, executives who want to increase their influence, and entrepreneurs who need to nail their pitches. Sara is a professional member of the National Speaker’s Association and an international speaker. She is a Master Trained Narrative Coach through Learning Journeys International Center of Coaching and holds the ACC credential through the International Coach Federation.

    *Presenting on the Live Package only.

  • Jan Markel, ACC

    Jan has over 15 years of experience in leadership and sales. Since 2016 works as freelance coach. He also teaches coaching skills and business.

    Jan delivered over 1,500 paid coaching hours and helped personally tens of coaches to start a successful business. He honors authenticity more than techniques. Loves humor and playing guitar (sometimes only him loves him playing guitar and it’s okay).

  • Jeffrey Shaw

    As a keynote speaker and brand consultant, Jeffrey Shaw, a renown former portrait photographer, helps companies stop wasting time trying to satisfy some customers who will never be satisfied and attract only their ideal customers. Just as a photographer captures the essence of a person, Jeffrey’s keynotes show how to make your customers feel seen, heard and understood. When that happens, companies attract and retain their ideal customers by learning how to speak their “Lingo”. Jeffrey Shaw is also the host of Creative Warriors podcast, a TEDx speaker and bestselling author of LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible.

  • Ora Shtull

    Ora is an Executive Coach who helps high-potential executives in Fortune 500 companies enhance their Leadership Presence. Executives from companies like American Express, Pfizer, and LinkedIn who have worked with Ora over the past 20 years are thriving at their jobs, being promoted, and making successful transitions.  Ora is the author of The Glass Elevator: A Guide to Leadership Presence for Women on the Rise and Stand Out: Boost your Personal Brand. Ora’s newest project, with co-founder William Arruda, is CareerBlast.tv, a micro-learning video platform for professionals who want to stand out and succeed.

  • Tracy Sinclair, PCC

    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 Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and is a trained Coaching Supervisor, Mentor Coach and ICF Assessor. She is currently co-authoring a book on coaching and offers an ACSTH programme. 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 was 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 Enterprise Board.

  • Amalia Sterescu

    Amalia Sterescu has 21 years of professional experience. She accumulated 16 years of leadership experience in the corporate environment working in various global organizations (Vodafone and Oracle).

    She held different leadership roles in Customer Support Services, her last position in the corporate world being Vice President of Global Renewals Service Centers at Oracle.

    In 2012 she took the path of entrepreneurship by founding Public Speaking School. Since 2012, more than 600 professionals have been coached by Amalia Sterescu in leadership, public speaking and personal branding. In 2018 she founded BrandingYOU—1st first personal branding agency in Eastern Europe.

  • Grace Thomas, PCC

    Grace Thomas is a highly sought after coach who partners with C-Suite, senior executive and high potential emerging leaders and teams to enhance and accelerate their leadership growth and impact. She draws on her significant international executive leadership experience, a strong background in leadership development and over 2,500 hours of coaching. Her living motto is “every interaction is an opportunity to accelerate positive change”. Grace builds trust quickly and brings ‘heat and heart’ to her relationships where individuals and teams are challenged to step outside their comfort zone to explore, experiment, extend, embed and ultimately to empower others to be the best they can be. A global citizen of Chinese heritage, Grace grew up in Malaysia, lives in Australia, works and connects globally. She loves family time, enjoys good food and wine and is a mad-keen Geelong Cats supporter, a team in the unique Australian Rules Football code. She is a consistent volunteer at ICF, locally and globally.

  • Marina Vishnyakova Nazarenko, ACC

    An ICF ACC coach, business development consultant, and an accomplished entrepreneur, Marina Vishnyakova Nazarenko is the founder of MV Coachsulting and the professional who helps her customers reach their business and professional goals. Her 20 years of experience in project management, business development and marketing allowed her to successfully launch various businesses and be featured in the book “Biographies of our women entrepreneurs” published in Barcelona in 2018 as a part of series “Testimonials for the History.” Marina runs a popular business blog in Spanish that has more than 60K monthly visitors, her Pinterest business account hits more than 3 million visits per month and she is followed by more than 44K entrepreneurs in Pinterest and 15K in Instagram. Marina also participated as a presenter at ICF Converge-19 in Prague and is an expert speaker at different international online and offline events.

  • Anna-Marie Watson, PCC

    Anna-Marie has dedicated her life to the pursuit of sustainable and healthy performance as a Performance Coach (PCC), Coach Supervisor and Endurance Athlete. She has a dual passion for the elements of nature and movement which are reflected within her outdoor coaching practice. Former British Army Officer, she has over 18 years’ leadership and development experience working in challenging environments from the snowy Arctic tundra to hot and sandy deserts, deploying on three operational tours. In 2014, she founded her business “Reach for More” supporting organisations across five continents develop their most valuable asset; their people.  She is qualified Mountain Leader, Outdoor First Aid trained and a member of the British Mountaineering Council with more than 13 years of international expedition experience. Avid supporter of the ICF she was involved creation of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia ICF Chapters and currently co-leads the Executive and Leadership ICF Community of Practice.

  • Brighton West

    Brighton West helps professional coaches share your message with the #1 tool for building connection online: video. Brighton started working in video as a hobby, which later became a business as people started asking him to share his secret to attracting an audience for his YouTube videos. Although Brighton’s hobby days involved documentary and narrative work, Brighton wanted something different when designing a business. Brighton focused on: 1) being location independent, 2) working with positive and upbeat clients, 3) spreading messages that make the world a better place. Brighton spoke at the first ICF Converge in Washington DC repeating his talk 4 times, each time to overflowing rooms.

  • Stephanie Wright

    Stephanie Wright is an award-winning graphic designer and brand consultant and worked for internal marketing and communications teams for over a decade, acquiring a broad range of skills along the way. She’s lead website re-designs, overhauled brands and created new ones. In 2018, Stephanie branched out to start her own branding, design and creative marketing agency to bring her expertise to businesses lacking an in-house expert. She enjoys partnering with her clients, helping them discover their visual identity and tell their story across all platforms. Learn more at swrightcreative.com.

  • Sherry Yellin, ACC

    Sherry Yellin, Ph.D., ACC, BCC is the owner of The Learning Connection, Inc. For more than twenty years, Dr. Yellin has worked with leaders within a variety of industries, public and private, domestic and international.  She combines her command of brain-based learning with her experience as a director, entrepreneur, and consultant to equip leaders to be extraordinary.  She is a certified coach through the International Coaching Federation and the Center for Credentialing Education.

    *Presenting on the Live Package only.

  • Marie Zimenoff

    Marie Zimenoff, CEO of Career Thought Leaders and Resume Writing Academy, knows career services have the power to change lives. She began her professional career as an advisor and recruiter for the Colorado State University mechanical engineering graduate program while completing her Master of Education in Human Resource Studies and Career & Counseling Development. In 2008—the peak of the Great Recession—Marie left the university to start her business. Inspired by a passion to make a difference in the industry, she trains career professionals around the globe in resume writing, career coaching, and business development. She has delivered hundreds of career and leadership development programs, designed curriculum, and provided staff training in workforce, corrections, university, community college, and business environments.

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