The Haven Team

  • Aimee Horowitz
    Managing Partner
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    Aimee Horowitz

    Managing Partner

    infectious pioneer | people-lover | research geek | expert excavator | wife to high-school sweetheart | mom to 2 kids + 1 dog | food snob | dancer

    Current: Using curiosity and counsel to help leaders cement their success. Cultivating teams who harness, rather than succumb to, the power of the group. Demystifying what makes us tick, embrace new change, and ignite steep growth when it’s time to catalyze others. And designing inclusive work places that we can’t wait to pass on to loved ones.

    Past: Empowered people to thrive through professional and personal challenges. Developed radical people strategies by melding best findings with political gambles. Won awards for cultural evolutions. Put more equity, connection, and fun into work.

    Future: Will live in Pasadena, chair a non-profit, hike every day, and write a book about the power of letters.

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  • Jen Marchi
    Managing Partner
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    Jen Marchi

    Managing Partner

    learning innovator | design thinker | risk taker | hockey mom | teacher’s kid | BC superfan | Maine-iac

    Current: Shattering corporate learning and development stereotypes through creative, experiential designs. Partnering with talent and HR teams to inspire and equip the next generation of leaders. Listening intently, asking bravely, and helping leaders at all levels recognize and elevate their strengths.

    Past: Wired hundreds of millions daily, ran international exchange programs, was loved – and hated – as a management consultant staffer, shaped cultures, led teams, and transformed rock stars into leadership program inspirational speakers.

    Future: Working less but always working, traveling to wherever the kids are, home bases in the north and south, more time on the water, quarterly girls’ weekends, and kicking back at Ivan’s.

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  • Ben Olds
    Managing Partner
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    Ben Olds

    Managing Partner

    leadership student | forever learner | husband of prankster| twin brother of hero | leader of teams| Vermonter | smiling and laughing goofball

    Current: Pushing people to their learning edge through a direct, analytical approach to executive coaching. Offering radically candid observations and asking difficult questions in a supportive, empathetic relationship. Being a best friend and challenging thought partner at the same time. Delivering engaging, clear, interactive, and fun leadership development workshops and content.

    Past: Financial analyst that invented creative ways to use Excel to solve any problem, strategy consultant, Head of HR for public biotech, athlete, member of a rock band, married college sweetheart.

    Future: Will live in VT, coach young men on issues of identity and masculinity, and be the old “has-been” on a rec-league hockey team.

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  • Andy Porter
    Partner
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    Andy Porter

    Partner

    rule breaker I father to two amazing daughters I quietly sarcastic I ultramarathoner I snowboarder

    Current: Catalyzer who thrives on collaborating with senior leaders to lay the foundation for rapid growth using innovative and practical HR approaches. Passionate about building highly-capable HR teams that can advise and coach leaders on how to achieve their goals. Challenger who is not afraid to push leaders out of their comfort zone, with keen listening skills and fresh perspectives. Accelerate the growth and learning of senior leaders who have recently taken on broader, more complex roles.

    Past: Spent the last 25 years at the forefront of biotech and academic innovation as a C-level executive for numerous organizations, including publicly-traded companies. With a deep understanding of HR, organizational development, and operations, I’ve honed my skills in building award-winning cultures and driving organizational growth. Along the way, I’ve supported the development of hundreds of leaders, giving them the tools and guidance they need to succeed. Before my corporate career, I’ve had a diverse range of jobs – from cheese monger to line cook, soccer referee, and even a landscape company owner, operating out of my friend’s 1985 white Monte Carlo at the age of 18.

    Future: Will travel the world exploring new places, meeting new people, and maybe, picking up another job.

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  • Corona Pritchard
    Partner
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    Corona Pritchard

    Partner

    incisive thought leader | trusted advisor | facilitator of fun | mom of two | wife of a musician/writer | dark chocolate connoisseur

    Current: Leader of the HR Advisory practice at HAVEN and consultant/advisor to HR and business leaders in high growth companies in ways that cut through complexity to elegant solutions. Expert in diagnosis of organizational challenges and nerd for organization design. Leadership coach to big thinkers and facilitator of memorable classroom experiences. Forever student of leadership and organizations.

    Past: Led Strategic Organization Development function for an enterprise of over 80,000. Designer and facilitator in a highly successful Emerging Leaders program. Operational leader with 20 direct reports. Very bad waitress.

    Future: Will travel to all continents; own a home somewhere hot; become a half decent cook and open a restaurant with built-in babysitting.

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  • Jen Wignarajah
    Partner
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    Jen Wignarajah

    Partner

    innovative designer | story teller | daydreamer | magic creator | boss-lady | taskmaster | food-lover | beach bum | wife | mom to twin toddlers | sleep-lover

    Current: Creating memorable moments and empowered leaders.  Designing and delivering experiential development for leaders at all levels. Enabling leaders and their teams to achieve peak performance.

    Past: Former in-house organizational development specialist. Eight-year frequent flier as a consultant. Student of business and leadership with the Monitor Group. Slingin’ fried food in the formative years laid the foundation for who I am today.

    Future: Will make all those day dreams come true!

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  • Ilene Brown
    Consultant
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    Ilene Brown

    Consultant

    curator of talent | mom & wife to nerdy humans and a quirky canine |  avid baker | animal lover | wannabe runner

    Current: Guiding hiring managers through customized, thoughtful, human-centric recruiting processes with an eye toward building diverse teams poised for innovation. Compassionately assisting people in their quest for professional happiness.

    Past: Balanced accounts in the hundreds of millions for a large financial institution, spearheaded marketing campaigns for hiring during the dot-com era, spent dozens of hours decorating cookies while my family slept to create beautiful, edible pieces of art, followed in my mentor’s footsteps as a loved and hated management consultant staffer.

    Future: Will live on a farm in Vermont, where I’ll spend my days baking pastry and caring for rescue animals.

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  • Marsha Acker
    Team Coach
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    Marsha Acker

    Team Coach

    agilist | author | catamaran skipper | lover of travel | wife to a renaissance man | mom to a daughter, dog, chickens, and guinea pigs | seeker of blue water and sand | avid book collector

    Current: Helps leaders and teams grow communicative competence so that they can change the nature of their discourse. Coaches executives and leadership teams in becoming more aware of the patterns that get in the way of the business outcomes they desire. Offers observations and inquiries about the undiscussable topics in the room in a non-judgmental and supportive manner. Believes in the power of transforming the way people speak with one another as the doorway to creating the change they desire for themselves and their organizations. Develops others to lead powerful and productive conversations by learning the skills of facilitation and team coaching.

    Past: Trained in software engineering and decision support systems, held management and leadership roles in a .dot-com startup, learned the power of understanding group dynamics and facilitation, and found my way to the human side of leadership and change which changed my life and career path. Developed an insatiable need to collect books (it’s still a serious problem).

    Future: Will continue to check off bucket-list items while living near a body of blue water—and if my husband has his choice it will be “off-grid” and near the mountains.

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  • Lakshmi Balachandra, PhD
    Senior Faculty
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    Lakshmi Balachandra, PhD

    Senior Faculty

    researcher | teacher of all ages | endlessly curious about science and discovery | infertility survivor (conqueror) | justice and equity fighter | dog dreamer | retired comic

    Current: Helping leaders to experience and reflect on how to grow and improve while learning about themselves in the workplace. Building comfortable environments that encourage candid conversations about who they are and what they need to do. Recognizing how research can inform and be integrated in the learning journey, particularly in resolving disparities in race, gender, power, and privilege.

    Past: Tenured professor of entrepreneurship, ran for and elected to town select board (1/5 of a mayor), taught execs/MBAs/undergrads worldwide, organizational behavior + decision-making PhD researcher, venture capital investor, retail—toy store—entrepreneur, and professional comic.

    Future: Will finish my book. Will finish my photo albums. Will finish my research papers. Will visit every US state (one to go!). Will visit every country. Will find a way to finish this endless list!

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  • Dafna Chayen
    Executive Coach
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    Dafna Chayen

    Executive Coach

    champion of humans | performance optimizer | relationship builder I promoter of self-awareness I mom of dancing diva, ninja warrior and soccer prince | former Israeli military air-force commander | kettlebell fanatic

    Current: Helping leaders incorporate personal development into their team culture, creating safe environments for direct and honest conversations that facilitate growth. Using mind & body as an integrated approach to change that promotes self-empowerment and develops self-efficacy through reaching physical and mental goals. Ongoing student of behavioral change.

    Past: Airforce commander of newly enlisted soldiers in the radar control unit. Spent days and nights defending artists’ copyright infringements and participating in police raids of  bootleg factories as an intellectual property lawyer. Passionately supported thousands of strength coaches, administrators, and members as a general manager in the fitness industry. Converted die-hard couch potatoes to physically and mentally empowered beings, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts as the proprietor of a fitness coaching business.

    Future: Will live in a hut on the beach eating chocolate and advocating for women’s maternity leave rights. Will establish the first ever Kettlebell Police, an army whose mission is to teach people how to use them properly.

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  • Laura Coleman
    Executive Coach
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    Laura Coleman

    Executive Coach

    relationship observer | people enthusiast | dumpling & kimchi fanatic | bass-filled lake seeker | planner

    Current: Analyzing and transforming the relationships critical to our success. Helping leaders navigate differences of all kinds, adapting to changing circumstances, and building the relationships necessary to do all of the above.

    Past: Raised millions of campaign dollars. Helped scale a pioneering venture philanthropy firm. Coached world-class social entrepreneurs and leadership teams, and developed future leaders as head of leadership and team development for a national nonprofit.

    Future: Food-seeking world travel followed by summers of sunrise fishing and breakfast-making on Squam Lake.

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  • Brian Cyr
    Team Coach
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    Brian Cyr

    Team Coach

    husband to my “chief of staff” | father and father-in-law to three remarkable educators | passionate book lover | wilderness adventurer | culinary enthusiast | martial artist | aspiring chef | dedicated team player

    Current: Faculty member at Red Maple Professional School, where I coach high-achieving individuals and teams across diverse industries. Using an Adlerian approach, I focus on helping leaders and teams achieve lasting improvements in cohesion, effectiveness, and performance, both through group sessions and one-on-one coaching.

    Past: CEO and Founder of a professional Martial Arts organization for 30 years, where I led personal and team development initiatives. With over 10,000 students taught across 12 locations in North America, I worked with individuals of all backgrounds, helping them adopt a mindset of success and achievement.

    Future: Looking forward to living on a property with enough space for my children and grandchildren where I can spend my days hiking, cooking, reading, and deepening my connections with family.

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  • Sara Den Besten
    Principal Consultant
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    Sara Den Besten

    Principal Consultant
    nurturer of plants and people | humble yogi | woods wanderer | mother to daughters, dogs, cats, and a horse | proven leader | world-class athlete | cultivator of workspaces where all can thrive | curious seeker | creator | trusted partner
    Present:
    Coaching individuals to hone priorities and direction, develop capabilities, and fulfill ambitions. Working with leadership teams to articulate what matters, define success, and align their people and practices towards their goals. Guiding organizations to maximize their collective potential and win together. Building People and Culture strategies aimed towards rapid growth and success in realizing the vision of delivering breakthrough treatments and therapies. Constantly unleashing and enhancing a life-long passion for finding the best in people and the collaborative excellence of organizations.
    Past:
    C-level executive at an innovative genetic medicines company, establishing foundational practices and infrastructure to rapidly grow a people-centric, learning organization, and guiding those practices through growth from 20 to nearly 200 people, and from stealth stage to a publicly traded company. Previously spent more than a decade in biotech firms driving leadership and organization development while reimagining the role of patient advocacy in rare diseases and patient-centered medicine. Winner of the world championship as a member of the U.S. National Women’s Rowing Team.
    Future:
    More time being joyful, magical, and free. Wander even more. Adventure even more with partner, daughters, friends, and loved ones. Give away meaningful talents so more people can live fully. Laugh more. Continue to evolve thoughts, dreams, world, and self.
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  • Sarah Dicks
    Consultant
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    Sarah Dicks

    Consultant

    outside the box problem solver | trusted thought partner | lifelong learner | bridge builder | boy mom | fueled by laughter | amateur interior decorator

    Current: Delivers practical, people-oriented, data-driven, strategies based on an organization’s business goals to enhance individual and team performance. Believes healthy culture and clear strategy are the foundation of effective organizational design. Serve as a trusted advisor to C-Suite executives, rapidly identify organizational obstacles, and charts path forward. Penchant for start-ups.

    Past: Built HR function in life sciences start-up. Designed innovative approaches to people processes to optimize talent. HR Business Partner to executive leadership in the pharmaceutical industry. Drove talent development, engagement, and performance for teams developing drug candidates through those launching new drugs. Passionate about fostering trust and rapport across an organization.

    Future: Will own beach house, enjoy time with my husband and grown boys, and have mastered golf.

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  • Elizabeth Estabrook
    Consultant
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    Elizabeth Estabrook

    Consultant

    eternal optimist | adventure seeker | trusted partner |active listener | dog mom | self-proclaimed DIY-er | lover of stand-up comedy

    Current: Builder of supportive and transparent partnerships that delivers exceptional results with a focus on accountability, best practice, and a development strategy.  Change agent who stays up on HR trends and the future of work. A trusted thought partner for achieving business goals.

    Past: HR Partner to a variety of industries, Legoland costume character, AmeriCorps VISTA, Camino de Santiago Peregrino.

    Future: Outdoors, coffee, long days of sunshine and plenty of dogs.

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  • Marvita Franklin
    Executive Coach
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    Marvita Franklin

    Executive Coach

    adoptive mom | dirt therapy enthusiast | live jazz concert lover | hiker | edtech junkie | one-time F-15 co-pilot | sushi eater | lifetime seamstress | singer | scrabble® connoisseur

    Current: Comes alongside leaders to reveal the talent they already possess. Builds capacity in leaders through self-awareness, expanding perspectives, and tough decision-making. Advocate for championing goals and personal breakthrough. Evocative question-asker. If you don’t feel like pushing back a bit, I may not be working hard enough.

    Past: Former Director of Education for a professional military education center who cultivated leadership development in non-commissioned officers. Airfield manager for a forward operating base in the Middle East in support of multi-national military operations. Coached military recruiters to leverage mental toughness and resilience to improve their performance under pressure. Project manager for internal and external talent development in support of human services leaders working in child protection and adult advocacy.

    Future: Will travel the world between teaching workshops for the middle school and high school students who want to learn to sew—because it’s my jam!

     

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  • Amy Fenollosa
    Senior Faculty
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    Amy Fenollosa

    Senior Faculty

    inquisitive educator | honest feedback provider | creative curriculum designer | mom to eye-rolling teen-aged boys | trail runner | aspiring yogi | dog dreamer

    Current: Inspiring emerging and experienced leaders to take risks and achieve their full potential through interactive classroom and focused coaching sessions. Listening candidly, questioning assumptions, and illuminating blind spots to help people discover their authentic leadership styles. Balancing b-school theory with real-world application to keep training engaging, relevant, and fun.

    Past: Honed mediation and conflict resolution skills working with international students and host families. Developed management training programs to enlighten emerging managers and found a passion for leadership development. Shook up the status quo by making rafting trips into leadership adventures. Found the confluence of leadership and learning at Harvard. Former HBS research wonk. Retired Boston Marathoner. Non-profit founder.

    Future: Will live on the rugged coast of Maine, write novels, travel the world, and will finally learn how to compost!

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  • Deborah Grayson Riegel
    Executive Coach
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    Deborah Grayson Riegel

    Executive Coach

    professional listener and speaker | wife of a fellow coach | mom of boy-girl twins | Native New Yorker | voracious reader | pit bull lover | world traveler | foodie and eatie | Broadway fan

    Current: Helping leaders and teams communicate more effectively, beginning with how they talk to themselves in their own heads. Encouraging and challenging people to present themselves and their ideas clearly, concisely, credibly, compellingly, and courageously. Inviting leaders to take meaningful risks and run motivating experiments in their work and relationships. Taking the work seriously without taking ourselves so seriously. Celebrating all wins.

    Past: In high school, I spent my after-school hours, weekends, and summers competing in public speaking competitions. I won the National Championship in public speaking when I was 17, after losing the year prior to now Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. In college, did improvisational and stand-up comedy while teaching public speaking at schools and corporations during the summers. After graduate school, I trained senior citizens to become lobbyists for Medicare, Social Security, and other entitlements. I went on to teach non-profit volunteers and professionals to ask for money for philanthropic causes. I taught leadership communication at Wharton, Columbia, Duke, and Peking University’s business school. I have traveled the world with my family, and our favorite places include Berlin, Singapore, Edinburgh, Kyoto, and Botswana.

    Future: Will spend several months each year living in a different country, attending language classes while my husband takes baking classes.  Will get better at swimming and yoga and mindfulness and napping. Will find something to do with my hands, like ceramics or jewelry-making. Will tell myself that I won’t write another book – and mean it this time. Will reach the end of Netflix.

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  • Char Gross
    Executive Coach
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    Char Gross

    Executive Coach

    success and fulfillment maximizer | believer in human potential | slightly rebellious second-generation Indian | wife of rockstar wannabe | mom of Jedi wannabe | master pancake-maker | experienced meditator | mediocre tennis player

    Current: Passionate about helping leaders maximize both success and fulfillment through thought-provoking questions for transformative growth. Deeply curious about individuals’ experiences, motivations, and values. Using principles of positive psychology to challenge limiting beliefs, promote deeper awareness, and optimize performance. Applying years of corporate experience to help executives strengthen skills and discover leadership solutions.

    Past: Corporate officer for multi-trillion dollar financial services firm. Led organizations of hundreds of employees. Specialized in HR as a senior business partner for 1,500 employees. Partnered with C-suite for executive talent assessment and development. Helped lead creation of Asian and Black employee resource groups.

    Future: Will live on the coast of Maui, meditate at sunrise, own a pancake café, and study metaphysics while relaxing on the beach.

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  • Aremin Hacobian
    Senior Consultant
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    Aremin Hacobian

    Senior Consultant

    surfacer of underlying assumptions | process consultant | always happy | proud dad | husband to my one true love | chess and fitness enthusiast

    Current: Senior Consultant within the HR Advisory practice at HAVEN and organization & leadership development consultant to biopharmaceutical teams.  Passionate about unlocking the potential that exists within individuals and organizations.  Believes that “from chaos comes opportunity”, and nothing is more satisfying than helping to guide clients through that journey.  Enjoys working on projects that impact culture, values, and employee engagement.

    Past: Head of Organization Health & Development for Third Rock Ventures.  Also, extensive organization development and change management work with Takeda and Millennium Pharmaceuticals on a global scale.  Trained capuchin monkeys to be helpers for quadriplegics.

    Future: Travel and explore the world with my wife; finish the home projects that are long overdue; enjoy my children crushing me in chess; and take a dip in an ocean everyday.

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  • Mary Havern
    Senior Consultant
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    Mary Havern

    Senior Consultant

    true partner | curious observer | strategy stickler | hostess with the mostest | singer | organizer | food creator | baby of four | mom of two | wife to a chatterbox | volleyball-lover | researcher | golfer

    Current: Life-line to HR teams and making them look really good. Supporting business growth through talent strategy and programming. Challenging leaders and teams to think differently, discover new insights and elevate relationships and workplaces. Energizing teams to do better than they thought possible.

    Past: Internal talent and change consultant who tirelessly pushed the envelope to reframe how executives think about leadership. Teller with a perfect balance record, semiprofessional singer, data analyst and Excel guru, smiling and dialing talent sourcer, traveler, French speaker.

    Future: Will host the best cocktail parties you’ve ever seen full of interesting people, travel the world, and enjoy company with my grown kids without lifting a finger for them.

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  • David Howe
    Principal Consultant
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    David Howe

    Principal Consultant

    travel lover | amateur chef and professional diner | husband to a nonprofit leadership maven | recent empty nester | father to two amazing young men | avid cyclist | explorer of musical genres

    Current: Delivers pragmatic people, organizational, and leadership solutions to improve the business performance of high-growth companies.  Develops and implements HR strategies and programs.  Advises and accelerates the impact of new CHROs.  Builds HR team capabilities and performance.  Served as Board Chair for two social service nonprofits.

    Past: 27 years of Fortune 50 HR experience.  Led Talent Management and Leadership Development globally.  HR Business Partner to $19B division.  Led HR portions of major corporate merger.  Led global transformation of the HR function.  Avid outdoorsman including wilderness adventures in Canada’s Northwest Territories.  Music director for my university’s first a cappella singing group.

    Future: Will travel the world with my bride and wife of 29+ years, and will create a pipeline of Human Resources leaders onto nonprofit boards.

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  • Dawn Isabelle
    Program Manager
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    Dawn Isabelle

    Program Manager

    party planner | mother to sports-loving teenage boys | wine enthusiast | Pinterest queen | DIY fanatic | married to G.I. Joe | wannabe food artist

    Current: Serving as client liaison for HAVEN’s leadership workshops and programs, managing key behind-the-scenes initiatives to ensure client success and the optimal learning experience.

    Past: Supported clients and providers in a multi-doctor practice for 16 years working in both clinical operations and administration.

    Future: Complete my dream DIY van renovation and travel our country’s coastlines and mountain ranges with my husband, enjoying my grown children and their families, learn to love yoga.

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  • Claudia Levy
    Senior Faculty
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    Claudia Levy

    Senior Faculty

    weekend peasant and mountaineer | avid languages learner | travel-lover | mom of two teenaged passionate boys | proud cook | four nationalities represented in our family of four | lifelong student of human behaviors

    Current: Inspiring and enabling leaders to communicate more effectively, identify their behavioral tendencies, build more effective leadership styles, and develop stronger relationships through tailored coaching and highly interactive, fun, and practical training. Actively listening, challenging empathetically, and creating safe spaces for self-reflection and mutual learning to support leaders on their journeys as they develop the best versions of themselves.

    Past: As a strategy consultant, advised national governments and public organizations and consulted to corporate clients in multiple industries and geographies. Led HR operations and talent development initiatives at a multinational company for more than 12 years. Intervened in high-stakes situations requiring sensitivity and keen understanding of issues around culture, gender, religion, and race. Studied languages, political sciences, and literature. Coming out of university, started a company offering language- and relocation-related services for foreigners in Colombia, my home country. Did multiple long backpacking trips around the world, and lived in eight different countries until finally settling in Madrid.

    Future: Will never stop traveling. Will write a novel. With my husband, will design and build a bio-dynamic farm where we will grow our own food and host big gatherings with our kids, grandkids, and friends.

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  • Jessica Makita-Sanchez
    Finance Manager
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    Jessica Makita-Sanchez

    Finance Manager

    god first| wellness advocate | fitness junkie | creative thinker | self-proclaimed comedian | human motivator | wife of a life coach | mom to a crazy frenchie

    Current: Organizing the financials for businesses and ensuring optimal functioning of finance and accounting departments by streamlining systems and processes. Motivating and coaching women on their health and wellness journeys to become the best version of themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. Making an impact one human being at a time.

    Past: Director of Finance at a luxury car rental company in Miami, gym owner, fitness instructor, and amateur boxer.

    Future: Will travel to different parts of Africa and the Caribbean tackling economic issues and spreading the love of God.

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  • Anna McKeown
    Firm Administrator
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    Anna McKeown

    Firm Administrator

    plant lover | throw pillow addict | wanna be charcuterie board expert | girl mom | to-do list lover | minnesotan by marriage | weekend warrior | sour patch kid junkie | après ski expert

    Current: Support HAVEN’s operations and administration to maximize workflow, streamline processes, and enable the best work experience for the team.

    Past: Career public servant who led multimillion-dollar Recreation Departments. Coached and motivated staff teams who fostered healthy and sustainable communities through the promotion of wellness and play. Passionately cultivated inclusive recreation opportunities for people with disabilities, curated regionally and nationally renowned camps and programs, and strategically combated challenges in the parks and recreation industry.

    Future: Will go on endless road trips with my family to explore the National Parks. Will watch a baseball game at every major league baseball stadium. Will seek out world-class Tex-Mex food.

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  • Charles Moore
    Executive Coach
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    Charles Moore

    Executive Coach

    23.1nerd | Michigan native | father | husband | leader | amateur designer

    Current: Helping executives hone their leadership, management, and personal practices. Leveraging experience as a business leader to understand the context in which executives find themselves. Pushing leaders to articulate what matters to them most as full human beings. Having fun while coaching.

    Past: Consultant at McKinsey, creator of new products and businesses, board member of schools and education nonprofits, someone with enough time to workout.

    Future: Taking a sabbatical every year, getting a Ph.D. just because, writing a book.

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  • Priya Nalkur, EdD
    Principal Consultant and Executive Coach
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    Priya Nalkur, EdD

    Principal Consultant and Executive Coach

    bookworm | single mom of two loud kids| extremely competitive Scrabbler | confused and happy Canadian-Indian immigrant

    Current: Challenging clients to understand who they are and who they are meant to be by naming, pushing, and stretching their boundaries. Taking a “no excuses” approach by encouraging people to speak their truth and use own their voice. Facilitating hard conversations with care and tenderly finding the grains of wisdom in conflict. Calling forth issues of identity, position, power, and privilege. Confronting and minimizing limiting beliefs while amplifying and strengthening empowering beliefs. Leading evocative workshops.

    Past: Quintessential Ivy-League academic who relentlessly pursued grant opportunities. Career advisor to MBA students, triathlete, Indian classical dancer, aerobics instructor, and writing tutor.

    Future: Will swim 2 miles a day in my backyard limitless pool, raise a glass with the likes of Jacinda Ardern, write for Teen Vogue, talk to a psychic, and send absurd sums of money to meet my college-going kids’ tuition demands.

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  • Kim Olds
    Executive Coach
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    Kim Olds

    Executive Coach

    patient | relatable | believer that anything can be tackled | sister to 7 siblings | forever athlete

    Current: Find fulfillment in helping leaders grow into better and fuller versions of themselves. Believer that the impact individuals have on others is the greatest legacy they leave. Help leaders tackle topics such as coaching and developing others, influence, difficult conversations, managing-up, delegating, imposter syndrome…the good and the messy that everyone deals with.

    Past: Saw it all; worked in consulting, teaching, education administration, and start-ups. Managed teams of varying sizes in roles such as VP, Chief of Staff, and Chief Operating Officer. Helped fast-growing startups grow customer demand, drive key expansions, and improve efficiency and organization. Demonstrated inspirational people management in every role.

    Future: Wired to live in the moment and pretty sure the future will surprise me but confident will be living close to nature, still playing ice hockey, and laughing with my husband.

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  • MJ Sierra, PhD
    Principal Consultant
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    MJ Sierra, PhD

    Principal Consultant

    scientist-practitioner | high-stakes problem-solver | mom to a night owl | applied humorist | jazz enthusiast | classic movie buff | student of history | aspiring coastal cruiser

    Current: Assessing leaders, teams, and organizations to identify key strengths and critical challenges. Designing data-driven, evidence-based, innovative strategies for enhancing leader, team, and organizational effectiveness. Adhering to a policy of complete authenticity to unearth true root causes and devise simple targeted solutions that deliver maximum value. Applying human-centered design principles and research-based best practices to all initiatives. Injecting fun into serious situations whenever possible.

    Past: Focused my research and applied work on the assessment and development of leaders and teams operating in high-stakes environments. Helped develop strategies to prepare long-duration spaceflight crews for future Mars missions. Studied the positive impact of humor on team well-being and performance. Proved myself to be mediocre at best when it came to all attempted hobbies.

    Future: Will live aboard a sailboat in a faraway port, work a lemon grove on the Mediterranean coast, and never miss another artichoke festival as long as I live.

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  • Charles Sue-Wah-Sing
    Executive Coach
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    Charles Sue-Wah-Sing

    Executive Coach

    husband | father | musician | golfer | BBQ enthusiast | book junkie | writer | yogi in training

    Current: I work with people from all walks of life to experience the fullest expression of their humanity. In working with me, they see that learning who they are and what they are capable of is a rite of passage that shouldn’t be taken for granted but seized with courage. When they begin to integrate mind, body, and spirit and recognize all of the limiting stories they’ve been carrying around, it begins to open up new ways of seeing life, work, and relationships. This can lead to greater fulfillment, creativity, connection, and productivity. I’m there to create a space that is safe and fiercely courageous to pull out the wisdom that resides within all of my clients.

    Past: I was born into a Guyanese family and raised in the Greater Toronto Area. I was a digital design consultant for 26 years. I had my own digital agency and a restaurant (a place where everyone knew your name). I’ve been a youth sports coach, house league hockey player, DJ, YouTuber, and father of two young adults.

    Future: Break 90. Write a book. Start a podcast. Learn to play drums like John Bonham. Deepen my meditation practices. Make hot sauce.

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  • Parul Vakani
    Principal Consultant
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    Parul Vakani

    Principal Consultant

    strategist | data-driven leader | lifelong learner | closet musician | mountain climber | spa enthusiast | agent of change | sassy | classy | bada***

    Current: Leveraging a passion for people and data to drive strategic HR initiatives. Believer in efficiency and adaptability, forever transforming challenges into learning and growth opportunities because change is inevitable.

    Past: Asset manager, mountain climber, institutional wealth manager, rock star, married the guitarist, strategy consultant, HR M&A lead $43B deal, mogul skier (in my mind).

    Future: Will explore the world, raise my children to be kind, caring, self-sustaining adults, and fearlessly find the next mountain to climb.

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  • Elizabeth Volpe, PhD
    Senior Faculty
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    Elizabeth Volpe, PhD

    Senior Faculty

    lifelong learner | frequent list-maker | mom of boys (both human and furry) | Steelers fan married to a New England native | self-help book enthusiast | tennis player | aspiring early AM exerciser

    Current: Management educator passionate about supporting people in organizations through education and coaching. Focus on translating evidence-based management theory into actionable recommendations that foster organizational effectiveness. Help individuals develop the interpersonal skills needed to become confident, capable, and engaged organization members. Channel enthusiasm for learning through nonprofit work focused on cultivating and funding innovative educational initiatives.

    Past: Spent over twenty years in academia earning a PhD in organization studies and climbing the ranks as a tenured business school professor. Logged thousands of classroom hours teaching in the areas of human resource management, organizational behavior, negotiations, and women’s leadership. Coached students on academic pursuits and career development, while emphasizing they didn’t need to have it all figured out. Published and presented research in the areas of women’s work and career choices, issues surrounding the work-life interface, and relationships in organizations. Served on college and university-wide committees focused on hiring new faculty, tenure and promotion, curriculum development, and creating women’s leadership initiatives. Pre-academia, started my career in hospitality, which instilled the importance of quality service and cultivating long-lasting client relationships.

    Future: Will live near the water in the summer, travel with my husband, enjoy spending time with my grown kids while having deep conversations about things other than video games, and finally commit to a daily yoga, journaling, and meditation practice.

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  • Signý Wilson
    Executive Coach
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    Signý Wilson

    Executive Coach

    aliveness advocate | fourth-generation Vancouverite | fearless provocateur | closet thespian | cancer defeater | relentless spiritual seeker | Icelandic citizen | hummingbird coaxer

    Current: A stand for people being their best selves, whatever that means to them, I see people, really see them, for who they are at their core and invite them, all of them, to come out to play. I believe that our heartlessness is killing us, our companies, and our world. And so, I am bold in my commitment to get people reconnected to their heart, their courage, and their voice… opening a space for creating a different kind of world, and work. In helping clients find what matters most to them, they can rekindle their passion for their work and life. Described as fierce, electrifying, fun. Knowing that laughter lubricates learning – I bring humor and directness to my coaching, asking the tough questions, and naming the unspoken that lies just below the surface.

    Past: Pioneer in the coaching field, including seventeen years on the Faculty of the Coaches Training Institute, and recipient of Master Coach certification (MCC). Twenty years as a Leadership Coach, helping managers to CEOs from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Developed and delivered 1000+ in-person and web-based leadership development workshops, programs, events, and resources. Responsible for fostering creativity and innovation in strategic sessions involving cultural shifts and large-scale change. Earned two business degrees from Queen’s University in Kingston. Am certified in more personality assessment tools than any one person should be.

    Future: Will live in London part-time and be the person who has seen all the latest shows in the West End; take my goddaughters for annual trips anywhere and everywhere in the world; have a hummingbird land (and stay!) on me; start my own gin distillery.

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  • Ted Witherell
    Senior Faculty
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    Ted Witherell

    Senior Faculty

    trusted advisor | empathic thought partner | husband of irreverent saint | father of Hollywood talent | disc golfer | TV afficionado | all-around goofball

    Current: Shaping leaders who will change the world through faculty role at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; partnering with great leaders (whether they realize their greatness or not) to decipher the bends in their leadership road; speaking to audiences about professional moments that matter.

    Past: Taught students in Jamaica and South Boston; coached actual sports (Track & Field); built Talent Management function for the largest private employer in Massachusetts.

    Future: Will live in a new place for 3 months of every year; write interesting things that will be read by many; engage the world in the optimism of play.

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  • Jeff York
    Principal Consultant
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    Jeff York

    Principal Consultant

    problem-solver | fog-shaper | cultural ambassador | amateur landscaper | audiophile | mid-century modern aficionado

    Current: Building sustainable People & Culture practices for emerging tech companies. Helping senior leaders map and execute a ‘fit for purpose’ organizational design which addresses the intersection of business objectives, organizational constraints, and individual career aspirations through early-stage inflection points.

    Past: Led biotech startup as first head of HR on a winding journey from private to public, from setback to success, and from 30 to 300 FTEs.  Member of best-HR-team-ever which helped land a mid-sized biotech on the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” list for several years.  Survivor of the dot-com tech bubble.  Detasseled corn in Indiana, trekked through Patagonia; explored underground cave cities in Turkey.

    Future: Will spend more time traveling with family, mentor the next generation of HR leaders, and play average basketball as long as I can.

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  • Mark Zumwalt
    Executive Coach
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    Mark Zumwalt

    Executive Coach

    wonderer | wanderer | urban cyclist

    Current: Supporting leaders and teams in digging deep in learning and stretching into growth. Passionate about human interaction—communication, collaboration, finding a shared purpose, engaging in healthy conflict . . . and in all the ways we try yet fail to do so. Drawn to helping people create trust, safety, connection, and shared purpose and helping them build their skills at the messy, uncomfortable parts of leading and teaming.

    Past: Years of experience learning lessons the hard way, including leading people, teams, and projects within matrixed, multinational organizations. My experience in leading change across organizations has shaped how I understand leadership and teams, and it informs my coaching today. In addition to career experience, I integrate real-life experience in counseling, alternative dispute resolution, and nonprofit board service to shape my coaching approach.

    Future: Will be a connoisseur of color, fresh air, doing new things poorly, and getting lost.

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The Only Way To Get More Out Of Teams  Is To Invest More In Them.

Don’t Settle for Good, 

Be Exceptional.