Our Team
Associates
Tom Blaisse has over twenty years experience as a speaker, seminar leader and executive coach, specializing in communication strategies, interviewing skills and leadership. For ten years he served as a Senior Consultant for Franklin Covey, and prior to that was the Director of Training for Hershey Entertainment and Resort. Blaisse has worked in a variety of industries including banking, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, technology, pharmaceuticals and government. He earned his undergraduate degree in Communications from De Sales University in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Rider University in Trenton, New Jersey.
John Ford has extensive experience in management development and organizational communication. His experience with major corporations includes positions in management education with the American Stock Exchange, Merrill Lynch, and CBS, where he established the CBS School of Management. Ford is a recipient of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Human Resources Development Award. He earned his BA in Communications from the University of Maryland, and has done graduate work at several institutions, including Harvard Business School.
Diane Goodrich is a training and development professional with over twenty years experience in program design, implementation and facilitation. During her career, she has worked as an internal as well as an external trainer and consultant in both the private and public sectors. This diverse experience, which includes health care, governmental agencies and large corporations, enables her to bring practical application to her training. Goodrich served as the Director of Corporate Educational Services at Hamilton Health Care System in Dalton, Georgia, where she had responsibility for the non-clinical education of over 1500 employees, volunteers and physicians. Goodrich received her Masters in Education from the University of South Florida, and BS degree from Ohio State University.
Dave Ruef has held management positions with American Express, American Express International Bank, and Chase Manhattan Bank. As Vice President of Human Resources for Chase, he was responsible for recruiting, interviewing, and hiring MBA associates and credit analysts. With American Express International Bank, he managed the private and commercial banking trainee programs. Ruef holds Master's degrees from Harvard University and from Columbia University's organizational psychology program. His undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science is from Tufts University.
Marianne Smith provides consulting, training, and facilitation in a wide range of professional development areas including selection interviewing, communication, career development and creativity. Most recently, Smith was the Corporate Training Manager at Landmark Graphics, an international software company, where she developed and managed field and corporate training, and customer service organizations within the U.S. and Canada. Smith has been a featured speaker at many professional conferences, including Society for Women Engineers, Houston Area Health Information Management Association and the International Society of Performance and Instruction. Smith holds a BS degree from the University of Texas.
Kate Youll, located in London, has considerable experience in human resources and management development in a wide variety of industries, spanning over twenty years. She has worked with senior executives and management teams to implement organizational change, define HR strategies and deliver programs linked to HR business goals. She has delivered leadership training to, and in collaboration with the British Army. Her current clients include JP Morgan Chase, AT&T, Aspect Communications, Computer Associates and Foster Wheeler Energy. Youll graduated in Business Studies from London University, has post graduate qualification in Management, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.