The Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute brings together a diverse faculty of executive coaches and facilitators from around the world. Many of our coaches hold advanced degrees from leading universities, as well as coaching certifications.
Our team draws from extensive experience in the corporate, artistic and educational arenas. We have worked in Fortune 500 companies, leading business schools, government agencies and social-action groups around the world.
Our Leadership Team
Founder
For over thirty years, Dr. Mark Rittenberg has helped organizations create communities of excellence among their people and empowered individuals to become true leaders with the ability to actualize a vision all through the power of communication. Dr. Rittenberg’s experience extends around the globe, across cultures and across industries.
Dr. Rittenberg is a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where he heads the Leadership Communications program for the Evening Weekend MBA and Executive MBA core programs. His Executive coaching practice included clients from major consulting firms, Fortune 100 companies, Sandia National Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Corporation, GAP Inc., Transnet Corporation (South Africa), Sasol Corporation (South Africa) and the AT&T Corporation. In addition, he trains executive coaches and directs the Executive Coaching Institute through the University of California, Berkeley Executive Education.
In 1985, Professor Rittenberg was visiting Artist and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University where he conducted seminars in the Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Business School. In 1993, he was awarded the J. William Fulbright Senior Scholar awarded by the United States Information Agency and traveled to Soweto, South Africa, where he served as Diversity Specialist in building black/white relationships in South African corporations and education institutions. He returned to South Africa in 1994, 1995, and 1996 in order to implement Active Communicating Educational Programs as a communication intervention to assist corporate and political leadership in the transition to a multicultural, democratic, non-racial South Africa. His doctorate in International and Multicultural Education is based on his work in South Africa.
Dr. Rittenberg evolved the Active Communicating® methodology and the five Powers of Authentic Leadership® from his own background as an actor and director and through his cross-cultural education studies. The methodology draws upon acting skills and anthropological principles in skilling managers, aspiring leaders and the critical mass in becoming both powerful communicators and authentic leaders. He currently provides educational programs and executive coaching programs for international corporations including various Silicon Valley companies, AT&T, The Gap, Levi Strauss, Lockheed Martin and Sandia National Laboratories. In addition, he heads an annual Executive Coaching Institutes at UC Berkeley, Thailand and Italy where he trains new executive coaches as well as executives who want to become more effective leaders by being trained in the arts and science of coaching. The Berkeley Executive Education at the Haas School of Business certifies the coaches.
Dr. Mark Rittenberg also created the Brand Ambassador Program in the 1980’s when he led a culture change program for USA Department of Energy, Gap Inc., and AT&T. This highly effective program was used by AVIS Southern Africa in 2004 to take them from #3 to #1 in the marketplace where they have remained. Dr. Rittenberg’s methodology has successfully created culture change and value-based change programs globally from the UAE, Asia, Africa to the USA.
Additionally he currently teaches expressive communication and presentation in Executive Education Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, and the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Rittenberg holds a Doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. He also holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education from San Francisco State and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of California at Berkeley where he double majored in Education and Social Welfare.
COO
Faculty & Executive Coach
Susan Houlihan is a communications consultant, executive coach, and electrical engineer who leverages her 15+ years working in engineering and operations in the high-tech sector in Silicon Valley to bring a perspective firmly rooted in business applications to her consulting and coaching work.
Susan teaches at business schools including: Lecturer for leadership, coaching and communications in the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business EWMBA/EMBA programs, Instructor at the UC Berkeley School of Data Science, UC Berkeley Coleman Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education and serves on the Faculty of the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.
She has been a Guest Lecturer at the School of Creative Leadership in Berlin, and Guest Faculty at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She also heads up the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute strategic operations.
Susan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from University College of Cork in Ireland, an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and is a certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.
In addition to one-on-one executive coaching, Susan facilitates leadership, communications and coaching workshops as well as communications coaching of presentation skills, working with clients on the material (e.g. Powerpoint) and the delivery (content, verbal and non-verbal).
A native of Ireland now based in the US, Susan is an experienced cross-cultural communicator, who has worked extensively with individuals and Fortune 500 companies in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Clients include Salesforce.com, Adobe, Facebook, Biorad, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland, Cisco Systems, Qualcomm, Peterson CAT, Financial Women of San Francisco, IEEE, UCSF, UC Hastings, Genentech, Novartis, Cypress Semiconductor, McKinsey (Dubai), Fattals (Lebanon), Odgers Bernstein (Russia), Siam Cement (Thailand), and The Berlin School (Germany).
Susan is excited to work with people to uncover their passions, explore their values, move past their obstacles, and build a fulfilling personal and professional life.
CFO / CTO
Jenny Herbert Creek is the CFO of Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, and a Continuing Lecturer and Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where she teaches courses in financial modeling, Microsoft Excel, technical communication and leadership communication. Her work draws upon more than 15 years of experience in the educational services industry, including serving as CFO of two educationally-focused companies.
For more than 10 years, Jenny has taught leadership communication, technical communication, and financial modeling at institutions that include the Haas School of Business, Berkeley Center for Executive Education, Stanford University, UCLA Anderson School of Business, the Olin School of Business and numerous corporations and start-ups. In 2021, she earned UC Berkeley’s Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching for her courses Designing Financial Models that Work and Financial Statement Modeling.
Her academic research has been published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and has been presented at the American Education Research Association and the National Science Teachers Association.
Jenny was a nationally competitive debater in college and cares deeply about helping students develop confidence, critical thinking, argumentation and technical presentation skills. Jenny holds an MBA with honors from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and is an honors graduate of Stanford University.
Ingrid Gavshon serves as a lecturer at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, in the Leadership Communications, Creativity and Leadership, and at the UC Berkeley Executive Education organizations course, High Impact Leadership. She also lectures at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership where she was awarded her MBA.
Gavshon is a partner at the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute in charge of Strategy and International Projects and serves as executive coach and senior training consultant.
Gavshon specializes in coaching people who want to bring humanity into the workplace and to discover their authentic leadership. In addition, she coaches her clients to make impactful presentations and to be better communicators. She qualified as a UC Berkeley Certified Coach in 2010 and has a large international practice.
Gavshon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has made several documentary films about Nelson Mandela. She draws on her filmmaking skills integrated with the executive coaching process that helps leaders discover their authentic selves and helps them actualize their vision, dreams and aspirations..
Gavshon facilitates programs at a number of international companies, in the USA, South Africa, Asia and the Middle East. These include Mubadala UAE, The Dusit Hotel Group and Eastwater Group Thailand. In California at Adobe Systems, Salesforce.com, Cisco Systems, the Peterson /CAT Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Nexius, Qualcomm, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland and San Francisco. She specializes in leading Brand Ambassador programs, which are large-scale culture change projects that empower all employees as they learn to live the company’s Mission, Vision, Values and Culture and become Ambassadors for their brand.
VP Marketing & Operations
Jennifer Caleshu is a lecturer, facilitator and certified executive coach for programs in leadership, communications, design thinking and innovation who believes every human deserves the opportunity to bring their most authentic and powerful self to work every day.
She is a member of the professional faculty at the University of California’s Haas School of Business where she teaches in MBA programs as a Continuing Lecturer for courses including: Building Trust-Based Relationships, Leadership Communications, and Applied Innovation: Haas@Work. She has also facilitated both leadership and innovation programs through UC Berkeley Executive Education, including High-Impact Leadership, Berkeley Physician Leaders, KAUST Saudi Leadership Program, Public Investment Fund Training Academy, and Leading Innovative Change.
She is a faculty member and executive coach for the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI), where she serves as Faculty Director for the Executive Coaching Certification programs, and leads other leadership, communications and coaching programs with diverse clients globally. She also serves as the Vice President of Marketing & Operations for BECI.
Jennifer’s coaching work is informed by more than 15 years of leadership in the cultural sector with functional expertise in strategy, marketing and communications, including most recently as Director of Earned Revenue for a museum.
Jennifer earned an MBA with honors from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where she received the “Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor” award. She also holds a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University with a focus on Issues of Adolescence. She is a certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and is certified in the EQ-i 2.0 assessment and Clifton StrengthsFinder. She received a certificate in Managing Implicit Bias from UC Berkeley. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from International Coaching Federation.
Senior Director of Learning and Development
Faculty & Executive Coach
Reba Rose is a seasoned executive coach, social impact leader, martial artist and talent development executive. As the Senior Director of Learning & Development at Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI), Reba works with a global audience offering leadership programs that focus on the mind and heart of the leader. As a coach, Reba is a thought partner who listens deeply, engaging coaching clients in holistic inquiry to embrace emotional, physical and spiritual intelligence to catalyze sustainable transformation. She has a passion and agility for activating leaders, rebuilding trust in teams and strengthening organizational culture.
A Certified Executive Coach with BECI, Reba works as a faculty member and master coach for their executive coaching certification intensive. Over the last 20+ years Reba has worked with a global community of senior leaders in tech, finance, health, social sectors, government, life sciences, including several Olympians. Her specialty is in strengthening our ability to embody confidence and leadership as a daily practice.
Throughout her career, Reba has led strategic growth and people development both as an external consultant and internal change agent. Reba is the founder of Stand Tall Leadership Consulting and a highly skilled designer, facilitator and trainer who develops customized experiential training to shift leadership behaviors, strengthen management practices and build team collaboration. Most recently, Reba was the Vice President of People at Fair Trade USA where she focused on employee engagement and organizational culture transformation.
Invested in the development of business leaders, Reba has coached and led leadership programs at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Olin School of Business and Nanyang Technological University. Reba is dedicated to facilitating inclusive processes that build conscious communities and accelerate positive social impact.
Reba has a Masters in Educational Psychology from University of California at Berkeley. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from International Coaching Federation.
Known for her intuitive, dynamic style, and as a theater and movement artist, a martial artist with a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Kajukenbo and an advanced practitioner in Qigong, Reba offers a creative and robust toolkit for living in balance. Reba grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan then found her way to California where she put down roots. She lives in Oakland with her family and energetic big black dog.
Director of Business Development
Faculty & Executive Coach
Mehmet Sevinç is the Director of Business Development at Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, where he oversees establishing and enhancing new and existing partnerships both locally and globally. He is also a communications consultant, lecturer and an executive coach with a consulting background in business intelligence.
Mehmet’s business intelligence consulting background enabled him to work in various different industries such as energy, financial services, non-profit, higher education, biotech, pharmaceutical, technology, Internet Security and social networking. He is a certified Oracle Hyperion Developer. He managed local and offshore teams and worked in three different continents: Asia, Europe and North America.
After participating in a two-day workshop with Dr. Mark Rittenberg and his team in August 2013, which included sharing leadership stories, dreams and aspirations with his colleagues, Mehmet became a big fan of Mark’s teaching methods and decided to quit his business intelligence career and moved into leadership development training with Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. He has been working a lecturer at University of California, Berkeley with Dr. Rittenberg. He has also taught at University of California, Davis and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Mehmet holds an MBA from San Francisco State University and a BA in Business Administration from Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is a certified executive coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. He received a certificate in Managing Implicit Bias from UC Berkeley.
Mehmet won two national sailing championships in his homeland Turkey. He was the captain of the Turkish National Sailing Team between 2001 and 2004. In 2016, he completed Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco. In 2017, he finished Santa Rosa Half Ironman Triathlon and became an Ironman.
Benjamin Mertz is a musician and educator based in Richmond, California. He has worked for over fifteen years with faith communities, civil rights groups, nonprofit organizations, and schools. He is currently on the board of directors of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, a faith-based organization that fights for immigrants' rights and organizes against mass incarceration and deportation. He has also worked alongside organizations like the NAACP, EqualityForward, Black Lives Matter, Jewish Voice for Peace, The Asian Law Caucus, and more.
Benjamin is a certified Executive Coach from University of California Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. He's worked 1:1 with leaders from Applied Materials, Google, Cisco, Proterra, and Fairmont Hotels, among others.
Benjamin's approach to Diversity & Inclusion is based in storytelling, curiosity, creativity, open-hearted dialogue, and a foundational belief in the goodness of human beings. Everyone is the expert in their own experience, and the path to a healthier society is built with courageous truth-telling and empathetic listening. Benjamin's perspective on social issues is firmly rooted in the prophetic, musical, and literary traditions of African American history: James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes, Nina Simone, and many others.
A third-generation professional musician, Benjamin’s mother is an opera and jazz vocalist and his “grandaddy” was a bebop pianist who worked with luminaries like Sarah Vaughan and Charles Mingus. Benjamin was further shaped in a culturally diverse, multi-ethnic church community in Paterson, New Jersey. His work with BECI is centered around building bridges, strengthening cross-cultural dialogue, breaking down silos, and creating nurturing environments where all people can thrive.
Director of Operations
Faculty & Executive Coach
Amelia Kusar graduated with her MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business in 2018, where she served as Commencement Speaker and Student Association President. She now serves as an Assistant Lecturer at Haas, teaching classes in the undergraduate program, the Evening & Weekend and Executive MBA programs, and in Executive Education. Amelia is Director of Operations at Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, where she also serves as a faculty member and executive coach.
Prior to joining Berkeley ECI, Amelia spent over a decade in the performing arts, where she worked with the world’s top classical musicians and most prestigious concert halls.
Amelia spent seven years at the San Francisco Symphony, in the Communications of Marketing departments. At the Symphony, she executed high-profile public relations campaigns for the Orchestra’s largest programs, developed and executed marketing strategies for season subscriptions, and was selected to manage a large-scale audience development initiative. She has extensive experience in public relations, marketing, audience development, operations, and change management.
Amelia received her Bachelor of Music Degree from New York University, where she studied Clarinet and Bass Clarinet and graduated magna cum laude. During her undergraduate years, she also played many professional gigs around New York City.
Amelia has a particular passion for change management, both in organizations and for the self. She brings a boundlessly warm and encouraging energy to her coaching sessions, and believes strongly in the power of holding space for others to self-reflect and develop their own solutions. She draws on her experiences in music performance, public speaking, horseback riding, and other athletics to help others fine-tune their physical, mental, and emotional awareness.
Amelia grew up in Skokie, Illinois. When not working, you can most likely find her at the stable hanging out with her oversized puppy dog of a horse, Pluto, who she loves to pieces even though he gives her lots of injuries! Some of her other passions include working with people with disabilities, tennis, exploring museums, reading textbooks for fun, and constantly challenging herself to learn something new.
Director of Program Development for APAC
Faculty & Executive Coach
Praewta Sorasuchart is a facilitator and certified Executive Coach by the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, with a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She graduated with First Class Honours with a Bachelor of Art's in British and American Studies from Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, and her Master’s Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Counseling Psychology at Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand, with a focus on positive psychology and resilience through person-centered and creative-based therapy.
Praewta has experience working in both the public and private sectors within Thailand and internationally. During her time at the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, she worked to build Thailand’s capacity to hold business events and to bring more business events into the country, which allowed her to experience working and collaborating on an international scale to represent Thailand on the global stage, including Thailand’s bid for the World Expo 2020 and Thailand’s bid to host Formula One in Bangkok. She went on to work in marketing and communications at Index Creative Village, PLC., where she worked on events, branding and communications across a wide range of industries, including real estate, FMCGs, media and communications, and events.
Making the shift from business and marketing into teaching and facilitation, Praewta went on to teach courses on Social Marketing and Branding, Self-Development, and Leadership at the School of Global Students, Thammasat University; while, at the same time, she worked in Human Resource consulting and corporate training for Compass Institute and LEAD Business, which allowed her to work more closely in people development at every level. In addition to her academic and corporate career, Praewta is an international debate coach with more than 15 years of communications coaching and advocacy experience; she currently co-coaches the Thailand High School National Debate team. From these experiences, she discovered her love of coaching to help people to develop themselves, and now brings these experiences to her coaching career. She specializes in communications, presentations and confidence; self and leadership development; and cross-cultural communications, inclusion and team building.
Praewta believes passionately in the power of lifelong learning, and importance of continuous self-improvement and education. She believes in the ability for individuals to transform themselves and, as a result, transform society. Her passion lies in helping others to discover and develop that leadership potential in themselves at all points in their lives, whether that is in the workplace or in schools and universities because she believes that compassionate and authentic leaders create positive impacts on those around them and change the world for the better.
Associate Director of Operations
Ann joined Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute as a full-time member in October 2023. She is originally from the East Coast and moved to Berkeley, California in 2018 for graduate school. She grew up in Northern Virginia and then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for college where she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016. She then worked for two years in Research & Development at the battery start-up, Aquion Energy, and also professionally in Student Affairs overseeing a housing community at her alma mater, Carnegie Mellon. Ann graduated from UC Berkeley with her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering in 2023 where her research focused on discovering new battery materials. Throughout her engineering education, Ann has been involved in extracurricular activities with a variety of leadership positions in Greek Life, university housing communities, and her academic departments. As a result, she is an advocate for developing communication, teamwork, and leadership skills in educational and professional settings. In her personal time, Ann enjoys practicing vinyasa yoga, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, and planning social gatherings for friends.
Program Manager
Ariela Morgenstern is a certified executive coach and communications lecturer who specializes in bringing intention and vitality to professionals' leadership presence. As a member of the professional faculty at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley, she teaches Leadership Communication and Active Communicating classes for the MBA and Executive Education programs. Pulling from her 20+ years of professional performance experience at the highest level across the country, she uses her expert knowledge of actor training, codified body movement analysis, and vocal pedagogy to help others authentically communicate with confidence and clarity.
Her executive coaching work leverages her experience working with teams across a breadth of industries to help people unlock for themselves new possibilities and growth within their leadership. Her coaching and facilitation clients range from emerging leaders to senior executives, tech entrepreneurs, doctors, seasoned salespeople, data scientists, and biologists at companies such as Salesforce, PayPal, UCSF, BAE Systems, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Eightfold.ai, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Blackhawk Genomics, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Ariela is a program manager and lead faculty member for the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI), where she manages and facilitates custom programs to help lead change, diversity, and authentic leadership within organizations. She is also a master’s degree candidate in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University, where she is currently researching the effects of dominant norms surrounding executive presence. In addition to her leadership communication work, she teaches acting for singers at Stanford University, Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre, and her own long-standing Singing Actor Studio in San Francisco.
“Ariela was instrumental in helping me communicate more effectively... Her ability to draw from and integrate various approaches to personalize my training was not only impressive but essential to my success. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
Executive Coach & Consultant
Inna Buschell is a certified executive coach who works with executives and high potential leaders in order to reach their goals and maximize their potential. She is an Assistant Lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, teaching courses including “Leadership Communications,” “Leader as Coach,” and “Creativity and Leadership,” and has led workshops on “Effective Communication Skills” for the San Francisco and Santa Clara Bar Associations. In addition, Inna facilitates workshops on authentic leadership and effective communication, and coaches clients one-on-one in various fields including technology, consulting, law, education, and healthcare, in the private, government, and non-profit sectors.
Inna works with a broad range of clients, and wholeheartedly believes in coaching as a service profession. She is committed to serving her clients by acting as a thought partner and sounding board, helping them to explore their options and think through the next steps on their personal path forward. No matter who she’s working with, Inna’s dedication remains the same: igniting her clients’ passion to work and achieve their maximum potential in order to achieve personal fulfillment while simultaneously driving their professional growth.
Inna specializes in the areas of leadership development, high impact communications and presentation skills, and trust building. In her work on leadership development, Inna partners with her clients to foster a practice of self-reflection, empowering them to develop an actionable plan for success, while providing them with honest feedback, unconditional support, and accountability. In communications coaching, Inna draws on her experience in theatre and public speaking to create a safe place for clients to take risks, while she shares an external perspective on strengths and areas for growth. There is no one-size-fit-all approach to professional and personal growth, and Inna works by developing custom-tailored coaching to meet each person’s unique needs.
Inna attended Wellesley College where she earned a B.A. in Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, UC Berkeley School of Law, and holds a Certificate in Executive Coaching from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
Consultant for Corporate Engagement
Executive Coach & Facilitator
Stacy King is an executive coach and consultant focusing on high impact leadership and partnering for real change. Through her work with the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, she’s become known for her dynamic style, visionary approach and real-world perspective. With a background spanning multiple industries—including B to B and B to C—Stacy has management and hands-on experience in business and project development, strategic planning, operations, revenue generation, sales and customer service.
As an executive coach, she specializes in working with global senior level executives including C-suite, business owners and aspiring leaders. Areas of expertise include leading with impact, developing executive presence, unlocking innovation and fostering authentic communication with humanity. Through her partnership with BECI, Stacy can also provide large-scale corporate realignment through inclusion, team building and trust—which in turn, results in greater productivity and enhanced life value.
After receiving her BECI certification, Stacy joined the Berkeley team as a partner in corporate engagement—a select group of over 250 international coaches and consultants representing a diverse array of professional and cultural backgrounds. She also served as a panelist at the Institute’s International Coaching Conference on Business Development.
Stacy currently operates a private coaching practice based in Dallas, Texas. She aims to be a catalyst for change, empowering people to become effective leaders in the workplace and beyond.
Prior to coaching, Stacy was a strategic business consultant for myriad clients—Carnival Cruise Line Brands, Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project and Planetary Resources, among others. She was also founder/CEO of several private and publicly-owned companies including Clear Channel Exhibitions and S. King Collection.
Consultant for Corporate Engagement
Executive Coach & Facilitator
Samir has devoted 40 years to various managerial roles in the sales and marketing sectors, specializing in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as Food & Beverage (F&B), Home and Personal Care (HPC), and Healthcare. In his capacity as Executive Director, he was tasked with ensuring, developing, and maintaining the highest standards of sales, distribution, and marketing productivity across the Middle East. He accomplished this through effective leadership and inspiration of diverse teams, including Functional, Cross-Functional, Self-Managed, Distributed, and Hybrid Sales Force and Marketing groups.
Renowned for his expertise in knowledge sharing, Samir is celebrated as one of the foremost trainers in his field, focusing on both quantitative and qualitative skill development.
Samir holds a double major in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut and Social Sciences from the Lebanese University. He also recently obtained an Executive Coaching Certificate from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI).
On a personal note, Samir is a proud father. His daughter, Grace, currently works as a senior copywriter at the Central Communication Department of the Edelman Advertising Agency in New York and his son, Daniel, is a system engineer at General Motors (GM) in Michigan.
Consultant for Corporate Engagement
Facilitator & Executive Coach
Allan spent 20 years as an agency creative dreaming up ideas, writing them down, pitching, selling and producing them, day after day, year after year, for dozens of the world’s biggest brands. His agency background exposed him to leaders and business challenges across many industries including healthcare, finance, media, and consumer goods making him a versatile coach and accountability partner.
A lover of ideas, Allan now spends his time working with individuals and teams to retune their creative antennas to achieve their wildest aspiration through the alignment of passion and purpose.
As the founder of Idea Doula, Allan divides his time as an executive coach and “idea doula-ing,” a unique type of creative consulting that helps individuals bring their ideas to life.
He received his certification from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and is an active member of their roster of facilitators. In any interaction Allan commits to show up and be present, tell the truth without blame or judgment, and pay attention to what has heart and meaning.
A passionate mental health advocate, Allan is also a faculty member at the Psychedelic Coaching Institute where educates coaches on how to safely explore plant medicine as a healing modality. He is also the founder and co-host of the 20-episode podcast Alz In The Fam, which documents his journey with his siblings caring for their mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.
He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, 2 children, 2 cats, a dog and lots of plants.
Allan’s superpower is encouraging people to reframe the limiting beliefs that prevent them from reaching their fullest potential.
Facilitators & Executive Coaches
Click headshot to view bios
Executive Coach
Chris is an insightful, collaborative executive coach and consultant who makes strategy happen. He brings over 20 years of business experience to help you get the most from your individual and organizational performance.
Chris has skillfully played a broad range of leadership roles including domestic and international business development, marketing, operations, sales force management, store development, as well as real estate and project management. Chris is known for his exceptional strategic planning skills, dedicated and passionate leadership style, and his ability to translate vision into well-executed strategies that produce results.
With a focus on increased self-awareness, authentic communication, and clarity of purpose, Chris knows how to transform the leadership conversation and build stronger, more capable leaders.
Certified by the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, nothing energizes Chris more than working in partnership toward new possibilities; challenging you to be your best.
When he’s not working with you on your journey to learn and grow, Chris is outdoors. On the water, or in the mountains, he enjoys everything that nature has to bring. He loves the challenge of a long-distance outrigger race, the grind of a 3-hour mountain bike ride, or the solitude of time on the river with his fly rod.
“Chris asked lots of challenging questions that were going to the heart of issues that were holding me back, his insights were perfect and he helped me become a better person.”
Executive Coach
Don Borges is an alumnus of the first Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute in 2009 and has joined the faculty for several programs and courses since that time. He comes to us with a vast background and experience from varied sectors of the business world, along with his passions for the healing arts, singing, and community outreach. Combining these with his knowledge and grasp of this work, Don brings a unique and powerful presence to the coaching endeavor.
Vish Chatterji is an accomplished business leader turned executive coach with a twenty-year track record spanning the automotive, technology & startup industries. He is a proven innovation leader recognized for his creative and strategic thinking abilities, combined with seasoned, tactical and operational skills. He has launched businesses in hardware, software, and cloud products across global markets. In parallel to his business career, he has studied and practiced Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda (mind-body medicine) and Vedic Astrology (karmic advising) and is now leveraging his unique East-meets-West background to enable leaders to have more of their greatness shine through. Vish works with executives and leaders across all sizes of business, from large corporations to small businesses and early-stage startups. He helps his clients find professional and personal success through a breadth of challenges from work to business to personal. He has coached in a variety of industries including technology, healthcare, consumer goods, manufacturing, financial services, politics, entertainment and publishing and has worked with clients spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Vish also speaks and teaches worldwide on topics at the intersection of business and personal development ranging from corporate events to trainings, retreats, workshops and courses.
Vish holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He completed his Executive Coach certification at UC Berkeley’s Executive Coaching Institute, trained as a Yoga Teacher in a traditional Himalayan ashram, completed teaching credentials in Ayurveda & Meditation at the Chopra Center and is also certified as a Vedic Counselor. He has served public office as an elected Board Director of the Beach Cities Health District in California and is the author of The Business Casual Yogi: Take Charge of Your Body, Mind & Career . Vish was born in the bustling city of Hong Kong to Indian parents,has traveled to over fifty countries and can get by in seven languages! He currently lives in Southern California within a bike ride to the Pacific Ocean and is a happily married father of three. For fun, he loves to cook with his family, work in the garden, fix things around the house and tinker in the garage
Executive Coach
The first time Patti realized the power of connection was at age 14, launching a Geocities website that got real people responding from the other side of the globe. She’s had a thirst for impact ever since. She's spent over two decades working in technology, from co-founder to consulting for Fortune 50 companies, to multiple leadership roles in venture-backed startups. She was the first VP of Product & Engineering at Imperfect Foods, where she was responsible for the product strategy that brought groceries to over 200,000 families weekly as part of America’s safety net during the COVID pandemic.
After achieving the kind of impact she had hoped to create, Patti was surprised to realize she no longer cared to chase the next big thing. No, the most rewarding part of her week was time spent helping individuals to enjoy the same fulfilling career she had had. In 2021, Patti answered a calling to coach more formally, founding a private practice dedicated to product leaders. Working especially with historically marginalized founders and executives, she marries modalities from product leadership coaching with transformational executive coaching to help women and BIPOC thrive in the high-impact roles they want while de-stressing enough to enjoy the ride.
Patti is a certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and Entrepreneurship & Management from The Johns Hopkins University. She was one of 50 product coaches invited to train under Marty Cagan and the Silicon Valley Product Group (though found herself missing the heart and meaning of BECI). She’s also a teaching Collaborator in Residence and Advisor to the Product Management track of the Masters program at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
When not coaching, Patti can be found sampling her way through Oakland farmers markets and attempting to recreate all of her Cantonese grandma’s best dishes from memory.
Executive Coach
As an executive coach, Tanya partners with her clients to design a leadership practice tailored to fit them. Leadership looks different on everyone but the one common thread effective leaders have is authenticity. She helps her clients uncover their unique leadership style to amplify their impact.
Tanya brings a diverse toolkit and perspective from over 20 years of coaching, practicing, and studying leadership to compliment her clients’ expertise and background. She is an assistant lecturer for Leadership Communications at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business where she creates a space for MBA students to try on different communication techniques to level up their presentation, feedback, and storytelling skills. Tanya also spent ten years leading sales & operations planning, demand, supply chain, and software implementation initiatives for E&J Gallo Winery’s international business unit and G3 Enterprises, a leading supplier and service provider to the beverage and agriculture industry. Prior to her career in business, Tanya had the privilege of serving as a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer in Japan, Qatar, and all over the U.S.
Born and raised in Seoul, Korea and growing up in a multicultural home ignited a passion in Tanya to build high performing teams with people from diverse backgrounds. She has seen firsthand how diversity of thought builds strength in organizations and in individuals. She believes that a leader’s responsibility is to create an environment where people can bring their full selves to work in order to maximize each person’s potential which in turn generates the most creative solutions.
Tanya has an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a BS in Behavioral Science from the United States Air Force Academy where she also served as a parachute instructor and was a competitive skydiver.
When she's not working, you'll find Tanya out on the ski slopes; spending time with her husband, two boys, and dog; or planning her next travel adventure.
"Tanya has been great at helping me challenge my current "status quo" and her questioning and probing really helped me get my thoughts organized - plus she has a fantastic attitude that is contagious and is super easy to relate to."
Facilitator and Executive Coach
Thomas is an executive coach and leadership development educator. He believes deeply in the human capacity for meaningful growth and helping his clients and students grow is what drives him.
As an executive coach, Thomas helps his clients identify their goals and plot paths to reach them. Often obstacles obstruct these paths or new paths must be forged and it can seem difficult to make progress toward our goals. Thomas works with clients to help them unlock potential—to explore, spot, and overcome the obstacles. Using a non-directive approach rooted more in inquiry than advice, Thomas helps clients view challenges with new perspective in order to find approaches that fit their unique situations.
As a leadership development educator, Thomas strives to empower each student to more powerfully connect with the people in their lives by developing their communications skills. To develop these skills, Thomas identifies each person’s unique strengths and areas for growth. He then works with them to bring about that growth through experience so that key lessons are not just understood but cemented in tangible life experiences from which they can draw. Developing each person’s unique abilities in this way cultivates the authentic leader within.
Thomas is a lecturer at both UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where he teaches Coaching and Communications classes for MBA students, and Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, where he teaches Communications for master and doctorate students. His clients span organizations that include: Salesforce.com, Tableau Software, Quip, Adobe, Fastly, Booking.com, Western Digital, Applied Materials, KPMG, Pacific Gas & Electric, Lawrence Berkeley and Sandia National Laboratories, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, etc.
Thomas has 15+ years of experience in the technology sector working in start-up as well as pre- and post-IPO environments. He has held positions in Operations, Business Development, Product Management, and Strategic Partnerships and he has led multicultural, globally-distributed teams. He has roots in education, having taught high school Latin and Ancient Greek prior to his business career. He holds an MBA and a Certificate in Executive Coaching from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a BA in Classics from College of the Holy Cross.
"Thomas is pragmatic, down to business and is a great fit for me (both my role and personality). Together we come up with action items to keep me accountable. He is great at helping me spot "opportunities" without making me feel bad about myself. I feel very lucky to be working with him!"
Executive Coach
Michelle Florendo is a decision engineer and coach for Type-A professionals. She is known for her analytical approach to coaching - with a BS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Michelle uses a blend of decision engineering, design thinking, and lean startup principles to help her clients map their path forward.
Over the years Michelle has led workshops both domestically and internationally, showing hundreds of driven professionals how to use concepts from decision engineering to help them thrive in work and life by getting their heads and hearts on the same page. She has spoken at several conferences and has guest-taught on career decision making in Stanford's famous Design Your Life course. She served on the inaugural coaching team for Seth Godin's altMBA, was a founding member of the Forbes Coaches Council, spent years a Senior Coach for Management Leadership for Tomorrow, coaches for Startup Parent, and is an adjunct faculty member at New Ventures West.
Michelle has 1500+ hours of coaching experience spanning almost a decade. She has a Certified Executive Coaching credential from UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, a Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, and an Integral Coaching certification from New Ventures West. Michelle is based in Oakland, CA, with her partner and two young children. She enjoys hip-hop dance, growing food with her kids, making costumes, and eating delicious food.
"Michelle was a master at unpacking my development challenges and helping me create clear tactical plans to manage these areas. She is an amazing listener and she was able to share frameworks, skills and tactics to help me align my values with my goals."
Executive Coach
Alison Godfrey is a dynamic, highly effective, and goal-oriented professional change agent with a diverse background directing various leadership development and growth initiatives. She has consistently leveraged her skills in the advancement, implementation, and administration of sustainable improvement strategies delivering enhanced efficiency, performance, and effectiveness. Her talent for providing transformational leadership to drive the accomplishment of operational excellence has served as a consistent catalyst to her success. Alison is recognized as a highly effective communicator capable of cultivating partnerships across all lines of business to promote cohesive business practice and high-impact outcomes.
Over the past 45 years, she has been both an entrepreneur and an experienced corporate C-suite executive. Her background includes founding and successfully leading international start-ups in various fields ranging from health, metallurgy, and condensed matter physics. As CEO for Concentric Advisors, TX she developed and led a team of top physicists, electrochemists, and material scientists to create the premier research laboratory in the field, worldwide. She founded and was CEO for Energetics Technologies in Israel where she established highly successful cooperative research projects with Italy’s nuclear research laboratory (ENEA) as well as SRI in CA, funded by grants from DARPA (U.S. Defense Projects Research Agency). Alison has worked closely with some of the world’s most influential individuals in technology, business leadership, and philanthropy.
Her vast corporate experience has led her to executive coaching and innovative leadership development. Alison’s warmth and personal approach facilitates individuals to shift their thinking, challenge paradigms, remove blocks, and ultimately change behaviors which leads to self-awareness, confidence, a positive impact on community, and success.
Alison obtained her Certificate of Business Excellence from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and her certification as an Executive Coach from the Berkeley Coaching Institute. She is an Assistant Lecturer at the Haas School of Business teaching Executive Leadership and Communication to Executive MBA candidates.
"Alison knows how to communicate and push folks to do the best possible work they can. She helps me to understand how I can affect and control my environment."
Executive Coach
Samuel Hon is a CEO, lecturer and certified executive coach who brings over 17 years of marketing and C-level management experience to his coaching practice. He has provided executive coaching and leadership program facilitation to multi-cultural and international executives from organizations such as Apple and Google. He also taught leadership communications MBA classes as an Assistant Lecturer at UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business.
Currently, he serves as CEO of a 30-year-old risk management and regulatory technology compliance firm, where he led the company to achieve the highest revenue and EBITA growth in company history. Samuel was appointed as CEO to transform company culture and to oversee all business functions including finance, technology, operations, marketing, sales and product management. He was named to the Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and Sacramento Magazine’s Top 100 Notable Business Leaders. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Pacific Leadership Group.
Samuel served two terms as President of the American Advertising Federation - Sacramento and he has been honored with over a dozen marketing and design awards. Samuel is a Stanford Certified Project Manager, Pragmatic Management Certified, ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Berkeley Certified Executive Coach. He holds a B.S. in Journalism - Strategic Communication with honors and distinction from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has also completed executive education programs at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, UC Berkeley and The Wharton School.
Born and raised in Hong Kong and now based in California, Samuel brings his diverse, cross-cultural and C-level management experience to help individuals unlock their potential and become authentic leaders.
"Samuel played a remarkable role in my career and personal development during a relatively challenging time, in a relatively short time. Samuel's energy met me where I was, kept holding a mirror to my mindset and actions, kept moving me gently but firmly on the path to working on the right, tough stuff, and helped me see and experience some big insights about myself. I am so grateful to Samuel."
Facilitator & Executive Coach
Valerie Hope, a distinguished leadership coach and dynamic speaker, stands out with her insatiable curiosity and creative spirit. With a remarkable travel history to over 30 countries and living with 400+ host families, Valerie's global experiences fuel her unique coaching approach.
For 25 years, she has dedicated her career to supporting leaders worldwide, to foster consciousness, connection, and creativity by delving into the powerful realm of subconscious beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors. Clients gain purpose, authentic self-expression, and a renewed sense of aliveness that support them in overcoming challenges and manage stress, create harmony in their relationships, and unleash problem-solving and innovation. In both workshops and one-on-one sessions, she goes beyond data, shining a light on what truly matters.
With a rich client portfolio spanning technology, education, government, hospitality, and finance, Valerie pivoted to entrepreneurship in 2018, now is the CEO of her own company, Connect to Joy, LLC. She received her executive coaching certification at UC Berkeley and has the certifications to work with the inner world of her clients as a facilitator of the HeartMath® Institute and PSYCH-K® methodologies.
A native Spanish speaker from Panama, her playfulness shines on the tennis court, improv stage, and in her community choir. Valerie Hope's passion empowers leaders to new heights, igniting positive change and lasting legacies. Her dynamic and joyous approach continues to inspire leaders globally, guiding transformative journeys with a mere touch of her creativity.
"Valerie always brings a calm and authoritative sense of presence to our meetings while being deeply caring. Her style is grounded, clear, practical, and really holds the space for you to understand yourself and your intents and actions at work more clearly."
Facilitator
Darcy Illg has 15+ years of experience heading Finance and Business Operations within global high growth services companies in roles from Operations Manager to CFO. As a Vice President at Wells Fargo, one of the world’s largest banks, Darcy leads a team that presents complex financial and operational information in relevant narratives for senior managers and executives.
Darcy is also Lecturer at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where she teaches in the core MBA class, Leadership Communications. Darcy helps MBA students identify their authentic leadership style, connect deeply with others, and inspire others through story.
Darcy has served on several non-profit boards in various capacities from financial to operational to executive roles. She is also actively sought out as a speaker for highly technical groups looking to provide storytelling training for individuals who “talk in numbers.” Recent speaking engagements include Financial Executives International, American Society of Appraisers and CFA Society of San Francisco.
Darcy earned an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, is a Certified Management Accountant, and holds a Certificate in International Financial Reporting from ACCA. She studied storytelling, voice and presentation skills at Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and with founding members of the Centre Artistique International Roy Hart in Malérargues, France.
Darcy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her daughters and husband, who left the business world behind to care for their daughters full time. Darcy’s favorite activity, after playing with numbers in spreadsheets, is to sit down with friends over good food to share stories and ideas.
Pragati Kale is an Executive Coach with a global career in the Telecom/Cloud domain at AT&T, Microsoft, and Akamai. Her role has evolved with immense cross-functional program/product management, corporate communication, storytelling, and stakeholder management. She conducts mentorship programs for leadership forums in corporate setups focusing on culture transformation and career development. She was a part of the steering committee that conducts coaching workshops for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) designed for women, minority genders, and beginner-level employees. She represented Microsoft in the Diversity and Inclusion space at the Grace Hopper conference, educating larger teams on key learnings across wellness, tech, education, community building, networking, and career development.
She completed her Master's in Computer Science from SUNY Binghamton. During her academic tenure, she was the President of the Graduate School Organization and a student senator board member. She is also a two-time Toastmasters District Finalist for the International Speech Contest.
Pragati is a Certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. She perceives every human being as a story in themselves. With her uplifting energy and simple life modalities, Pragati creates a secure space for her clients, allowing them to express their vulnerabilities. She helps her clients experience the above through Mekosh (her entrepreneurial venture). Mekosh comes from the Vedic Sanskrit word 'Kosh,' meaning sheath, the coverings of the human body, mind, and intellect. A significant flavor of who she is as a coach comes from nuances of diversity she has experienced in her life, from growing up in India, moving to the US as a first gen immigrant, working across corporate customers with varied geographies and cultures, traveling, and creating stories in four languages within her own family.
Pragati lives with her husband and two sons in Northern California. She’s constantly looking for adventurous excursions to go on with her family!
Executive Coach
Tom has over 40 years of experience in technology and media/content companies ranging from hardware and software to network and data communications, SaaS Digital Experience platforms and most recently Content, Data and Digital Media solutions. He has held a variety of senior management and leadership positions including building and leading Strategic Partnership, Sales, Business Development, Corporate Development and Product Management teams.
Most recently he served as EVP, Global Head of Partnerships at S4 Capital/Media.Monks, where he and his team developed, managed and scaled all Content, Data and Media partnerships. Tom’s role at Media.Monks was focused on helping Partners and Brands envision and execute creative and digital experiences that extend across the customer decision journey. Whether through large-scale digital transformation efforts or by simply connecting existing creative touchpoints.
Prior to Media.Monks, Tom spent nine years at Adobe in Corporate Development, where he was responsible for key strategic initiatives and corporate partnerships. While there, Tom led the company’s participation in three Olympic Games (London/Sochi/Rio) through a strategic partnership with Comcast/NBC Universal, providing an end-to-end video platform for content delivery and cross-device monetization. In addition, Tom led an incubator team using design-led thinking methodology to research and rapidly prototype a potential new line of business for Adobe.
Having recently retired from ``Corporate life”, Tom is now a full time Executive Coach and Leadership facilitator focused on ‘leading teams through change’ and ‘navigating the gray’. He has been a certified U.C. Berkeley Executive Coach since 2015 and also a member of Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute’s coaching faculty since 2017.
With an extensive background across a broad spectrum of senior leadership and management positions, Tom brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Executive Coaching and leadership/team facilitation. He is passionate about coaching and facilitating others in their authentic leadership and professional journeys.
Executive Coach
Jihann works with leaders and their teams as a performance coach to improve their impact and influence, and partners with them to take bold, audacious, and courageous steps forward. She collaborates with her clients to gain clarity of goals, produce executable action plans with clear forward purpose, adapt high-performance practices, and create unstoppable confidence and leadership presence.
Jihann’s distinctive coaching methods have evolved over many hours of performance coaching. Underpinned by science, they are mainly formed from inspiring client stories, her own personal learning and experimentation, and experience working with high performers from all walks of life. She supports clients to learn faster by choosing, using, and then adapting useful and highly relevant mindset and working practices so they become more resilient, positively energised, and better at making decisions that matter. Jihann helps leaders target Leadership Critical Impact Opportunities (LCIOs). These are times when deliberate leadership can make the biggest difference and they therefore deserve, and often get, extra attention and energy.
Before becoming a coach, Jihann was a senior corporate communications and marketing professional with a global career spanning 15+years across the shipping/logistics, HR consulting, NGO, IT, and education industries. She has led teams through organizational changes and has revamped team structures to better align with the overall goals of the company. Her strength in business was managing often difficult stakeholders, bringing out the best in team members, and building high-performing teams even in challenging business environments. Jihann is a Certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. She was born in Panama City, Panama and spent her formative years in the US. She has since lived in China, Singapore, The Netherlands, Denmark and now the UK. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Recent clients include: The London Stock Exchange Group, Hello Fresh, Formula 1 Group, Pfizer.
Executive Coach
Deepa’s deepest calling is service. She was born and raised in a traditional family in India, and has lived in modern Western culture in the United States for over two decades. As an immigrant, a parent, and a woman of color, she offers a bridge between more established perspectives and modern life. Multi-cultural sensitivity is her highest priority, while compassion, empathy and evidence-based solutions are the guiding principles.
After her Master’s program in Clinical Psychology, she became board-licensed clinician and worked for 14 years with San Francisco Superior Court in resolving child custody disputes. Her greatest satisfaction came from helping parents overcome their fears, explore power struggle dynamics and work through hurt. This was a journey to create a sense of belonging even in the aftermath of broken trust and bonds in families.
Deepa’s need to learn and grow in her work brought her to the world of leadership coaching where she applies the skills that she had honed as a mediator and solution focused clinician. She is trained and certified as an Executive Coach from the Berkeley executive coaching Institute. A big part of what she does is focused on balance: How do we strike a balance between tradition and modernity, between individual and as part of a larger group dynamic, between giving and taking, as well as moving forward and digging deep. Deepa prides herself in her ability to connect with clients from all backgrounds.
As a culturally competent coach, and a woman of color, she offers a wider lens through which she views her clients’ strengths, talents and unique contributions.
Deepa’s passion for teaching took her to Antioch University and for the last three years, she has taught Multicultural Awareness / Complexity & Ethics & the Law in the Master’s in Clinical Psychology program. She is a certified facilitator for the Daring Greatly™, Rising Strong™ & Teen BOLD™ programs through Brené Brown’s Daring Way.
She balances her professional life along with being a mother of a teenager, avid reader, cook enthusiast, Board member of her son’s school, multilingual speaker, and community builder.
Executive Coach
Maria is an executive coach who has held a broad range of positions including international and domestic Business Development, Legal and Marketing for Fortune 500 companies. She is known for her exceptional capacity to learn and adapt, and whose lively blend of compassion, honesty and humor is balanced by a sharp understanding of the dynamics of the corporate world.
Maria believes that self-inquiry is the key to a meaningful and successful life. She coaches her clients to be intentional in their choices and courageous in trying out new methodologies to reach their career and personal goals. Maria is a longtime meditation and yoga practitioner and is passionate about healing arts, psychology and mindfulness. A Certified Executive Coach from UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, Maria brings a unique and powerful presence to the coaching endeavor.
"From day 1, I felt as though Maria was 100% on my team. She seemed to listen with her whole spirit and helped me see - and address - thoughts and actions which at first seemed tangential to the core goals. While always remaining incredibly professional, I knew I had a friend in Maria - one in whom I could confide my greatest, and sometimes nascent, concerns and who would respond without judgement but with clear vision."
Executive Coach
Linda is a certified executive coach, an entrepreneur, and a trusted business advisor, who brings a rich set of insights from her 30+ years in leading, managing, developing, and coaching cross-functional teams at both Fortune 500 and privately held companies.
Her extensive business experience spans C-level roles in a range of disciplines including leadership, sales & marketing, business development, strategic planning, partner relationships, and M&A, across industries that include High Tech, HealthCare & Life Sciences.
Linda has considerable global experience managing global teams, having been tapped for an International Assignment in Tokyo, Japan, and lived in Australia for 8 years during her youth. These experiences provide her with insights that are central to appreciating and navigating cultural differences in the business world.
As a certified executive coach, Linda partners with her clients to equip them realize their goals, whether transitioning into new roles, managing the challenges of stress and burnout, improving self-confidence, or embracing new possibilities. Her clients include CEOs of start-ups and new ventures, and leadership at F1000 companies, academic institutions, and non-profits.
As a co-founder of a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, Linda appreciates first-hand the myriad set of challenges that come with launching and sustaining a new business venture.
Her entrepreneurial spirit has led her to be a mentor, advisor, and coach to over 60 startups and non-profits. She sits on the board of multiple startups and is on the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau Educational Foundation of Eastern NC.
Linda holds two degrees, a BA in Architecture, Trinity University, and an MBA, UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, and her certifications include Certified Executive Coach from UC Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, Certified Professional Coach from NC State University, and ICF credentialed as an Associate Certified Coach.
As a Rotarian, Linda shares the unwavering commitment of “service above self” and can often be seen in the mornings picking up litter around Chapel Hill with her husband Brian.
Executive Coach
David is an executive and leadership coach with over two decades of individual and organizational leadership experience. He has provided executive coaching to C-suite executives, government and military leaders, entrepreneurs and startup founders around the globe. He empowers leaders to succeed in Authentic Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Executive Presence, Human Performance, Leadership/Career Transition, Cross-Cultural Proficiency, and Strategic Vision, across the spectrum of industries.
David’s growth as a leader began as a Marine Corps officer, serving in challenging leadership roles around the world. Achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he guided and mentored hundreds of personnel, advised executives on aviation and unmanned systems and, in collaboration with industry and academic leaders, facilitated the development of DARPA’s cutting-edge technologies in aerospace, maritime and artificial intelligence.
After 21 years of honorable service, David became an entrepreneur and pursued two startup ventures in the United States and Central America; and he started his own coaching and consulting business, all of which continue to thrive today. Yet, David has grown more from his hardships. As a first-generation immigrant from Seoul, he navigated through the challenges of racism and bias. He rebuilt his career after he almost crashed and died in combat. And he learned to make difficult decisions that impact the lives of those under his charge.
Outside of coaching, David is an avid practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and enjoys a variety of athletic and outdoor activities, food, traveling, and working on his own personal development. He has worked or studied in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brazil, China, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Mexico, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, The Netherlands, Turkey, and UAE. David is committed to supporting transitioning military veterans and underrepresented professionals who aspire to succeed as executives.
David obtained his MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Franklin & Marshall College. He is also a Certified Executive Coach from UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.
Facilitator & Executive Coach
Amita Sophonthiratana is a seasoned marketing strategist with over two decades of expertise crafting impactful brand initiatives across diverse industries. With a knack for translating business objectives into innovative marketing campaigns, she has spearheaded category creation and brand development ventures in realms ranging from Apparel and FMCG/Foods & Ice Cream to Lubricants.
Amita's leadership style is characterized by her ability to foster trust and create safe spaces for teams to collaborate and excel. She champions a growth mindset, embracing cognitive diversity and agile methodologies to drive continuous improvement. An advocate for change, Amita approaches challenges with flexibility and optimism, challenging the status quo to achieve remarkable results.
Based in Bangkok, Amita embodies a multicultural perspective, having been born and raised in Thailand, while also spending significant time studying and working in the US and Singapore. Her career, primarily with multinational corporations like BP Castrol, has seen her hold regional and global roles, leveraging her rich international experience to drive business success. Additionally, she is a Certified Executive Coach from The Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute since 2013, further enhancing her ability to inspire and develop talent.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Amita finds joy in regular exercise, supporting environmentally friendly initiatives, indulging in street food adventures, and embracing the rhythm of dance in her spare time.
Nisha Sehn is an executive coach and climate tech consultant with 15+ years of professional experience spanning government, nonprofits, and tech. She is a working parent, business owner, and mentor focused on enabling compassionate and inclusive leadership, especially in important solution spaces.
Nisha has spent the better part of the last decade building and leading technical program management teams at various stage tech companies and most recently served as a Chief of Staff. She has extensive experience in operations, project management, strategic planning, and management. She graduated from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, and her approach to coaching is imbued with empathy, playfulness, and kindness.
Before entering tech, Nisha received her undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Calgary and a Master of Laws in Environmental Law & Policy from the University of Kent, Canterbury. She is also a Founding Fellow in the inaugural Climatebase Fellowship. Nisha combined her love for the planet with her professional expertise and recently launched her own consulting company, Aurita Coaching & Consulting (www.aurita.co). Aurita has two lines of business: coaching historically marginalized folks to augment diverse leadership and consulting climate tech companies preparing to grow and scale.
She is a native Punjabi speaker, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and a first-generation Canadian. After living in the Bay Area for ten years, she now lives in Victoria, Canada, with her two kids and husband, where they trek around the wilderness.
AJ Thomas is a dynamic and multifaceted leader, blending a wealth of executive experience with a passion for fostering talent and transformative leadership. She is the Founder and General Partner at Good Trouble Ventures, a venture capital firm at the crossroads of entertainment and enterprise technology, and the CEO of the Troublemaker Lab, an agency dedicated to accelerating extraordinary leaders and advancing initiatives that bridge technology and humanity. As a Founder, Startup Advisor, and Executive Coach, AJ speaks on cultural transformation, human-centered design, and building global teams for the future of work.
In her previous roles, AJ has been a catalyst for impactful change, shaping corporate cultures and spearheading talent strategies that have driven success from groundbreaking 0-to-1 builds to enterprise-scale operations. Most recently, she led the Global Talent and Human Experience Design teams at X, the Moonshot Factory (formerly Google X), leaving a lasting legacy of innovation and impact.
AJ is also an award-winning author, co-writing Courage Takes Flight with her 10-year-old daughter, a book that champions literacy and inspires future possibilities, reflecting her coaching philosophy rooted in compassion, curiosity, and courage. Her latest work, A Kids Book About Teams, offers valuable insights for young readers and is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Executive Coach
Loretta has worked with leaders in the corporate environment for more than 40 years. She held various roles and worked in many capacities to include Labor Relations, Transportation, Networks, Customer Service, Information Technology, Diversity, Workplace Improvement, Marketing, Retail Operations, Plant Operations, and Human Resources. She also performed as a master facilitator and keynote speaker. Her most recent corporate role was working to increase levels of employee engagement for more than 600,000 employees within 40,000 work units. Working directly with some of the toughest teams allowed her to develop an understanding and an affinity for what helps employees thrive and leaders excel in tough environments.
Loretta started her coaching and healing practice in 2019 where she works with those who are searching for a more peaceful existence and a clearer self-purpose. She incorporates healing practices into everyday life with executives and leaders at all levels, helping them to grow through untapped strengths. Loretta also provides special assistance to women who are struggling with past pains and personal blockages to transition into a place of hope and love. She holds workshops for those who are ready to explore true healing.
Loretta is a certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and holds certifications in several behavioral and personality assessments. She achieved a double Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Human Resources, a Master’s in International Business and a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership from Concordia University. She finds passion in helping others to realize the possibilities within and reach true potential. She moves and operates in true self love.
“Loretta was patient, kind, honest and real. She listened when I was struggling and I always felt supported by her.”
Facilitator & Executive Coach
Motshabi Tyelele is a South African actress, playwright and voice coach best known for her television roles as Thando in Suburban Bliss, as Sophie in Generations and as Eve in the first season of Madam and Eve.
The winner of the 1986 Artes Awards for Best Comedy Actress, 2001 Avanti Award for Best Sitcom Actress, 2004 Naledi Award for Best Actress in a Drama and 2010 SAFTAS Award for Best Supporting Actress, Motshabi trained in Speech and Drama at the University of Cape Town, went on to study Public Relations with PRISA (Public Relations Institute of South Africa) and did voice training with the Royal National Theatre Company in London. Motshabi has worked extensively as an actor in film, television and theatre. Her television appearances include the popular children's programme Takalani Sesame, the SABC1 drama Soul City and the hard-hitting, iconic SABC1 drama series Yizo Yizo 3.
Working with the Berkeley ECI team, Motshabi has facilitated Active Communication workshops for Avis South Africa, Transnet, The Department of Education, McKinsey Group, The Kelly Group and Khalil Fattal et Fils (Lebanon). She is a certified Executive Coach from the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.
Executive Coach
Jasmine Victoria is an accomplished writer, storyteller, entrepreneur, consultant and executive coach. Fueled by a desire to change how people relate to each other and how we see the world, Jasmine’s career has crossed industry boundaries to focus on work that empowers people, changes how we communicate and is crafting diverse, inclusive leaders of the future. As a change facilitator, Jasmine has worked within communities around the globe to foster equitable investment and growth amongst underserved leaders – drawing on deep strategy, design thinking and somatic experiencing techniques.
While her early career and expertise has been in international finance and business development, Jasmine’s passion and most meaningful work has been in the nonprofit and public sectors. As a Subject Matter Expert and Equitable Recovery Specialist for Bloomberg LP advising the Commonwealth of Great Britain and Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Jasmine has been able to influence how governments and business leaders are reshaping public-private sector partnerships.
Jasmine holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Duke University and a dual Master’s Degree in Organizational Change Management from HEC Paris and Oxford University. Jasmine is a Certified Executive Coach from UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute; and currently pursuing credentialing at the PCC practitioner level from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Born and raised in New York City, Jasmine currently lives on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala with strong professional anchors in Austin, TX; San Francisco, CA; San Juan, PR; and London, UK.
Executive Coach
Corbin has over 38 years of broad industry experience in engineering and manufacturing within the public, private and government sectors. He has over 15 years of senior executive experience in multiple companies including multi-national, Fortune 500 and privately held firms. Corbin’s technical expertise was strategically focused on product and process development, scale-up, and optimization. His extensive business expertise included mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, organizational change management, restructuring and reorganization.
In addition to past professional successes Corbin has always been dedicated to a life of service to his community where he served on Boards and worked extensively one-on-one with disadvantaged youth. His passion of mentoring underrepresented youth, college students, entrepreneurs and emerging professionals continues to this day in his role as an Executive Coach and Managerial Consultant. Corbin believes that through the advanced techniques of Executive Coaching people are empowered with an enhanced self-efficacy to accelerate towards their goals with vigor and focused intention. He believes that an unencumbered mind with a clear objective vision is the direct pathway to success.
In addition to Executive Coaching, Corbin currently serves as a consultant with the Executive Services Corps of the Triangle providing consultative services to Boards of Directors of Non-Profit Organizations. Corbin also serves on the Board of Directors of the GBS/CIDP Foundation International and as President of the Board of Directors of the JA Grifols Foundation.
Corbin has a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina A&T University, as well as an M.S. Degree in Engineering Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He holds several certifications from the University of California at Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a Certified Executive Coach from UC Berkeley and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute.
"Wise, informative, capable, reliable, trustworthy, interesting, inspiring, effective voice, and great to learn from."
Executive Coach
Satoshi Yamamoto is a certified executive coach, trainer, and master facilitator who works with c-suite executives and managing partners across banking, consulting, IT, and manufacturing industries in Japan and globally. He currently coaches over 130 employees at a century-old Japanese manufacturing company, working with everyone from board members to factory line workers.
Prior to establishing his independent coaching practice, Satoshi built a 32-year career in banking. For over 12 years, he served as Japan Head for Commercial Bank International Banking at JPMorgan Chase, where he managed the bank's relationships with Japanese subsidiaries of Commercial Banking clients headquartered throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
His professional journey includes an entrepreneurial venture as President of a startup with initial capital of 100 million JPY between 2010 and 2011. Before this, Satoshi held the position of Senior Vice President at Mizuho Corporate Bank (formerly Fuji Bank, Ltd.) from 1991 to 2010, where he gained diverse experience across International Corporate & Institutional Banking, International Credit, Americas Corporate Banking in Chicago, International Financial Institutions, foreign exchange, trade finance, and commercial lending.
Satoshi received his Executive Coaching Certification from Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, and is also an ACC-credentialed coach from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Chuo University in Tokyo, majoring in International Economics. A lifelong learner, Satoshi has completed several advanced certificate programs at universities including UC Berkeley, Harvard and Kumamoto University.
His passion for coaching and facilitation is evident in his approach, as he genuinely enjoys all coaching interactions regardless of organizational level. Satoshi's combination of extensive executive leadership experience and coaching expertise allows him to bring unique insights to his diverse client portfolio, making him a valued coach to senior management across multiple industries and cultural contexts.
CEO
Faculty & Executive Coach
Doy Charnsupharindr is an executive coach and an instructor. He has taught at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, and UC Davis Graduate School of Management, where his students recently voted him “Teacher of the Year”. He has also taught at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership (Germany) and Nanyang Business School (Singapore).
Doy started his career in the finance and high-tech industry, leading global teams in risk management, operations, business strategy, and product management. Today, he is the CEO of the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. He is also an executive coach and consultant for some of the largest organizations worldwide. The clients he has worked with include Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, DHL, Disney, Genentech, Google, McKinsey, Meta, Moody’s, Novartis, Pixar, Procter & Gamble, and Salesforce.
Doy has an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School (2011) and a BA in Economics from Stanford University (2000). He was the musical director of Stanford’s Mixed Company a cappella and a winner of the 2001 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA). As an actor, he has appeared in many stage productions and short films. He recently performed at the Kennedy Center (Washington DC). Doy utilizes his love of the performing arts to help others develop their communication skills, confidence, and leadership presence. He is a TEDx speaker and enjoys coaching other speakers. His goal as a coach and instructor is to be a catalyst for others to become authentic leaders, inspirational communicators, and changemakers.