Peter Arnstein is Managing Partner of Dynamic Leadership Development (“DLD”), a professional leadership development, training and coaching firm focused on programs leading to increased profitability, operational excellence and enhanced creativity for clients. DLD delivers services through group / team offerings and through one to one coaching primarily to clients in professional services industries. Core programs include Negotiation for Professionals; Solving Problems with People; and Purposeful & Productive Relationships.

Peter’s leadership development practice is built upon his career of over 30 years in strategic financial advisory, capital formation, and principal investing experience. Peter operated in a team environment working with business leaders and senior executives to execute strategic financings and major strategic moves such as acquisitions, divestitures and recapitalizations. As an investment banker, Peter cultivated client relationships at firms in New York, Charlotte, and Chicago. He was co-head of the mezzanine investment group at GATX Capital in San Francisco.

Peter is interested in and curious about the relationship of individuals to enterprises and how leadership can be cultivated throughout an organization. He is recognized for his talent for developing effective working relationships with a variety of people and for connecting people purposefully and productively.

Peter earned a BA in Economics from Stanford and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Executive Coach certification from UC Berkeley Executive Education and the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. Peter’s significant volunteer leadership duties provide meaningful experience and perspective to a coaching role.

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.

Executive & Life Coach, Head & Heart Insights LLC

Author: The Business Casual Yogi

Vish Chatterji is an accomplished business leader turned executive coach with a twenty-year track record spanning the automotive, technology & startup industries. He has launched new businesses in hardware and software across global markets and is recognized for his rapid-growth innovation strategies. In parallel to his business career, he has studied and practiced yoga, meditation, Ayurveda (mind-body medicine) and Vedic astrology and is now helping leaders have more of their greatness show up at work with an East-meets-West approach to coaching.

Vish coaches and advises senior executives and small-business owners blending Western management thinking with Eastern wisdom traditions and also speaks on a variety of topics at the intersection of business and spirituality. He leads corporate trainings, innovation workshops, yoga & meditation courses and Ayurveda classes.

Vish holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University and a master’s of business administration from University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He completed his Executive Coach certification at BECI, trained as a yoga teacher in a traditional Himalayan ashram and completed teaching certifications in Ayurveda & Meditation at the Chopra Center. He is also a publicly elected Board Director of the Beach Cities Health District in Southern California and is the author of The Business Casual Yogi: Take Charge of Your Body, Mind & Career. He is a married father of three and loves to garden, bicycle and fix things around the house!

Sally Clawson is a voice teacher, speaker coach, actor, dancer and the owner of Voice One, the premiere voice acting school in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has lead classes and workshops in voice, acting, presenting and performing at companies including Genentech, Roche, Anaplan and InVision Communications, as well as at schools that include the Berkeley Repertory School of Theater, Google Arts, and California Shakespeare Theater.

She is a certified executive coach through the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and is the annual emcee at the Dreamforce conference hosted by Salesforce.

Sally’s voiceover performances include: commercials for Yoplait, Clorox, Toyota, Old Navy, McDonalds, Macys and many others; narration videos for Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Google; and animation/gaming characters for Pixar, EA Games, Telltale Games and Lucas Arts

A former professional dancer, Ms Clawson toured internationally with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. After a hip injury, she took a day job answering phones, discovered her voice, and began studying and performing with her voice in earnest. She is engaging, generous and direct because she focuses on the individual and what their voice and uniqueness bring to the world.

Bill believe that empathy can empower people and businesses to realize their full potential. Since being certified as an executive coach through Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute in 2017, he has coached leaders at Facebook, Twitter, and more. In addition to executive coaching, Bill helps entrepreneurs with storytelling—to better tell the story of their company and the change they wish to make in the world. He also consults with Berkeley Innovation Group, helping organizations to explore and unlock innovative ideas from any employee at any level. Bill previously spent 11 years in product, analytics, and marketing roles in the private sector.

Bill is a lifelong learner and educator, following the example set by his parents—both public school teachers. In May of 2018, he graduated with honors from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he was a graduate student instructor for hundreds of students in classes such as Leadership Communications, Creativity and Leadership, and Collaborative Innovation.

Since high school, Bill has been involved in his community as a mentor, tutor, and teacher of youth from diverse backgrounds, through organizations such as Upward Bound, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and 826 Valencia. He currently volunteers on the board of Berkeley Community Fund, creating their strategic plan and working to establish a program of career resources for underserved college scholarship recipients.

In his free time, Bill enjoys writing poetry and creative nonfiction.

For nearly two decades, Dr. David Desplaces has dedicated himself to the stewardship of learning by educating entrepreneurs, executives, and future leaders with one goal in mind: unlocking the potential in each of them. He has distinguished himself through the employment of individuals by applying his expertise in the areas of international management, global commerce & trade, cultural management, leadership, change management, and entrepreneurial venturing. Dr. Desplaces’ extensive experience include supporting various domestic and international entrepreneurial ventures, being as part owner in various businesses, helping launch a professional certification program, leading international cultural and professional development initiatives, and empowering his community through various leadership initiatives. His latest work on management-lead conflict resolution was published in Conflict Resolution Quarterly.

Trained by the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute where he did his clinical work in Milan, Italy, his clients include entrepreneurs, executives, MBA students, and administrators with coaching engagements in Italy, UAE, Bermuda, and throughout the USA.

He recently become a Certified Coach from the movement to live a well-lived, joyful life by acclaimed authors Bill Burnett and David Evans, and is authorized to us the Designing Your Life framework. David completed his Certificate in Business Excellence from the Haas School of Business at the University of Berkeley, CA and earned his Ph.D. in Management from the University of Rhode Island with a focus on change management, after receiving his Master in Science in Education from Syracuse University in Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation. He received his MBA and BS in Management with honors from Bentley University, MA.

Sam owns and operates Enduring Presence providing executive coaching and executive skills development throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

He has spent over thirty years in the technology industry focusing on management consulting and sales leadership roles.

Sam was a Partner at Ernst & Young Consulting and a Vice President at Capgemini where he focused on consulting services and strategic partnerships. In these roles, he provided clients with strategy, process, technology, and merger related advice and services.

Sam also held various Director and Vice President sales roles at a number of influential Silicon Valley companies including Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard and Oracle/NetSuite.

Five years ago, Sam chose to focus on what he’s loved the most throughout his career, the people. Sam draws energy from helping people develop, progress and succeed. His personal successes and failures allow him to transfer his long experience to others to help accelerate their growth and avoid key mistakes.

Sam lives in Fremont, California with his wife Jenny. They enjoy golf, travel and spending time with their children and grandsons. You can reach Sam at (408) 887-6580 or at sam@enduringpresence.com.

Casey Field has been an executive coach, passionate achiever and leadership development facilitator for the past 18 years. He has worked with hundreds of professionals, including senior leaders in Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial companies, to accelerate their impact and influence, and grow into their next-level of authentic and inspired leadership.

As a coach, Casey is known for modifying inner work with practical and powerful results. He Holds an MBA from the University of California, Davis. A certification in Advanced Leadership and Executive Coaching from Berkeley Haas School of Business, a certification in Coaching from University of California, Davis, and is a member of the International Coach Federation. This gives him a unique ability to work with talented high-achieving leaders and quickly find the “unlock points” that unleash a higher level of power and potential and shift previously hard-to-change patterns at their root. He brings an extensive background and set of methodologies, along with a highly intuitive, and supportive yet challenging approach.

Casey has had the privilege to be a guest speaker for The California Dental Association, The Sacramento Business Journal, and an assistant instructor for UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Additionally, he was the architect for the state of California’s Executive Development Program and co-created the Manager Development Program serving nearly 230,000 employees.

Casey is the Managing Director of Trident Coaching Group and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Association of Talent Development where he advocated for more innovative learning in organizations.

Valerie Hope is an empowering, globe-trotting executive coach and speaker, who for the past 20 years has inspired and activated leaders to come alive!

Her blend of thought-provoking questions, relevant-take-away strategies, and dynamic delivery style, empowers leaders from all walks of life to achieve meaningful goals, transform relationships, and effectively communicate with confidence.

Valerie’s authenticity, global insights, and willingness to explore the human being behind the behavior, allows her to make strong connections and bring out the best in people.

For more than 20 years, Valerie has traveled the globe and transformed leaders in organizations like the international leadership program, Up With People, the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce and Hyatt Corporation.

Her clients comprise organizations such as: Headington Companies, Mujeres de HACE (Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement,) Enaxis Digital Consulting, Women's Hospitality Network, International Performance Management Institute (IPMI), The Bank & Trust, and Bed Bath and Beyond.

Valerie is committed to ensure leaders and those they lead become more conscious, connected and creative! Her vision is to inspire and activate the world to come alive each time she steps in front of an audience.

Lucy Kaplan is an executive coach whose dynamic blend of humor, compassion, honesty and rigor is balanced by an astute comprehension of the pragmatics of corporate life. Her understanding of the people side of corporate culture and business has deepened over the 22 years during which she has consulted, designed and delivered workshops in leadership presence, team building, management skills and conflict resolution. She believes that self-reflection is the key to a meaningful and successful life. To this end, her coaching sessions with executives are on-going awareness lessons. Lucy coaches her clients to be intentional in their choices and courageous in trying out new behaviors to meet their immediate and long-term goals - skills that increase their effectiveness as leaders.

She has coached in venues ranging from corporate boardrooms, to prison lock-ups to educational institutions throughout the US. Her client list includes Barclays Global Investors, Cisco, The Gap, MIT, Deloitte, Sandia National Laboratories, The Chicago Tribune and the California Department of Corrections.

Lucy is a longtime meditation practitioner, who has brought this practice into her coaching sessions. She holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She has also had a successful career as a painter, a competitive marathon runner and is currently studying chess. She has two daughters and two cool grandsons.

Scott Krawitz is Founder and CEO of People Driven Solutions International (PDSI), offering Technology Advisory Services. Launched in 2009, clients range from start-ups, SMB and Non-Profits to Fortune 50 organizations. The signature service is the “Fractional CTO” which provides fractional technology leadership, driven by an informative Holistic Technology Assessment. Leveraging a global, 200 + partner ecosystem, People Driven Solutions offers solutions via onshore, offshore and nearshore resources. Talent Acquisition and Retention rounds out the spectrum of technology advisory services.

An innovative and seasoned business leader, technologist and entrepreneur, Scott’s 20+ year career includes engagements coaching and consulting executives and leading teams through delivery of strategic initiatives. Industries served include Financial Services, Healthcare, Software, Retail, Business Services, Legal, and Education Technology.

Gifting back to society, Scott serves on the Board of the National Foundation for Autism Research and the San Diego Chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO).

Academically, Scott holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, a BA in Economics, is a PMI certified Project Management Professional and Berkeley ECI certified Executive Coach. Scott has been acting as a part-time Executive Coach for the past 4 years, having coached dozens of global executives at leadership conferences, as well as a number of bespoke coaching engagements.

Scott’s passions range from the ocean depths to the open road to the blue sky. A PADI certified divemaster and private pilot, he also enjoys enduro motorcycling. Any combination of his passions with world travel and Scott is in his element.

A third-generation professional musician, Benjamin Mertz's mother is an opera and jazz vocalist and his "grandaddy" was a bebop pianist who worked with the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Charles Mingus. Benjamin apprenticed under professional musicians who worked the New York City club scene, and grew up in a musically diverse, multi-ethnic church community in Paterson, New Jersey. He has spent his adult life teaching, composing, performing, and running workshops in the Black Spiritual music tradition. He is the founder/director of the Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers and music director of Skyline Community Church in Oakland.

Like many of you, Bill Nicholson is a leadership expert, executive coach, mentor and father. Currently a Vice President for Peterson Caterpillar, Bill encounters daily the true-life problems clients face. He has seen how coaching has become a positive outcome for both the individual being coached and the organization at large. Bill is a frequent facilitator, speaker and leadership instructor in the corporate space at Peterson Caterpillar and education space for MBA and undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay.

Nicholson has a BS Degree from the University of San Francisco and over three decades of executive experience across multiple industries. He is founder of Next Reign where he has donated his coaching, speaking and leadership training to non-profit organizations, start- ups and under privileged clients helping people connect the dots to unlock their potential. The spectrum of clients Bill has worked with has provided him with a profoundly different perspective. He appreciates, and most importantly, recognizes that many of the same problems faced at home are faced at work, just dressed in different attire.

David leads the Telco, Media & Entertainment Industry sales organization for Google Cloud.

David is responsible for a customer go-to-market strategy designed to expand the investment and focus in our most valued T,M&E customers. David’s organization helps customers leverage Google’s innovation, insights and scale to drive transformation and competitive advantage. David is responsible for delivering a customer partnership model that focuses on the business benefits derived from investments in Google Cloud technologies.

Prior to Google, David was Group Vice President, North America Key Accounts at Oracle. David has led global Key Account sales teams, as well as Strategy, Leadership and Business Value organizations focused on business transformation and customer-centric engagement models.

David has earned a B.B.A. in Marketing from Georgia State University and A.A.S. in Logistics Management from the Community College of the Air Force. Additionally, he has completed executive education in Leadership and Strategic Intelligence through the University of Michigan and IESE Business School Barcelona, respectively. David is a graduate of the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute and has been a guest speaker at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Georgia. David is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Cheryl Porro is the Chief Technology Officer of Thrive Global. Thrive Global’s mission is to end the stress and burnout epidemic by offering companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance well-being, performance, and purpose, and create a healthier relationship with technology. Cheryl is a huge believer in the power of small habits and chalks up her success to prioritizing good nights sleep amongst many other things.

CTO, Thrive Global

Prior to joining Thrive, Cheryl was Senior Vice President of Technology & Product Delivery for Salesforce.org, where she grew a team that launched multiple products for the nonprofit and education markets. Prior to that, she spent eight years leading a growing platform engineering team at Salesforce.com.

Cheryl is passionate about providing equal access to educational opportunities and has volunteered and served on boards for education nonprofits. She's is an active mentor and supporter of women and girls, gender non-binary, LGBTQI and underrepresented people of color in tech through her work mentoring supporting many nonprofits including Year Up, First Graduate, and Girls Who Code. In her spare time, she paints with her twelve-year-old daughter.

Tamara Rodman leads Edelman’s Chicago Employee Experience team. With 17 years experience in communications, culture and leadership development, Tamara helps clients accelerate transformation by designing experiences that shift employee mindsets and behaviors. She has a passion for helping leaders be the best versions of themselves and is a certified executive coach.

Tamara works with companies to adopt purpose-driven ways of working, enable executives to lead during times of transformation, and align employees’ heads, hearts and hands to deliver strategic success. Her approach is rooted in data-driven workforce insights and informed by the role of trust in driving organizational performance. Tamara also architects communications infrastructure to reach employees in new and unexpected ways. She has led employee communications for several highly complex mergers, including Pfizer-Wyeth and Kraft Foods-Cadbury. Tamara is an L&D aficionado and has delivered high-impact leadership development programs for AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Wrigley and Edelman. Her clients span multiple industries – retail, tech, healthcare, CPG, manufacturing, pharma, financial services – and her clients span the Fortune 500, including United Airlines, PayPal, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Walmart, ScottsMiracle-Gro and HP. Tamara’s work has earned top-tier industry recognition from the SABRE Awards, IABC Gold Quill, PRWeek and Nielsen Norman Group’s Intranet Design Annual.

Tamara joined Edelman in 2006 from Whirlpool Corporation, where she managed the company’s global intranet, developed internal publications and led numerous employee engagement programs. Prior to that, she was a reporter at the Herald-Palladium in St. Joseph, Mich. She graduated summa cum laude on full academic scholarship from Western Michigan University with a B.A. in public relations and a minor in Spanish. Tamara is a certified executive coach through UC Berkeley’s Executive Coaching Institute at the Haas School of Business. She volunteers her time to mentor at-risk high school students and serve as a board member for HighSight, a Chicago-based nonprofit.

Reba Rose is a Senior Consultant with over 20 years of international consulting and training experience in leadership development and executive coaching. Her specialization is in building confidence and authenticity through mindfulness and reflective dialogue. She coaches executives to take on leadership as a daily practice in order to build leadership competencies and achieve their business outcomes.

Reba partners with senior-level professionals in education, nonprofits, technology and financial firms to heighten their ability to manage and influence colleagues as they move from a place of power. She has worked extensively with Dr. Mark Rittenberg and Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute to offer coaching and training. She is also the Director of People and Organizational Development at Fair Trade USA.

Reba Rose is known for her intuitive, dynamic style and focus on daily practices for living in balance. She leverages years of organizational leadership, intensive martial arts training and experience as an actress to create learning experiences that are powerful and transformative.

Holding a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology, a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Kajukenbo, and a Black Belt in Chi Gung, Reba pulls from a diverse range of tools to work with individuals and groups to transform their lives.

Asa is Director of Product for Adobe Experience Platform overseeing areas of Real-Time Profile, Unified Identity Service, and Privacy. His background includes founding Adobe Device Co-op, Adobe Primetime, and Adobe Media Server. He is an Adobe Distinguished Inventor with more than 35 patents and a 2017 Adobe Founders Award winner. Asa lives in San Francisco and is a proud alumnus of UC Berkeley for engineering and business.

J. Ryan Williams is a San Francisco-based executive coach who is deeply passionate about the professional and personal development of high potential leaders and organizations. As a coach and advisor, J. Ryan is trusted by founders and CEOs backed by the world’s top venture funds, US Navy SEALs and former Top Gun fighter pilots as well as aspiring executives.

Before launching his coaching and facilitation practice, J. Ryan spent over 10 years helping build some of the fastest growing companies backed by Silicon Valley-based venture capital firms and has been instrumental for multiple companies as they grew from $0-$100M in revenue including the direct leadership which launched a $58M sales team and created a 2 year training curriculum for 350 employees.

As a keynote speaker, J. Ryan’s talks have taken him to 13 countries and has been hosted at top universities such as University of Chicago, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and Singapore Management University as well as corporate institutions such as Adobe, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Lyft, Salesforce, and Boston Consulting Group.

J. Ryan holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Chicago, undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Education from Principia College and is certified as an executive coach from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He does not speak Spanish but tries really hard.

Alexia is a mission-driven leader with 25+ years of helping people and organizations grow. Her experience spans, non-profits, corporate leadership development, media and privately held organizations. Alexia’s helps her clients discovering their “Why.” Simon Sinek calls it the single most important thing to know in life. When the Why is known and operational, the how and what come in to order. Alexia is a BECI class of 2017 graduate and pleased as punch to be back at Berkeley sharing with you.

Chris is a learning manager and executive coach at IMD, a top global business school, and a partner in a consulting firm that specializes in the design and delivery of customized learning solutions.

His experience as a learning and development professional at the intersection of business, education and social impact includes leading global projects, working with multicultural teams, coaching senior executives and facilitating leadership development programs in diverse contexts ranging from outdoor expeditions to design thinking workshops.

Chris holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a BA in Philosophy from Whitman College, and is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Executive Coaching Institute.

When not planning his next adventure, you will likely find him exploring the peaks and valleys in the Pacific Northwest or Northern Italy with his wife Linda and scruffy dog Chewbacca.