June 10, 2021
Chris O'Rourke [in], a globally recognized COO who runs the NYC Chapter of the Chief Operating Officer Business Forum, recently spoke to the Washington Network Group on the topic "Is Your Business Healthy? Time for a Rethink." This WNG Chairman's Forum was co-hosted by the WNG Entrepreneur Roundtable. His presentation was excellent - Contact the WNG Office if you would like to receive a link to the event recording.
Steven Shivak [in] is now Executive Director at the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE). Previously, he was Director of Membership at the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Steve also earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification in February. Congratulations.
Lizabeth Wesely-Casella [in], Founder and CEO of L-12 Services, recently spoke on the topic of "How To Build Effective (and Happy!) Teams" on the "Access to Anyone with Michael Roderick" podcast. Lizabeth shares her story, and then reveals the real reasons teams fall apart and what you can to do stop it from happening. Additionally, she discusses how to attract high-caliber talent and explores how you can start building environments that promote trust, creativity, and clear expectations.
David Ris [in], Principal at the The McCormick Group is pleased to have assisted in the placement of Sohini Gupta as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Global Medical Response. The McCormick Group is a Forbes-ranked executive search consulting firm. Based in the Washington DC metro area, the firm provides executive search and consulting services for a broad range of companies and across all functional disciplines.
Shaara Roman [in], Managing Partner of The Silverene Group LLC, is now also an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies where she will teach HR and DEI courses.
Kathy Cottman [in] is now Director, Enterprise Client Success at iES MACH, a real-time utilities management platform that helps commercial real estate owners and managers proactively manage their energy consumption. Previously, she was Client Success Director, Mid-Atlantic at Paychex.
Richard Marker [in], Founder & Co-Principal of the Institute for Wise Philanthropy, has a new blog post "Voluntarism, Professionalism, Careers - Complicated Challenges for Thoughtful Philanthropy," which is published both on LinkedIn and as WisePhilanthropy.Institute blog #406.
Rich Garcia [in] is now Website Editor at the American Society for Microbiology. Previously, Rich was Website & Digital Content Manager at Burke and Herbert Bank, and also has redesigned other sites on a freelance basis. Congratulations!
Garth Van Meter [in] is now a Principal at Cerulean Policy Group where he offers strategic coaching and develops educational products for state & local governments, non-profits, and other entities to guide them through the maze of Washington, D.C. Previously, he was in the Chief of Staff's office in the Economic Development Administration (EDA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann [in] has started a nonprofit named R.O.S.E.S (Rising Opportunities through Science, Education and Service), whose mission is to provide scholarships and counseling in the mental health space. Jaya writes: "Our global environment is causing unprecedented challenges for all of us - we feel unsafe in the present and worried about the future because of COVID-19, an economic slowdown, virus-induced isolation, job disruptions, racial tensions, political unrest and ill health. Solutions are needed urgently for the eight million Americans – and their global counterparts – with psychological distress due to these conditions, who are unable to get help because of lack of insurance, money, availability of qualified therapists or the stigma of mental illness." ROSES is designed to alleviate these problems. ROSES is a 501c3 (status pending) and seeking Board-level volunteers to lead and support legal, compliance and accounting and academic roles. The organization is bound to grow quickly, as its services are in high demand and its leadership is solid. If you have expertise in these areas and have 5-10 hours a month to give us, you will be simultaneously contributing to a critically important cause, boosting your resume and your professional brands. Contact Jaya via email for more details.
Alison Clark [in] is now Senior Director, Brand Transformation at USO where she leads an enterprise-wide brand transformation effort to ensure the organization is strongly positioned to continue fulfilling its mission of strengthening America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. Previously, she was Senior Director, Global Brand Management, Marriott Hotels & Resorts at Marriott International. Congratulations!
Michael Seo [in], Founder and Director of ReaMedica Health, Kenya, was recently interviewed by AsiaGlobal Podcasts on the topic "Lessons from Women-Led Healthcare Innovation in Africa," which is the theme of an article he wrote in February 2021 - Read the full article here. Additionally, Michael is a member of the WNG International Council.
Marcelle Yeager [in], president and co-owner of Career Valet, recently added two new writers to their team and Ann Tropea was promoted to the role of senior writer. Robyn Kriel is a freelance broadcast news correspondent, most recently working for CNN International as anchor and correspondent. Robyn joined CNN in 2015 as their East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya. Alison Griffith has worked for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Senate, nonprofit, and university sectors in the U.S. and overseas. She currently advises students and alumni from the University of Kentucky on professional development, skills growth, and exploration of career paths. Read Career Valet's team bios.
Aimee Stern [in], president of Brave Now PR, is rebuilding business lost during Covid and just got a new client who will revolutionize blockchain in the travel industry. My piece of advice is if you are looking for new work just ask people. You will be pleasantly surprised by those who help you and many of us are in industries that complement each other. I also now have a content business at bravenowcontent.com showcasing my articles, speeches, PR writing and Op-ed pieces I've done for clients. My placement rate for these is very high because I work closely with editors to make sure they get what they want. It also helps that I've written for the NY Times, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal Adweek and many others. Very happy to be a part of WNG.
James Stockmal [in], owner of SK Partners, was recently published in the International Affairs Forum with his article titled "From the Code of Hammurabi to a Revised Rules-Based World Order" (see page 47); James is a Board Member at the Center for International Affairs. Additionally, he is teaching a "Mastering Agile Organization Design for the Public Sector" course from May 24th to 28th, which is offered by The Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL), part of the College of Professional Studies at The George Washington University; James is Past President of the Association for Strategic Planning, as well.
Guc Ozenci [in] is now a Venture Partner at the Founder Institute, which is the world's premier pre-seed startup accelerator, offering a unique program that helps founders and companies get traction and funding at the pre-seed stage. Previously, Guc was Co-Founder and Products & Clients Director of Peoplise, which was acquired in 2020. Peoplise is a SaaS cloud technology startup that Guc managed from ideation to development and launch, raising two rounds of VC investments (500Startups and Revo Capital), and then led to exit via acquisition. Congratulations!
Amy Schoen [in] of www.motivatedtomarry.com, a certified professional life and relationship coach has updated her book on Amazon, Get It Right This Time- How to Find and Keep Your Ideal Partner, and has made it to the "Hot New Release" list. It is also available on Kindle. Learn what it takes to meet that special person and recognize it very quickly that will lead to long lasting love.
Christy Walika [in] is now Executive Director of the Arlington Sister City Association. Looks like a great fit given Christine's experience in providing consulting services to nonprofit and trade association clients on strategic planning, membership growth, non-due income strategies, internal and external communications, products and services and strategic partnerships. Previously, she was Vice President for Strategy & Communications at Association Management Strategies. Christy has recently joined our WNG Nonprofit Leadership Forum's steering committee. Congratulations!
Jenny Zales [in] is now the State Associations Relations Manager at American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) based in Park Ridge, Illinois. Previously, she served as Associate of Advocacy and Practice Affairs at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association (ASDSA) where she tracked, analyzed and monitored state and federal legislation and regulations on health policy and other issues. Congratulations!
Kate Neville [in], Founder & CEO of Neville Consulting Services, LLC, has co-founded with Larry Naylor a group, Inclusive Leadership Strategies, to work on diversity, equity and inclusion issues specifically. The Washington Network Group is excited to host a WNG Chairman's Forum with Kate and Larry on April 7 to explore the topic "What Does Inclusive Leadership Look Like?" Additionally, Kate is a member of our WNG Women's Leadership Forum leadership committee.
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