Consultants

Mark Abrahams brings more than 25 years of C-level finance and operations experience across both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. His professional background includes senior finance and CFO roles at Credit Suisse, the ASPCA, and FJC—A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. His nonprofit board service has included leadership roles as Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, and Audit Committee Chair for organizations including the Taproot Foundation and the Credit Suisse Foundation. He has also served as a Trustee of the American Theatre Wing and as a Tony Awards voter.

Mark holds an MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a BS in Finance and Management Information Systems from Boston University, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Brian C. Bitto is a retired senior executive with 39 years of experience in intelligence operations, including 14 years as a senior leader at the National Security Agency (NSA). Brian has held various positions as Operations Director Technical and Office Chief across several organizations. A U.S. Air Force veteran (1979–1987), he earned six Air Medals for his service.

Brian is a dedicated supporter of American veterans and the LGBTQ+ community. He has been recognized with awards such as “Mentor of the Year” and “Career Advocate of the Year” for his leadership and guidance. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College.

Perry Borman – Perry has 30+ years of experience across the non-profit, state government, corporate, and consulting sectors with a focus on improving operational effectiveness and efficiency. Since 2020, he has been responsible for business development at Webauthor, a software technology firm in South Florida. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Early Learning Coalition in Broward County, the Founding CEO of the Palm Beach County Food Bank, and the Regional Managing Director for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Perry’s private sector experience includes work with the Human Capital Consulting Division, Spherion Corporation, and Office Depot.

Perry earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Rhetoric and Communication Studies from the University of Virginia.

Paula Bosler has spent her career working in Corporate Communications, including 30 years with FedEx in various roles.

She began her career at the FedEx World Headquarters in Memphis on a team that launched one of the nation’s first corporate satellite broadcast networks. She then helped launch communications for the FedEx Latin America division in Miami, Florida, and created its first multi-lingual Employee Communications program.

Other roles included leading communications at the FedEx National Hub in Indianapolis and working in public relations and crisis communications. Paula currently works as a consultant assisting clients in media, storytelling, social and crisis communications support.

Paula is a graduate of the University of Florida and a proud Gator and Miami Dolphins fan.

Peter Burghardt is a senior IT executive with over 30 years of experience leading large-scale technology operations, data center and cloud transformation, and enterprise IT strategy across global organizations. Most recently, Peter served as Senior Director of IT at Baxter International, where he was responsible for the architecture and engineering of the company’s global data center and cloud platforms. Prior to that, he held several senior leadership roles at American International Group (AIG), including Chief Operating Officer of AIG Technologies and Senior Vice President of Operations. He currently serves as a part-time Managing Director at Windsor Group, advising clients on IT transformation, operational strategy, and managed services.

Peter holds an MBA in Operations Research and MIS from the University of Pittsburgh and a BS in Economics from George Mason University.

Shaun Considine comes to ESCFL as a long-time commercial and private banker. She is committed to working in the nonprofit sector and has experience in collaborating and consulting with boards of directors, executives, faculty members, community leaders, cross-functional teams, and colleagues through the processes of change management, institutionalisation, governance, and best practice.

Shaun has travelled extensively and spent a decade living and working in central London. She was a finance career advisor and employer relations specialist at London Business School. In Chicago, Shaun served as Director of Development at Chicago Scholars, Senior Consultant and Project Manager at Civic Consulting Alliance, and Senior Grant Manager at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.

Shaun, a coach at heart, holds current coaching certifications in Gallup StrengthFinder, pickleball, and platform tennis, as well as a previous tennis coaching certification from the Lawn Tennis Association in England.

Shaun holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BSC from Santa Clara University in Northern California, where she was a scholarship player on the Division I women’s tennis team.

Daniel Couture brings 30+ years of senior management experience in Information and Technology. Most recently, Daniel was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for UNICEF in New York City. Prior to his time at UNICEF, Daniel worked with Zoetis, a global animal health company, and spent 20 years with Pfizer in New York, Japan, and Canada, respectively. Daniel has an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the Université de Montréal.

Frank P. Cupido joined Executive Service Corps- Florida after a near 40-year career in the telecommunications industry. Frank began his career with Northern Telecom where he led the financial support for Northern Telecom’s Japan subsidiary and helped secure a $500 million contract with the national Japanese telecom carrier, NTT. Frank was based in Tokyo for two years where he supported Northern Telecom’s other Asian markets in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing. Frank held finance and business development roles with Hughes Network Systems where he built relationships with Asian wireless telecom carriers in the Philippines, China and with a startup carrier based in western Ukraine. After Hughes, Frank joined Bechtel Telecommunications where, as the account director for the AT&T Wireless account, he helped build it into one of Bechtel’s largest customers.

Frank has greatly enjoyed his experience working with nonprofits. While based in Nashville, Frank was the Treasurer for the St. Bernard’s School for Exceptional Children. Frank is on the Board of Speak Up for Kids in West Palm Beach, which supports Florida’s Guardian Ad Litem program. He looks forward to applying his experience in financial management, marketing, Project management, and training to ESC-FL’s clients.

Frank attended Culver Military Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He resides with his wife Nancy in Boca Raton.

Elenor Denker brings 35+ years of expertise in Human Resources and Operations to ESC-FL. Her diverse background includes executive-level tenures at Harman Consumer Group, NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal, and Accion, where she was Vice President of Human Resources and Administration. Ms. Denker also served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Queens College, among others.

Ms. Denker has a Bachelor’s from Tufts University, a Master’s Degree from Bank Street College of Education, and a Ph.D. in Education Psychology from City University of New York. She also has a Certificate in Not-For-Profit Management from Columbia Business School.

Madeline Park Dirgins spent a career in advertising within the holding company WPP. She was the Global COO of the WPP Open X team responsible for the global marketing/advertising for The Coca-Cola Company. Throughout her 34-year career, she held leadership and executive positions in client management, HR, and operations, with her Lean Six Sigma expertise specializing in process improvement and problem resolution. Past work experience includes COO with WPP team Red Fuse responsible for the global marketing/advertising for Colgate Palmolive and other various roles within the Young & Rubicam Group that led her from positions in Account Management to being the Chief of Talent & Operations.

Madeline holds a bachelor’s degree in Art from the University of Vermont and is currently located in Delray Beach, FL.

David Fertig‘s areas of expertise are information technology, e-commerce, and healthcare supply-chain management. His experience includes product development, including software and solutions. 

As VP of Systems House/Aptean (TSH), where he worked for almost 30 years, he played a key role in the organization’s sales and marketing initiatives.At TSH, he implemented and extended new quality assurance programs and held a broad range of technical positions including building the TSH Software Strategic Vision, Their MDS-Nx Software was responsible for over one billion dollars in transactions within the global healthcare supply chain. 

David holds a BS in MIS from The Sy Syms School of Business and is a Microsoft Certified Professional. He currently resides in Miami Beach, FL.

Hanna Fink is a results/team-oriented executive with extensive nonprofit sector experience in problem-solving and leading and managing people, programs, and facilities in highly complex and diversified organizations. Ms. Fink has spent the past 25 years working in the South Florida community for a national health and social service organization. Having invigorated the volunteer base, she orchestrated one of the largest walk-a-thons in the U.S. along with being responsible for planned giving, major gifts, and numerous special events,. Ms Fink’s ability to lead and manage while developing relationships with key stakeholders in the community has been critical to her success.

Previously Ms. Fink was the Executive in a multi disciplined full service Community Center serving 7,500 individuals and a local development corporation in an historic neighborhood. She recently completed a comprehensive course through the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA) earning the designation of Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®, The SCSA is an international organization that has trained more than 30,000 professionals to meet the changing needs of a growing senior population. Currently involved in the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, serving as an advocate for seniors and populations who are unable to advocate for themselves.

M.S.W. Wurzweiler School of Social Work-Yeshiva University, New York, and an M.B.A. from Pace University, New York.

Richard Gornitsky is a seasoned Enterprise Architecture executive with over 40 years of experience driving large-scale technology transformation, digital modernization, and strategic IT delivery across financial services, insurance, and consulting industries. He has led architecture organizations at companies including CNO Financial Group, Accenture, IBM, and UBS, managing portfolios exceeding $100 million and optimizing complex environments spanning cloud, AI, DevOps, and mainframe systems. A recognized thought leader and certified Distinguished Chief Architect, Richard has contributed to global industry standards through the Open Group.  He is committed to aligning architecture with business value, enhancing stakeholder satisfaction, and mentoring the next generation of IT leaders.

Richard holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Information Science from McGill University and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.

Barbara Gray has over 25 years of senior management experience in healthcare at the local, regional, and national levels. Her work has included operations management, organization development, and start-up/turnaround success. She has served as Senior VP at Caring Foundations, VP of Hospice Operations for Vitas Healthcare, and COO of Dimension Health, among other companies.

Barbara has steered organizations to be responsive to community needs. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to deliver outcomes that include high customer and employee satisfaction, improved revenue, increased operational and administrative effectiveness, enhanced compliance with regulations, and strict adherence to sound and ethical business practices. Working with both for-profits and nonprofit organizations, Ms. Gray has built cohesive, productive teams by reinforcing corporate values and standards, establishing goals, and implementing plans to reach them.

Barbara’s consulting practice has focused on strategic planning, compliance program assessment, operations review and improvement, and pre-merger due diligence/post-transaction integration.

Ms. Gray obtained her BA from the University of Florida, an MA in College Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Compliance from George Washington University.

Michelle Haynes is a Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-CP) and Project Management Professional (PMP) who brings a wealth of expertise in leading projects and programs, driving organizational change, and enhancing employee engagement. Michelle’s experience includes strategic operations consulting specializing in process automation and productivity enhancements.

Ms. Haynes holds an MS in Non-profit/Public/Organizational Management from the University of Central Florida and a BA in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University.

Melanie Hillenbrand has a passion for helping organizations build the capacity of leaders to drive success. She brings strong skills in Leadership Development, Succession Planning, Talent Acquisition, Executive Coaching, Team Building, Organization Development, and Career Development. Before leading her own consulting firm focused on executive development, Melanie held senior-level leadership and organizational development positions at Mercer HR, one of the world’s premier HR consulting firms; KPMG, one of the Big Four Accounting Firms; and Bellevue Hospital, the oldest and largest public hospital in the country. She also served at CNA Insurance and with the BlueCross/Blue Shield Association. In addition, Melanie has received recognition for two major innovative initiatives judged as “best-in-class.” The first was the development of a Business School for over 600 partners and managers to help them develop leading-edge skills in consulting to their Health and Life Science business sector. The other was the creation of a Global Career Development program for the 15,000 consultants of an international HR consulting firm.

Melanie has a strong track record of building teams that get results, notably successfully managing a national interdisciplinary team of over 100 professionals tasked with realigning a 12,000 person organization. Melanie has particular expertise in functional start-ups and turnarounds, in one case enhancing employee satisfaction by over 200% while increasing product offerings and reducing costs by over 30%. She has also been a pioneer and facilitator of 360-degree feedback systems and assessment tools such as MBTI, DISc and several other well-known tools. Ms. Hillenbrand obtained a BA from Boston University and an MBA from DePaul University.

Tom Hurwich worked more than 33 years in finance at Abbott and AbbVie, and was named as AbbVie’s first Vice President and Corporate Controller. In that role he established AbbVie’s external accounting and reporting, internal control and financial planning functions as well the global customs area. His oversight of the financial planning function included short term and long range financial planning as well as the financial analysis, due diligence and integration of several acquisitions. He was key member of the team that led the financial separation of AbbVie from Abbott including implementation of the SAP Enterprise system and establishment of accounting transactional shared service centers.

Prior to AbbVie, Tom spent over 29 years at Abbott in various financial management positions. He led the audit organization that included Financial, Information Technology and Sales/Marketing Compliance audit functions. Before that, Tom was the Division Vice President, Diagnostics Division; a global division operating in over 60 countries. Tom managed the global finance function for the Diagnostics Division which included financial planning and reporting. While there, as part of the senior management team for the Division, his duties included developing and implementing a strategic plan that significantly improved the profitability and cash flow of the Diagnostics Division.

Tom has also been committed to aiding the Chicagoland community through volunteering and serving on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations. He served on the Board of Directors of Chicago Cares for over six years and served as the Board President for three years. He helped develop and implement a new strategic plan for the organization which expanded focus on underserved communities in Chicago. He also served on Finance and Programs Committee of the organization. Tom is currently on the Board of Directors for the Clara Abbott Foundation. He also served on the Board of Directors of The Boulevard, a homeless respite center in Chicago  (formerly named Interfaith House) in Chicago for 10 years.

Tom graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Accounting and obtained his MBA from Northwestern (Kellogg School) in Finance.

Mary Beth Koenig is an attorney who, most recently, served as Chief Legal Counsel at ECN Capital Corp. Prior to ECN, Mary Beth had long tenures with both the Lennar Corporation in Miami, as General Counsel with Lotus Innovation and Technology and with Lehigh Hanson, Inc. Her professional expertise includes commercial litigation, environmental, governance, DOL, OSHA, product liability, M&A, contracts, deals, and transactions. Mary Beth has a Bachelor’s degree from Point Park University and studied International Law and Legal Studies at Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University. She currently resides in Weston.

Nancy Krauss is a talent management and learning professional with experience in leadership development, learning strategy, facilitation, and engagement across multiple industries. Nancy has extensive experience as a performance consultant in both the public and private sectors. Before beginning consulting work, Nancy had a 40-year professional career that included five years as the Training and Performance Manager, Southeast Region for the University of Miami National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service. 

Nancy is a graduate of the University of Miami with an MS in Education, Instructional Technology. She also holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Erika Mansson brings 15+ years of expertise in Human Resources to global companies across the Finance, Tech, Healthcare, Retail, and Energy sectors. Her expertise includes leading the creation and execution of HR strategies across talent management, compensation and benefits, employee experience, HR technology, and administration.

Erika holds a Bachelor of Science from Yale University, is an avid tennis and mahjong player, and resides in West Palm Beach, FL.

Lucas Martinez is the founder of Power Inside Out, a consulting firm dedicated to accelerating growth for organizations through dynamic sales strategies, empowered leadership, and innovative marketing solutions. With over 30 years of corporate experience at industry giants like Monsanto, Intel, Microsoft, and Amazon, he has honed his expertise in sales leadership across the Americas. A certified coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation, Lucas is passionate about fostering organizational health and maximizing individual potential. His diverse background spans multiple cultures, enhancing his approach to leadership development. Based in Miami, Florida, he is committed to helping businesses thrive by leveraging technology and innovation.

Christine McCauley has over 25 years of experience in financial services, investment management, and entrepreneurial ventures. She co-founded Enterprise Selling Solutions, LLC, which she developed as a software-as-a-service platform tailored for the HVAC industry. Previously, she held leadership roles at ING Investment Management and the State of Connecticut Pension Fund, where she specialized in institutional marketing and investment operations. 

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Christine is dedicated to philanthropy, actively volunteering for local nonprofits and serving in leadership roles. Ms. McCauley holds an MBA in Finance from Northeastern University and a BSBA in Finance from Bryant University.

Ms. Radhika Narain is an international taxation and governance expert with global experience and deep knowledge of the complexities of working across international jurisdictions. She served as Director, International Tax at KPMG in Orlando, FL, and as VP, International Tax at News Corps in New York. Radhika has worked in roles across larger companies to provide strategic development and taxation advice to multinational companies. Including providing education and guidance to senior leadership.

Radhika is especially passionate about working with children; in 2012, she founded A Childhood for Children, a nonprofit supporting over 3,000 underserved children in the US and internationally. She has a BS in Accounting, an MS in Taxation, and an MBA, all from the University of Central Florida.

Lisa Nardo is an internationally experienced technology executive focused on innovative and strategic IT implementations. Ms. Nardo served as the Director of Watson Health Services at IBM, where she was the executive responsible for delivering IBM’s first deployments of Watson artificial intelligence technologies globally with focus on the HealthCare and Life Science industry. Lisa later served as VP of Watson Health’s Implementations and Commercial Operations.

Her experience includes organically growing successful technology businesses and scalable technology implementations and leading transformational initiatives such as portfolio optimization, business turnaround, acquisition integration, and process and operating model improvements. Lisa’s passionate about focusing organizations on customers, with a demonstrated ability to build high-performing, accountable teams.

Ms. Nardo has a BA in Computer Science from Rutgers University

Diane L. Nickolson – Diane brings over 35 years of experience and expertise with nonprofit and proprietary organizations to her role as an ESC-FL consultant, with a strong focus on strategic planning, board governance, financial management, and operational efficiency. Diane’s career spans leadership positions with various international organizations, including a decade as the Executive Director of the International Society of Travel Medicine and ISTM Foundation, 14 years with the American Bar Association, and, most recently, 4 years as the part-time Executive Director of the Society of Medical Decision Making, Inc.

Diane holds a degree in Psychology and Sociology from Aurora College. She maintains professional affiliations with the American Society of Association Executives (Past International Section Council Member) and as Treasurer and Board Member of the Clow Foundation. Diane currently resides in Palm Coast, Florida.

Kathy Octavio is an experienced, multi-faceted CIO and executive manager with over 35 years experience in the oil and gas industry. She was a founding partner and CIO of a successful oil and gas start-up company after holding senior executive positions in different vertically integrated business units and then in corporate headquarters in a major international oil and gas company. She started her career in its Research and Technical Development affiliate.She has proven success in IT, strategic planning, management and governance, business process analysis and alignment, outsourcing relation design and assuring IT service levels. She also has the ability to provide strategic direction and guidelines, leveraging IT so it becomes a fully client-oriented function contributing to meeting the organization’s strategic goals.

Ms. Octavio is bilingual (English and Spanish). She holds a PhD in Environmental Systems and a MSc in Civil Engineering from M.I.T. and a BA in Physics from Clark University.

Patrick Randrianarison served as the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, Vehicle Group– Eaton Corporation and, before that, as President of the Vehicle Group, EMEA region. Mr. Randrianarison has held numerous leadership positions including General Manager, Light and Medium Duty Transmission Division in Brazil, Director of Quality, Operational Excellence and Operations, Heavy Duty Transmission Division, and Plant Manager in Saint-Nazaire, France, and San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Patrick holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ecole Centrale Nantes in France, and a master’s degree in business administration from the Institut Francais de Gestion Universite Nantes in France.

Bruce Rasey recently retired and relocated to South Florida after 42 years working in a variety of roles in the human service field. His work includes 35 years in senior and executive positions in both nonprofit and government organizations. Bruce held the role of Executive Director for three different non-profit human service organizations in the Chicago area.

During his tenure in nonprofit management, Bruce oversaw a diverse array of human service programs designed for children, youth and adults. In addition to leading organizations, he has served as adjunct faculty with three universities in northern Illinois. Bruce holds a Master’s degree in Community Mental Health from Northern Illinois university and a certificate in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bindu Rammohan is a founding ESC-FL Consultant with several years of experience in Marketing and Operations. She started her career as a market researcher and held roles of increasing responsibility in Marketing, Product Management, Operations and Strategy in various industries including consumer products, telecommunications, publishing and insurance. A results-driven executive, Bindu has worked as a liaison across various business units managing multi million dollar technology initiatives. Her expertise includes working with shared resources, problem solving, streamlining processes and program management. She has a track record for formulating successful strategies, building virtual and productive teams, leading change initiatives, using creativity to maximize resources and impact and building relationships across functional and business entities.

Since moving to South Florida, she has been a consultant and has completed assignments for the healthcare industry, professional associations and nonprofit organizations. She is involved with both the Women’s Fund and the United Way chapter of Miami-Dade. Bindu holds undergrad and graduate degrees from the University of Delhi, India. She is a former member of the South Florida Chapter of the Project Management Institute.

Art Rosenberg began his career with PepsiCo in 1984, after spending 2 years at Procter & Gamble. Art moved quickly through Sales and Bottler Management roles, including National Account Sales Manager for Foodservice. Mr. Rosenberg served in several capacities over the course of his career at PepsiCo including Business Development Manager for the largest of the Company’s 9 Business Units, Senior Director, Foodservice Strategy and Brand Development, and VP Industry and Customer Development.

Since retiring, Art has focused on giving back, with underserved youth and other non-profits. Recently, he was named to the Board of Directors at Junior Achievement of South Florida and is quite involved as a volunteer with Sylvester Cancer Center.

David J. Satler is an accomplished Executive Leadership Coach and Trusted Advisor with extensive experience at Barclays Wealth, UBS, Prudential Securities, and Korn Ferry. He empowers C-suite executives and emerging talent through innovative programs that enhance branding, digital presence, and strategic networking. Known for his ability to unite teams around a shared vision, David excels at identifying growth opportunities and executing complex projects while maintaining the highest ethical standards. His deep business understanding, warmth, and strategic insight make him a trusted advisor and a catalyst for positive change and innovation. David has extensive Board and Committee experience at Korn Ferry, UBS, and Prudential Securities, having served in leadership capacities across 10+ mission-critical Committees and Boards.

David has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley University and resides in Delray Beach, FL.

Linda Silverstein joins ESC-FL after 30+ years of marketing, communications, and outreach experience in both the private and public sectors. Currently, Linda is the Senior Partnership Strategist for iQ Solutions, a diverse company driven to improve health equity and quality of life through strategic communications and technology. Prior to her time at iQ,  Linda worked for Concord Direct, the Lupus Foundation of America, and MMG, Inc. – among others.

Linda has a Master’s in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science in Family and Community Development with a Concentration in Spanish from the University of Maryland, College Park.  She is a former Board Member of Project Change and the Founder of Adventures in Dining, a group that organizes gourmet suppers combined with experiences that nourish the mind, body, and spirit.

Eric Soh served as Vice President and Head of Enterprise Document Management and Items Processing divisions at PenFed, where he developed a reliable and scalable operating environment to enhance member experience, enable speed to market, drive operating efficiency, and manage risk by unifying People, Process, and Technology.

Prior to PenFed, Eric served as the Head of Member Operational Communications for USAA and served as a member of the executive leadership team and Head of Business Management for TIAA Direct. He has also served as Portfolio Director for several large-scale mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Soh holds a CBA from Furman University and an MS in Accounting & Information Systems from Queens College. Mr. Soh is also a member of the Advisory Audit Committee Board for the City of Lauderdale.

Julie Staub, Senior Consultant, is a former EVP & CHRO with over twenty years of experience leading the HR function in large, complex organizations, where she gained extensive experience in influencing culture, human performance, and organizational development in the healthcare and service industries. Ms. Staub has served as Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Jackson Health System and as Vice President for Human Resources at AutoNation. Julie is an Experienced executive coach, and her areas of expertise include vision, strategy, communication, leading change/transformation, operational execution, and accountability. She has a BS from Florida State University and Executive Education in the Business of Human Resources from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Ken Stenicky has a diverse background in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. His financial services experience includes serving as SVP at Chase Merchant Services, VP at Visa, and VP at NaBANCO. During his tenure at Visa, he oversaw new market development, including federal, state, and local governments. Ken led the team that ensured member banks had the unique products needed to meet Smart Pay Program requirements, a process that required coordination with all federal agencies. All of these positions required strong project management skills.

Ken’s nonprofit experience is extensive and includes operating M25, a Miami Beach nonprofit serving food-insecure individuals for over 20 years. Ken has served as board chair of the Miami Beach Service Partnership and Success University, assisting at-risk children and families. Ken has also volunteered with Florida Head Start, Guardian Ad Litem, Big Brothers, Family Court Services, and the Miami Children’s Museum. Ken has a bachelor’sdegree in finance and economics from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Sami Syed has served in an executive leadership capacity as Vice President and General Manager for companies such as Alcatel USA, America Online, and CenturyLink/Qwest Communications, among others. His experience includes product development, product management, strategic planning, new business development, operations, and finance. In addition, Mr. Syed was awarded 6 US Patents for Network Restoration Methods, Broadband Intelligence, distributed processing techniques, Network Applications, and VoIP.

Sami obtained a B.S. Degree in Physics and Mathematics and also has an M.S. in Physics and Electronics.

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Howard Rothchild is a marketing/advertising executive with over 44 years of successful advertising agency experiences, with active participation in top agency management and account supervision, and direct responsibilities in the specific disciplines of marketing, advertising, public relations and sales promotion.Mr. Rothchild served two years in the US Army as a primary instructor in psychological warfare. He then became a major part of the “Mad Men” advertising world, working at the partnership and above levels, with agencies in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Miami. His personal marketing/advertising client collaborations included one of the country’s largest cellular retail chains (Let’s Talk Cellular – 241 stores); a large national retail chain(Sears); France’s largest toy manufacturer (Majorette); the 36th President of the United States (Jimmy Carter). His clients also included the State of Georgia Departments of Tourism and Commerce and Mako Marine, the industry originator of offshore fishing boats. He has done PR work for the U.S. Maritime Association and marketing for the No. 1 world tennis player at the time (Ivan Lendl)

In addition, he served as an adjunct instructor in Marketing and Advertising for potential young ad executives at the School of Business at the Universities of Pittsburgh, Georgia State, Florida International and Phoenix. Along the way, he co-founded the Big Brothers chapter and Rolling Hills Country Club in Pittsburgh and the Florida Advertising Golf Association in Miami. Presently, as a volunteer with the National Executive Service Corps – South Florida, he is helping nonprofits to re-energize their agency’s workings and providing them with fresh insight drawn from his long career.

Graduate: University of Vermont (B.S.) and the University of Pittsburgh (M. Lit).

Amelia Waters is currently a Managing Partner with EDSO Edge. She has a track record of simplifying and scaling systems and processes, leading change to deliver operational excellence and organizational alignment. Amelia is passionate about developing leaders and high-performing teams through coaching and mentorship.

Amelia’s professional experience includes tenures with Nice Healthcare, American Health Associates, Magic Leap, and 10 years with Kaplan, Inc. as the Executive Director of Business Strategy & Leadership Innovation.

Ms. Waters is a graduate of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia, where she earned her Master’s of Business Administration. She is also a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of 20+ speculative fiction novels (published as Jade Kerrion).

Jan Wieczerzak spent 22 years in product management leadership driving digital solutions to solve market-based problems in entertainment, communications, and FinTech. He has served as VP of Product Management for Worldgate Communications and Director of Product and Program Management for Comcast Corporation.

Mr. Wieczerzak has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA.

Helen Zak brings over four decades of executive leadership experience across healthcare, nonprofit, publishing, capital equipment, and automotive sectors. Her experience includes serving as President and COO at Value Capture and Catalysis, where she led national and international initiatives to advance Lean thinking in healthcare. Earlier, she served as COO of the Lean Enterprise Institute, working alongside Lean pioneer Jim Womack to expand Lean principles globally. Helen has been a key contributor to the Shingo Institute for over 20 years, serving as a Shingo Examiner, Board Member, and currently as Research Director. Helen was inducted into the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Shingo Institute Academy in 2025, recognizing her lifelong commitment to developing leaders and building cultures of continuous improvement. 

Helen also teaches at Utah State University’s Huntsman School of Business, serves on the faculty of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and coaches in the Master of Business Operational Excellence Program at The Ohio State University. BS from Marquette University; MS in Operations Management from Kettering University.