TRAINING ASSOCIATES

Crystell Anthony, Principal and founder of The Focus Group, designs and delivers training programs in the public and private sector for executive, managerial, and administrative professionals. She has 20 years of consulting experience working with over 200 organizations. Crystell has designed and implemented over 45 currently used programs focused on enhancing organizational and individual effectiveness. Her training programs contain "best practices" which have been synthesized and simplified for easy on-the-job application. One of the core competencies that supports all of her professional development and leadership training is the understanding and application of Emotional Intelligence. Her team building and professional development series have  been permanently installed in organizations and consistently receive superior evaluations and results. Crystell is known for her creativity, energy and ability to facilitate training programs that motivate individual performers to higher levels of productivity and job satisfaction. Crystell holds an M.Ed., CAGS from Northeastern University, is a certified State Trainer for Massachusetts, Certified in Myers Briggs and has served as a training consultant and instructor for Boston University's Corporate Training Department since 1992.

Leslie Bestick, the creator of Practical Pathways, LLC, provides consultant services in the areas of research, grant writing, and program development, implementation and evaluation. Leslie holds both a BS in Journalism and a Masters of Education in Instructional Design. This education, combined with nearly 30 years of state service, position Leslie to assist you with the design, development, implementation and evaluation of your agency's training. When employed by the MA Criminal Justice Training Council, (now the Municipal Police Training Committee) Leslie was responsible for training more than 300 municipal police academy instructors throughout the Commonwealth to impart a new 800-hour police academy curriculum. She developed and implemented the agency's first formal instructor evaluation process and trained evaluators to implement this protocol statewide. While Leslie was Training Director at the MA Parole Board for 10 years, she radically improved that agency's training program by increasing both their cadre of in-house instructors and their in-house written training curriculum. Recent consultant services provided to the MA Registry of Motor Vehicles, (RMV), resulted in more than $1.2 million in federal grant awards and a Special Recognition award from the Pioneer Institute for research and writing regarding the social and financial costs of license fraud. Other research and evaluation efforts led to the incorporation of document authentication technology into RMV business practice. Work on this project resulted in equipment and system procurement, as well as state and federal funding to implement this technology and training at the RMV.

Michael S. Bickford, Ph.D has more than 20 years of leadership in the private and nonprofit fields and has served on boards of a variety of organizations. He is the founder and Principal of the St. Aidan's Institute, which offers programs in nonprofit leadership in an online environment. His areas of expertise include leadership development, nonprofit management, change management, visioning, leadership lessons from personality theory (both Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram), curriculum development, pedagogical issues related to online education, and Emotional Intelligence. He uniquely combines theoretical concepts and practical applications to foster long-term leadership growth. Each training program ends with the creation of specific action plans to implement key concepts. He also works to emphasize the individual growth component of the organizational change process. Dr. Bickford holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University in New York and is the author of, Everyone Dies, But Not Everyone Lives: Developing A Personal Rule for Life.

Edward Anthony Colozzi, Ed.D. the Principal of Career Development and Counseling Services, is a national consultant for career development projects, state standards, and global conferences. He provides comprehensive career/life counseling for individuals, groups, and corporate training activities to a wide variety of clients. Dr. Colozzi is the developer of DOVE (Depth-Oriented Values Clarification) and career guidance materials for K-12, college students, and adult deciders including Internet-based versions for JA Worldwide. He helps agencies develop cost-effective systematic career guidance programs, provides stress and time management workshops, and serves as a motivational speaker for various functions. Ed has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels including in-service training for K-12 staff and has served as a coordinator of career development at the college level. He pioneered the use of computerized career guidance in Hawaii and coined the term "career/life" in the late 1970's throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Rim area to re-frame the idea that career involves multiple life roles, one of which is the paid worker role. He is the author of "Creating Careers with Confidence" presently being published by Prentice Hall, and various articles, book and monograph chapters dealing with career development, callings, and the role of spirituality, meaning and purpose in the career choice process. www.creatingcareerswithconfidence

Star Dargin incorporates over twenty years of proven corporate leadership experience into her highly successful coaching and speaking. Specializing in building authentic leaders strongly aligned to organizational goals, she delivers results with a direct bottom-line approach. Her background has included Director of Engineering, Director of Project Managers, and International Program Manager. In workshops and speaking, she has addressed groups both large and small across the country on multiple leadership topics including project management, team building, and effective communication. Star has been twice nominated for Business Coach of the Year by the International Coaching Federation of New England (ICFNE). She has been an instructor at Boston University since 2000 and is a senior instructor for the Corporate Education Group (CEG). She holds a B.S. in Computer Science, and has a PCC and CPCC coaching certification. She is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), and is affiliated with the Project Management Institute (PMI). Her current focus and project is a soon to be released book, Leading with Gratitude:Taking Action to Engage and Innovate.

Betsy Day is the principal of Special Projects Consulting, LLC, a Learn-at-Work company. For more than 20 years, she has successfully designed and delivered effective leadership, management and professional development training programs. With a focus on Signature Presence Betsy coaches leaders to develop an influential presence and brand. Inspired by creating a dynamic learning experience, Betsy, merges the best techniques of developmental training with in-the-moment coaching elements. She uses a suite of elite communication/behavior assessment tools from the Everything DiSC® collection to enhance awareness of self and others. She works with Casey Hall Training Associates (serving the Commonwealth of MA many agencies), corporate clients such as Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Integrated Human Resources, along with clients through partnerships with North Shore Community College (adjunct corporate trainer), and Cybele a UK company.

Deb Elbaum, MD is an executive coach, consultant, and trainer who works with individuals and teams to help them think more clearly, manage stress more effectively, and achieve their goals through a stepwise process of creating and following actionable plans. Deb's approach uses a unique combination of neuroscience, mindfulness, measurable goal-setting, and other practical tools. A former physician and founder of her own healthcare writing company, Deb now works with non-profit organizations, businesses, healthcare providers, and other professionals to help them understand and shift the mindsets and behaviors necessary for success. Her clients appreciate her positive energy and her ability to carefully listen, quickly reframe, and hone in on what needs to change and how to make change happen.

Casey Hall is the President and Founder of Casey Hall Training Associates. Casey has managed and provided professional development programs to employees and their managers in the public sector for over thirty years; including managing training for the Human Resources Division, the Department of Social Services and the MA Commission for the Blind. The motto "Meeting Your Training Needs" is her mission and she facilitates the consortium with client-driven project coordination services. Consulting with numerous agencies, Casey has had the opportunity to train thousands of adults from a wide range of fields with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, in a variety of topics. Her programs have always been highly evaluated by seminar participants and her work received an excellent rating in an independent impact study conducted by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Casey also received an "Outstanding Performance Award" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Affirmative Market Program, for her services in the field of training and development.

Penny Harrington is a management consultant and trainer with over 20 years' experience in healthcare, financial services, and higher education. Penny is an adjunct faculty member in the Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College. Based on learner assessment and adult learning principles, Penny has designed and facilitated numerous management/leadership development training programs including 360-degree coaching as well as business writing, presentation skills, team building, time management, conflict resolution, harassment prevention, MBTI, and career strategies. Penny is a firm believer in providing coaching and feedback to support the transfer of learning into day-to-day practices to enhance personal and professional effectiveness. Penny has an M.Ed. from Boston College, B.S. from Salem State College, and Certificate in Management from Harvard University Extension School. She is a senior certified professional with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and is a member of the Association of Talent Development (ATD).

Lisa Harrison, MBA is a Diversity and Human Resources Consultant who has been working in the public and private sector as a manager for over 20 years. She develops and delivers in person training as well as virtual trainings, custom eLearning, works with organizations on creating strategic plans, and offers technical assistance on expanding diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The focus of Lisa's work has been on diversity and inclusion and how to make organizations become more inclusive and value the diversity of employees, customers, and students. In 2014 Lisa created "Visible at Last: creating a welcoming environment for transgender employees." Since creating this training Lisa has been the keynote at many conferences and trained countless participants. Lisa also created trainings on, race dialogues, race equity and inclusion, building a neurodiverse workforce, understanding and upholding sexual harassment laws in the workplace, identifying workplace bullying, moving from micro-inequities to micro-affirmations, unconscious bias, bystander awareness, working with generations in the workplace, LGBTQIA terminology in the workplace, diversity in customer service in 2020, management and employee level diversity training. All of the trainings were designed as a tool to use for enhancing workforce development and employee retention. Lisa holds a BA from Simmons University and an MBA from the Simmons School of Management. As a gay Latinx immigrant, Lisa not only has professional experience with delivering diversity training, but also personal experience of how diversity has impacted her life.

Donna Jenson has been an executive coach, trainer and consultant to non-profit organizations, small businesses, and the public sector for over three decades. After building three neighborhood organizations she started a private practice facilitating organizational programs and seminars in staff development and cohesion, visioning and mission definition, strategic planning, team building, management, supervision and coaching, conflict resolution, and collaborations. She has conducted leadership coaching, mentoring and training to both veteran and emerging leader individually and within leadership development programs for a wide variety ofinstitutions and organizations regionally, nationally and internationally. Donna holds a Masters in Organizational and Leadership Development from New York University She has held faculty positions in Human Relations and Counseling at the New York Theological Seminary, and in the Department of Labor and Management at Cornell University.

Gerri King, Ph.D., social psychologist and organizational consultant, works with educational, healthcare, corporate, industrial, non-profit, and governmental clients throughout the US and abroad. Gerri - also a facilitator and keynote speaker - presents at numerous conferences and seminars throughout the year. Dr. King's expertise includes a wide range of topics such as supervisory skills, team building, resolving conflicts and effective communication, motivating workforces, managing change, creating a blame-free and gossip-free workplace, why people avoid success, and the changing role of leadership in the 21st century. Dr. King facilitates staff and executive retreats, departmental and cross-departmental conflict resolution efforts, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning sessions, and mission & vision development. Gerri is a founding partner and President of the consulting and counseling firm Human Dynamics Associates, Inc. of Concord NH. She is the author of The Duh! Book of Management and Supervision: Dispelling Common Leadership Myths.www.gerriking.com will provide more information.

Pamela Kristan has offered seminars and consultations in time management, communication skills, personal organization, project management, and other workplace skills since 1985. She is author of Awakening In Time: Practical Time Management for Those on a Spiritual Path and The Spirit of Getting Organized: 12 Skills to Find Meaning and Power in Your Stuff. She has helped thousands of individuals and organizations find strategies to become effective, engaged, and aware. With a background in administration and classical music, Pam combines the practical and the creative. She has been featured in Prevention magazine, Men's Health, the Boston Sunday Globe, the ADHD Journal, and nationwide broadcast media. She also speaks at conferences and leads retreats. Find out more at www.pamelakristan.com.

Charles McCrea is President and founder of C. McCrea Associates, a management consulting group specializing in leadership development, change management, and team building (developing a sense of community). He has worked with private, non-profit, public sector and educational groups in strengthening leadership, governance, and teamwork such that individuals work together in new ways to achieve goals that had previously been challenging. Charles' professional career encompasses manufacturing and marketing in the private sector, as well as nonprofit, military, and public sector experience.

Abby Myette, M.Ed. is a Senior Learning Specialist with Salem Five Bank.  Her team is responsible for the training and development of all bank employees. Abby spent ten years working in higher education and student development. She received her master's degree in Higher Education Administration at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Abby's work in student affairs has focused on process development, student mentorship, and leadership development. She has facilitated numerous educational retreats and workshops, many with a curriculum focused on values based development. Her many years working with college students built a foundation for her program on working with millenials and supporting a successful multi-generational work environment.  Abby also enjoys working with individuals to develop a personal mission, vision, and goals. She is skilled in Strengths Quest assessment and facilitation. Abby has a passion for talent development and working with individuals to address issues with a creative focus, thinking outside the box to solve problems and develop solutions.

Jim Ognibene, Workshop Leader, Speaker, Educator, Instructional Designer, Facilitator, Career Coach, Retreat Leader, Futurist. Twenty- one years in state government, experience in private sector, non-profit, and education. Most recent: Director of Organizational Development at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.  Bachelor of Science, Marketing, George Mason University, Virginia. Masters of Education, Instructional Design, University of Massachusetts, Boston. Learning and Leadership Conference, Human Capital Institute. Appreciative Inquiry: Social Constructionism Conference, TAOS Institute. Project Management: Skills for Success, Learning Tree. Organizational Design and Analysis, Linkage. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Qualifying Program. Consultraining: Trainer as Internal Consultant, AMA.  He held a seat on the Massachusetts Training Advisory Council, a board envisioning the future of training and development for the 95 state agencies in the Administration and Finance Secretariat. He held membership in the Training Officers Consortium and attendance in "Exploring Leadership in Government" conference.  Jim's specialties: Developing New Leaders, Contemporary Management Practices and The Future of Work.

Deborah Reidy, M.Ed. PCC (SDO) Founder and President of Reidy Associates, a coaching & consulting service founded in 1996. Since 1979, leadership has been Deborah Reidy's passion.  At the age of 24, she was recruited to establish an agency serving people with severe disabilities and she's filled leadership roles ever since.  Along the way, she became committed to developing other leaders through individual & team coaching, workshops, assessments & strategy design, and writing. She holds a M.Ed. in Adult Education, a Certificate in the Foundations of NeuroLeadership and is a Professional Certified Coach. She has coached and led workshops for thousands of leaders in industry, government and nonprofits. Recent clients include the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, the Connecticut Division of Children and Families, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Connecticut Nonprofit Alliance, Airbus Americas, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Republic Services, Department of Defense agencies, and many others. She has been an active member of the Society for Organizational Learning since 2001 and president of the board for many years. In 2012, she published a book on leadership entitled Why Not Lead?, and regularly blogs on leadership topics. She is a lifelong fitness enthusiast and has recently taken up the art of mobile photography.  For more information, check out her website: reidyassociates.org

Lisa Sherrer is a management consultant and trainer providing value-added consultation and training services to numerous public, non-profit, and private sector clients since 1989. She conducts workshops on a variety of staff and management development topics including customer service, written and oral communication skills, supervisory skills including performance management, time management, meeting management skills, business ethics, and other business topics. She works closely with clients to understand their unique issues, identify solutions, and customize training and consultation services that positively impact business operations. She also designs and facilitates creative and results oriented team building programs for staff retreats. Lisa was an adjunct faculty member in Boston College's MBA program and served as the Training Coordinator at Brandeis University where she planned, designed, and facilitated employee training. She consults with organizations to identify targeted solutions and results that enhance productivity and effectiveness. Prior to her career in training and consultation, Lisa was a Certified Internal Auditor and manager in the internal audit field.

Jane Wiseman leads the Institute for Excellence in Government, a non-profit consulting firm dedicated to improving government performance.  She is an Innovations in Government Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.  She has served as an appointed official in government and as a financial advisor and consultant to government.  Her current consulting, research, and writing focus on government innovation and data-driven decision-making.  She helps to manage a national network of urban Chief Data Officers to accelerate the use of analytics in local government.  She has written on customer-centric government, data-driven decision-making in government, pretrial justice, and 311 for a variety of audiences.   Her prior consulting work has included organizational strategy, performance management and eGovernment strategy work for Accenture and Price Waterhouse.  Ms. Wiseman has served as Assistant Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and as Assistant to the Director for Strategic Planning, National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice.  Ms. Wiseman represented the Justice Department on detail as a Staff Assistant for the US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.  Ms. Wiseman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College and a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard KennedySchool. A more detailed bio, along with a full list of publications and presentations can be found here.  

Kristin Perkins and Crystal Silva, co-owners of Thyryv Consulting, Inc., a woman-owned business which is primarily focused on Training and Coaching, professional development, workplace enhancements and curriculum development. Since 2014, their expertise has been in developing and delivering award-winning job-driven trainings that empower all, including those with disabilities to succeed in the modern workforce. Their trainings promote accommodation and diversification as it is Thryv's desire to cultivate an inclusive environment where all can succeed; championing the potential in others and inciting them to see themselves through the eyes of both personal and career success. Thryv's dynamic trainers range in a variety of professional expertise, disciplines and certifications allowing them to provide an array of training programs including current career, professional and technical workforce skills, safety, and workplace compliance programs. Thryv's training professionals are experienced virtual facilitators who deliver sessions that are skill specific and engaging.  Trainings are available in American Sign Language (ASL) as well as several languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole, and Swahili. www.thryvconsulting.com

Mary Lou Woodford is the president of MLW Associates, a professional training, management consulting and workforce development agency that was started by Mary Lou in 2012. She is also the Executive Director of the Cancer Resource Foundation, Inc, a Massachusetts nonprofit public charity where she volunteers her time to fulfill the needs of cancer patients and families seeking support during their cancer journey. She received her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Connecticut and her Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts. She is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies where she prepares, implements and evaluates curricula on community health, population health and public health topics. She is a CCM certified case manager who has extensive knowledge and experience in developing, conducting and evaluating training programs in hospital-based nursing, community health nursing, public health, healthcare management and community health. She is an elected official on the Southborough Board of Health and an active member of her community. Throughout her 15 years as the Director of Women's Health at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, she was responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of cancer programs for underserved women in the Commonwealth. She actively participated in the implementation of the Massachusetts healthcare reform law and was the vision behind the pioneering work of the community health worker patient navigation training course. As the Director of the Cancer Resource Foundation, Ms Woodford was instrumental in launching Genetic Information For Testing Treatment and Surveillance (GIFTTS) Program which provides free genetic testing to individuals who qualify. Improving education about the importance of genetics and genomics in cancer care is a primary focus for the foundation. Mary Lou provides training and education programs for both healthcare providers, community health workers and the public about cancer genetics and genomics.