Developing Your Leadership Presence

Session Leaders

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   Andrea Arden - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Andrea Arden has been living and working as an actor, director and teacher in the New York City area since 1987. She was Co-founder and Artistic Director of the theater company Pendulum, where she directed and performed work that toured throughout the New York area and to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Andrea has worked with such companies as the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Primary Stages, American Stage Company, the National Playwrights’ Conference, the Women’s Project and Productions, New Jersey Repertory, the Shoestring Players (winning the coveted Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe) and Cafe Theater, Inc. in residence at George Street Playhouse. She traveled through Europe and Russia in an original duet performance piece, Eggs in a Briar Patch, as well as created, performed and toured her one-woman show, The Cry of the Children. She spent a year in residence with Théàtre dû Solèil in Paris in conjunction with the Experimental Theatre Wing, NYU. Andrea is now the Artistic Director of the theater company, THEATRE LILA, producing work throughout the country and in residence in New York City. As a Senior Facilitator and Executive Coach, Andrea has facilitated programs in leadership presence for clients including Royal Bank of Scotland, Capital One, American Express, Novartis, General Electric, COACH, and United States governmental agencies.

  Andrea has devoted her life to exploring the power of theatrical storytelling and what makes theater a vital link to our humanity in modern society. Maintaining her belief that theater has the possibility of transforming a community, she is committed to challenging and moving people beyond their everyday realities.

  She received her BFA in drama from the Experimental Theater Wing, New York University, and her MFA in directing from Rutgers University. Andrea is an Artist-In- Residence at the Somerset County Performing Arts Conservatory and was a featured teaching artist in the Annenberg Foundation/CPB channel “The Art of Teaching the Arts” video series. She is also a certified Feldenkrais “Awareness- Through-Movement” teacher.

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   Christopher von Baeyer - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Christopher von Baeyer, Senior Consultant with the Ariel Group Inc, is an actor and educator who specializes in the integration of theatre and human development. Over the course of his 20-year career, he has coached thousands of men and women in the art of public speaking, emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication. He has taught at a number of leading business schools including: Harvard, Kellogg, Boston College and Columbia. His corporate clients have included Merrill lynch, Lucent Technologies, Deloitte and Touche, and the Boston Consulting Group.

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   Byron Darden - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Byron Darden is a consultant with a background in professional theater and an accomplished skating coach. He has conducted leadership development programs for organizations such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Harvard Business School, CVS, Praxair Gases, American Express, AT&T, Staples, Capital One, and the Executive Education program at Columbia University Business School. He has coached and trained professional coaches, athletes, and officials, in addition to having extensive experience delivering leadership seminars and consulting in the public and private sectors. As a member of the Actor’s Equity Association, Byron enjoys a thriving professional career as an actor.

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   Julia Douglas - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Julia is a skilled facilitator who has designed and delivered team effectiveness and leadership development programs across multiple industries and time zones for nearly 20 years. A specific area of expertise lies in her ability to create and integrate experiential learning opportunities that help individuals with the skills and motivation needed to make significant strides in their effectiveness and productivity.

  A small sampling of the companies that Julia has worked with over the years includes Allstate Canada Group, AT&T Wireless, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Gillette, Hard Rock Café, Houghton Mifflin, KPMG, MBTA, Merck, Millennium, Pfizer, Perrier, Raytheon, Roche, Solvay, US Navy, Wyeth & Verizon.

  Julia’s passion for performance began in her “younger years” as a dancer and performer who traveled extensively throughout Canada, USA and Europe with a number of organizations.

  Prior to launching into the Training & Development world, Julia had a diverse career working Conklin Shows and IBM Canada. She has an MS in Training & Development (with a focus on cross-cultural training) from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Queen’s University in Canada.

  Born and raised in Canada, Julia has also lived on both coasts of the US (Boston and San Diego). She now resides in Cleveland, OH with her husband and son.

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   Joel Gluck - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Joel Gluck, MEd, RDT, is a Senior Consultant and Leadership Coach for The Ariel Group. He was the first affiliate selected to lead The Ariel Group’s theater-based workshops in leadership communication, beginning in 1994. Since then, Joel has partnered with The Ariel Group as a trainer, coach, and program designer, serving leading organizations throughout the world, including General Electric, Deloitte & Touche, American Express, Société Générale, and The Federal Reserve. Joel has also provided services for top consulting firms, city and state agencies, not-for-profits and educational institutions including Harvard Business School, MIT, Columbia University Executive Education, and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Joel’s work has been truly international, working with schoolteachers in India, ex-prisoners and children in Boston's inner city, mental health professionals in Thailand, and corporate leaders on four continents.

  Prior to his work in executive education, Joel was the sole proprietor of a successful software consulting firm. He has directed and performed in professional theater productions throughout North America, with experience ranging from Shakespearean classics to improv comedy. In addition to holding a degree in Literature and Writing from Columbia University, he is a graduate of the two-year intensive acting, directing and play writing program at Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, RI, and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley University, specializing in drama therapy.

  Joel lives in the Boston area with his wife, Orapin, and their new daughter, Jasmine.

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   Carolyn Holland - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Carolyn Holland is a senior corporate trainer and executive coach who combines business experience with professional theater training. She spent seven years at Morgan Stanley, where she facilitated meetings of senior managers and developed and delivered a software implementation program. She has facilitated programs for leaders at American Express, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Electric, and Merrill Lynch, and has led workshops at the Executive Education Programs at Harvard, Duke, and Columbia Business Schools. She developed and taught the Introduction to Improvisation Workshop at the Eastern States Theatre Association Festival in Rome, NY, and has been involved in several presentation workshops around the globe.

  Carolyn's professional acting training includes schools in Boston and the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Her favorite stage credits include Agnes of God and The Dining Room. She has several years’ experience in comedy improvisation as a longstanding member of the Wingnuts and a regular cast member of The Sunday Night Jam, also in NYC. She has performed improv at private parties, done role plays for educational workshops and has appeared in a number of independent films. She spent a semester in French Studies in Paris and holds a BS in Physics from Tufts University. She currently makes her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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   Jeffrey Korn - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Jeffrey Korn is a seasoned business coach, and has been a Senior Consultant for The Ariel Group since 1997. He has led Ariel senior executive programs and coached leaders for organizations such as American Express, Disney, the US Federal Reserve, Coca-Cola, Bain, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric. He has also taught leadership development at the Harvard Business School, Duke, Kellogg and Columbia Business School. Jeffrey has also owned and managed successful strategy and design firms in New York and Boston, focusing on branding and usability. Jeffrey is also an accomplished actor and singer. He has performed Off-Broadway in New York City and around the world.

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   Sharon Leckie - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Sharon works in the field of organizational development, is a leadership and communication coach, and an actor. Her clients include Harvard Executive Education, Columbia Senior Executive Program, Darden Business School, American Express, Booz Allen Hamilton, BlueCross BlueShield, Deloitte Consulting, Merrill Lynch, and Capital One. Sharon has performed improvised comedy theater in Boston, New York, and Chicago, in plays at the Boston Center for the Arts, and in film. She has taught and directed throughout Boston including at Newton South’s award-winning theater program and at ImprovBoston Theater.

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   Carol Lempert - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Carol Lempert is a communication and leadership specialist and executive coach with over 15 years of experience in the field of Training and Development. Since 2006 she has worked with The Ariel Group with such clients as American Express, Home Depot, HSBC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Harvard Executive Education and Exelon. From 2000-2006 she worked as Vice President, Learning, for e-role play. She taught Acting, Voice and Speech at York University, and has lead seminars in Presentations Skills for the Toronto Board of Trade. In addition, Carol is a professional actress in theatre, television, and commercials. This part of her background gives her an intimate understanding of the importance of performing on the job and working creatively to solve problems and foster innovation.

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   Rasheryl Mccreary - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Rasheryl has over 15 years of experience in designing and delivering innovative training programs to leaders in the public and private sector. She has delivered training and coaching to senior leaders at organizations such as American Express, Time Warner, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Federal Reserve, The Department of Homeland Security, The Department of Defense Accounting System (DFAS) and Harvard Business School. Rasheryl is also the Founder/Executive Director of The Living Legacy Project Foundation (LLPF), a non-profit organization which delivers innovative and engaging leadership programs for at-risk youth. She began her career as an actress and has appeared on television, film and on stage in New York, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

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   Hope Miller - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Hope has a broad range of experience in business, education, and the arts. She started her career as a professional writer, editor, and project manager in the technology industry. Working in both corporate and client-services environments, Hope wrote, edited and proofed content, managed resources and produced final deliverables on both document development and Web application projects. Clients included small, regional start-ups as well as multi-national corporations such as Deloitte and Raytheon.

  Prior to joining the Ariel Group, Hope taught literature and writing at an applied arts college. Students knew her as an engaging, approachable, and rigorous teacher with a low tolerance for half-heartedness. In keeping with the Ariel Group’s philosophy, Hope sees the classroom as a laboratory where students—or clients—can try out new ideas and new ways of doing things.

  Captivated by theater at an early age, Hope studied theater and performed throughout high school and college. In her early 20s, she ran a non-profit children’s theater organization and taught drama classes in Connecticut and California. She enjoys the serious playfulness of the performing arts and believes that by tapping into our authentic creativity, we can generate innovative solutions and engender lasting, positive change.

  Hope holds a B.A. in Literature from Yale, a M.A. in English from the University of Utah, and a M.A.T. in English from Agnes Scott College. She lives with her spouse, two dogs, and three cats in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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   Patricia Mulholland - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Patricia has been an advocate of the arts all her life, whether it be on the stage, in the classroom, the corporation, the community, or the clinical setting. She began her affiliation with the Ariel Group in 1993 and has led leadership development and communication programs for many organizations world-wide including Deloitte, Capital One, General Electric, American Express, Merrill Lynch, Société Generale, Praxair and the Executive Education programs at Harvard, Columbia, Duke and Northwestern Universities. In addition to her work with The Ariel Group, Patricia served as Director of Curriculum for The Saltwater Institute from 2001-2004.

  Patricia holds a Master of Arts Degree in Theater and Interpretation from Northwestern University and has trained extensively with the Roy Hart Theatre in France. A frequent presenter at the Women in Management Conference in Maine, she is also adjunct faculty at Maine College of Art. She maintains a consulting practice through Programs in Expressive Learning, working with individuals and groups on voice and presentation preparation and delivery.

  Patricia has performed widely in the theatre including an original one-woman show, Emily Dickinson: The Woman, The Poet. She may be heard on the audio book, I Only Say This because I Love You, by Deborah Tannen. Her love of music led her to music therapy training at Berklee College of Music, where she has won awards for her songwriting. Her CD, “Coming Home,” includes her original compositions.

  On her own time, Patricia enjoys volunteering at nursing homes, where she sings standards with her band, Aiko and Friends. She is the proud mother of two grown sons: Patrick, a professional violinist and Ashley, a student in medical school.

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   Elsa Powel - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Elsa Powel is a singer, coach, project coordinator, and research consultant. She integrates her wide variety of experience to create a dynamic, engaging and rigorous approach to leadership development.

  Passionate about music, she has been performing and studying opera and cabaret for more than ten years. Her career includes performances in Carmen, Madame Butterfly, and The Gondoliers with Opera Providence. Aware of the power that music has to affect us deeply, Elsa uses singing to provide life review therapy for senior citizens with memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease and teaches therapeutic breath release work. She is an active member of the board of directors of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists. Throughout her performance career, her purpose has been to stir the hearts and imaginations of her audiences. She now brings this intention into the classroom to coach executives and managers how to connect with their teams and clients.

  As a project coordinator for an international engineering firm and as an independent researcher, Elsa’s work has included: coordination of the USTDA-sponsored Post-Disaster Financing conference in Bangkok, Thailand (a workshop designed for the countries hit by the 2004 tsunami), consulting to Tufts New England Medical Center on data analysis for a study on IV drug use patterns, and collaboration with the Indian Medical Association Blood Bank in Kerala, India, to promote and deliver HIV prevention seminars.

  Out of her desire to preserve and support the health of the planet, Elsa volunteers for the Pachamama Alliance as a facilitator of a multimedia symposium on the interconnection of environmental sustainability, social justice, and psycho-spiritual fulfillment. Elsa graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a BA in Community Health.

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   Richard Richards - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Richard Richards has traveled wide and far in his varied leadership and training roles in the corporate world. Originally from the UK, he has lived and worked in the USA, Germany, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. While leading teams in Australia, Korea, Israel, China, Mariana Islands, Germany, Chile, Argentina and Mexico, he continued to hone his cross-cultural, leadership, systems implementation, organizational development, instructional design, and facilitation skills. In addition, he has owned two businesses: a fine art gallery specializing in Latin American art and a training consulting practice.

  Until recently The Ariel Group’s Vice President of Learning Design, he has reconfigured his relationship with the Ariel Group (and his life in general) to allow him to explore people and leadership development opportunities with alternative populations, including prisoners, formerly incarcerated individuals, their loved ones and at-risk youth.

  Richard has a BSc (Hons) from the University of Surrey in the UK and an MA in Applied Learning, from the School for New Learning at DePaul University in Chicago, focusing on “The Use of the Arts in Community Building and Social Change.” This degree began life as “The Use of Theatre to Describe, Understand and Modify People’s Perceptions and Behavior”—a focus that continued to inform his final degree and foreshadowed his relationship with The Ariel Group and subsequent non-profit work.

  As a professional actor, Richard has studied improvisation at Second City in Chicago and has worked on stage, in voice-over and in film, and plans to write and perform narrative monologues – something he has done in the past - in his reconfigured life.

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   Maggie Steig - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  Maggie Steig is a performer, educator, and business professional in the field of corporate events. With 20 years’ experience selling creative ideas to corporate clients, Maggie greatly enjoys helping others to present an idea concisely and with impact. She has worked extensively with the international organization YPO, a group of CEOs who hold events for idea and information exchange. Her performing background is grounded in improvisational comedy. She has performed with ImprovBoston and co-founded the beloved Boston troupe Guilty Children in 1983. As well, she was drama coach for the national television show Zoom in 2004.

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   David Zucker - Communication Coach, The Ariel Group

  David Zucker is a professional actor, author, director, playwright, mime, T'ai Chi teacher, and corporate facilitator. He has delivered leadership programs for the Executive Education departments of Harvard, Duke, Columbia, IMD in Switzerland, and Queen's School of Business, as well as at corporations such as Deloitte Consulting, The Royal Bank of Scotland, General Electric, Merrill Lynch, Saudi Aramco, Praxair, CVS, Coca Cola, and American Express. As a director, he has worked professionally in New York, Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. As well, he is an international performer with over 300 performances a year. He has taught acting classes for years in the greater Boston area as well as at the Boston Rep Theatre, the Actor's Workshop, and Boston University's Summer Theatre Institute.