Philip Chan— With 20 years of progressive HR career in various locations (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Greater China & APAC remit based in Shanghai & global remit based in New York and Taiwan), diverse business environment (including commercial & technical team, dispersed organization, manufacturing plant, merger & acquisition, turnaround & start-ups) & top companies in distinct industries and developmental stages, P&G, Google & Appier.
Philip Chan is a business oriented HR leader with expertise in leadership development, organization development & culture transformation. He is Master Certified Coach (MCC), team facilitator and OD consultant who is always passionate about evoking transformation for individuals, teams/ organizations & business to leverage complexity and reimagine the future. For education experience, he has three masters in decision analysis (MDA), applied psychology (MAP), and EMBA. He is a lifelong learner who always keeps an eye on the latest trend in development theory to expand his knowledge, skill, and personal presence, including adult development, strategic foresight, somatic and neuroscience, organization development, complex system, psychology and creative tools etc. from executive education of top schools and various programs in the world by thought leaders and experts in the field.
James Drage
Julianne Fretz is the Director of Leadership Development at Penske Transportation Solutions. She leads the team who develops, facilitates, and manages high touch leadership development programming for frontline supervisors, managers, and director-level leaders across the Penske enterprise. Julianne has also led talent review, succession planning, and organizational development initiatives in her time at Penske.
Julianne began her career doing outreach for the Center for Autism Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She traveled across the tri-state area, sharing information about clinical research studies that families could participate in, and supported the Center’s workshop and lecture series. It was through this work that Julianne discovered her love of connecting people with information that was going to help them both professionally and personally. She pursued a Masters in Adult and Organization Development at Temple University and landed a role with Temple University Health System’s Leadership & Organizational Development team. At Temple Health, her work spanned initiatives like new employee orientation, program management of leadership development programming, facilitation, and performance management.
Julianne is driven by the idea that awareness leads to choice and choice leads to the option of intentionality in how we show up in the world. To expand her awareness, she’s worked with numerous tools and assessments, including the Leadership Circle Profile, Hogan Leadership Series, Global Leadership Profile, Immunity to Change framework, MBTI, resilience and systems thinking concepts, and more.
Tracey Gardner has extensive management experience in the nonprofit sector, with a specific focus on higher education leadership. In her current role in human resources at a large, private, global university, she coordinates initiatives focused on leadership development, career advancement, and employee flourishing. As one example, she co-created and co-facilitates an innovative program designed to equip leaders with foundational coaching skills that help them become more confident, empathetic, and effective managers. In her prior role as Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, she facilitated decision-making and progress on university-wide strategic initiatives; served as a liaison to various campus constituencies and units; and supported the President, Chief of Staff, and senior University leadership on a range of issues. She has a profound understanding of the unique needs of higher education leaders, especially during leadership transitions and challenging situations.
Tracey began her career as a high school English teacher in New York City. She also has experience in the private and public sectors, having served in roles in the publishing industry and New York City government.
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Tracey earned a BA in English from Wesleyan University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Certificate in Professional Coaching from NYU, and a certificate in the Neuroscience of Coaching from the Neuroscience School. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and is also certified as a Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Prosci Change Practitioner, and ELI Civil Treatment Workplace Facilitator. A lifelong learner, Tracey is currently completing certification in the Becoming You methodology and preparing to take the DALF C1 (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) examination, which confirms an advanced level of French proficiency.
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Tracey currently lives in New York. Being a mom is the joy of her life, and she prioritizes spending time with her husband, family, and friends.
Sorab M Gupta is a catalyst for transformation in leaders and organizations. He blends the disciplines of behavioral sciences and systems psychodynamics with the creative forces concealed in art and design. Founder of Human Centered Design Studio, Sorab leverages three decades of multidisciplinary experience across science and technology, art and culture, faith and spirituality, and management and leadership, in partnering with leadership and organizations. Over the last decade his clients have included investors, boards, founders, C-suite leaders, and high-potential talent at leading global and local players in the Pharmaceutical, Financial Services, Infrastructure, Technology, Health and Life Sciences industry. In addition, he has also partnered with The Gates Foundation, Harvard Business School, and The Aspen Institute.
Between 2009-2018, prior to studio practice, he was invited to join McKinsey & Co. in Asia as a Facilitator and Executive Coach for leadership development and organizational transformation. At the heart of his decade-long partnership was building capacity of prominent Indian business houses and corporations, and public-sector undertakings by translating cutting-edge insight into practice. During this time, between 2012-2017, Sorab also held the role of a Partner, Coach and Facilitator at Accelerance, a UK-based people development firm offering customized learning and development solutions to accelerate performance of some of the world’s leading brands. Additionally, since 2016, he has been a member of Executive Core, a leading Talent Management and Team Development firm, as an Executive Coach for their work with multinationals in Asia. Finally, between 1995-2005, before Sorab ventured into the work of consulting, facilitating and coaching, he had followed his passion for science and technology and held a variety of global roles in engineering, marketing, business development & sales at pioneering firms such as Bell Labs - Lucent Technologies and HTC - all based out of the USA. These experiences formed the foundation of his enterprise-wide skills, and were central to designing, collaborating, and executing large-scale projects across global markets.
Christopher Hugill, Senior Manager at CFAR Consulting, brings over 15 years of experience with mission- and margin-driven clients. He approaches his work with an entrepreneurial mindset, grounded in sophisticated market understanding and diverse cross-industry knowledge. Chris draws on his experience in higher education, original equipment manufacturing, healthcare IT, and live theater production management.
Before joining CFAR, Chris was a solutions manager and business analyst for Anthurium Solutions, a healthcare technology solutions company. In this role, he constructed and updated financial analyses and developed pricing and market strategies for Anthurium’s healthcare platform products. Previously he was a supplier development specialist for Oshkosh Corporation and a Strategic Project Fellow at Babson College, where he was project manager for an overhaul of the performance management system for the College’s employees.
He holds a BA in English from Reed College and an MBA from Babson College with a concentration in Global Management. He also completed the Business Bridge program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Erin Konkle is a Senior Manager at CFAR. She draws on over fifteen years of experience in organizational transformation, with expertise in organization development, culture, and leadership development.
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Erin co-leads CFAR's higher education practice, bringing rigorous analysis, institutional insight, and equity-focused approaches to her client engagements. An accomplished researcher and practitioner, Erin leads major change initiatives for academic and nonprofit clients and co-chairs CFAR's ideas to innovation committee. She provides strategic partnership to senior executives and board members through comprehensive organizational assessments.
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Prior to joining CFAR, she directed the Center for Innovative Higher Education at the University of Minnesota, where she led the Higher Education Redesign Initiative using design thinking methodology. She also guided transformational change at Wellesley College, co-leading strategic planning processes and advancing the civic purposes of higher education.
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Erin serves on the National Advisory Board for Appreciative Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development from the University of Minnesota, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of South Carolina, and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University.
Ben Pratt is Chief People Officer and Chief AI Officer at SHINE Technologies, a pioneering company developing fusion-based technologies for applications ranging from neutron imaging and medical isotopes to clean energy. He currently leads the integration of SHINE’s acquisition of Lantheus’ SPECT business, guiding the carve-out through close and first-day operations. He spends his time between the Madison and Boston areas and Charleston, SC.
Ben’s career spans more than 35 years at the intersection of technology, strategy, and leadership. At Koch Industries, he served in a variety of senior roles, from Chief Information Officer of Koch Supply & Trading to SVP of Koch’s Market-Based Management Group, and later as co-founder of i360, a data analytics venture. His work has focused on building capabilities in vision and strategy, large-scale transformation, innovation, and leadership development.
A life-long learner, Ben’s education bridges the philosophy of science, applied mathematics, and computer science, complemented by executive programs at Wharton and MIT Sloan. He is also developing a personal executive coaching practice, bringing together decades of experience helping leaders and organizations navigate complexity.
Ben is the proud father of three daughters and delighted grandfather (“Poppy”) of four. He has a passion for emerging technologies, corporate cultures, and for helping others discover their unique gifts and self-actualize. In his spare time, he enjoys music, skiing, and good conversation. He currently spends most of his time in the Madison and Boston areas when he isn’t in Charleston, SC.
Rob Sharp is a strategic Talent Development executive with deep expertise in enterprise capability building, leadership development, and organization transformation. Across leadership roles at Penske, AstraZeneca, Hershey, and Stanley Black & Decker, he has designed and implemented learning strategies that elevate performance, strengthen leadership pipelines, and align talent practices to business priorities.
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Rob specializes in modernizing learning ecosystems, integrating organization development into enterprise operations, and equipping leaders to succeed in complex, rapidly changing environments. He is recognized for his ability to create clarity, build high-performance teams, and deliver scalable solutions that drive measurable impact.
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Rob and his family reside in Towson, MD. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Towson University and a master’s degree in Organization Development from Columbia University.
Mariah Sword is a Senior Manager of Organizational Development and Design at Penske Transportation Solutions, where she leads enterprise-level initiatives that align leadership structures, talent strategies, and business growth. With over a decade of experience spanning operations, sales, and organizational effectiveness, she brings a systems-thinking lens to solving complex business challenges. Mariah holds a Master’s degree in Positive Organizational Development from Case Western Reserve University and is known for her ability to bridge strategic insight with human-centered design. Her work focuses on building scalable operating models, developing leadership capability, and enhancing organizational clarity during times of transformation.
She approaches psychoanalytic consultation as an opportunity to explore deeper layers of her professional identity, gain insight into her relational patterns at work, and sharpen her impact as an internal consultant and leader navigating evolving organizational dynamics.
Lisa Tyson is a business leader with over 30 years of experience in Human Resources, Executive Coaching and Consulting. Lisa has worked predominantly in the healthcare industry in pharmaceutical, device and diagnostics, in both public and private companies, ranging from start-ups to large global organizations.
Lisa is currently Chief Human Resources Officer at Therakos. She is responsible for establishing a global HR team post a carve-out. This includes establishing all core HR services as part of the employee life cycle in addition to working with business leaders on organization design, development and scalability. Prior to her most recent role, Lisa established an HR Consulting and Executive Coaching business focusing on small to mid-size organizations.
In her former HR roles, she has been the HR lead on divestitures and acquisitions, cultural change programs and established and managed a global HR organization. She has led talent initiatives that focused on succession planning, employee engagement, performance management, leadership development, and talent acquisition. As an HR business partner, Lisa has worked closely with Commercial, Research & Development, Operations, and Corporate functions and an active member of several Executive Leadership teams.
Lisa is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation and has a certificate in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance. Lisa is TTI Success Insights® DISC, 12 Driving Forces, and Emotional Quotient certified. She holds a Master of Science degree in Career and Human Resource Development, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, minoring in Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Dragana VranjesÌŒ is organisational consultant and psychoanalytical psychotherapist, author and researcher with past professional experience in management consulting and the financial services sector. In her engagement with organisations, Dragana consults entrepreneurs and high potential leaders on leadership development and leadership transition, organisational change and strategy. She runs a private psychotherapy practice offering services in Russian, English and Serbian. Her article “The Adaptation of Immigrants in a New Culture through the Creation of a New Cultural and Linguistic Envelope” was published in the Journal of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis, Higher School of Economics, Moscow. She is a Group Relations consultant. As a member she participated in a number of international Group Relations Conferences, including the most recent 2025 Leicester Conference.
Dragana holds an MBA from Hult International Business School, Boston, an MSc in Economics from the University of Belgrade, and an MA in Psychology from the Higher School of Economics, Moscow. She has completed clinical training from the International Society of Transference- Focused Psychotherapy, Russian chapter.
Dragana is a certified business coach by the Association of Psychoanalytic Coaching and Business Consulting (APCBC), Moscow, and Board member of APCBC 2019-2022. She is a member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations (ISPSO), a Professional Development Workshop (PDW) chair of ISPSO Annual Meetings 2022 and 2025, and a member of 2024 PDW Selection Committee. She is a member of Organisation for Promoting Understanding of Society (OPUS).