LEADERSHIP TEAM
Chuck Orzechowski
Chief Executive Officer Chuck Orzechowski has served as Chief Operating Officer and executive-level roles at Fortune 500, mid-market, and start-up companies. He brings broad experience in manufacturing and more recently a focus on innovative product and service development. He is excited to bring his full experience and passion for learning and development to work at growing the value delivered to COO Forum members. Find Chuck on LinkedIn |
Laura Weikle
Executive Vice President Laura Weikle has served the Chief Operating Officer Business Forum for over 15-years and has extensive organizational management and operations experience to drive the company's growth. She manages member services, oversees the administrative functions of the association, is responsible the day-to-day operations, and works directly with the CEO on the strategic direction and new initiatives of the organization. Find Laura on LinkedIn |
Fiona Murray
Chapter & Member Services Director Fiona Murray brings decades of experience in administrative support and project management to the COO Forum. She has spent much of her career working with and supporting large teams, while also supporting executive management. She works directly with Laura Weikle, and all Chapter Directors to build and grow the COO Forum globally. Find Fiona on LinkedIn |
Bill Shepard
Founder & Chairman Emeritus Bill Shepard is the Founder of the COO Forum, an 18-year-old professional development association for Chief Operating Officers and Second-in-Command executives. He founded the COO Forum in 2004 expressly to enable COOs to have the opportunity to learn and problem-solve with their peers in a safe and confidential place. Find Bill on LinkedIn |
EASTERN REGION CHAPTER DIRECTORS
Larry Stybel
Boston, Massachusetts Larry Stybel is a licensed doctoral-level psychologist, co-founder of two companies, a national expert on corporate governance/leadership and careers. He and his partner Maryanne Peabody are co-authors of monthly perspectives on leadership published in Psychology Today and downloaded 240,000 times. They are co-authors of Navigating the Waterfall, a book on leadership in the 21st Century. One of Larry's companies focuses on providing leaders for Board of Directors. Another company focuses on Leadership & Career Success. Larry received his doctorate from Harvard University. Find Larry on LinkedIn |
Maryanne Peabody
Boston, Massachusetts Maryanne Peabody is co-founder and Vice President of Stybel Peabody. As an organization development consultant, she has assisted companies in the areas of leadership effectiveness and career management since 1981. One of Maryanne's areas of expertise is assisting individuals rising through the professional ranks to become leaders without their having received specific education in management. Maryanne has been a guest on various national and local TV and radio programs to discuss career issues. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Boston Globe. Find MaryAnne on LinkedIn |
Chris O'Rourke
New York, New York & Washington DC Chris O'Rourke is a DMV-based operations leader with lengthy experience in growing business and building teams globally. He assists organizations in connecting the dots of strategy, finance, IT, marketing and people, to deliver great work and to create an inspiring, thriving office. Chris has worked on global projects for Fortune 50 companies throughout Europe, Asia, South Africa, and North & South America. He is a frequent speaker on the intersection between technology, operations and the creative practice, and is a mentor in the School of Visual Arts Masters in Branding program, supporting students through their studies and post-graduation. Chris is an accomplished marathon runner and running coach. Find Chris on LinkedIn |
Trish Perevich
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Trish Perevich is a certified coach and corporate trainer. As an executive/ leadership/ career coach, Trish helps professionals identify their strengths, set and achieve goals, and uncover their full potential both personally and professionally. She is certified in Conscious Business and Team Advantage Coaching, and trained in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Navigating Uncertainty. Trish designs and delivers programs on career management, leadership and communication skills, business development, and wellness. Trish's 20+ year corporate background includes marketing management, firm leadership, recruiting and training. She currently provides business development for Tactix Real Estate Advisors, building relationships with CEOs, COOs and CFOs. Find Trish on LinkedIn |
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SOUTHERN REGION CHAPTER DIRECTORS
Tracy Jefferson
Tampa, Florida Tracy Jefferson is a seasoned global leader with over 40-years experience in the design, development and implementation of technology solutions primarily in the facilities management and real estate markets. He has been recognized by IBM as one of the approximately 750 IBM Champions globally and holds multiple IBM certifications in Blockchain, IoT, Watson and TRIRIGA. He is a proponent of Bitcoin, EOS, Rocket Fuel and Blue Ocean Strategy. Tracy is an experienced speaker who has presented at conferences globally; and, is active on LinkedIn, Twitter and is the owner of the Facebook and Clubhouse groups "TRIRIGA Around the World,” as well as the Meetup group “LGBTQ+ Professional Alliance.” Tracy is also a founding member of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Private Director’s Association and a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, plus is active in other organizations. Find Tracy on LinkedIn |
Maria Jones
Atlanta, Georgia Maria Jones is an accomplished senior executive and thought leader with more than 20-years of success spanning startup companies, healthcare, financial services, real estate, and SaaS IT. Leveraging extensive experience with technology integration and new technology implementation, Maria is a valuable asset for a company requiring advisory related to global expansions, stagnant sales, rapid growth, or long-term goals. Her broad areas of expertise include operational strategy, customer experience, business turnaround planning, program leadership, and change management. Maria excels at building cross-functional teams delivering difficult case, crisis management solutions. Find Maria on LinkedIn |
Jeff Spalding
Charlotte, North Carolina Jeff Spalding is a business and technology executive with 25+ years' experience who focuses on growth strategies and execution. A high-energy and passionate entrepreneur and leader with experience in sales, marketing, products and operations, he has led all growth, operations and customer business functions in companies ranging from start-ups to mid-size to Fortune 50 enterprises. Jeff drives employee engagement which enhances customer loyalty thus increasing financial results. As a former COO, he understands the importance of driving scale thru process improvements, employee productivity and excellent customer experiences. He is a believer in people, process and technology initiatives to drive operational efficiencies. Jeff is currently President of Spalding Solutions, a growth execution firm. Find Jeff on LinkedIn |
John Hope
Nashville, Tennessee John Hope has always been passionate about competent leadership, so after retiring as an Army Colonel, he chose to continue to serve through coaching. John is a combat wounded, West Point graduate, with four combat tours and two Peace Keeping tours. John and his wife Kristi Moe Hope co-founded Leading with Hope in Nashville, Tennessee. As a husband/wife team with extensive military and corporate experience, they provide great depth and breadth of background and experiences to serve their clients. Setting up individuals across the spectrum of DEI (including prior military) for success in their next leadership role is John’s new passion. Find John on LinkedIn |
Kristi Moe Hope
Nashville, Tennessee Kristi Moe Hope has been “the first” many times. As a female engineer in the Defense Industry, it was nearly six-years before she was in a meeting with another female. She has held a variety of positions including Systems Engineer, Program Manager, Director of Unmanned Strategy, and Global Lead for Aerospace and Defense as an Executive Search professional. As a testament to her abilities, she was given a medal by King Hussein of Jordan for her leadership under great pressure during the refurbishment of his Head of State aircraft. She loves coaching with her husband John Hope because this way he won’t deploy again. Find Kristi on LinkedIn |
Kayla Cartwright
Miami, Florida Kayla Cartwright is an experienced transformation coach with a demonstrated history of results across private, public, and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about partnering with leaders to shape and execute their visions, drive productivity, and build strong organizational cultures. Kayla has led transformation engagements with Fortune 500 organizations implementing agile practices, innovation and design-thinking principles, and driving client-centric cultures. She is a design-thinking practitioner, certified coach and seasoned adult leadership development facilitator and trainer who has worked with over 300 clients across the globe to cultivate agile mindsets and ways of working. Find Kayla on LinkedIn |
Jill Tarallo
Austin, Texas Jill Tarallo has served as Chief Operating Officer among other executive-level roles for both Fortune 500 organizations and innovative technology start-ups. In her current COO role, Jill has taken the company from pre-product to MVP to a multi-million dollar enterprise, a feat only 0.4% of companies successfully achieve. She has over 30-years’ experience blending strategy and operational expertise with outstanding execution to maximize both customer and company value. She has expertise in navigating the journey from start-up to scale-up, strategic frameworks, product/technological innovation delivery and using OKRs as a company’s language of execution. Jill recently received her certification in Strategy Execution from Harvard Business School. Find Jill on LinkedIn |
MIDWESTERN REGION CHAPTER DIRECTORS
Julie Tabish
Detroit, Michigan Julie Tabish is a strategy and management consultant with over 20-years of experience in the financial arena, focusing on financial, talent, and operational optimization. Passionate for assisting clients in exceeding their business and growth goals, she specializes in financial due diligence and modelling, leadership and organizational development, and interpersonal intelligence. Before starting Centering Advisors, Julie was founding partner of Talent Advisory Group. Prior to that, Julie was COO at IMPACT Management Services. She was instrumental in leading the firm's mission to revolutionize the way companies hire, engage and accelerate top talent. Find Julie on LinkedIn |
Cathy Lieberman
Chicago, Illinois Cathy Lieberman is an executive coach, facilitator, change management consultant and a skilled public speaker. With 25-years of corporate and non-profit experience, she coaches individuals and teams in leadership, career and skill development. Cathy serves as a board member for World Chicago and as a Mentor for the Leadership Circle of the Executives Club of Chicago and is certified in Coaching for Learning and Performance from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. Find Cathy on LinkedIn |
Margaret Ricci
Twin Cities, Minnesota Margaret Ricci is the Founder and CEO of Cultural Strategies, LLC and a Co-Founder of a global team bringing the TeamAcumen™ Framework to life which diagnoses where individual teams may have problems or experience friction as they work together, but also helps them create better ways of getting past the frictions by formulating bespoke learning for the team. She cares about the people who make up internal and co-creative teams, but also cares that the teams work well inside organizations. Margaret is also the first triple-qualified Gallup Coach in her five-state area; Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Gallup Builder Profile 10 Coach (BP10) an entrepreneurial talent assessment, and Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Champion. She helps businesses value and maximize their workforce as valued partners while building their organizations. Margaret also has a keen interest in getting teams ready for Teal Organizational Paradigm, the next generation of Business Models. Find Margaret on LinkedIn |
Amber Fields
Indianapolis, Indiana Amber Fields is a culture enthusiast committed to helping businesses drive results through their most valued asset, PEOPLE. She is intentional about creating culture where people want to be a part of the mission and vision every day. Amber has been the lead culture advocate and advisor to non-profits and business leaders in our community to help them be efficient, stay competitive, cutting-edge and innovative. She is a dynamic connector, bringing all the right people to the table to achieve desired results. She is a passionate about leadership development that allows for people and businesses to reach their highest potential. Amber is an Indiana native and received her undergrad at the University of Indianapolis. Find Amber on LinkedIn |
John Nelson
Kansas City, Missouri John Nelson is co-founder and CEO of Morris Nelson & Associates LLC. John has vast experience adapting, integrating and applying diverse methods and frameworks for solving complex problems. For the past several years, he has worked extensively with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies combating transnational criminal organizations, facilitating large-scale, inter-agency working groups and developing new analytical methods and tools to thwart the flow of illicit commodities. Since retiring from the Army in 2007, John has published several articles and presented at numerous professional conferences on organizational improvement, analysis and knowledge management topics. Find John on LinkedIn |
George Simms
Cincinnati, Ohio George Simms is President of BreakThru Business Solutions. He is an Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement Consultant who enables organizations and businesses to grow profitably and become strategic suppliers. Through his Lean Six Sigma and Innovation Expertise, Business Acumen and StrengthFinder leadership themes, George sees possibilities and achieves results that others deem impossible. For over 35 years, 28-years with Procter and Gamble, George has led manufacturing and organizational transformations across the globe that have enabled businesses to significantly increase sales and profit while dramatically improving cashflow. Find George on LinkedIn |
David Wilkinson
St. Louis, Missouri David Wilkinson is a Senior Manager and Operational Excellence Practice Lead for Centric Consulting in St. Louis, Missouri, a full-service business and technology consulting firm. David is a certified Master Black Belt who has a diverse background with expertise in business operations, Lean Six Sigma, process re-engineering and creative problem-solving. Before joining Centric , he worked for GE Capital, Centene and Citibank in Senior Process leadership roles. He currently lives in the greater St. Louis,. Missouri area, but grew up on a farm in southern Illinois, which inspired his passion for being outdoors. David enjoys playing golf, traveling, learning, networking and cooking. Find David on LinkedIn |
Chuck Orzechowski
Cleveland, Ohio Chuck Orzechowski is a builder of high-performing teams, driver of innovative solutions, pathfinder, force multiplier, supporter of veteran initiatives and ultra-endurance runner. Chuck likes tackling large, difficult challenges. These sticky problems are his fun time in the sandbox and what gets him up in the morning. Whether it is strategic or tactical, a portfolio, or a single project, or an entire organization, or a single person, Chuck's creative energy and desire to make a meaningful impact is his driver. His experience is embedded in startup and growth strategy; revenue & EBITDA growth; new product and service innovation; cash flow management; organizational development; and AGILE Lean and Six Sigma. He leads his own operational and consulting firm, GenX Performance, where he applies this insatiable drive and rich expertise to bring innovative approaches and solutions to challenges of small businesses and start-ups. Chuck has more than a decade in operations and manufacturing. Find Chuck on LinkedIn |
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WESTERN REGION CHAPTER DIRECTORS
JC Duarte
San Francisco, California JC Duarte's purpose in life is to overcome serious challenges so that together we create new realities. He is passionate about his family, peace of mind, and solving problems that impede companies from scaling. JC currently serves as GM, professional services at ServiceRocket, formerly having served as COO. He is focused on strategic execution framework-based growth with the privilege of helping companies across five continents go from $0 to $100M to IPO. JC is a seasoned executive with more than 30-years of cross-functional executive experience, his core competencies include operational excellence, organizational growth, leadership development, program & project management, KPI improvement, and corporate transformation. Find JC on LinkedIn |
Saul Jaeger
San Francisco East Bay, California Saul Jaeger has spent the last 20-years as a leader and innovator in the world of policing, focusing on coaching and developing people, succession planning, critical and crisis operations, media management, and organizational well-being. He sits on the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) Wellness and Resilience Board, assisting with State level wellness programing and training as well as regularly contributes articles for the CPCA magazine. Saul holds a BS in Administration of Justice, an MS in Emergency Services Management and is currently completing a Doctorate of Psychology in Human and Organizational Psychology. Saul believes strongly that there is no place for a fixed mindset, and breaking down barriers, stretching perspective and challenging beliefs should be the focus of all organizations. Find Saul on LinkedIn |
Kevin Juza
San Diego, California Kevin Juza is an Executive Leadership Coach and Inside Sales Consultant. He coaches new executives to establish a collaborative team culture with trust and tenacity. In addition, he consults sales leaders in Series A & B companies to develop or retool inside sales teams to increase the top of the sales funnel. Kevin is an international speaker who ignites team culture and leadership tenacity. Prior to Kevin's consulting and coaching work, he spent most of his career as an inside sales development leader with a customer-focused mindset and a strong aptitude for understanding customer behavior & needs. Find Kevin on LinkedIn |
Paul Herrerias
Marin & Sonoma County, California Paul Herrerias has more than 30-years of executive search and leadership consulting services in the Bay Area. He has conducted hundreds of search assignments in the professional and financial services, consumer products, technology and wine industries. Prior to becoming Managing Director of Comhar Partners' San Francisco office, he ran Stanton Chase San Francisco for 13-years and co-founded three additional executive search and consulting firms. Paul lectures and consults with CPA firms on recruiting, leadership development and succession planning. Find Paul on LinkedIn |
Rich Horan
Sacramento, California Rich Horan, a former Air Force Colonel, provides extensive leadership and operations expertise gained over 28-years in a wide variety of global management roles. Currently he provides cognitive diversity and insight to entrepreneurs and organizations as a coach, mentor and angel investor. A national Association of Corporate Directors Board Fellow, Rich is an independent board member of a private company, serves on the Yolo County Financial Oversight Committee and served as a not-for-profit board member. Find Rich on LinkedIn |
John Dicconson
Silicon Valley, California John Dicconson is a results-oriented C-Level executive with extensive start-up, medium and large company experience in technology, web services, consumer/small business internet and strategic marketing services. John is an entrepreneur with a passion for creating and cultivating innovative businesses. He founded several early-stage companies in high-growth technology ventures. John has broad expertise including business strategy, strategic and tactical marketing, business development and corporate development, with functional experience identifying, sourcing, negotiating and closing strategic partnerships. Find John on LinkedIn |
Ralph Young
Seattle, Washington Ralph Young is partner of Top Gun Ventures, a premier global executive search firm that specializes in recruiting proven executive GameChangers. With a background in a variety of vertical markets at Microsoft, including executive leadership positions within multi-billion dollar business units, Ralph understands what it takes to build and run a world-class organization across a wide array of markets. Find Ralph on LinkedIn |
Anne Dellos
Phoenix, Arizona Anne Dellos is a strategic marketing, sales and lead generation professional who spent 20-years in Singapore helping companies to expand globally. She founded Encore Entrepreneur to provide resources and a peer-community to 50+ year old entrepreneurs, and runs a marketing, lead generation and partnership consulting company that is all about using the marketing process to drive sales leads and revenue growth. Early in her career, Anne was an Operations Officer at the Central Intelligence Agency specializing in counterterrorism, counterintelligence and intelligence reporting. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and holds a Global MBA from Thunderbird/ASU. Find Anne on LinkedIn |
Rick English
Boise, Idaho Rick English is Founder and President of Up Advisors, a business health consulting and coaching practice based in Meridian, Idaho. He helps businesses and business leaders grow up healthy. He has served in CEO, COO and CFO roles over his nearly 27-year business career and has a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Washington and an MBA from Northwest University. He has been an active member of the COO Forum for 12+ years Rick is married, has three children, is active in his church, loves spending time with family, playing and watching sports, reading great books and hitting the trails in his Can Am Maverick off-road vehicle. Find Rick on LinkedIn |
INTERNATIONAL & GLOBAL CHAPTER DIRECTORS
Brad Horan
Sydney, Australia Brad Horan is the founder and director of Lucrature-Financial Peak Performance. Brad helps business executives get out from under the day-to-day management of their companies by putting the management infrastructure in place that teaches the business to manage itself. Brad has an extensive career in management accounting and global business transformation with such firms as HSBC, MetLife, Vodafone and Otis Elevator. Find Brad on LinkedIn |
Josh Renicker
Virtual Chapter, U.S. & Global Josh Renicker continues to serve as the Operations Innovator of Energy Access, Inc., a battery charger and power management systems design and manufacturing company based in Indianapolis; a role he has held since 2006. In that time, Josh grew in his role from operations manager to COO while leading the company through two major expansions and as the effectiveness driver through ISO9001 certifications. Josh got his start in manufacturing on the factory floor working as a machine operator in the tier-one automotive market. While working full-time he continued his education journey as a non-traditional student working the night shift while earning three degrees during the day. Josh has a passion for lifting others through transformational leadership, empowering those around him to reconnect to their own power. He leans in as a mentor and thrives on the successes of those in his circle of influence. Find Josh on LinkedIn |