Team of Experts — The Axela Group

Alexa, a self-proclaimed “pragmatic idealist”, has a track record of building leaders, cultivating change-making teams and shaping transformations that deliver results. Her career spans public and private sectors, and includes leadership in education, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, animal health, financial services, non-profit, and Fortune 500 companies.
With over 15 years of leadership coaching experience, Alexa helps her clients leverage their self-awareness, resilience, learning agility and interpersonal skills so they can bring their best selves to work and get amazing results. Creator of The Axela Group’s unique SCANTM coaching approach, Alexa is committed to equipping leaders to thrive in times of rapid change by giving them a repeatable framework for change agility. Knowing that no two coaching engagements are alike, Alexa taps into her brain-based coaching practice and knowledge of adult development to help individuals uncover the path that will “Axela-rate” their impact.
Alexa loves to work with clients who are interested in trying new techniques in pursuit of personal growth. This includes exploring dimensions of their inner life (physical, emotional, cognitive, and spirit), examining how these things impact their external life and making shifts to bring their best selves forward.
With 10 years of leadership in healthcare, she is recognized for her insights, innovative approaches to complex issues, humanistic leadership and disciplined drive for results as “Industry Rising Star” and “Pharmaceutical Industry Luminary” by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.
Alexa is founder and managing partner of The Axela Group and sits on the Boards of Community Veterinary Outreach, USA and is President of the International Coaching Federation, Virginia Chapter. Alexa holds a Project Management Professional Certification from the Project Management Institute and has a Master’s in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Alexa has completed the Inspiral Coaching program and Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching Program.

Ben is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and mechanical engineer with over 25 years of experience leading large-scale operational, cultural, and physical transformations. His career spans multiple Fortune 500 companies across Tier-One Automotive, HVAC, and Retail, where he has served in senior operations leadership roles and in continuous improvement positions as a Lean Leader and Operational Excellence Coach. With experience evenly split between traditional operations and continuous improvement, Ben has led numerous site-level transformations using Lean methodology, people development, and coaching as the foundation for sustainable change.
A true extrovert, Ben thrives on collaboration and connection. He brings energy to the teams he works with and is passionate about helping individuals and organizations grow, perform, and thrive.
In 2021, Ben and his wife intentionally swapped roles so she could pursue her career full-time while he became the primary parent. This transition opened the door for Ben to dedicate himself fully to professional coaching and consulting while also being a work-from-home father. Today, he combines his engineering discipline, leadership experience, and coaching expertise to help leaders develop clarity, confidence, and purpose while building healthier, more effective teams and organizations.

Eric is a dynamic and insightful coach, dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in complexity. With a deep commitment to fostering adaptability, innovation, and resilience, Eric tailors his coaching to meet the unique needs and goals of each client. Eric's passion lies in creating transformative experiences whether through traditional learning programs or one on one coaching. He collaborates closely with clients to analyze their needs, partners with them to examine and build effective approaches, and drives toward the outcomes they’re seeking.
As a coach, Eric excels in supporting clients who seek to:
·        Enhance their leadership capabilities
·        Learn new approaches and develop themselves
·        Develop strategies for resilience and stress management
In addition to coaching, Eric is a leader in Instructional Design – delivering expertly to clients and teaching his craft at James Madison University. By applying learning theories, instructional design principles, and UX design methodologies, Eric crafts intuitive and impactful educational programs. He integrates cutting-edge learning technologies and platforms to ensure effective content delivery, emphasizing accessibility and inclusivity through universal design principles.
Eric enjoys spending quality time with family and is an avid explorer of the outdoors, finding peace and inspiration in nature in the mountains of Virginia.

Lauren (she/her) is the owner and executive director of MeetingMakers, a close-knit team of experienced facilitators, trainers and meeting coaches who partner with clients to facilitate meetings with tangible outcomes and lasting impact. She believes that facilitation should be a core competency for all professionals and is on a mission to make this a reality. She is recognized for her high-energy and ability to fuel creativity and drive productivity in meetings, while also helping groups recognize and scale their collaboration strengths. Lauren earned a master’s degree in Organization Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University, where she now teaches facilitation as an adjunct professor. Lauren is an International Coach Federation certified coach and an MBTI® and EQi (emotional intelligence) Practitioner. She is certified in LUMA human-centered design methodology and teaches design thinking workshops on behalf of LUMA Institute. Lauren works across all industries, with particular expertise and interest in supporting healthcare organizations.

Rebecca believes in the transformational power of meaningful conversation, celebrating all your victories, and feeling all your feelings. She brings equal parts compassion and humor to her coaching, and is especially passionate about partnering with people with chronic conditions to help them navigate their unique challenges and lead full, purposeful, and joyous lives.
After Multiple Sclerosis derailed her career in special events, Rebecca worked at a leadership development firm, where she went from supporting coaches to becoming a coach and facilitator herself. She has a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership as well as a BA in English and Theatre Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She also is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and loves talking about the delights and challenges of working across difference.
When not in her home office, Rebecca can be found in the kitchen. She owns more aprons than she cares to admit. She loves books, Yoga Nidra, travel, board games, and writing (which she, like most writers, also hates). Her informative and amusing blog about living with Multiple Sclerosis can be found at stumblr.blog.

Stephanie is an executive coach who partners with leaders navigating complexity, international challenges, and organizational change. A Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and past President of ICF Virginia, Stephanie is recognized for her ability to translate deep insight into decisive action—empowering executives to lead with clarity, confidence, and global perspective.

With more than 20 years in senior Human Resources and leadership roles—including service as a Chief Learning Officer in the federal government—Stephanie brings unparalleled expertise in cultivating talent, strengthening organizations, and guiding leaders through high-stakes transitions. Her career spans both the public and private sectors, with coaching engagements across life sciences, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and government contracting. She has coached executives at global companies as well as senior leaders in government and international organizations and is passionate about creating a ripple effect—empowering leaders whose growth positively impacts not just their organizations, but also the broader systems and communities they influence.
Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Human Resources Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Master’s in Theology from St. Leo University.

Nash is an experienced Program and Product Management leader with over 17 years of experience in transforming organizations towards product-driven structures, managing multi-million programs and growing an organization from startup to maturity. As the Vice President of Product Management at ECOM Consulting Inc., he led the development and delivery of the customer experience product portfolio, working closely with executive leadership to ensure the company's vision and Objectives along with key results are met.
Nash is a recognized leader in the Agile community, having served as a volunteer for Agile Alliance and co-founded Loudoun Agile Network, one of the most prominent Agile meetup groups. He is a Coach by instinct and a trainer by passion, and is an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC).
Nash received his Leadership and Organizational Design education from Stanford University, and actively propagates the lessons learned to all leaders across the industry and community. His comprehensive expertise in product and program management has been honed through his work in the financial services, non-profit, and Fortune 500 companies.

Clients greatly appreciate Kemy’s talent to remove shame and blame from tough situations, while asking the right questions that spark innovative solutions. His mission? To guide leaders in (re)building trust within their organizations, fostering safe and thriving cultures where people from all backgrounds can excel.

This makes him a highly sought-after coach by leaders who value holistic problem solving and seek expertise in Effective Communication, Team Alignment, Belonging, and Change Management.

Kemy operates by a simple yet powerful belief: "limitations are invitations"—opportunities to rethink, reimagine, and reinvent what’s possible. He helps clients lead through uncertainty and strengthen transparency, autonomy, and resilience within their teams. His T.R.U.S.T. Leadership approach is designed to turn perceived failures into stepping stones, paving the way for meaningful progress and long-term success.

Kemy has a Master's in Brain-based Teaching and Learning, and an Education Specialist Degree in Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. With over 20 years of leadership experience, Kemy has advised organizations of all sizes and collaborated with multiple Nobel Peace Prize laureates to drive social change initiatives across 40+ countries.

For the past decade, Natalie has worked with and coached individuals and teams across the globe to drive large-scale change and development initiatives aimed at fostering growth and
innovation, resolving unproductive team dynamics,
shifting organizational culture, and engaging employees.
Natalie has certifications in mediation (Virginia Judicial System), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR), and yoga instruction (200RYT).
She truly likes people. She loves figuring out what motivates them. And she believes their intellect and spirit have limitless power to drive business outcomes.

Rebecca is a leadership coach, trainer, and consultant dedicated to helping leaders create meaningful connection within themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Known for her grounded, direct, and compassionate approach, Rebecca helps clients move from confusion and frustration toward clarity, confidence, and intentional action. With a background in clinical mental health and psychotherapy, she brings deep expertise in human behavior and systems dynamics to her leadership work, supporting leaders in shaping cultures and leadership legacies they can feel proud of. Rebecca holds a B.S. in Communication and Social Psychology from Cornell University, an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from SUNY Plattsburgh, and an advanced Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” Susan first used this simple principle as a financially-strapped college student who needed to find a way to get course credit for an unpaid internship, without paying tuition. It was one of her first successful negotiations and helped to spark her passion for teaching this strategy, and other effective negotiating techniques, to business people of every level.
Susan, the Principal of BorkeWorks is passionate about helping people develop as effective negotiators. She believes no one is born a master negotiator. Great negotiation skills come from a combination of knowledge, training, and practice. As a media executive at CBS and in-house counsel at National Geographic, Susan has over 30 years of negotiating and negotiation training experience with domestic and international commercial companies, educational institutions, and nonprofits.

Cathy is a former global senior executive in Human Resources. In her more than 30-year career, she garnered a reputation for being a highly effective and motivating leader. She has broad experience in organizational design and transformation, strategic planning, and change management. Cathy has successfully led business acquisitions, integrations, divestitures, downsizings, cost containment initiatives and startups. She has worked in a variety of industries which include manufacturing, steel, pharmaceutical, and animal health and spent several years living and leading in Europe.
Developing strong teams has always been a passion of Cathy’s. She believes people who
work in a highly effective team can accomplish even the most challenging tasks. Growing, developing and building a strong team requires time and commitment and Cathy is passionate about partnering with leaders and organizations to make that happen.
Cathy holds a bachelors in Organization and Management Development from Bluefield College and a Masters in Global Human Resources Leadership from Rutgers University. Cathy has completed the Foundations of NeuroLeadership certification at the NeuroLeadership Institute.

Jenny is a leadership coach, business strategist, and communications expert with more than 35 years of experience helping leaders navigate change, strengthen engagement, and communicate with clarity and confidence. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lieutenant, she brings a strong foundation in resilience and teamwork to her work with executives and teams. Jenny specializes in executive communication, leadership effectiveness, conflict navigation, and building executive presence, equipping leaders with practical tools to create lasting organizational impact. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a coaching certification from Columbia University and is the author of Whatever the Cost: One Woman’s Battle to Find Peace with Her Body.

Kellie is a leadership development expert specializing in coaching, program design, and facilitation. Her work empowers individuals to discover their unique leadership strengths and unlock their full potential, by creating engaging, values-driven learning experiences that build the skills and mindsets leaders need to thrive.
With an emphasis on a human-centered approach to leadership, Kellie thoughtfully designs workshops and programs that encourage participants to learn, collaborate, and share their unique perspectives. Her warm, inclusive style fosters spaces where leaders feel safe to reflect, grow, and connect.
Kellie’s coaching approach is grounded in trust, empowerment and a genuine belief in the potential of others. She believes in meeting people where they are and providing them with the tools, strategies, and confidence they need to lead with authenticity.

Laura is an executive coach, facilitator, and leadership development consultant who partners with leaders to grow from the inside out. With a compassionate and practical approach, she creates a trusted space for leaders to build self-awareness, align with purpose, and lead with clarity, intention, and impact.
She specializes in designing and facilitating leadership development experiences for leaders and senior teams that strengthen critical competencies, deepen connection, and support real-world application. Laura brings 20 years of experience across professional services, financial services, technology, food & beverage, international education, and manufacturing, working with Fortune 500 companies, privately held businesses, startups, and educational institutions. She holds PCC and CPCC coaching certifications and is a certified practitioner of the Leadership Circle Profile.

Felicity became a coach with the goal of helping others gain perspective and move forward in their personal and professional lives. She works with individuals and teams on career, life, and improved leadership skills. Felicity believes it is extremely powerful to have a thought partner to help figure out next steps.
Felicity spent two decades working for a defense contractor in various departments including Finance, Human Resources, Quality Control, Communications, Operations, and Information Technology. The global corporate experiences provided her with insights into many of the strategic issues, dilemmas and daily decisions facing professionals today. Felicity enjoys learning and continues to find new ways to coach .
In addition to being a Certified Professional Coach, Felicity has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling.

Kerry has a passion for coaching and learning to help leaders achieve their goals. Over 29 years of experience as a facilitator, coach, designer/developer, and business partner has led her to a passion for business results-focused learning solutions.
She has corporate and field expertise in collaborating with people across all levels of organizations, stemming from a long-tenured career in the hospitality industry and throughout her career, her responsibilities have included managing oversight of Learning National Programs for both the United States and Canada.
Kerry’s certifications and coaching expertise extend through the use of tools and assessments such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Gallup / CliftonStrengths, Everything DiSC, EQ-i, Franklin Covey, Leadership at the Edge, Spectrum CPI 260, and Criterion Referenced Instruction certifications.

Petra is a development-oriented coach, facilitator and systems thinker. As a well-published cancer researcher, Petra focused on identifying markers in signaling pathways leading to dysfunctional organs, resulting in unhealthy systems. In her leadership roles, she recognized this same process between individuals and teams and their impact to the organization. This ignited her passion for working with leaders, teams and systems to co-create the healthy, interdependent signals they need to achieve their desired results.
Petra emphasizes developing the coach approach and increasing our individual and leadership capacities to transform the care of our health—individually and organizationally. She has served in roles such as the Director of Serving Leader Development at the Cleveland Clinic, healthcare administrator, cancer researcher and university faculty instructor. Petra has extensive coaching and facilitation experience with healthcare executives and teams.
Petra is a professionally certified coach (PCC) and graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership coaching program. Petra holds a Ph.D in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Kent State University and completed postdoctoral research as well as her fellowship in Computational Genomic Epidemiology of Cancer at Case Western Reserve University.

Tim Smith is a coach, facilitator, and consultant with over 25 years of experience helping leaders grow into their next chapter. He specializes in supporting analytical thinkers who want to strengthen their emotional intelligence, improve communication, and lead with greater ease. Tim creates a safe, supportive space where leaders can examine challenges honestly, reduce stress, and make confident decisions.
A key area of Tim’s work is supporting leadership transitions. He helps clients navigate promotions, new responsibilities, and team growth with confidence, ensuring both individual readiness and organizational impact. His approach combines inquiry, accountability, and a supportive environment tailored to each client’s needs.
As a facilitator, Tim is known for his engaging and interactive style, blending practical tools with real-world experience. He also works with organizations to strengthen leadership pipelines, align strategy with values, and elevate team performance.
Tim holds a PCC credential with the International Coaching Federation.

Ami Watkin is a skilled leader with over two decades of experience in executive coaching and strategic consulting. As an explorer, critical thinker, and connector, Ami approaches her work with an eye to the human side of business - what makes professionals tick, how they collaborate, and how they can flourish.

As an executive coach and consultant, Ami brings out the best in professionals across industries by working with individuals to find their true leadership style and elevate their executive strategy. She’s known for her ability to build relationships and engender trust by understanding clients and their challenges deeply, and then holding room for the possibility of new ways of doing and being.

Ami is at her best when helping companies and their leaders navigate the challenges of growth and evolution. From a place of common understanding, she makes room for complexity and nuance before working with leaders to build pragmatic strategies that drive action.

As a consultant, Ami collaborated with a publicly-traded beauty company on the evolution of their global tech function, ensuring that her client could confidently move forward with ambitious goals.

As a member of the executive team in a tech startup, Ami built the people function from the ground up, focusing on talent development and aligning the team with the business strategy.

In her former life as a corporate attorney, Ami worked with private equity sponsors on cutting-edge deals and developed an understanding of how corporations and individuals can succeed (and where they can struggle) in time-sensitive, high-stress environments. Colleagues and clients relied on Ami’s ability to deliver quality work and to make smart, strategic choices.

Heather has worked as both an Independent Workshop Facilitator and Corporate Trainer for over 30 years in a variety of industries. She has developed and presented a wide range of business communications “Soft Skills” training. Topics including Team Building, Presentation Skills, Train the Trainer, and Personality Assessments as well as computer software applications.
She is a Certified Master Trainer through the Association of Talent Development (ATD) as well as currently holding Facilitator Certifications for MBTI, DiSC, True Colors, and Microsoft.
Heather presents training with an eye to adapting the training topics to fit the needs and experiences of the participants as well as adapting technical and/or complex training to everyday situations for increased retention. Heather believes that the more fun you are having when learning, the more learning you can achieve.
Heather holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication and Adult Learning Theory from Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). This, coupled with her Master’s Degree in HR Development and Consulting Skills from Ottawa University (Phoenix, AZ), gives her a well-rounded consultative approach to workshop facilitation.
Heather launched her training company, Training de Jour in 2017, after many years of waiting and preparing.  She specializes in helping her clients “Fill the Training Gaps” they experience in meeting their training needs, both virtually and in person.  This allows her to work with a wide range of participants and clients and to present on a number of interesting and transformative topics.  Topics such as Presentation design and development, Team Building, and Human Dynamics.

Kim is passionate about coaching and training! His mission is to help people awaken to their full potential by deeply listening to them, helping them uncover learning opportunities, calling them to awareness and action, and offering them relentless support along the way.
He has been a Certified Mediator for over 15 years and has a Master's degree in Social Sciences/Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resources. Kim is also an ACC-certified ICF Coach, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, a certified mental health coach, a trainer/adjunct faculty, a men's empowerment group leader, and a trainer.
He is a former state government district manager, independent business owner, non-profit consultant and employee, and a former circus acrobat and animal trainer -- which ties all of it together.

Ranieka works with leaders at all levels to enhance their self-awareness, develop their strengths, and increase their effectiveness in ways that positively impact the organization's financial success. Ranieka offers insight from 20 years of experience, with small, mid-size and Fortune 500 companies. She gained her experience in operations, sales, and talent management at various companies including Chubb Insurance Group, Eli Lilly, Astra Zeneca and United Therapeutics. Her diverse professional experience as a business executive, board member, and talent leader provides a unique perspective on critical issues facing leaders and teams.

As an executive coach, she has supported leaders in various industries such as tech, healthcare, media, insurance, accounting, trade associations, nonprofits,
and a national union. Her areas of expertise include identifying and establishing boundaries, emotional agility, adult development, team development, and inclusive leadership. She also serves as adjunct faculty for American Management Association.

She is SHRM-SPC certified, and a PCC certified coach. She completed her coaching training at the Institute for Transformational Leadership at Georgetown University. Ranieka received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Florida A&M University and a Masters in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University.

Known equally for her laughter and her cogent questions, SB is the business coach who takes a holistic view and the empowerment coach who brings the work down to earth. While her psychology degree from UNC-Greensboro and coach training from the Coach Training Alliance shaped her understanding of human behavior, her innate abilities to create cohesive pictures out of seemingly disparate parts and see people from the intersection of what is and what could be are what makes coaching with SB a particularly unique experience.
From the brick ranch on a creek in Southwest Virginia that she shares with her wife, Theresa, and their pit bull pup, SB collaborates with those seeking their bigger selves and badder lives across the country and around the world.
When you join SB in a coaching collaboration, she brings a lifetime of learning – reading, studying, experimenting, and working with hundreds of people – to your challenges, your vision, your unique definition of a life well lived. Whether you’re showing up to fine tune an already-shiny internal landscape or to take first swings at a jagged and daunting inner world, she is able to adjust to you, as an individual. There are no mapped routes here. There is no right way to build your best life or self. There’s only the foundational information, discovered and rediscovered and tweaked over millennia of human exploration, and what it means to you and for you.

Veronica is passionate about using coaching and training to empower leaders to use emotional intelligence to increase their leadership effectiveness, which drives organizational results. As a trainer, she creates engaging and impactful learning experiences and as a coach, she holds space for her clients to create a way forward on which they are excited to embark. Veronica transitioned into coaching, training, and facilitation from a 28-year career in Human Resources. Her certifications include DISC, 360 Assessment tools and DEI.

Art Akerman is an accomplished Executive and Leadership Coach (ICF PCC) with over 30 years of work experience in corporate leadership across a variety of prestigious organizations. He has led teams of all sizes, founded in a belief that prioritizing people naturally leads to business success.
With a master’s degree in IT management from the University of Virginia, Art combines his extensive knowledge and practical experience to drive meaningful change for his clients. Art specializes in working with senior leaders, including directors and VPs, who seek to enhance their leadership capabilities and advance their careers. His clients appreciate his unique perspective; having successfully transitioned from technical roles to executive positions, he brings first-hand experience that allows him to relate deeply to the challenges faced by enterprise leaders.
In his coaching, Art follows a structured process designed to provide clients with comprehensive support, empowering them to achieve measurable results and long-term success.

Chris is a collaborative instructional designer and workforce development specialist with nearly 30 years of experience helping individuals and organizations learn, grow, and perform at their best. She designs learning experiences that spark curiosity, build confidence, and drive real-world impact.
With a Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology from UNC Charlotte, Chris integrates cognitive science, human performance technology, and AI-enhanced design to create practical, engaging training solutions. Her work spans manufacturing, public utilities, mental health, and the military community.
As the spouse of a retired Marine and a mother of children who have served in both the Army and Marine Corps, Chris brings deep empathy and lived insight into the challenges facing service members and their families. She is known for simplifying complexity, building strong relationships, and delivering mission-focused results in support of organizations such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Department of Defense.

The Axela Group’s Team of Experts