Meet the Heroes

Tom Fragale is a computer professional with over 30 years of professional experience. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer, a Microsoft Certified Office Master, and a Microsoft Certified Expert in Word and Excel. He has trained over 30,000 business people in on-line webinars, public seminars, and on-site training. His clients include many Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, military bases, and companies large and small across many industries, including manufacturing, banking, pharmaceutical, education, retail, etc. He started his career as a database application programmer and has served as a consultant and project manager on many successful projects. His topics of expertise include: Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Crystal Reports, SQL Server, Visio, QuickBooks, and SharePoint, among others. His passion is training people and helping people get the most out of their computers, and he is a published author having written a book on Microsoft Access. He graduated in 1988 from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA with a BA in Computer Science.

Marcia Zidle, CEO of Smart Moves Coach, is a board-certified executive coach, business management consultant and keynote speaker, who helps organizations to leverage their leadership and human capital assets. She has 25 years of management, business consulting and international experience in a variety of industries including health care, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, insurance, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, government, and nonprofits. She brings an expertise in social and emotional intelligence; executive and team leadership; employee engagement and innovation; personal and organization change management. She has been selected one of LinkedIn Profinder’s top coaches the past 5 years.

Beverly Beuermann-King specializes in working with people and organizations who want to control their reactions to stress, build resiliency against life's challenges and live healthy, successful lives using her S-O-S Principle™. Beverly launched her company, R ‘n B Consulting, in 1995, and since then she has helped teams from a wide range of industries to shift from stressed out to resilient, enabling them to be happier, engaged, and successful. Beverly is a sought-after media spokesperson and has made over 500 television and radio appearances on shows such as City TV and CBC, and in national publications from the Toronto Star newspaper to Chatelaine magazine. Beverly is a highly respected speaker. Diverse organizations from Enbridge Gas and the Ontario Veterinarian Association, to York Regional Police, and the Elementary Teachers Federation, have partnered with Beverly when they want to protect their mental health.

Karla Brandau is a leading authority on leadership for a more collaborative and productive workforce. She has educated leaders, mangers, supervisors, and individual contributors with her proven people skills and productivity systems in companies such as Motorola, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Panasonic, Siemens, and BYD America. Government agencies that have benefited from her programs include NIH, NIDA, the EPA, and IBB. Educational Institutions include Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Texas A & M, and Mercer University. The employee experience is the focal point of Karla’s expertise. Her executive coaching and her training for leaders includes how to: • Build a winning team • Be resilient when faced with challenging situations • Implement change in the organization • Use Microsoft Outlook as a management tool To assist in improving the manager/employee relationship, Karla offers several assessments including the DISC and Driving Forces, Emotional Intelligence, and 360-Degree evaluations. In 1995, Karla earned her Certified Speaking Professional award which is an earned designation given by National Speakers Association. Only 8% of their membership have received this designation. Karla is a Registered Corporate Coach, a Certified Facilitator, a Certified Professional Motivators Analyst, a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst, and a Certified EQi-2.0 Practitioner. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education.

Mark Schwartz is an employment tax specialist with over 25 years as a payroll tax collector, payroll tax auditor, and payroll tax consultant. He is also a current payroll processor and advisor to clients on a multitude of payroll and hr related issues. Mark's expertise is in the IRS payroll tax field. He understands completely the multitude of problems and confusion of Federal payroll tax matters. He helps all clients in understanding exactly what matters to their business. He helps them navigate the electronic compliance waters - steering their boats to the appropriate ports and even assisting where he can.

Jenny Douras is President and founder of AdvantEdge Training & Consulting and is a national speaker conducting workshops across the country. She has over 25 years of experience in management, employee development, operations, knowledge management, technology, organizational development, and instructional design and training. She has written over 40 courses on Microsoft Office and Professional Development topics, that have been sold around the world.

Larry is the co-author of two top-selling books: Absolute Honesty: Building A Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk And Rewards Integrity and Generations Inc. – From Boomers To Linksters – Managing The Friction Between Generations At Work. He’s also written for Huffington Post and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Business Review. He has been interviewed on CNN. Larry has written more than 200 published articles on the topic of improving organizational culture. An in-demand speaker and organization culture expert, Larry has delivered more than 2500 presentations for association conferences, corporations and government organizations including: • American Express • Harley-Davidson Motor Company • Northwest Human Resource Management Association • Nuclear Regulatory Commission • PEI (Petroleum Equipment Institute) • SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) • Southwest Airlines • Training Magazine Conference & Expo • Westinghouse He’s also presented more than 300 webinars for his own clients and for various webinar companies.

Mike Thomas is a leading UK-based IT Trainer and Content Creator renowned for his expertise in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Power BI. Throughout his distinguished 35-year career, Mike has delivered thousands of courses and produced an extensive library of written and video tutorials, available on his blog and YouTube channel. As a Microsoft MVP and Fellow of The Learning and Performance Institute, Mike has collaborated with numerous global and UK-based companies, providing tailored training and developing innovative Microsoft Office solutions that streamline business processes. His passion for teaching, knowledge-sharing and technology makes him a sought-after speaker and trainer, continually inspiring others to harness the full potential of Microsoft Office tools.

Margie Faulk is a senior-level human resources professional with over 15 years of HR management and compliance experience. A current Compliance Advisor for HR Compliance Solutions, LLC, Margie, has worked as an HR Compliance advisor for major corporations and small businesses in the small, large, private, public and Non-profit sectors. Margie has provided small to large businesses with risk management strategies that protect companies and reduce potential workplace fines and penalties from violation of employment regulations. Margie is bilingual (Spanish) fluent and Bi-cultural. Margie holds professional human resources certification (PHR) from the HR Certification Institution (HRCI) and SHRM-CP certification from the Society for Human Resources Management. Margie is a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE).

Diane L. Dee, President and Founder of Advantage HR Consulting, LLC is a senior Human Resources professional with over 30 years of experience in the HR arena. Diane’s background includes experience in HR consulting and training & administration in corporate, government, consulting and pro bono environments. Diane also develops and conducts webinars on a wide variety of HR compliance and administrative topics for various training firms across the country. Additionally, Diane is the author of multiple white papers and e-books addressing various HR compliance topics. Diane holds a Master Certificate in Human Resources from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and has attained SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CPC, sDEI certification. Diane performs pro bono work through the Taproot Foundation assisting non-profit clients by integrating their Human Resources goals with their corporate strategies.

Chris DeVany is the founder and president of Pinnacle Performance Improvement Worldwide, a firm which focuses on management and organization development. Pinnacle’s clients include global organizations such as Visa International, Cadence Design Systems, Coca Cola, Sprint, Microsoft, Aviva Insurance, Schlumberger and over 500 other organizations in 22 countries. He also has consulted to government agencies from the United States, the Royal Government of Saudi Arabia, Canada, Cayman Islands and the United Kingdom. His book, “90 Days to a High-Performance Team”, published by McGraw Hill. He has appeared hundreds of times on radio and television interview programs to discuss mergers and acquisitions (how to manage and survive them), project management, sales, customer service, effective workplace communication, management, handling rapid personal and organizational change and other topical business issues. Chris holds degrees in management studies and organizational behavior from Boston University. He has traveled to 22 countries and 47 states in the course of his career.

"Prof. Paul" - Serial Entrepreneur and Business, Psychology & Health/Fitness Expert. CEO at Advanced Ideas, Inc, Award Winning University Professor, Therapist, Corporate Trainer, Professional Speaker, Internet Marketing Expert and Business Consultant. I have 4 Advanced Degrees, Extensive Experience in the fields of Business, Psychology & Health/Fitness Expert ... and a Wealth of Information to Share!

Insightful, humorous, entertaining, even contagious; words that are often used to describe Rhonda Scharf. A speaker with the uncanny ability to look at the normal and see something quite different. Rhonda will share some things she has learned to help you thrive in your work environment, emerging at the end of the day with a smile and a sense of accomplishment. Audiences far and wide sing her praises for her relevant and useful tips on administration, communication and workplace effectiveness! Rhonda is an author, speaker, trainer, and grandmother. She has earned her Certified Speaking Professional, is a member of the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame, and is one of only 35 speakers worldwide who have earned their Global Speaking Fellow (meaning she truly has an international business), and been awarded the Spirit of CAPS award. She was the first speaker in the entire world to earn all four awards. Her peers consider Rhonda a leader in the speaking industry! Her natural warmth and sincerity are balanced by a healthy sense of the absurd, a combination that is useful in any situation. Rhonda’s professional speaking career began at age two… when her mother would offer her 25 cents to be quiet for five minutes!

Wendy Sellers, MHR, MHA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR known as "The HR Lady®," is a dedicated business partner and HR consultant with multiple degrees and many HR related certifications and licenses. She has years of experience and has worked in many HR areas such as operations, downsizing, change management, corporate culture, remote and in-person workplaces, coaching, training, HR education, and leadership development. Wendy's straightforward style means she doesn't sugarcoat things. She believes that people are a company's greatest asset and should be treated as such. That means training and empowering managers, supervisors and employees to be successful in their roles is not an option, it is mandatory. Wendy Sellers, The HR Lady, trains administrators on HR compliance and managers on the rest: the people part, from hiring to termination.

Cindy McGuckin is a top-notch, seasoned software trainer, specializing in Microsoft Office products. She is passionate about teaching various software applications and has been told many times by her students that she has a unique ability relay information on a level that is very easy for her students to understand the concepts being taught. Over her 15+ years of teaching software courses, Cindy has taught many large groups in classroom settings and remotely. She also works with individuals who need a little more of a personal touch. Her experience has helped her develop a unique ability to connect with her students and quickly assess their needs in order to customize their QuickBooks company file. She can tell very quickly which features of QuickBooks the she really needs to focus on, then gets the job done quickly and very efficiently. Cindy also teaches Microsoft Office courses. If you need help with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ChatGPT, QuickBooks or any other software

Bob Verchota is owner and senior consultant for RPVerchota & Associates, a consulting firm providing services to clients who seek to align their business and employees, creating successful outcomes and excellent work environments. After 30+ years in Human Resources senior leadership roles and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in Leadership and Organizational Development, Bob transitioned to using his experience and skills in consulting. Mr. Verchota provides solutions to companies for a wide variety of HR issues including training and development, compensation, compliance, policy development, performance management, employee relations and managing change from mergers and acquisitions to project specific disruptions of the status quo. Bob has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, graduate degree in Healthcare Administration, and doctoral work (ABD) in Organizational Development. He is a lifetime Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Aimee Bernstein's passion and purpose is to help individuals, teams and organizations manifest more of their potential. She is an executive coach, psychotherapist, consultant, trainer and keynote speaker with forty years of experience in leadership mastery, collaborative teams, wellness cultures, and mindfulness-in-action/stress reduction. Her methodology liberates people from limited mindsets, behaviors, and energy habits, enabling them to take exponential leaps in their professional and personal development and generate successful, innovative organizations and communities. Her corporate clients have included Chanel, the Ritz Carlton, Microsoft, Port of Singapore Authority, Colgate Palmolive, and MasterCard. She has also worked with municipalities, universities and nonprofit organizations. Aimee specializes in empowering women. She helps them build their confidence, leadership presence and influence. In the 1980s she founded the Women’s Development Company in San Francisco, which coached and mentored emerging women leaders. During the pandemic, Aimee created The Roar of the MORE, an interactive Evolving Leader mind/body/energy mastery training and coaching series. The series guides individuals in enhancing their Self Awareness, manifesting a more spacious and powerful presence and evolving their consciousness so they may function from an upgraded version of who they are. Her approach is a blend of the energy principles and practices of aikido, which she has trained in for forty years, psychology and meditation. The series enables them to skillfully navigate rapid change and effectively transform their lives, teams and organizations. Aimee received her master's degree in counseling psychology from Boston University and interned at Massachusetts General Hospital under the auspices of Harvard Medical School. She is the author of Stress Less Achieve More: Simple Ways to Turn Pressure into a Positive Force in Your Life. (AMACOM) Her book is available in English, Arabic and Mandarin. It was voted one of seventeen inspiring books to read by Thrive Global.

Dr. Ware is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and has practiced for over 25 years in the talent management field. She is the CEO of Integral Talent Systems, Inc., a technology-enabled global talent management consulting firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. ITS’s mission is to optimize talent investment to generate better organizational performance. Dr. Ware has been a consultant to over 180 of the Fortune 1000 Companies. Some of her clients include Amazon, Apple, Genentech, General Motors, Google, KLA-Tencor, LinkedIn, Omnicom Group, Oracle Corporation, Rivian, SC Johnson, Scripps Healthcare, and Verizon. She is frequently quoted on trends in talent management in numerous publications such as the Associated Press, Computer World magazine, Harvard Business Review, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and has been featured several times on CNN as a national talent management expert.