Consultants

Ned Parks

Ned Parks is an experienced consultant, consultant and public speaker. He gained his experience in the U.S. Army as a warrant officer, helicopter pilot and flight instructor. After retiring from military service, Parks gained real-world experience by operating his own aviation business. He delivers keynote speeches, leads outdoor adventure workshops, conducts personal development workshops and brings working teams together for maximum performance and successful living. When asked what he does for a living, his answer is simple; his passion is to inspire you and your organization to invest in yourselves with grace, invest in others with humility and improve with dignity.

 

Marti Peden

Marti Peden is a human resources consultant specializing in training and organization development activities for 25 years. With particular expertise in the area of conflict resolution and mediation, she has consulted with organizations and trained employees in conflict management skills. She has worked with Chrysler, First Energy, Aultman Hospital, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and a variety of city, county and state organizations. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and education from Kent

 

Bob Jewel

Bob Jewell has 25 years of hands-on experience in many business environments. He has provided leadership development and project management training and consulting services to organizations such as Toyota, Federal Express and Aultman Hospital, among others. Jewell has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from The Ohio State University.

 

Scott Tackett

Scott Tackett is a human resource and management training specialist. With 32 years of experience in both operations and human resource management, he was employed in a human resource capacity for the past 20 years at Denman Tire Corporation where he last served as vice president of human resources and administration. His responsibilities included employee/labor relations, recruitment, hiring and retention, all human resource related policies and procedures for both union and non-union environments, safety and health programs and numerous leadership development programs for supervisors through mid- to upper-level management. Tackett also served in an hourly and supervisory capacity in production operations. For Kent State University, Tackett facilitates public and contract training programs for organizations in both the private and public sector, with a focus on “real world” application. In addition, he is an adjunct professor, teaching management and business courses at Kent State Trumbull. He earned his bachelor’s degree in human resource management and his master’s degree in organizational leadership from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa.

 

Deborah Easton

As a communication skills consultant for 25 years, Deborah Easton provides audiences with practical advice for utilizing effective communication skills. Her techniques for one-to-one interactions and group communications provide positive results. She has conducted training for organizations such as First Energy, Hyland Software and Summa Health System. Easton has been instrumental in numerous special projects, including developing performance evaluation systems and facilitating cultural change. She earned a master’s degree in speech communication and taught communication courses in Kent State University’s Department of Communication Studies and Graduate School of Management.

 

Holly Bognar

Holly Bognar, Ph.D., has developed and facilitated professional development programs in leadership, team building and emotional intelligence for employees in private, public and nonprofit organizations including ASW Services, Aultman Hospital and Heinz Frozen Foods for more than 10 years. She earned her doctorate in public administration from The University of Akron.

 

Bob Skillman

Bob Skillman is an engineer with 35 years of experience. He is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a Lean Master Sensei who has been training and certifying Black Belts in Six Sigma and Lean methods since 1997. Prior to starting his career as a trainer, coach and consultant, Skillman worked in positions ranging from engineering to executive corporate management.

 

John Novak

John Novak, CQA, is an industrial engineer and Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt who has provided consultation and training to improve work flow and methods for clients. He has experience as a software developer and in internal auditing. Novak received his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Bowling Green State University and his M.B.A. from Kent State University.

 

Chris Perrow

Chris Perrow has shared her prioritization and organization expertise with scores of organizations, including Athersys Inc., Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, ABC Trucking and OfficeMax, among others. A former district manager at The Drackett Products Company, Perrow holds a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College.

 

Jack Shanks

Jack Shanks has more than 30 years of broad-based management experience in private business, government and education. He is an experienced project manager, negotiator and coalition builder who has created and taught seminars throughout the United States for more than 20 years. Shanks is the author of Yes, Data Processing Projects Can Be Successful and nationally published articles on project management and user interface.

 

Jayne Moneysmith

Jayne Moneysmith, Ph.D., assistant professor of English at Kent State Stark, teaches business writing and technical writing to degree-seeking students and to professionals enrolled in professional development programs. Moneysmith also conducts research on improving computer-assisted instruction and collaborative learning. She received her doctorate degree from Florida State University.

 

Jim Ryerson

Jim Ryerson is the founder of Sales Octane Inc., a group of individuals dedicated to helping others apply time-honored sales, marketing and customer service principles. Ryerson started his selling career with Herman Miller Inc., where he developed several selling models. During his tenure as president of Herman Miller Workplace Resource, a distributor of office furniture and health care products, the company experienced a 20 percent annual growth rate in the top line and a 2000 percent increase in the bottom line. Ryerson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Davenport University and is an active member in the World Entrepreneurs Organization and The Edison Creativity Council where he trains on innovation and creativity. He has trained for companies such as Coastal Pet Products and The Press of Ohio.

 

Judy Bodenhamer

Judy Bodenhamer’s management, marketing and sales experiences span 20 years, 17 years of which she spent in leadership roles at Fortune 500 organizations. Bodenhamer earned her M.B.A. from Cleveland State University. She creates customized strategies designed to stimulate top-line revenue growth, while enhancing the organizations’ leadership performance in the areas of leadership, marketing, sales, negotiations and e-business.

 

Lyn Sabino

Lyn Sabino, a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and human resources consultant, has 30 years experience in business and education, half of which are in human resources. She is the former vice president of administrative services at Goodwill Industries of Akron and human resource manager at Graphic Enterprises Inc. in North Canton and currently is the vice president of training and human resources at Stark Parks. Sabino holds a bachelor’s degree in English and education from Walsh College and a master’s degree in English from Youngstown State University. She is the consultant for Kent State Stark’s human resource review course, which prepares HR professionals for the national certification exam. She has trained more than 100 human resource professionals in all aspects of HR management and has also consulted with a significant number of organizations to evaluate hiring practices and various other HR functions.

 

Patricia Meglich

Patricia Meglich, SPHR and Ph.D., is a former human resources practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in industry. She has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, employee benefits, career development and policy development and implementation. Meglich has broad teaching experience; she has served as an instructor at John Carroll University, Lakeland Community College and Kent State University and has facilitated the SHRM Learning System® program for several years in the classroom, via distance learning and online. She received her M.B.A. from Cleveland State University and Ph.D. at Kent State University.

 

Patty Flauto

Patty Flauto is the former creative director of the Photo and Design Studios at American Greetings. While at American Greetings, she managed a staff of nine art directors and 60 designers in the creation of all new illustrated and photographic pieces for American Greetings products. Flauto was a 2004 American Greetings Grand Award winner in the category of Innovation for her work developing a new business venture for creative papercrafts. She is a past board member of the Color Marketing Group, an international organization that forecasts color and design trends, and a founding member of THINK, a New York-based trend forecasting group that is by invitation only. She provides product innovation consulting for organizations such as Newell-Rubbermaid, Corning and Compaq Computer. Flauto received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Youngstown State University and her master’s degree in fine arts from Kent State University.

 

Susan Aldrich

Susan Aldrich has made a name for herself around the globe for her motivating discussions. A lively, interactive speaker, Aldrich captivates her audiences with humor and plenty of energy. In the end, participants come away both inspired and motivated, ready to tackle the topic at hand. Aldrich graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College. She belongs to the American Society for Training and Development and the Ohio Speakers Forum. For more than 15 years, she has presented to groups of professionals at meetings, conventions and trade shows.

 

Bill Albert

Bill Albert has been facilitating Celemi's experiential learning programs for nearly 11 years. He was originally introduced to these programs while working for Celemi in the 1990s. A master consultant and trainer, Albert has facilitated Apples and Oranges, Decision Base and other Celemi programs all over the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. As an engaging speaker, Albert uses this international business experience to help his participants understand how business operates today on a global scale.

 

Ganesh Maddali

Ganesh Maddali has held senior level management positions in engineering, operations and strategic planning at major Fortune 500 corporations in the consumer products, aerospace and electronics industries. He has delivered sustained bottom line results while managing engineering, operations, maintenance, quality and product development functions in global businesses. Maddali has successfully implemented Lean- and Six Sigma-based continuous improvement programs across global supply chains. Ganesh has a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering and a master’s degree in management systems from the University of Nebraska.

 

Jim McGrath

McGrath’s professional career consists of broad, cross-functional and multi-industry experience in Fortune 50 and Fortune 300 companies, delivering bottom-line results in general management, operations, manufacturing, quality, finance, HR and sales. McGrath consults in all aspects of productivity and continuous process improvement training. He holds a master’s of business administration in finance from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Marquette University.

 

Marianne Canario

Marianne Canario has been in business to improve communications in English and Spanish since 1992. Her areas of expertise include technical/business writing, presentation skills, conversational and/or business Spanish, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and accent reduction training. In addition to her consulting experience, Canario has 12 years of banking experience, including several years as an international loan officer. Prior to joining the bank, Canario worked at a translation firm, where she translated materials of a general nature, including employee procedures and human resource documents and forms. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from The College of Wooster and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on international business from Baldwin-Wallace College.