PEPPER FOSTER CONSULTING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
- Consultant in Pepper Foster 's Minneapolis
Alex is a consultant in Pepper Foster's Minneapolis - St. Paul office, with industry and consulting experience with Fortune 150 companies. Alex has experience with strategy development, digital transformation, program management, and building business capabilities. Enjoys building trusting relationships with clients and co-workers, building cultures where people can bring their authentic selves to work. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management with a focus on Finance and Marketing. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities like exploring the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness and snowboarding out west.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Ali is a collaborative consultant who enjoys immersing herself in an engagement to better understand the full picture of the employees, culture and processes. This allows her to evaluate how to build efficiencies and make recommendations in the client's best interest. Ali's experiences in program development, fundraising and trust administration have made her adept at identifying gaps in services and committed to discovering efficiencies to improve the process and quality of her team's work. A natural relationship builder, Ali's commitment to genuine connections ensures she can connect with the team she's engaged with. Ali grew up in rural South Dakota and now lives in its biggest city, Sioux Falls. She has her BA in Psychology and MSW from the University of South Dakota. When not in the office, she enjoys traveling for concerts, being outdoors with her family and baking.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Managing Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Leading with curiosity, creativity, humor and heart are at the core of Ali's consulting approach. With 15 years of Executive Coaching, Learning & Development, and Talent Strategy leadership in her toolbelt, Ali is known for getting to the root cause of client swirl and co-creating solutions for long term success. A native Oregonian, Ali (no glasses) lives with her partner Alyson (glasses) and their kiddo Vivian (sparkle shoes) in Minneapolis where they enjoy building forts and catching frogs in the backyard.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Portland
Alistair is an experienced management consultant and impact-oriented problem solver. Over the last 7 years Alistair has driven IT projects and strategic initiatives with the world's largest corporations, public sector agencies, start-ups, and SMEs. Alistair's core expertise lies in Business Analysis, Project Management and Strategy Development. Originally from Chester, UK Alistair graduated from King's College London with his BA in Mathematics and Philosophy. Alistair is deeply passionate about driving to clarity through complexity and ambiguity, with a core belief that understanding underpins alignment. Alistair enjoys exploring the American West, backpacking, surfing on the Oregon coast and reading sci-fi in hammocks.
Job Titles:
- Recruiter
- Recruiter / Atlanta
Ann is our Recruiter for the Atlanta practice. She is all about the candidate experience. Ann has spent the past 10 years Recruiting Senior Executives from Big 5 Consulting. In her free time Ann loves spending time outdoors with her dogs and finding local restaurants to enjoy.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Portland
Ariana is a solution-minded consultant that is privileged to have a varied career spanning the education, brewing, nonprofit, software and customer service industries. Originally from Washington, D.C., Ariana completed her undergraduate degree at Colorado College in International Political Economy and earned her Master's Degree in Interorganizational Psychology and Leadership Management from the University of Memphis. She is focused on advancing purpose through data driven decisions and analysis of both individual and group motivations and heuristics. Ariana grew up in a food-centric family and spends much of her time exploring all the delicious culinary and agricultural offerings of the Pacific Northwest. To enable her food motivated tourism, Ariana loves hiking with her two dogs, Summer and Utah, and her partner, Josh.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Portland
Brad is a seasoned IT professional and trusted business partner/advisor with over 20+ years in the professional/management consulting services industry. Prior to Pepper Foster, he held several local/regional/global management level roles at Arthur Andersen, Hitachi Consulting, RGP and a local start-up consulting firm. He is both PMP and ADKAR/Prosci certified with areas of expertise focusing on: developing and driving local/regional/global go to market and sales strategies, Program/Project Management, IT and operational strategy development, software selections, software Implementations, business process optimization and change management. Brad is actively involved with numerous local charities/organizations, while also holding a number of board positions. When not working, Brad enjoys spending time with his family and friends, coaching his kid's sports, and enjoying wine country and everything Oregon has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Bud is an experienced business and technology leader who drives IT modernization efforts through continuously improving the quality of the IT solutions, services and support while always having the end-user, and cost effectiveness in mind. As a former CIO, he draws on his own experience to bring innovation, industry standards and best practices into organizations and develop and empower teams that exceed the needs of the business. Prior to Pepper Foster, he was a Partner and Director for CGI. He oversaw multiple areas that focused on business development and the delivery of projects and services that range from full IT Outsourcing to specialty ERP implementations. Bud is passionate about giving back to the community and has volunteered with Kids Inc, iUrban Teen, SOLVE, SMART, Cycle Oregon and is on the Board of the Society of Information Management's (SIM) Portland Chapter. In his free time he hangs out with his kids, kickboxes, and rides his road and mountain bikes.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- Sales Executive
- Director of Business Development / Atlanta
Carl, a sales executive with 30+ years of experience, excels in exceeding revenue targets. He worked at firms like Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and SAP. Carl has collaborated with both profit and nonprofit organizations across several industries. Key to his success is building strong relationships with clients, colleagues, and vendors. In addition, he holds a BA in Pre-Law from the University of Georgia and an MBA in Management from the University of Florida. Carl resides in Atlanta with his wife, dog Sadie, and has two college-aged kids. He loves outdoor pursuits like hiking, running, and golf.
Damian Smith - CEO, Founder, President
Damian is the founder, president and CEO of Pepper Foster Consulting. Over the last 30 years, Damian has launched, turned around, and led a host of highly successful product and services businesses, and consulted with some of the largest and most influential organizations around the globe. His proudest professional achievement though is leading three different firms to be recognized as best companies to work for in Oregon, while simultaneously increasing the revenues and profits of all. When Damian isn't making a difference with Pepper Foster Consulting, you can find him writing fiction; watching his amazing and wonderful daughter Avery's rock band performances; cheering on the Portland Timbers at Providence Park (RCTID); or walking his dog, Boogie.
David is a dynamic project manager with experience in portfolio and project management. He finds fulfillment in motivating teams to reach and exceed project goals, showcasing his natural talent for collaboration with cross-functional teams. David has a proven track record of driving continuous improvement and refining processes to enhance overall efficiency. He is from Plymouth, Minnesota and has a BA in Business Management from Gustavus Adolphus College. Beyond the office, he loves to play soccer and travel around the world while enjoying outdoor experiences with friends and family.
Get in touch
Delight, impress, and make a difference with Pepper Foster Consulting
Contact us ⟶
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Portland
Emily is a communicative and motivated consultant with experience in marketing, communications, and campaign/content strategy. With her experience in the technology industry, she drives impacting change and success in fast-paced environments. Emily's ability to pivot from marketing and communications to project management and process improvement demonstrates her adaptability; which allows her to help businesses achieve wide-range success. Her vast experience ranges from developing business campaigns, strategy, global launch plans, internal communications, project management, to founding a field marketing team that generated $2 million in new leads in one year. Emily has a passion for collaborating, constructing, and problem solving by thinking outside of the box to create business innovation and modernization. When she's not working, Emily plays on an underwater hockey team, teaches swim lessons, and spends time with her rescue bulldog.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Business Leader
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Erin is an accomplished business leader with over 15 years experience designing and executing process improvement and change management programs. She has a knack for transforming data into actionable insights and employs a pragmatic approach to tackling challenges of all shapes and sizes. Erin delivers results with confidence and humility, and is adept at developing strong relationships with clients, colleagues, vendors and partners. Outside of the office, you'll find Erin out riding her bike, coaching endurance athletes, or adventuring with her two border collies.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Portland
Galen is an experienced consultant with a breadth of skills: from team development to concrete deliverables. With a background spanning construction and software, he is adept in both Agile and traditional project management delivery. He is invested in a creative, flexible approach that is grounded in data and business realities. Galen is always excited to see details in the context of the big picture and is endlessly curious about the nexus of people, systems, and value. Outside of work he enjoys philosophy, playing in the outdoors, and life's simple pleasures.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Managing Consultant / Portland
- Strategic Consultant
Heidi is a multifaceted strategic consultant with a demonstrated history of process improvement and project implementation experience. She is naturally inclined to align people, processes, and technology to deliver success; boosting efficiency, optimizing productivity, reducing risks and unlocking capabilities. She possesses the ability to pivot between creative strategy work, refining technical solutions and directing and monitoring project objectives. Her reputation for personal integrity and inquiring leadership style make her a strong business development professional. Heidi is a PNW native and avid supporter of the Portland Thorns and Timbers teams. Outside of the office, you can find her at Providence Park, hiking local trails, traveling the world or enjoying a good book or puzzle at home.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- Director of Business Development / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Jamie brings a wealth of sales and sales leadership experience spanning 10+ years. Over his career he has partnered with his clients to help them realize their goals whether that was implementing major new IT systems, developing new processes, or executing new strategies. He has successfully led sales organizations at several other consulting firms and always takes a strategic and targeted approach. When Jamie is not partnering with business leaders, he is a dedicated husband and father to two small children. He also spends time in his local community and coaches youth baseball through Orono Athletics.
Julia is our Recruiter for the Minneapolis practice. She is passionate about making new connections and building relationships, and has worked in talent acquisition in a variety of industries. She is a proud Minnesotan who loves to take advantage of the many outdoor activities available in every season, including cross country skiing, running, biking and soccer. She also enjoys keeping up with the Minneapolis restaurant scene (bakeries in particular), and is a superfan of the Minnesota Orchestra. She's passionate about traveling domestically and internationally, and is always working on planning her next trip.
Get in touch
Delight, impress, and make a difference with Pepper Foster Consulting
Contact us ⟶
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Julie is a collaborative consultant with experience in project management, process improvement, and strategic operations. Julie double majored in Spanish and Latin American Studies at St. Olaf College and spent a semester abroad in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. She then worked in the non-profit sector in El Salvador, Minnesota, and Colorado, putting her bilingual skills to use as she built out internal infrastructure that allowed for increased impact and efficiency. Julie then returned to Minnesota to pursue her MBA at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and studied in St. Gallen Switzerland for a partial semester. In her free time, Julie loves to bake, be outdoors, travel, hike, and camp with her husband, Eduardo, and dog, Buddy.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Business Leader
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Keaton is an experienced business leader with a decade of experience in information technology and project management where he has led teams and PMOs to focus on the big picture, achieve milestones, and deliver business impacting outcomes. His background in utilities and financial services has proven an ability to understand and navigate complex environments, ensuring risks are mitigated, deliverables are met, and PMOs succeed all while doing the toughest thing of all, keeping teams engaged and motivated. When not in the office you'll find Keaton cooking, spending time with his family, or most likely, in his woodshop, designing and building fine furniture and documenting the entire process on his blog and YouTube channel.
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Kurt is an energetic and team-oriented senior leader with demonstrated business skills and ability to drive technology and functional based enterprise programs in fast-paced environments with measurable results. He has over 25 years experience as a technology professional- technical program manager consistently leading and delivering on Agile & Waterfall Programs on-scope, on-schedule and on-budget. Kurt consistently builds collaborative teams and relationships across technology, business customer and vendor partner teams. When he's not driving results for clients, Kurt enjoys following his 3 teenage boys' sports with his wife Michelle, snowboarding in the winter, and camping and trail running in the summer. Kurt is also an active volunteer and board member of Portland Community Football Club www.PCFC.co which provides access to high quality coaching and soccer leagues to low-income, immigrant and refugee youth in the Portland metro area.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
- Technology Leader
Lee is an accomplished technology leader with significant experience in a variety of roles including executive management, program management, project management, application development, and software engineering. With certifications in project management and Lean, and a background that ranges from large to small companies from the Banking to the Music industry he brings a wide variety of experience to consulting. Lee is also well balanced between people and technical skills and adapts quickly. He is a get stuff done kind of consultant. Outside of work you can find him either working on a home project or singing with his barbershop chorus.
Lisa is an expert in igniting growth through serial acquisitions, merger of near equals and navigating complex transactions. Her passion is deeply rooted in pioneering boundary-pushing, yet meticulously planned, next-generation approaches to unlock unparalleled growth potentials. Lisa's client portfolio boasts household names and transactions that define industry trends. Lisa believes in the holistic journey of fostering meaningful connections and embracing the richness of life beyond the boardroom. Her commitment to balance seamlessly integrates life and career passions, creating a unique synergy that extends far beyond corporate walls. Outside the office, Lisa and her family love immersing themselves in global cultures, often communicating with people through inventive human sign languages in various regions and countries. Lisa is passionate about empowering others through Dress for Success. Her princess Shih Tzu adds a touch of sunshine to the community.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant / Portland
Mariko is an experienced professional with expertise in strategy consulting, change management, learning and development, and complex project management. She is results-driven with a proven track record of success in delivering notable outcomes for Fortune 500 companies, energy companies, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits. Mariko enjoys working at the nexus of people, processes and technology to achieve client goals. She is well-versed at navigating complex stakeholder environments to drive alignment and collaboration. She has a BA in Psychology from Whitman College and an MBA from the University of Washington. A Seattle native, Mariko enjoys outdoor adventures and traveling with her family. A foodie with an aggressive sweet tooth, she enjoys exploring all of the culinary offerings of the greater Portland area.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Consultant and Senior Leader in Pepper Foster 's Minneapolis
- Principal / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Matt is an experienced consultant and senior leader in Pepper Foster's Minneapolis - St. Paul office. With a professional background that includes leadership roles in both Big 4 consulting and industry, Matt brings significant experience in the healthcare, technology, and non-profit industries and in strategic planning, finance, market research, human resources, executive coaching, operations, and project management. In his spare time, Matt loves to garden, hang out with his family, especially on the water, and is an avid runner who will even hit the trails for a morning run at -27 degrees!
Job Titles:
- Talent Acquisition Manager
Job Titles:
- Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Job Titles:
- Partner & Practice Lead / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Job Titles:
- Partner & Practice Lead / Atlanta
Job Titles:
- Associate / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Job Titles:
- Principal / Minneapolis - St. Paul
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant / Portland
Job Titles:
- Managing Consultant / Minneapolis - St. Paul