MEECO INSTITUTE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Master
• Coaching Strategist

Allison A. Davis, MCEC, M.A., Founder and President of AkersDavis Allison Davis is a Coaching Strategist, trusted coach, and consultant who works in partnership with a rich diversity of corporate and healthcare executives and business leaders. Her commonsense approach to organizational change is uncompromising in its mission to change business and healthcare for the better with coaching. After 20 years in corporate and consulting roles, she pivoted to Healthcare where she served as VP Organization Development for the Lahey Health System in Greater Boston. Professional roles include VP and Coaching Market Leader for Right Management's Northeast Division, responsible for leading consulting projects, selecting and developing coaches and establishing coaching cultures within her client groups. As a senior leader for Stanley Works, Carvel, CIGNA, Aetna, and Travelers and in partnership with executive leaders, she helped drive business and organization performance and provided leadership coaching to build high-performing teams and develop senior-level and high-potential talent. As an executive coach she has served clients in PepsiCo, Chubb, Gilt Groupe, Diageo, HSBC, Covidien, John Hancock, Thomson Reuters, HAI Group, United Healthcare, Mohegan Sun, and the United Nations. She was a coach for Yale University's Extraordinary Leader Program. Allison has also co-run a women's leadership program, Woman's Leadership Accelerator, to provide leadership development and one-on-one coaching to address the unique needs of women in the workplace. Coaching is both a profession and a passion for Allison. She has done extensive research on measuring the impact of coaching and presented at the University of Pennsylvania on "Measuring Coaching for Business Success" and is published in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, Coaching: Navigating the Emerging Trends in Financial Services, Issue 4, 2009, Volume 7. She is currently co-writing a book: Physician Leader as Coach. Allison is Master Corporate Executive Coach (MCEC) with the MEECO Institute. She is a guest educator for the Industrial/Organization Graduate Program at the University of New Haven, she teaches leadership mastery and organization effectiveness. She currently serves on the HRLF board and is a volunteer leader for Dress for Success of Hartford's coaching program. She earned her master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven and holds an Executive Coaching Certification from Penn State University's Smeal College of Business. She is also certified in DiSC, Hogan, Leadership Effectiveness 360, Clark Wilson assessments, InsideOut Coaching and HCI Enterprise Coaching Culture program; she received her certification in Positive Psychology from the Whole Being Institute.

Job Titles:

• Vice Chair: Board of Directors

Job Titles:

• Founder, President, and CEO of Executive Core
• President, Executive Core

Barbara Singer is the founder, president, and CEO of Executive Core and leads a group of 100 global professionals whose mission is to more quickly innovate professional development globally. For more than 15 years, she has worked with thousands of high-potentials leaders around the globe at critical turning points in their careers. Barbara is renown for her work in the evidence-based study of predictors of executive success and executive coaching. Barbara has authored numerous executive education programs, written two books, numerous white papers and articles including Recovering Executives at Risk of Derailing and Influence & Collaboration. Barbara has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and B.A. from Bowling Green with dual degrees in Interpersonal Communications and Psychology. She recently served on the board of the Executive MBA Council for two terms as corporate liaison and belongs to numerous professional associations.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Founder

Job Titles:

• Specialist and Chief Operating Officer
• Treasurer: Board of Directors

Doreen Stephens is a marketer specialist and Chief Operating Officer with 15+ years experience in marketing and brand management in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. In 2011, Doreen embarked on an entrepreneurial venture opening a seafood restaurant, Simply Seafood, in the Bronx, NY. As the owner and general manager she takes tremendous pride in being able to offer fresh, quality food in a community that generally does not have access to "homemade", healthy eating alternatives. Prior to her restaurant business, she was the Vice-President, Programming and Marketing for The LEAGUE; a national non-profit youth service organization focused on educating, empowering and engaging young people to make a positive difference in their communities through volunteering and service. In this role she spearheaded the national launch of this newly established youth service organization, which in three years grew to serve 250 schools and 160,000 students in 24 states, participating in the agency's service-learning program. Prior to joining The LEAGUE, Doreen was Vice-President for Strategy & Acquisitions and New Product Development in the POST Cereals Division at Kraft Foods, Inc. Her 13 years of Marketing, Strategy and General Management experience comprise of responsibility for developing the strategic vision and road map for this billion dollar revenue business. Her extensive experience at Kraft also includes managing various multi-million dollar portfolios of well-known consumer packaged goods as well as successfully developing and launching several new products in both the cereal and coffee categories, domestically and internationally. Doreen has an MBA in Marketing and International Business from Columbia Business School and a BSE in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She received a Cereal Patent in 1991 and was recognized in 2000 by Ebony Magazine as Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications. Doreen currently serves on the Board of Directors and is the Secretary of the Greater Centennial Federal Credit Union, as well as on the Board of Directors and co-Chair, Marketing Committee of the Greater Centennial CDC; two non-profit financial institutions that seek to strengthen the financial literacy and build community development in Mt. Vernon, NY. Additionally, she was a Founding Member for Girls Inc. of Westchester County. Doreen is passionate about working with young people and has a strong personal interest in making a tangible and meaningful impact in her community and society. She believes in living each day enjoying life to the fullest while making a difference by inspiring others to reach their full potential

Christine Billy is a Laureate of the School of Pharmacy of Paris, France, holds a Ph.D in Pharmacochemistry and Drug Metabolism, a MBA from the Open University Business School, UK, and is a professional coach in innovation and change, strategic human resources, product and project management. Passionate catalyst of change, she demonstrated excellence in new business development, cross-functional collaboration and talent management. She has more than 20 years' experience leading global scientific, technology and organizational change projects in the pharmaceutical industry at Pfizer and Novartis. Since 2009, she supported more than 1000 individuals and teams to move from dissatisfaction to action, to achieve sustainable success. She uses a simple and efficient 3 steps approach: Choose, Believe, Act. She has been serving as mentor and motivational coach for Universities and Business Schools and local and global associations, Former Board member for International Coach Federation (ICF), Project Management Institute (PMI) and Healthcare Businesswomen Association (HBA). She is currently supporting the Association of Executive Corporate Coaches (ACEC) and is a lead trainer for ICF accredited coaching schools. Her motto: let's make it ambitious and easy!

Director, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP Dr. David Dye has over 30 years of leadership and management consulting in the Federal Government and commercial sectors, contributing to the improved performance of employees, work teams, and organizations. As a Director in Deloitte's Human Capital Practice, he assists clients in developing and aligning human capital programs to achieve organizational strategy and mission. His areas of expertise span the human capital life cycle for attracting, developing, and retaining talent. Dr. Dye is the executive sponsor for the firm's Federal Leader Development Community of Practice, as well as for key eminence initiatives, including sponsorships with the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places to Work in Government Rankings™, the Senior Executives Association, and The Engagement Institute™. Prior to Deloitte, Dr. Dye worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and the US Office of Personnel Management. David is a Past President of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington (PTC-MW) and the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC), in which he led the development of the association's HR certification program. He holds a Top Secret Security clearance and is an ICF certified Executive Coach. Dr. Dye received his Ph.D. from The George Washington University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He is a frequent contributor to Federal news and media outlets, and has presented internationally and published book chapters and articles in various professional journals, including Public Personnel Management, Personality and Individual Differences, and International Journal of Selection and Assessment

Job Titles:

• MCEC, MCC / Board of Advisors
• President of Papillon MDC Inc

Dr. Mirella De Civita holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Medicine. After spending years in academia, she left a burgeoning career and entered the business world in 2006. There she discovered the world of coaching, and in 2010 founded Papillon MDC Inc. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) who partners with C-level executives around the globe in facilitating their personal transformation as leaders as well as supporting them in bringing about profound changes in their organizations. She uses her solid clinical and research background in the area of psychopathology, resilience, developmental potential, and treatment adherence in guiding her work and thinking in the area of leadership development. Based in Montreal, Quebec, she has gained experience in a variety of industries, including financial services, aerospace, healthcare, education, hi-technology, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, advertising, loyalty, property management/development, retail, manufacturing, gaming, and not for profit organizations. In 2015, she founded Grand Heron International (GHI), an online service provider in the area of individual coaching, coaching assessments, and webinars focused on masterful coaching. GHI was conceived with the intent of bringing together coaches from around the globe to share their expertise and knowledge, and to partner with one another in creating a community of learners that respect and adhere to the ethics and coaching competencies that make the coaching experience one of transformation. The idea of GHI was born in 2011 out of a sheer desire to create blue ocean space where everyone, anywhere in the world, and at any time could have access to a trusted and professional coach to them help through a crisis or a critical turning point in their lives. In addition to her leadership role at both companies, Dr. De Civita maintains a part-time clinical practice and acts as a mentor coach to students pursuing coaching certification as well as a supervisor to graduate students in psychology. She has co-authored a number of scientific articles in the area of resilience and risk, adherence behaviors, developmental pathology, coping/living with chronic illness, as well as management and leadership (For a list of her publication please visit Covalentdata.com). She reveals her wealth of knowledge in personal psychology and transformation in her book entitled, "The Courage to Fall into Life: The Tao of Purposeful Existence", published in 2011. She provides an honest and personal account of the promises and perils of delving into the past in order to create a more meaningful life. She invites the reader to travel with her through her past, revealing her thought processes, her fears, and her desires as she finds her place in life: President, Papillon MDC Inc. & Founder, Grand Heron International Inc. Dr. Mirella De Civita the President of Papillon MDC Inc., a management consulting firm that serves an array of private, public, and social sector institutions in designing and implementing leadership programs that focus on optimizing individual and organizational potential. She is also the Founder of Grand Heron International Inc., an online service provider in the area of individual and corporate-wide coaching, consultation for mental health referrals, and webinars focused on masterful coaching. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Medicine. She is a licensed Clinical Research Psychologist, with expertise in the area of psychopathology, risk & resilience, behavioral medicine, and treatment adherence. She is also a Professional Certified Coach, a Master Corporate Executive Coach and a member of the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches (ACEC). She is passionate about her role as a mentor in the McGill MBA Mentoring Program and as an intern supervisor for graduate students in psychology. Dr. De Civita is also an official member of Forbes Coaches Council, where she makes regular contributions as an expert. Prior to Papillon MDC, she worked at Knightsbridge, a Pan-Canadian Human Capital Management firm. Dr. Mirella De Civita has conquered academia and business, possessing a deep wealth of knowledge and an insatiable thirst to keep learning. In her book entitled, "The Courage to Fall into Life: The Tao of Purposeful Existence" (2011), she weaves together her deep understanding of hope, courage, and loss from a psychosocial perspective, giving her readers the gift of choice and ownership of their life journey. Over the past decade, she has delivered numerous keynote addresses on topics she is passionate about to diverse groups of leaders and professionals looking to broaden their horizons on Leading with Purpose, Social Entrepreneurship & Conscious Capitalism, Women & Leadership and Leadership & Coaching. Dr. De Civita is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, coach, researcher, social activist and advocate of mindful psychology, a practice she embeds in all she does, from the leadership programs she designs, the two corporations she operates and every single encounter she makes on her journey. Through Papillon MDC Inc., she spearheads its Corporate Social Responsibility mandate where the focus is on helping young talent as well as non-profit organizations transform and take flight. With much compassion, Dr. De Civita aims to transform lives, allowing individuals to uncover the person they desire to be, lead with greater purpose and intent and make a positive mark on the world.

Job Titles:

• Consulting Industrial - Organizational Psychologist

Dr. Starkka is a consulting industrial-organizational psychologist who specializes in researching and applying organizational, team, and individual interventions to improve healthcare outcomes through professional education, including teaching, facilitating, and coaching. She has designed and conducted various face-to-face and online continuing education courses specifically for healthcare professionals to improve interprofessional collaboration through teamwork, leadership, and communication. She also creates and delivers courses related to behavioral interviewing, clinician-patient communication, clinician advocacy and leadership, culture change, various protocols, and quality and process improvement. She coaches teams and individuals to help improve well-being, patient satisfaction, and team effectiveness. Dr. Starkka is affiliate faculty and a senior consultant with CSU Institute for Palliative Care and has a private consulting and coaching practice based out of San Diego. In addition to her Ph.D. in Consulting Industrial-Organizational Psychology, she holds a Masters of Business Administration and is a Certified Thanatologist.

Job Titles:

• Board of Advisors

Eugene has been a trial lawyer since 1989 and has tried cases in state and federal courts as well as in arbitration tribunals. In the past three years he has arbitrated construction cases and won civil jury trials in commercial fraud cases. He has also represented creditors in bankruptcy court in Greenbelt, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia. Gene is a licensed attorney in Maryland, VA, Louisiana, & DC. His best clients are business and life coaches, consultants and professional engineering and architecture firms. He also has monthly retainer programs to provide outsourced general counsel services affordable for all levels of business and life coaches.

Job Titles:

• Senior Manager Human Resources & Executive Coach at Hermes Airports Ltd

Natasa Iacovides is from the European island of Cyprus. Natasa has 17 years work experience in the field of Human Resources, is a Code of Ethics Officer and a certified Executive Coach. Natasa holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Peiraeus (Greece) and a Master degree in Human Resources Management from Thames Valley University (UK). In 2007 Natasa joined Hermes Airports Ltd (the operator of Larnaka and Pafos International airports in Cyprus) and since 2013 has held the role of the Senior Manager Human Resources. From 2013 until 2017 Natasa was a Board Member of the Cyprus Human Resource Management Association (CyHRMA) and the European Association for People Management (EAPM). In 2018, Natasa became a member of the Airport Council International (ACI) Europe Leadership and Human Resources Forum and in 2020 was elected as Vice President. As an Executive Coach, her focus is on the development and growth of individuals both professionally and personally, helping them to increase self-awareness, acknowledge their inner strengths and move forward. Natasa is certified in the 360 Leadership Circle Profile instrument. In 2020 Natasa co-developed the Philoxenia Leadership training program which was offered to the Leaders of the airport community (Larnaka and Pafos International airports); an innovative training program which aims to redefine the encounters between the airport employees and the customers, based on the perceptions and traditions of the Cypriot culture, and gives emphasis on the human mind, the concepts of structural interaction and coaching tools. Natasa's continuous passion, dedication and drive for excellence and her strong belief in the creation of a healthy organization led Hermes Airports to become accredited and acknowledged by established organizations on a national and international level, such as MEECO Silver Designation, Investors in People - Platinum Accreditation, Airports Council International (ACI) Europe HR Excellence Award and 3 Gold awards for People practices from the Cyprus HR Awards 2019.