NEXT STEP TRAINING AND CONSULTING - Key Persons
Adrian is one of our technical and safety consultants as well as one of Next Step's logistics managers. As a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Adrian helps ensure the safety of clients and facilitating teams in many of Next Step's outdoor experiential programs. Adrian is currently a certified First Aid and BLS (Basic Life Support) Instructor for the Philippine National Red Cross and an active member of and instructor for the Fire Emergency Paramedic Assistance Group (FEPAG).
Alexis began her career in the media and publishing industry as Associate Editor for Mega magazine, then Managing Editor for lifestyle travel glossy Travelife. She went freelance in 2009, accepting assignments from Travelocity.com, Manila Bulletin, Yahoo Philippines, Lifestyle Asia Travel, and Mega. She has also done commercial writing projects for Bizu, Unica Hija, and Coke Philippines. Her first taste in organizational development came in 2004 under the OCCI Center for Learning, and she became a certified life coach in 2010. Alexis entered Next Step in 2011, using her writing and communications background in crafting program materials; her life coach experience for program facilitation; and attention to detail as an editor for program logistics. Alexis has a degree in English: Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines.
Allan is one of our technical and safety consultants. He has extensive experience as a technical and safety consultant for Action Learning and is certified by Pro-Action Associates, USA for Technical Training in High Angle Rope and Cable Rigging, and Rescue. Allan is currently a certified First Aid and BLS (Basic Life Support) Senior Instructor and Training Director at the Fire Emergency Paramedic Assistance Group (FEPAG) and a Level 9 Instructor with the American Safety and Health Institute. Allan has a degree in Computer Data Processing Management from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Benjie has had more than 30 years of experience in human resources management, organizational development, and training and facilitation. He has worked as a consultant for some of the country's biggest corporations, but also finds time to contribute his services for NGOs, foundations, and various social, civic, and church-based groups. Benjie's layers of experience has brought him to all corners of the country and the world: from facilitating a renewal process for the Abu Sayyaf victims and families in Basilan, to conducting seminars on facilitating group processes to an international audience in Switzerland and Sweden. Benjie presently is a Senior Management Consultant and Senior Facilitator for the OCCI Center for Learning. His work involves running and facilitating programs on self-mastery, leadership, organizational development, change management, and strategic planning. Benjie is a Business Administration graduate from the University of the Philippines.
Carlos has over 10 years' experience in facilitating for both corporate clients and public seminars. He also has extensive experience working with the youth, both locally and internationally. He was an active member of CISV, having run and participated in programs in the Philippines, USA, South Korea, Vietnam and China. Carlos enjoys sports such as cycling, soccer, badminton, skiing and hiking and is fluent in French and Spanish.
Chris began her training and development career in the late 90's by designing and facilitating effective business writing workshops, until she transitioned into experiential education when she joined Bradford Woods in Indiana University as a Professional Outdoor Instructor. Since then, she has expanded her repertoire to include team development programs, strategic management and planning sessions, as well as other organizational development interventions. She is a graduate of Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management, a certified DiSC facilitator, and a business-process mapping and management specialist, trained under one of the top CESP engineers in the U.S. She continues to enjoy writing for various lifestyle and travel magazines and websites when time permits.
Dax is a yoga instructor, mindfulness teacher and a freelance training consultant. He has been a Bikram Yoga Teacher since 2010, with a vision to demystify mindfulness, making it accessible to anyone, giving people the skills to experience life with emerging awareness.
Dino started his career in the sports and fitness industry, working on programs for students, professional athletes and teams. He also spent a year assisting in a special Physical Education program in Ateneo High School for 1st and 2nd year students.
He eventually shifted careers in 2012 and got into sales in the life insurance industry as a Philam Life Financial Advisor. In addition to doing sales, Dino also led the training program for their agency's new recruits in product knowledge and to help obtain their life insurance licenses.
He is also involved as a partner for Picole Healthy Ice Pops as one of the sales and marketing managers. His responsibilities include business development and social media engagement. Dino graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Ateneo de Manila University. The Force is strong with this one.
Faith De Chavez has recently joined Next Step Training and Consulting, Inc. Prior to becoming a management consultant, she has earned experience in compliance, organizational development and facilitation. She has worked with several multinational companies for the past 15 years and has conducted programs in various parts of the Philippines. She has earned her Bachelor degrees from the University of Santo Tomas (Bachelor of Arts, Legal Management) and Arellano University School of Law (Juris Doctor).
She has earned her certificate as a Life Coach with Organizational Change Consultants, Inc. and as a Transformational Coach from Innov8.Org. She has 10 years of experience in coaching individuals and groups.
Faith has also developed a Coaching and Feedback Skills Program with Next Step Training and Consulting, Inc. which aims to equip managers to cultivate the skill of coaching to create a culture of curiosity and empowerment among the organization. The program also hopes to encourages power conversations which challenges while, at the same time, supports team members.
Gabe is a trainer, performer and consultant. He was the host of the critically acclaimed ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Program "Noypi," which examined modern cultural norms and values. Gabe has been at the forefront of the improvisational theater scene in Manila as the Artistic Director and founder of SPIT-Manila's premiere improvisational theater group. He set up SPIT in 2002 after training with the acknowledged Father of Improv and legendary Second City founder Paul Sills. In 2001, he designed and rolled out his first programs integrating the principles of improvisational theater into corporate applications. He is an active member of the Applied Improvisation Network, an international organization of HR practitioners who use improvisation techniques in human and organizational development.
GM Hernandez III holds a BA in Human Resources Management. He is a certified Action Learning Coach and one of the only 3 Certified Mobile Instructional Designers in the Philippines. His other post-graduate education includes Strategic Managerial Analysis on Risk and Project Management, Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Presentations and Training, Coaching for Results, and Negotiation Skills.
He is a dynamic trainer with over 15 years of experience in educating professionals as a facilitator and trainer. He has led training programs on the topics of Diversity & Inclusion, Psychological Safety, Negotiation Skills, Mental Health and Wellness, Growth Mindset, Conflict Management, and Negotiation Skills, Presentations Skills, Data Story Telling, Story Telling for Business, Essential Functions of Management (POLC), Foundations of Leadership, Change Management, Problem Solving and Decision Making, and Leading Virtual Teams. He has facilitated strategic planning workshops, vision-mission-values creation and cascades, and team building programs. His expertise also includes hosting summits and conventions for local and global audiences with over 500 participants at a time.
Through the years he has created an impact on the following companies and government agencies: MPIC, MPTC, JFC, Nestlé, NBS, Wyeth Nutrition, Deloitte, Western Union, Schneider Electric, PMFTC, Novateur, GRB, ZPC, Pipefy, DLSU-Office of Sports Development, Globe Telecom, DFA, GSIS, and PNOC.
Job Titles:
- Executive Coach, Organisational Development Consultant
With 25 years of experience, Jennie is an executive coach, organisational development consultant, mobile instructional designer, and learning facilitator.
Her areas of expertise are leadership, personal mastery, culture building, team alignment and change management.
Jennie has extensive experience in coaching global participants of different levels throughout Asia-Pacific, EMEA, USA and Europe. She is a dynamic facilitator who conducts virtual and in-person classroom-led programs throughout the Philippines, China, Singapore, India, Vietnam and New Zealand.
She has worked as a high school Guidance Counselor and Teacher, Human Resource Manager of a multinational firm, travel agency Vice President, and an OD and Business Training Consultant.
She graduated AB Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University, and completed her Master of Commerce (Human Resource Management) from University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia. She is a member of Marshall Goldsmith Global Leadership Group and International Coach Federation.
Jenny has been a professional in the performing arts for more than twenty years. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a Master of Science degree in Food Science and Technology and pursued further training in drama, speech and Shakespearean acting. She co-founded Red Turnip Theater, Inc. in 2012 and went on to become a Gawad Buhay-winning producer and director. She is an acting teacher and is part-time faculty at Ateneo de Manila University's Fine Arts Department. She is finishing up her stint as President of the Philippine Theater Actors Guild, of which she was head of Talent Development and Training for ten years.
Junie Anne Romero is our General Manager. Junie has a Masters degree in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University and taught in a Catholic school in Los Angeles for six years. A Gawad Kalinga teacher-volunteer since 1999, Junie became an Account Manager specifically handling US-sponsored GK Villages. Concurrently, she worked with Couples for Christ coordinating with the organization\'s international chapters. This entailed her traveling across many territories in North America, Europe, and Asia. In 2015, she put up her own events coordination business, handling weddings, debuts, and corporate events. She joined Next Step as consultant in 2017 and became the General Manager in 2018.
Justin was drawn to training and development early in his professional career, and he's been hooked ever since! His two passions have always been connecting with people and drawing out their potential, so it wasn't hard to choose bringing out the best in an organization's workforce as his craft. He has worked in Human Resources for over 3 years with a specialization in culture building, organizational communication, customer service, and effective presentation skills.
As young as he is, he has experience working with a wide range of businesses, from established BPO's to young startups. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is well-practiced in events hosting, program design, and facilitation.
Karen's love for fashion, sales, and training work fuels what her purpose: to develop employees' personal excellence. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in New York City's FIT, she held management positions in the garment import, publishing, and travel fields. To further hone her skills, she completed a leadership course at Harvard University. Her Personal Branding Workshop was recently recognized as the Most Outstanding Individual Development Program for the whole of New York State. As a sports enthusiast, she also enjoys Crossfit, wakeboarding, yoga, boxing and diving.
Katherine Anne Manalo-Hernandez, AICI FLC more known as Kate is a certified image consultant, professional expert and a beauty queen. Her expertise and experience are in the area of personal empowerment and professional excellence, with a special touch of elegance in the tradition of being a beauty queen. She is equipped with 10 years corporate experience as a Product and Brand Manager. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Mass Communications from Assumption College, Makati. Kate received her certification from the Academy of Image Mastery in Singapore. She is an active member of the Associations of Image Consultants International (AICI) in the USA and continues her pursuit of image excellence through continuous education and training.
Kate is a graduate of BS Psychology and has worked at JP Morgan Chase and United Healthgroup as a Recruitment Specialist and Testing Administrator. She joined Next Step in 2014 helping create and design tailor fit indoor and outdoor programs for clients. When she is not facilitating, her love and passion for organizing has inspired her to also be one of the Logistics Manager who handles the back end for programs. She is a General Manager of a local haberdashery called Fort and Tailler. In her downtime, Kate enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
Katrina (or K3, her nickname) is an Intellectual Property lawyer, part-time professor, training consultant, freelance writer, and entrepreneur. Her legal expertise is in intellectual property prosecution and litigation, as well as contract-drafting and review, particularly intellectual property rights licensing and franchising. K3 teaches Professional Practice 1 to 2nd- and 3rd-year students of the School of Design and Arts of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, which discusses the basics and relevance of intellectual property law and business-plan making for would-be entrepreneurs in creative industries. She also taught basic project and events management at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Ken aims to be one of this generation's Renaissance men given the diversity of his interests. He has worked in projects with an entrepreneurial angle, and his list of corporate and start-up experience ranges from sales, to non-profit, media production, social entrepreneurship, education, psychology, philosophy, food, fitness, branding and marketing, graphic design, web info-preneurship, distribution, and corporate training. As of late, he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, one among a handful in the Philippines. He recently launched the health and well-being educational initiative, STRONGERxDESIGN. Ken also practices self-defense disciplines, calisthenics, gymnastics, and Parkour. He holds a degree in Management Information Systems from Ateneo De Manila University.
Previously a teacher and directress of a pre-school, Len became a wedding coordinator handling the nitty gritty details and logistics of such events and the personalities of clients and suppliers. Len worked as an account executive for ABS-CBN and SkyCable, selling airtime and managing various accounts from different industries. Len has been a Gawad Kalinga volunteer since 1999. With a heart for CSR, Len continues to integrate her passion and advocacies to her current work as logistics manager and facilitator. Len has a Business Administration degree from the University of Asia and the Pacific and is a happy wife and mother.
Liza began her career in the tension-filled life of stockbroking. She then shifted gears and started hosting events, then facilitating leadership programs with the OCCI Center for Learning. Liza then tried her hand in the food-service industry, managing a franchise operation, while also serving as screenwriter and screen writing supervisor for a local television show. Liza has now applied her skills from these varying stints to her renewed presence in training and facilitating. She graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University and enjoys mountain biking, swimming, badminton, and yoga.
Mark has over fourteen years' experience of writing professionally for fiction, articles, and TV shows. He is also a Financial Planner, a voice-over artist, and professional host, specializing in weddings, debuts, and corporate events. Mark has a degree in Economics as well as Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines.
Mayette graduated from the University of the East with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She has been in the Accounting industry for almost 15 years, coupled with almost 10 years of experience in Marketing.
Mayette has been with Next Step since 2011 and serves as the current Admin Head.
Mela is one of our logistics powerhouses, who handles big projects such as conventions, launches, summits, etc. She was also an active volunteer for the PSI Basic Leadership Seminar and has attended various PSI Seminars prior to joining Next Step. Mela found herself looking to expand her horizons as well as her career directions and transitioned from her career in events and logistics management to more organization development. She then took the fast track by working as a professional Outdoor Instructor at the Bradford Woods Outdoor Education Center of Indiana University. She has an Industrial Design degree from De La Salle University and is a trained coach of the International Coach Federation.
Miles is one of Next Step's safety consultants. As a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), she helps ensure the safety of clients and facilitating teams in many of Next Step's outdoor experiential programs. Miles is an active member of the Fire Emergency Paramedic Assistance Group (FEPAG).
Nina holds considerable skills in organizational development, marketing services, special events management, and corporate communications. She has been affiliated with international management systems where she facilitated customer service seminars for service providers in various industries. As a consultant, she has facilitated outdoor and experiential training, as well as indoor workshops. She also supports various other organizations in their management of special events and development programs. Nina holds a BA in Behavioral Science, Administrator in Salaries and Wages, and is a public relations and advertising practitioner. When not working, she enjoys golf and the theater.
Paris has a broad range of experience with various Information Technology functions, integrated with project management and people development. He has experience working on strategic business analysis, corporate communications, public relationship management, and event management. He is also certified in Information Technology Infrastructure Library 3 (ITIL V3), ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL), and Proctor & Gamble Global Business Certified (P&G GBS). Paris has a degree in Information & Communications Technology Management from De La Salle University.
After graduating from Ateneo de Manila University, Pia began her career in Sales and Public Relations in the hotel industry in Cebu where she is originally from. After getting married and starting a family, they were based for a time in Dubai where she learned much about different cultures. She now enjoys her Sales role with Next Step Training & Consulting where she is able to meet and learn from new friends.
She is also an active member of Couples for Christ and Regnum Christi.
Rizelle worked with Jollibee in the fields of Quality Management, Internal Events and Employee & Business Partners Relations. Her twenty-five years in the hive revolved around implementing store operations quality management, organizing high-impact conventions and leaders' summits, creating memorable employee recognition programs, and managing internal communications and employee engagement.
In 2020, Rizelle joined Next Step Training and Consulting, Inc. as one of its training consultants. Her scriptwriting and internal communications background, her corporate experience for program facilitation, and her quality management credentials support her in creating, facilitating and managing programs
She has lead-managed programs for Mang Inasal and JFC, and has facilitated a number of virtual instructor-led conventions, summits and programs.
Robert entered Next Step in 2011 and is currently the company messenger.
With over 6 years experience in Executive Administration and Events, Rossana is one of our newest Freelance Associate Trainers that focuses on logistics and team building administration. Her experience as an Events Associate assisting corporate events locally and internationally gave her broad experiences that she now uses in programs specifically for team buildings and conventions.
As one of the core team in our sister company Up Next People and Culture, she also assists in managing clients with specific program needs.
Rossana has a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the National Teachers College.
Job Titles:
- Gallup Certified Strengths Coach
Ryan is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach whose passion is to help unleash the unique superpowers which he believes lie in all of us. He invests and interacts with his coachees to facilitate their growth, development, and performance, bringing them from good to great to awesome! He also partners with different organizations as a facilitator and a trainer.
Shahein is backed by his long experience in the performance arts. He is a live-event host, stage and television Actor, voice-commercial talent, a mime, and a clown. His amazing energy and empathy with his consulting clients allows him to better understand them in their interventions. Shahein continues to hone his craft by studying and attending workshops and seminars in theater and leadership. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Santo Tomas.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Trainer
- Terence Co
Sharon has been a trainer and consultant since 2006. She is well-versed in conceptualizing, designing, and conducting programs of various topics. She developed courses as well as handled the English language program projects under the Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. She's also worked extensively with students as a pre-school teacher and school psychometrician. Taking her experience at facilitating team-building programs to applying a higher understanding of a course curriculum to her clients, she counts professionals, parents, Sharon also established Blackboard Learning Services and Baby Signs Philippines. She is a certified instructor and conducts various classes and workshops on hearing babies sign language. Sharon graduated with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from De La Salle University.
Terence had been a Human Resource training assistant, a guidance counselor, and manager before trying his hand at training and consulting. His background on Human Resource Management and Psychology has proven invaluable to his work with both students and professionals. He is also a volunteer counselor for the Ten-Four Trauma Response Team, as well as affiliated with various outreach and business organizations.
Trixie worked in the field of Marketing, Innovations and Communications in Nestle Philippines, Inc. for close to 14 years. Her experience includes launching new products in the market, conducting innovation workshops and collaborating with creative and media providers of the company for multimedia content.
During that period, her passion to teach led her to take up certificate courses in Education where she specialized in Early Childhood Education. She is a Licensed Teacher and have facilitated Personal Effectiveness Formation classes under the Office of Counseling and Career Services in De La Salle University from 2009 - 2011.
In 2018, Trixie decided to set up her own company and the following year, joined Next Step as one of their facilitators.
Vanie has been a training administrator since 2013. She started her career in Globe with specialization in Project Management, Reports Analytics and Training Administration.
Victor began training in Aikido in 1991 and started teaching in 1998. Since then, he started incorporating the principle of Aikido through various workshops and seminars like Corporate Teambuilding, Leadership Seminars, Conflict Resolution Workshops, Stress Management Seminars, and others. He is now a 5th Dan black belt and is a member of the Philippine Aikido Propagation Association (P.A.P.A), which is affiliated with the Hombu Aikikai world in Tokyo and the International Aikido Federation (IAF).
VP has been a training facilitator and consultant since 2009. Thanks to the skills gleaned from acting and musical theater workshops, she has been the a character voice talent for radio ads and jingles; a music entertainment reporter for ABC5‘s Music Bureau; segment host for ETChing, GMA7's first entertainment magazine news program; the character VPrazzi, who reported notable entertainment news in Showbiz Central; and a television mainstay for several network shows and live performances. She honed her facilitation skills providing early childhood music education in Make Mine Music (MMM) and was music directress for Kids First Discovery Space.
She's also been a sports management consultant for the OMEGA Cup and consulted for the nationwide Milo run and PBA All Stars. Together with Jingo Hervas of Cycling Zone Enterprises, she opened and built the trail for the Hari ng Daang Hari mountain bike race series. To date, she is the sports events manager of Cycling Zone.
Zeena has been in the industry for over 18 years. Prior to setting up Next Step Training and Consulting, Inc., she was a trainer and consultant for several local training companies such as Beyond Limits Asia, Management Strategies and Roadmaps and Beyond, Inc. As education is part of our business, she invested almost 4 years of her career learning experiential education by being a director of the Outdoor Education Center of Indiana University, Bradford Woods, as well as a director of the YMCA of Camp Greenville in North Carolina. Her training background comes from the most respected pioneers of the industry such as Project Adventure (Vermont and Massachusetts), Ultimate Adventure Utah, S.O.L.O. USA, Project Learning Tree in South Carolina, Ateneo de Manila University, and Asiaworks Hong Kong, among others.