GRCFORTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Manager of UX Research and Re - Ops at Red Hat
Suzanne brings humor, inspiration, and enthusiasm into the room. I have seen her do this in informal club meetings, formal corporate discussions, trainings, and just in hallway conversation. Suzanne exudes sincere concern for others. She listens to the needs of employees, observes their skill sets, and inevitably encourages them to be a better version of themselves.
Deb Schaffer, PMP is President of ProProject Manager. She has over 30 years of experience in technical writing, project management, corporate technical training and instructional design, marketing, and process management. She has been a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) for 20 years and is also a certified Black Belt in Process Management. Deb has worked for large, Fortune 500 companies as well as small startups. She has embraced new technologies such as ChatGPT and utilized them for the benefit of client companies. She teaches classes for Colorado Free University and is an active member of the Mile-Hi Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
Ginette Collazo, Ph. D. is an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience specializing in Engineering Psychology and Human Reliability. These disciplines study the interaction between human behavior and productivity. She has held positions leading Training and Human Reliability programs in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturing Industry.
In 2009, Dr. Collazo established Human Error Solutions (HES), a US-based boutique consulting firm. She has positioned herself as one of the few Human Error Reduction Experts worldwide. HES, led by Dr. Collazo, developed a unique methodology for human error investigations, cause determination, CA-PA development, and effectiveness implemented and proven amongst different industries globally. Furthermore, this scientific method has been applied in critical quality situations and workplace accidents. A GMP expert also has a Keynote Speaker at significant events worldwide.
Ginette Collazo, Ph. D., is the author of several books, "Including Human Error: Root Cause Determination Model" and "Mission Matters: World Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal their Top Tips to Success."
Also, she is the host of The Power of Why Podcast. A show about human behavior in the workplace and critical thinking.
Each time we connect, I leave our time together feeling better, more energized, more excited by the possibilities, and that's because Suzanne is so generous in every way. She loves ideas, is so passionate for people, has a leadership servant's heart of wisdom and discretion, offers respect to challenge my thinking in pursuit of better together and matches those wonderful attributes with the ability to get work done on time and with excellence. Suzanne is just the best, the absolute best facilitator and coach, and I can't wait to collab with her again - Thank you Suzanne Blake, for who you are, for what you do and for helping me and our mighty company get better at what we do!!
Job Titles:
- President of C. H. Paul Consulting, Inc.
Charles H. Paul is the President of C. H. Paul Consulting, Inc. - a regulatory, training, and technical documentation consulting firm. Charles is a management consultant, instructional designer and regulatory consultant and has led C. H. Paul Consulting, Inc. since its inception over 25 years ago. He regularly consults with Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology firms assisting them in achieving human resource, regulatory, and operational excellence. He is a regular presenter of webinars and on-site seminars in a variety of related subjects from documentation development to establishing compliant preventive maintenance systems.
Job Titles:
- Founder and President of Pinnacle Performance
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 government agencies from the United States, the Royal Government of Saudi Arabia, Canada, Cayman Islands and the United Kingdom.
He has published numerous articles in the fields of surviving mergers and acquisitions, surviving change, project management, management, sales, team-building, leadership, ethics, customer service, diversity and work-life balance, in publications ranging from ASTD/Performance In Practice to Customer Service Management. His book, "90 Days to a High-Performance Team", published by McGraw Hill and often accompanied by in-person, facilitated instruction, has helped and continues to help thousands of executives, managers and team leaders improve performance.
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. He has served or is currently serving as a board member of the International Association of Facilitators, Sales and Marketing Executives International, American Management Association, American Society of Training and Development, Institute of Management Consultants, American Society of Association Executives, Meeting Professionals International and National Speakers Association. Chris is an award-winning Toastmaster's International Competition speaker. He recently participated in the Fortune 500 Annual Management Forum as a speaker, panelist and seminar leader.
Chris has distinguished himself professionally by serving multiple corporations as manager and trainer of sales, operations, project management, IT, customer service and marketing professionals. Included among those business leaders are Prudential Insurance, Sprint, BayBank (now part of Bank of America), US Health Care and Marriott Corporation. He has assisted these organizations in mergers and acquisitions, facilitating post-merger and acquisition integration, developing project management, sales, customer service and marketing strategies, organizing inbound and outbound call center programs, training and development of management and new hires, and fostering corporate growth through creative change and innovation initiatives. 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.
Ken Jones has been working in the public and non-profit procurement field for over 30 years. He worked for the New York State Office of Taxation and Finance as a Purchasing Assistant from 1985-87 and left there to work for the University at Albany, SUNY where he served as a Purchasing Agent and in 1999 was the Assistant Director supervising and providing training for the Office of Purchasing and Contracts. This included proving training for both State procurement and The Research Foundation for SUNY procurement rules and regulations. His previous purchasing experience included procuring commodities, services, and construction for the departments on campus.A past Director of the SUNY Purchasing Association, Ken retired from the position of Assistant Director in January of 2014. However, he was requested to continue to assist the office through the end of 2014. Ken worked part-time for the SUNY Center for International Development as a Procurement Specialist assisting primarily with their program in Kenya, Africa. Ken has trained many University staff on procurement rules and regulations. He established online ordering processes with vendors ranging from Office supplies to Lab chemicals and continued to provide training in his recent positions. After the Kenya Contract expired Ken continued to assist the UAlbany Purchasing Office with complex procurements through July of 2021. Ken has presented on various procurement topics both in person and on the Web for over 10 years.
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.
Carolyn Troiano has more than 30 years of experience in computer system validation in the pharmaceutical, medical device, animal health and other FDA-regulated industries. She is currently managing a large, complex data migration, analytics and reporting program at a major financial institution.
During her career, Carolyn worked directly, or as a consultant, for many top-tier pharmaceutical companies in the US and Europe. She was responsible for computer system validation across all GxP functions at a major pharmaceutical company. Carolyn developed validation programs and strategies back in the mid-1980s, when FDA guidelines were first issued. She was an industry reviewer for 21 CFR Part 11, the FDA's electronic record/electronic signature (ER/ES) regulation. She has taught ER/ES compliance, along with computer system validation and risk management/compliance at a number of Fortune 100 firms. Her experience includes work with FDA-regulated systems used in all areas of research, development, manufacturing, quality testing and distribution.
Carolyn has participated in industry conferences, providing very creative and interactive presentations. She is currently active in the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), and Project Management Institute (PMI) chapters in the Richmond, VA area. Carolyn also volunteers for the PMI's Educational Fund as a project management instructor for non-profit organizations.
Job Titles:
- President and Founder of Advant
Jenny Douras is the 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 specializes in Managing Remote Employees and has managed teams of up to 300 people across multiple states and countries. She has worked with many Fortune 500 clients and government organizations including Samsung, Lexmark, Burger King, Discount Tire, Microsoft, Fisher Investments, National Park Service, and the SEC.
Jenny sat on the board of directors for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development for 3 years. She received the STAR award (Strategic Training that Attains Results) from ATD in 2009, for the creation of a program helping the unemployed develop skills to return to the workforce. Her training manuals are internationally sold, and her articles have been published in many locations including the Denver Business Journal and International Association of Business Communications CW bulletin.
Thea Ducrow, Ph.D., your mentor in the quest to integrate AI into your HR practices. As an AI Creative Leadership Consultant, she acknowledges the complexities HR professionals confront in this swiftly evolving, technology-driven era. Amid these growing challenges, Dr. Ducrow emerges as your reliable advisor who has navigated this landscape and effectively harnessed the power of AI in human resources.
Dr. Ducrow, with her substantial experience, has enabled leaders and organizations to stimulate innovation and growth through AI, illuminating a clear pathway to success. As an engaging and adept webinar presenter, she has an exceptional talent for translating intricate AI concepts into actionable insights and strategies.
Her core values - creativity, innovation, collaboration, a growth mindset, and integrity - mirror her conviction in aligning tech innovation with human aspirations and needs, an approach that will deeply resonate with HR professionals.
Driven by her commitment to delivering the best for her audience, Dr. Ducrow actively keeps herself at the cutting edge of industry trends. Her proactive approach in updating her knowledge ensures that you receive the most contemporary and effective strategies, tailored to the changing needs of the HR landscape.
Join Dr. Ducrow in "ChatGPT & HR: An Introduction for HR Pros," a journey that will equip you with the tools to proficiently navigate the crossroads of AI and HR. Dr. Ducrow's goal is not just to impart knowledge, but to support you in transforming your HR practices and achieving success with AI. This is your invitation to embrace the potential of AI in HR, aided by an expert who understands the unique challenges and opportunities of your field.
Suzanne is a one-of-a-kind talent house that everyone wants to work with. It is hard to miss her infectious enthusiasm. She is an epitome and powerhouse of talent, expertise, experience, energy, and positivity.
Suzanne has a tremendous executive presence and is a seasoned and engaging facilitator. She loves to tap into the wisdom in the room or over a call and helps them facilitate their own awareness and learning. I have heard people use the words "spectacular, amazing, very engaging, and fun" to describe Suzanne's facilitation style. She customizes her presentation to the needs of the group and organization and provides spot coaching as well as state of art curriculum and the latest brain science.
Job Titles:
- Founder and President of Blake Coaching
Suzanne Blake, PCC, is an award-winning International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach with 26+ years of coaching, training and business consulting experience. With warmth, humour and the latest in coaching and brain science techniques, Suzanne works in partnership with individuals and groups to attain their communication, empowerment, career and leadership goals.
Suzanne Blake is the Founder and President of Blake Coaching and Training. She has helped hundreds of seasoned and emerging leaders expand their capacity, make decisions, use focused strategic thinking, build confidence and self-awareness. Her coaching work has been featured in on The Today Show, NPR, The New York Times, The Boston Globe and numerous other media outlets.
A passionate industry leader, she specializes in coaching executives and managers in leadership development, managing individuals and co-located and virtual teams, communications styles effectiveness, work-life balance, presentation skills, emotional intelligence, time and performance management. Suzanne has comprehensive experience designing and facilitating training and coaching programs, facilitating team buildings, and conducting one-on-one Executive Coaching sessions.
Her clients include: Verizon, Deloitte, LLC, Amica Insurance, BCBS, EMC/Dell, Synthes Switzerland, eClinicalWorks, Nimbly Wise Ed/Tech Coaching and Training, Core Axis and numerous non-profit organizations.
U. Harold Levy is a national and international speaker, trainer, consultant and recognized expert on civil rights compliance issues, human resources, leadership and management. Mr. Levy has over 25 years of experience in the profession, most recently as the Eastern Regional Business Enterprise Analyst for the Department of General Services, Bureau of Minority and Women Business Opportunities. Some of Harold's clients have included major pharmaceutical corporations, Police Departments, colleges and universities, and state and county government agencies.
Harold Levy has published several articles on topics relating to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Equity Issues, Student Recruitment and Retention, Civil rights and Human Resource Issues. A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Harold Levy has a Bachelor's degree in International Relations, a Master's Degree in Public Administration and is a certified Mediation Counselor. Mr. Levy is the recipient of many awards including the prestigious Administrative Service Award at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the Tri-State Consortium of Opportunity Programs for New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Levy is an adjunct Sociology at Northampton Community College and serves in several communities and professional organizations including Northampton County Human Relations Advisory Council on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; American Association for Affirmative Action and as President of the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education