Vermont Business Center instructors are not only engaging teachers, but renowned researchers, practicing professionals, consultants and authors as well.
Lea has been a successful entrepreneur since 1995. She is a partner in the Coaching Center of Vermont, a collaborative of business and life coaches, with offices located in Winooski. She has eight years experience working for WREN, Women's Rural Entrepreneurial Network, as a staff member, instructor and coach, helping men and women to start and grow thriving businesses. Lea has additional experience as the management instructor for the Women's Small Business Program in Burlington, Vermont, assisting budding entrepreneurs to write business plans and secure funding. As a consultant, she was a partner in Focus for Discovery Training Programs(tm), working with businesses and organizations in stress management, time management, change management, leadership and communications skills. Lea was also a manager in manufacturing and retail for Gale River Designs, a NH small business of the year. She now specializes in helping companies to create "coaching cultures". Lea is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), first in Vermont, credentialed by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and is a Certified Graduate of Coach U. She has been coaching individuals and groups since 1999. She is the author of Walk on Water: How to Make Change Easier (Change Agent Press, 2005) and has a B.A. in writing and literature. Lea's coaching credentials include:
Joe Candido is the founder and president of Fifth Element Associates, Inc., a sales, marketing, research, and business consultancy. He has over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, consulting, technology, and advanced training methods. Joe works with his clients to develop competitive differentiation in their market place, and then build both strategic and tactical sales and marketing plans which leverage that differentiation.
Throughout Joe's career he has worked with wide range of clients and industries, often creating in-depth, multiyear programs. Joe has worked with several multi-national corporations, regional companies, and nonprofits. He has in-depth expertise in:
Joe owned and operated an IT consulting firm, held positions of Director of Sales, and VP of Sales and Marketing, worked with leading research and advertising firms, and delivered a wide range of technical and executive training programs, some which have been accredited by ACE and Champlain College.
Joe successfully positioned and guided the successful acquisition of a $30MM manufacturing firm. He served as a director of Hill Associates, Inc.'s Board of Directors for 3 years. He also consults/coaches with several executives on an individual basis.
Joe has been trained in adult learning and several sales methodologies and often includes their Principles when creating custom sales performance improvement programs for his clients. Joe graduated from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh with a BS in Business Management.
Susan Hughes is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Vermont's School of Business Administration. Prior to joining the UVM faculty in 2006, she spent 17 years teaching financial and managerial accounting, and the MBA Integrative Capstone course at Butler University in Indianapolis. Her recent research was published in Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, Credit and Financial Management Review, and Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, and she has published in various academic journals. Her co-authored paper on Intel's finance function received the Institute of Management Accountants 2006 Lybrand Gold Medal and was selected by the International Federation of Accountants for inclusion in Articles of Merit Award Program for Distinguished Contribution to Management Accounting. She is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, and has designed and conducted executive education sessions for Temple-Inland, Roche, Norwood Promotion Products, the Indianapolis Medical Society, and various public accounting firmsTim Lybarger is a Vermont Business Center Instructor in the Leadership and Management Professional Certificate Program and joined the Board of Advisors for the Vermont Business Center in 2004. Since 1998, Tim has been a full-time employee of Nestle USA and has provided training and performance consulting services to Nestle organizations throughout North America. Prior to Nestlé, Tim functioned as an organizational development consultant for Centerior Energy, an Ohio-based electric utility and as an internal change management consultant for ALLTEL Information Systems, a developer of software systems for the telecommunications industry. Tim's education includes a B.A. degree in Business Management form Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio and a M.S. degree in Organizational Development and Analysis from the Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He holds additional certifications in the areas of; Personal Effectiveness, Time Management, Project Management, Team Effectiveness, Personal Style Preferences, and 360 degree Feedback Instruments. Tim has extensive experience in designing and facilitating change management support for large system change efforts and in working to develop personal leadership at all levels of the organization. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Tim moved with his wife, Linda, and ten year old son, Adam to Vermont in April of 2003. They now live in Lake Elmore where Tim maintains a home office.
Professor Thomas Noordewier, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the School of Business Administration at UVM and has also taught at Yale University and Ohio State University. He has consulted with The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, Lands' End, Lockheed Martin and Prudential Home Mortgage and he is the co-author of the book "Customer Service: A Management Perspective," and numerous journal articles. Areas of expertise: Marketing research; developing and maintaining industrial buyer-seller relationships.
Donald Rheem, President of RheemMedia, LLC, is an award winning former print and broadcast journalist, Washington Bureau Chief, Cabinet-level speechwriter, and White House correspondent. He is one of the nation's leading communication coaches, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to U.S. Senators and hundreds of CEO's from small to medium sized companies. He helps organizations by improving their sales techniques, telling more compelling stories about their value proposition, and creating a communication strategy that delivers immediate bottom-line results.
He is acknowledged as a national expert in media and presentation training, and is a member of the National Press Club, The Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio and Television News Directors Association, and Washington's Metropolitan Club. Clients include: NEC, Splenda, Green Mountain Coffee, ipCapital Group, the National Institutes of Health, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the World Anti-Doping Agency, eDiets, the Discovery Channel, Grant Thornton, Sallie Mae, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Merryn works with clients throughout the country and in all sectors, advising on management challenges and change projects, guiding strategic planning, developing and evaluating employee development programs, and working with Boards of Directors. Merryn does this work as Principal of ReVisions LLC, an organizational development firm in Burlington, Vermont. Speaking about her work, Merryn says, "I enjoy collaborating with organizational leaders to anticipate challenges and opportunities, plan, and engage in change initiatives that promote the growth of themselves and their employees, and that engender the health of organizations." Merryn is the author of Strategic Planning Guide for Leaders of Small Organizations, has contributed to other books, and writes frequent articles on leadership and management. As a Vermont Performance Excellence examiner, Merryn has collaborated on organizational assessments using the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Merryn has held executive positions on the volunteer boards of the American Society for Training and Development, VT and Cathedral Square Corporation. Merryn will receive her doctorate in Leadership and Policy Studies (University of Vermont) in May, 2008.
Testimonial: "So much has been written about leadership, but how do we take this wisdom and absorb it, play with it, and practice it? The seminar is a conversation among peers about a case study and a real leadership challenge you face. Our day together is also a conversation between you and yourself as you talk with a peer coach about your skills and needs and develop an action plan. People who take this class are leaders who enjoy self-exploration, want some practice frameworks and tools, and like thoughtful dialogue as a boost to further inquiry. I think leadership is a practice, not a destination, and I always learn from you." Alexander Cox
Mark Youndt is an associate professor of management in UVM’s Business School where he teaches courses on business strategy, corporate social responsibility, and the political and legal environment of business. He has a B.A. degree from Gettysburg College, a MBA from Rollins College, and a Ph.D. in management and organization from Penn State. Professor Youndt’s research activities revolve around the intersections of strategic management, intellectual capital, innovation, and competitive advantage. Prior to his academic career, Professor Youndt worked as a management consultant for Andersen Consulting, a plant manager for Sonoco Products Company, and a strategist for IBM Consulting Group. Outside the classroom Professor Youndt enjoys traveling, running, backpacking, kayaking, and just about any outdoor activity.
