Supporting the effectiveness of individuals, teams and organizations
Michael Ciszewski - Senior Consultant
Steve Kallan - Lead Consultant
Leigh Ellen Sontheimer - Consultant
Meet the Team
Michael Ciszewski
Michael is a team development specialist who has worked across a wide range of industries on four continents, including financial services, international development, and the non-profit sector. He has proven ability to assist groups in clarifying vision, developing strategy and having conversations that matter.Michael draws on his business expertise and his diagnostic and coaching skills to assist leaders and teams to confidently meet the challenges of a changing environment. He works successfully within a variety of cultures and at all levels of an organization. Clients and colleagues appreciate his perceptive and thoughtful style.He headed Merrill Lynch’s Organization Integration practice, and was director of J.P. Morgan’s European Leadership and Organization Development Group, based in London.He has a Masters in Organization Development from American University/NTL.Paul Cooper
Paul helps groups build consensus so they can reach their most important goals. His services – facilitation and planning – enable people to come together to find the patterns in complex problems, decipher confusing information, and envision a clear path ahead. His sharp eye helps groups work smarter and collaborate more effectively. Paul has spent more than 20 years working as advisor and consultant to organizations large and small. His clients include DaimlerChysler, the University of Maryland, the Human Rights Campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City First Bank of DC, the Latin American Youth Center, the Washington Opera, and a large number of federal agencies.In addition to facilitation and planning, Paul is a focus group moderator and is trained to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. In each of his areas of expertise, organizations have benefited from Paul’s ability to listen, motivate, and focus resolutely on plans that bring results.Paul began his career as a public affairs consultant, working on Capitol Hill, serving on the campaign staff of two unsuccessful presidential candidates, and facilitating a long-running peer support group. A native of Staten Island, NY, Paul holds a degree in Government and Spanish from Franklin and Marshall College, and has forgotten most of the sign language he learned at Gallaudet University.Shelly Geasler
Shelly has been responsible for the management, design, and implementation of training applications for 25 years. She has developed and managed teams of both creative and technical personnel through complex, multi-year contracts. She possesses hands-on experience in all facets of interactive scriptwriting, design, and production, and is able to coordinate the various talents required for successful project completion.Shelly has contributed to the production of hundreds of educational programs. With a firm understanding of development and delivery technology, she helps teams to design instructional solutions that are both creative and attainable within the specified baseline system configuration, schedule, and budget. She has guided teams through design and programming tasks, providing creative and trouble-shooting assistance during all phases of production. She takes great pride in presenting complex concepts in clear and concise instructional materials and job aidsA large part of Shelly’s work has involved the creation of custom content to meet specific instructional objectives. She has extensive experience with clients in the health sciences field, as well as with membership-based associations. Shelly has a Masters degree in Information Systems from Virginia Tech.Robbyne Jones
Robbyne is an outcomes-oriented professional with experience in human resources and cross-functional operations. Robbyne is adept at working with leaders and managers to determine how best to apply general methodologies in the people strategy and talent management areas to a particular business need and environment. She brings a holistic view that takes into account the up- and down-stream implications of changes in strategies, systems, and processes. She is skilled in balancing multi-cultural perspectives to achieve business results.Robbyne’s portfolio of subject matter expertise includes: global human resources strategy and communications, all aspects of talent management (e.g., attraction and selection, retention, training and development, performance management, rewards and recognition, career devel-opment), and HR infrastructure de-velopment.She has been a practitioner in both privately and publicly held professional services companies. Robbyne completed the Human Resources Certification program at University of Virginia. She earned the SPHR designation.Steve Kallan
Steve is an operations, finance and organization development professional who has specialized in organizations in start-up, growth, and change. The focus of his consulting practice is on building strong and high-performing organizations. As a partner to business and organization leaders, his skill and experience help make organizations work to their potential. He builds the capacity of line and support functions as well as developing supporting infrastructures.Steve has led initiatives in program design, strategic planning and marketing, financial management, organization development and information systems. Steve brings the complementary perspective of organization development and human resources management. His focus is on action-oriented problem solving and overcoming cultural and communication barriers.Steve brings over thirty years of experience in non-profit organizations and businesses. Steve’s industry experience includes real estate, higher education, publishing and banking. Over the last fifteen years, he has served in senior operations, financial and human resources roles for regional, national and global environmental organizations. He built operational and performance management systems as each organization experienced significant transitions resulting from rapid growth. He holds a Masters degree in finance and labor relations from Indiana University.Rolf Parta
Rolf has more than twenty years experience as an Organization Development expert and team coach supporting the effectiveness of individuals, teams and organizations. He supports his clients in facilitating change and improving performance, leading to sustained and impactful development. Rolf specailizes in Organizational Strategy and Development, implementing change, enhancing Team and individual effectiveness through clarifying goals, roles and processes, improving communication and motivation, finding appropriate decision-making and leadership styles and harnessing conflict. He has worked with clients from the private sector, public sector and non-profit sector at local, national and global levels across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Rolf is bilingual in French and English, and speaks German, Russian and Spanish.Rolf’s qualifications include a master’s degree in Organic and Sustainable Agriculture from Social and a BA in Psychology, Philosophy, and Physics from Carleton College. He is a Certified Outward Bound trainer, and is certified to use a number of assessment tools, including the MBTI and EQ-i.Michael Randel
Michael is a learning and organizational development professional who supports the effectiveness of individuals, teams and organizations. He works with his clients to increase their capacity to manage change, improve performance and achieve sustainable impact through services of advising, coaching, consulting, facilitation, and training.He has worked with clients from the private, public and non-profit sectors in more than twenty countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. His clients over the last twenty years have included organizations in the environmental and built environment sectors.Throughout his career, Michael’s work has focused on strengthening organizations and the people who work in them. His consulting work in South Africa addressed the changes and transitions experienced by many non-profit and public sector organizations following the dismantling of apartheid. This required supporting client organizations as they refined their purpose and objectives in a more competitive environment, and developing staff capacity to work and manage in new ways that would lead to effective and sustainable outcomes.Since founding Randel Consulting Associates in 2006, his consulting practice has focused on supporting clients in developing and implementing higher-performing and more professional learning functions. With a foundation in formal learning systems, Michael has incorporated new approaches to informal learning and social learning to help his clients develop responsive and adaptable learning systems.Michael has a master’s degree in Social and Organizational Learning from George Mason University, and a post-graduate qualification in education from the University of Natal (South Africa). He is recognized as a Certified Professional Facilitator by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). Michael is an active member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) and is a Board Member of the Mid-Atlantic Facilitator's Network (MAFN)Leigh Ellen Sontheimer
Leigh is a business and development professional with a drive for experiential learning, and building vibrant, healthy communities that facilitate human development. She focuses on cultivating mutually beneficial relationships and organizational dynamics in which participants get what they need to fulfill their greatest potential. Leigh has over seventeen years experience building solid partnerships and managing a diverse range of learning and organizational development programs for an international organization, and both developing and assessing proposals for funding social investment programs implemented by non-profit and community-based organizations. Her work has included developing competency profiles and learning maps for both senior and line staff of a global organization, and creating multiple, large-scale, successful peer-to-peer learning events that formed part of the learning program. In addition to international organizations and non-profits, her experience extends to a trade association and a Fortune 50 corporation. Leigh has an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Children, Youth and Development from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. She speaks Spanish.Michael Randel - Director
