CEPE Instructors

Tomas Amodio, MA is a Principal with Type 5 Fun, where he uses strategic vision and operational excellence to evaluate and purchase small businesses. With a strong foundation in team management and solution development,...

Molly Angel, Principal of Angel Healthcare Consulting, is a change management expert with extensive experience in operations and change management specializing in the implementation of healthcare, technology, and other...

As a 25-year practitioner, Kelly Bantle, M.S. is well-versed in public relations, brand and reputation management, marketing, and crisis communications. Throughout her career, she has provided consultation and managed...

Jen Birk is a Senior Change Manager at The Standard, and she's passionate about helping people. She earned an MA in Conflict Resolution at Portland State University and is currently earning an MS in Organizational Change...

Allison Brown, M.A., SHRM-SCP, GPHR is a leadership development, human capital, and global program management professional with over 20+ years of experience. She has facilitated collaborative decision making, empowered...

Mark Buchanan is the Senior Director of Product Language for New Relic. Previously, Mark led the Winning with Words program for the global brand team at Cisco where he helped shift the culture of communications across...

Beth Carter has over 20 years of experience in both individual contributor and managerial roles. She has managed teams from 5 to 100 people and discovered her passion for helping people believe in their talents and...

Jennifer Colburn has spent over two decades as a Business Analyst, delivering quality solutions that meet business needs in a variety of industries including Fortune 500 healthcare, global human resources, supply chain...

Paul Demetter is a Human Resource professional with a combined experience in store operations, merchandising, sales and marketing, and logistics primarily within the retail area of business, and has worked for multiple...

Christopher Dennis brings unique breadth and depth of experience, working at the intersection of people, process, and technology. As a teacher, Chris brings insight without loss of detail or subtlety. His perspective...

Michael Dimond is a financial professional who teaches undergraduate finance and accounting at several Portland-area colleges. He has over two decades' experience in the manufacturing, publishing, hospitality and financial...

Ruthie Ditzler is a graduate career advisor and accredited career coach based in Portland. With over a decade of experience in education and professional development, she is passionate about helping people turn “I...

Nicole Elgin is an attorney at Barran Liebman LLP, where she represents employers in a variety of labor and employment law matters. Nicole’s employment law practice includes working with employers to adapt workplace...

Kerri Evans has spent her entire career in project manager, management consultant, and chief of staff equivalent roles. She has extensive experience building Program Management Offices (PMOs) for companies in a variety...

ricci eX is a long-time racial justice worker, a sociology instructor, DE&I facilitator, and currently a Statewide Pathways to Opportunity Project Coordinator at Portland Community College where they have worked closely...

Calette Fedewa is the Customer Experience Operations Manager at Daimler Trucks North America. She brings over 25 years of operational, continuous improvement, project management, and customer experience to her work...

Luz Flores Lee is a professional coach, business consultant in healthcare, and adjunct professor for graduate programs in data analysis, statistics, and leadership. She holds a master’s degree in computer-integrated...

Jennifer Greenberg is an adjunct instructor in The School of Business at Portland State University. She teaches Organizational Management in the MBA program and the undergraduate senior capstone, Business Strategy:...

Maria Grzanka is a principal consultant with Lean Portland and Quantum Leaders. She has 20 years of experience in process improvement and operations leadership, including working for XPO Logistics, Vestas, and Tektronix....

Dr. David Hall is an SEM Coach with Energy 350, an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University, and a facilitator and consultant through his private practice, Seed Pattern, LLC. Dave earned a Ph.D. in Systems Science:...

Nicole L. Harris is a passionate and enthusiastic DEI and Higher Education practitioner with over 15 years of Workforce Development and Professional Development and Training experience. She is serving as Director of...

Jakon Hays, the Senior Strategic Communications Specialist at Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI), is responsible for designing and driving awareness initiatives highlighting NUARI's mission of enabling...

Audra Hedberg has been an HR professional for over 20 years working in a variety of industries including service, healthcare, and manufacturing. For the majority of her career, she led a team of HR professionals and...

Joseph Hernandez, Recruitment Specialist with Rise Partnership, has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Portland and a Master of Business Administration from Marylhurst University. He has more than 10 years...

John Herbert has over 10 years of experience in data analytics, BI, and visualizations across multiple industries including technology, supply chain, retail, and transportation. He has worked in a full-time or consulting...

G Hernandez brings almost a decade of experience working in customer-facing roles in the SaaS industry . They have worked for industry leaders like Salesforce, Amazon, and Twilio. G is currently an Enterprise Customer...

Hanako Imber is VP of Data Operations & Client Onboarding at Cloudmed, a healthcare technology company focused on revenue intelligence. Her work experience spans data analysis, product management, software implementations,...

Dr. Chester Ismay is an experienced data science and AI educator and freelance consultant. Chester enjoys helping others get into data science, figuring out how to best practice and improve their skills. He is the co-author...

After completing his Masters degree in Architecture at Washington State University, Cameron Johnson worked for several different design firms in the Spokane area, specializing in sustainable residential design. His...

Janet Johnson’s expertise helps companies harness the power of new technologies to engage in more meaningful – and profitable – relationships with consumers. Finding the nexus among markets, brands, and business,...

Tina Jones, Student Success Trainer, is a coach at heart. She has extensive experience in career development, coaching, and designing training for impact over the last 17 years. She specializes in working with individuals...

Dr. Keely Killpack is an executive change management and organization design expert with a talent for aligning operations with strategy, engaging leaders at all levels, and maximizing employee performance. She excels...

Tracey Lam, APR, is a consultant and facilitator focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and strategic communications. She has worked in journalism, nonprofit, academic health, and government, and past employers...

Ariane Le Chevallier is a strategic communications consultant with over 20 years of in-house and agency PR experience. She got her start in Washington, D.C. where she spent more than a decade working for some of the...

René Léger brings a breadth of private sector, public, and non-profit leadership experience to his executive coaching and consulting practice. His thoughtful guidance and support help leaders reach their potential...

Cory Lira has been working in higher education and secondary education for over 15 years. She is currently the interim Director of the Women's Resource Center at Portland State University. She has years of experience...

Pilar Montejo hails from Colombia and after residing in Mexico for eight years, she made Portland her home 16 years ago. Pilar has had the pleasure of facilitating engaging Intercultural and Business Communication programs...

Alexa Morales is a Senior Manager of Customer Success at a SaaS organization in the Learning & Development space. With over a decade of experience, she has supported clients across industries and continents, helping...

Jeffrey Nelson, MBA has worked on the Employee and Labor Relations team in Human Resources at Portland State University since 2016. He also serves as Chapter Advisor to the student-led Human Resource Management Association...

Carolyn Niehaus works as a senior leadership and organizational development consultant with MetaSkills Consulting Group Inc., a Portland-based organization that supports leaders making transformational changes. Previously,...

Shae Noble, SHRM-SCP (she/they) is a strategic, results-driven senior Human Resources Executive with over 15 years of experience optimizing multinational People teams, leading HR transformation, and shaping employee...

Tom Parker is the principal of Glacier Group Training, a PMI Authorized Training Partner. He has more than 20 years of experience in consulting and project management, implementing enterprise applications and technology...

Dr. Kristen Pedersen is an Associate Vice President at the Norwich University Applied Research Institute (NUARI) managing the organization’s portfolio of Distributed Environment for Critical Infrastructure Decision-making...

Naira Perez, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at the Portland Trail Blazers, has over two decades of marketing experience and is the founder of SpringHill Digital. She has worked on accounts like AOL, Hewlett Packard,...

Ron Sarazin is the president of Olympic Performance, Inc., and has completed hundreds of engagements with organizations ranging from broadband technology to government. He specializes in project management, business...

Judy Sebastian holds a dual specialization in organizational culture and health and safety management. She is the Principal Consultant at Apex Global Consultants (Portland, OR) and Senior Advisor at Apex Food Consultants...

Dr. Von Simmons is a dynamic and passionate multihyphenate devoted to teaching, coaching, and facilitating transformative journeys of growth and development. With a unique blend of expertise, she guides individuals...

Margaret Smith has over two decades of experience leading complex changes across Fortune 500 companies and a broad range of industries. Clients have included the Central Intelligence Agency, NIKE, Microsoft, Oregon...

Jaclyn Suzuki is the Director and Founder of the Research and Strategy agency, MADO. With almost 20 years of professional experience in Design Thinking, Jaclyn merges a creative and analytical approach to Strategic...

With over 10 years of business experience, Jillian Thayer has served organizations across multiple industries specializing in retail, utilities, government, insurance, and hospitality. She thrives on building relationships...

Ashunta Thornton is a passionate and enthusiastic HR Total Rewards practitioner with over 14 years of military and civilian human resources experience. She is serving as the Senior Compensation Analyst for Vacasa’s...

Gabriela Valverde-Rivera, Ed.D., is a people and culture leader with over a decade of experience in human resources strategy, leadership development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. After working for companies...

Tammie Walker is a passionate HR transformational leader with over 25 years of domestic and global human resources and organization development experience. She is the Founder & Managing Principal of People Optimize...

Sara Weith comes to the world of leadership from a very unconventional background. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with her BSN, and the majority of her career has been spent in emergency medicine and...

Steve Zagarola, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of NWCPE, is a Six Sigma Executive Master Black Belt certified by Mikel Harry – a co-founder of the Six Sigma methodology from Motorola. He has more than 25 years of...