The Power of Difference

Cécile (she/her) is originally from Haiti and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. She has lived in Burkina Faso, France, Senegal, Spain, and Belgium. She has worked as a coach and consultant in fields including technology, entertainment, and education. She helps leaders look both inward and outward as they work to develop their leadership.

Cécile’s approach is consultative and intersectional. She believes it is essential to consider the client’s various identities and experiences. She begins by taking time to understand their needs and intentions to be able to better serve them. She also believes that it is necessary to create a space where leaders are comfortable expressing their thoughts honestly and without fear or shame. Her goal is to meet individuals where they are and understand what they need in their current journey to grow personally and professionally. Her coaching philosophy focuses on the key principles of humility; patience; honesty; grace; fostering a calling-in culture; and an ongoing desire to learn and grow.

Cécile specializes in helping leaders create inclusive and flexible environments, foster cross-cultural skills, and offer effective feedback. She holds a PhD in French and Francophone Studies from Tulane University and is a certified coach through the University of Georgia. She has taught at a variety of research institutions in the United States, as well as in West Africa. She is the author of a number of books on topics ranging from diversity in teaching and learning to relationships in literature to Haitian culture, and her essays on global issues have appeared in a variety of forums. She is chair of the editorial board of the journal Women, Gender and Families of Color, and the current president of the Haitian Studies Association. Fluent in French and Haitian Creole and with intermediate fluency in Spanish, Cécile finds that her own diverse lived experience is a wonderful tool in her coaching.

Jessica (she/her) is originally from Roanoke, Virginia, and is now based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Making her home aboard small sailboats for a decade, she lived in Mexico and French Polynesia, the Dominican Republic, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other parts of the Caribbean.

A teacher, writer, editor, and attorney, Jessica creates spaces where people can explore their strengths, experiences, and aspirations to reach their full potential. She specializes in helping leaders communicate more effectively and strategically within and across cultures. With an approach grounded in empathy and active listening, she assists leaders in building the confidence they need to find their voices and connect with a range of audiences. Listen and help people gain confidence/build confidence. As a coach, she supports writers at all stages of the creative process through clear, concrete, and compassionate feedback. She views each interaction as a collaborative partnership, and helps clients as they identify their goals, recognize obstacles, and create actionable strategies for success. Her goal is to ignite positive transformation, promoting not only professional success but also personal fulfillment and well-being.

Jessica finds that having lived and worked in a wide variety of spaces as an outsider has helped her explore and develop cultural humility and intercultural communication skills. She has taught at a number of universities in the United States and the Caribbean. She holds a PhD in English from Tulane University and a JD from the University of Puerto Rico’s Escuela de Derecho, where she obtained a certificate in mediation. She is a partner in the San Juan law firm of Stone Milan.

Jacqueline (she/her) is originally from Puerto Rico and has worked with international teams from Latin America, the United States, and Switzerland. She is a visionary thinker with a passion for inspiring people to optimize their full potential while maintaining a focus on life balance. She regularly develops and facilitates seminars and programs in both Spanish and English, including leadership development programs and leaders’ academies, coaching-mentoring, transition processes, diversity in the workplace, and coaching skills training, effective communication skills, change management, conflict management, and resolution and team building. She is a Recognized Executive Coach in the areas of leadership skills, strength finding, and career transition, with various assessment tools certifications and many success stories enhancing the career development of professionals in different cultural and business lines.

Jacqueline has over twenty years’ experience as a human resources business partner working with operation startups, talent acquisition and management, organizational development, benefit management employee relations initiatives, labor law (including union shop environments), and collective bargaining agreement negotiations. She has worked in many different cultural environments, including the energy and fuel industries, banking, distribution, consumer, pharmaceutical, hospitality, and small business and family business across all HR functions, serving multinational Fortune 500 companies. As a clinical psychologist, she assisted the Crisis Intervention Outreach Group for Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico, in charge of all initiatives and psychological welfare for over 150 families in the municipalities of Carolina, Canóvanas, Río Grande, and Trujillo Alto who experienced major losses due to the hurricane.

Jacqueline is a graduate of the University of University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with a major in psychology and education. She is a horse trainer as well as a dressage rider and instructor, and part of the Puerto Rico Dressage Team. She is also a certified equine therapist and coach in equine-facilitated initiatives. She works on individual coaching sessions with equine-assisted partnerships, equine-assisted leadership skills workshops, and team building sessions. Jacqueline is also an active member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International).

Nyasha (she/her) is from Zimbabwe, and Houston, Texas, is now home. Other versions of home were in Georgia, Washington, and a few years in Germany. Nyasha means grace in the Shona language, and Guramatunhu means traveler. These names have led to travel in almost 40 countries and continued wanderlust.

Nyasha is an award-winning leadership educator, consultant, scholar, speaker, and facilitator whose body of work reflects a commitment to helping individuals and organizations discover and use their leadership capacity to create and nurture shared spaces where members can thrive as leaders, learners, and innovators. Nyasha works with individuals, organizations across industries, and community partners to facilitate leadership development rooted in cultural humility, global mindset, and a comprehensive understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as leadership work.

With extensive experience and roots in global learning in higher education, Nyasha has served as Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, and Assistant and Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at Kennesaw State University. Recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and service Nyasha has been honored as a recipient of the Kennesaw State University College Distinguished Faculty Award, the Kennesaw State University College Excellence in Teaching Award, the Department of Leadership and Integrative Studies Kiesler Service Award, and the Kennesaw State University Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award.

Nyasha is an active member of the International Leadership Association (ILA), the Association for Leadership Educators (ALE), the Association for Talent Development, and has served as facilitator faculty for ILA’s Leadership Education Academy (LEA). Nyasha served on the board of the Association of Leadership Educators and was recognized as the recipient of the 2020 Peter Northouse Distinguished Teaching Award.

Marion is originally from Switzerland and has lived in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her extensive travels have taken her across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America, enriching her linguistic repertoire with proficiency in German, Swiss German, French, and English.

Marion has been a senior executive with extensive experience in financial institutions. Her expertise spans international global strategic leadership, global risk and crisis management, global project management, and driving operational excellence. Her professional journey with the largest multinational investment bank and financial services company in Switzerland involved extensive roles within correspondent banking, private banking & wealth management, investment banking and securities management as well as logistic and corporate centers. As a banking executive, Marion spearheaded the coaching and training of new hires and trainees, as well as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Information Technology (IT) initiatives. She is adept at fostering cohesive teams and driving cultural awareness in diverse international communities. Her experiences living across various continents and regions enable her to offer innovative solutions in today’s interconnected world.

Not confined to corporate roles, Marion has supported women’s businesses in Katmandu, Nepal, promoted art and crafts in Switzerland, and worked with literacy initiatives in the Bahamas. Her community-focused work has also included efforts to support animal welfare in the Bahamas and in Puerto Rico, where she partners with a local rescue organization. Marion has a degree in Business Administration from Business School KV Baden and a certification in English from Cambridge University. She is a KPA CTP Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner for animal behavior, specializing in professional dog training.

Anne François-Hurley is originally from Haiti and now divides her time between Barbados and Pennsylvania. She is fluent in French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, and has conversational ability in German. She has lived in Burkina Faso and France, and led programs in Guatemala and Belgium. She has extensive experience in supporting teams in doing assessment, development, and evaluation.
Her approach to leadership coaching and consulting is collaborative, as she works with team members to help them harness their strengths. Her focus is on helping individuals build on their strengths to support their goals.

She holds a PhD from New York University and has worked as a literary translator.