Headline

Executive Coach and Organizational Effectiveness Consultant

Professional Background

I bring a rare combination of public and private sector leadership forged over three decades. My experience spans five federal agencies—mostly having scientific, technical, and engineering missions—and includes 13 years as a Senior Executive, culminating in a C-Suite role leading enterprise-wide Human Resources for a cabinet-level agency. I managed $50M+ budgets, led 300+ staff, and contributed on an international scale on Human Resources Development, Knowledge Management, and Safety Culture with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. Before launching my own firm, I served as a Senior Manager for Organizational Effectiveness Consulting, Leadership Development, and Coaching for a national health care provider.  This journey, from individual contributor, to high-level executive, to independent business owner delivering organizational consulting and coaching has given me a deep, real-world practical understanding of the challenges my clients face. I don’t just teach and coach leadership; I’ve lived it at every level.

Coaching Philosophy

As an ICF-certified professional coach, I view our work as a trusted partnership. My approach is built on mutual respect and absolute confidentiality. Many clients come to me feeling stuck at a major inflection point, unsure of the path forward or even what they truly want.

My role is to help you cut through the noise and tap into your “why”—your deepest motivators and values. Together, we move beyond the “stuck” feeling by:

• Gaining clarity on your most important goals.
• Seeing situations from new and different perspectives.
• Identifying hidden roadblocks and self-limiting beliefs.
• Defining the success factors that will propel you forward.
• Committing to concrete actions that yield measurable results.

This process is not prescriptive; it’s a powerful journey of discovery tailored entirely to your needs and ambitions.

Credentials

• International Coaching Federation certified coach.
• Graduate of American University’s Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance program.
• Certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment.
• Certified to administer The Leadership Circle Profile 360 assessment.
• Certified PROSCI Change Management practitioner.
• Certified to administer the DiSC Profile assessment.
• SHRM-SCP Senior Certified HR Professional.
• MS Degree in Organizational Development & Knowledge Management.

Languages

English

ICF Certification Level

Certified at the ACC level.  Recertification pending. Currently working towards the PCC level.

Professional background

Lisa Ruane is a seasoned leader and executive coach with over 30 years of experience supporting complex, fast-paced organizations, including those in resource-constrained environments. Her background includes leadership roles in associations and non-profits across sectors such as healthcare, economic development, public policy, technology, and community service, which required balancing mission-driven goals with operational discipline and workforce performance.

Lisa brings expertise in client/member engagement, organizational governance, leadership development, marketing, and operations. She has worked on senior leadership teams to steer organizational strategy, align people and processes, and build high-performance cultures rooted in accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

In her coaching, Lisa partners with leaders to balance relating to others and achieving results. She is passionate about helping people harness their strengths, improve collaboration, and grow their influence—especially amid change, workforce challenges, or shifting demands. Her approach is grounded in real-world leadership, practical insights, and a belief that trust, clarity, and resilience are key to success.

Lisa has a proven track record of helping leaders:

• Align cross-functional teams on shared goals and performance metrics
• Lead with limited resources while meeting objectives
• Navigate differing priorities and personalities to make timely, effective decisions
• Cultivate cultures of reliability, initiative, and partnership

Coaching Philosophy

My style is direct yet supportive to confront challenges and opportunities, such as 

• clarifying and communicating visions
• achieving and fostering team development
• optimizing time and energy for value creation • navigating and shaping organizational cultures

Through purposeful, engaging conversation, we will uncover the underlying themes that matter, deepen insights, create goals, and develop realistic and achievable actions to move forward.

Leadership is developed through practice. My coaching is rooted in non-judgmental listening, empathy, and trust in the coaching process. With courage, openness, and action, time and time again, I have worked with clients to achieve the successes they seek.

Credentials

Coaching

• International Coaching Federation. Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
• Georgetown University. Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership
• Leadership Circle Profile® Certification
• Emotional and Social Competency Inventory Certification, Korn Ferry
• My World View Certification, Global Leadership Associates 

Association Executive

• American Society of Association Executives. Certified Association Executive (CAE)
• S. Chamber of Commerce and American Society of Association Executives. Institute for Organizational Management Education
• BA, The University of Virginia (Economics)

ICF Certification Level

ACC

Headline

Helping Leaders Explore Possibility, Discover Purpose, & Navigate Change Through Embodied Practice & Conscious Leadership

Professional Background

Luann is a transformational leadership coach, trainer, and facilitator with several decades of leadership, operational, and instructional experience across sectors and geographies. As the Founder of Axiom Quest LLC, she partners with leaders and teams navigating complexity and high-stakes environments, helping them access deeper insight, cultivate presence, and act with intention.

She has partnered with more than 200 clients in government, industry, and mission-driven organizations providing over 600 hours of coaching. Her clients span senior military leaders, public sector executives, corporate change agents, and nonprofit founders. As former faculty at the National Defense University and leader at two Coast Guard training centers, Luann brings deep instructional expertise grounded in operational excellence and adaptive leadership.

Luann holds advanced degrees in national security, organizational learning, and leadership coaching, and her doctoral research explored the transformative power of embodied learning. A lifelong explorer, she integrates neuroscience, somatics, and strategic insight to help leaders unlock energy, resilience, and purpose in their most vital moments.

Coaching Philosophy

Leadership is about how we show up. I believe that transformation begins when leaders align their inner awareness with intentional action. My coaching integrates body-based practices, narrative intelligence, and real-time inquiry to help clients move from automatic reactions to conscious, values-based responses.

I work with leaders navigating challenges, transition, and uncertainty—guiding them to discover what truly matters, embody their purpose, and communicate with clarity and conviction. Together, we surface untapped insight, cultivate resilience, and co-create practices that translate vision into aligned, sustainable impact.

Rooted in embodied learning, my approach helps clients expand their leadership presence, emotional regulation, and connection with others—supporting optimal performance in even the most demanding environments. Beyond achieving goals; it’s about transforming how you lead, live, and serve.

Credentials

• Certified Positive Intelligence® Coach (Shirzad Chamine)
• Emotions-Centered™ Coaching (Dan Newby)
• Conversational Intelligence for Coaches Enhanced Program® (Judith Glaser)
• Action Learning Coach (WIAL)
• Integrative Development & Narrative Coach™ Certification (David Drake, PhD)
• Zen Leadership (Ginny Whitelaw, PhD)
• Leadership Embodiment (LE) (Wendy & Tiphani Palmer)
• Body = Brain™ (Amanda Blake)
• Power of Embodied Transformation (Coaches Rising)
• Art of Developmental Coaching (Coaches Rising)
• Transforming Teams (Coaches Rising)
• Neuroscience of Change (Coaches Rising)
• Using Adult Development Theory to Coach Leaders
• Coaching through Postconventional Transitions
• Using Archetypes + Polarity Dynamics to Cultivate Well-being
• Body-based Conflict Transformation (Paul Linden, PhD)
• Body-Centered Inquiry (Jonathan Foust)
• lab: Leading From the Emerging Future
• SOAR Facilitator (Success through Observers Action Results; Chalmers Brothers)
• Somatic Experiencing®
• TRE Certified (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises)
• Nei Gong/Qigong (Lotus Nei Gong)

Languages

English

ICF Certification Level

PCC

Headline

Moving Forward at Your Pace: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential with Strengths-Based Coaching

Professional Background

I held leadership roles in health care for over 23 years, collaborating with people to surface and solve meaningful problems to improve the health of individuals and communities. From leading process improvement efforts and Medicaid expansion for Kaiser Permanente, to working with CEOs and physician executives to create learning collaboratives to improve health and health care with the Alliance of Community Health Plans, to partnering with federal leaders within Health & Human Services to advance improvements in health care for all Americans – my focus is on collaborating with others to do something different that makes a difference.

Coaching Philosophy

Leadership coaching is about using the art of inquiry to help you discover the insights and answers you already have to questions you may be asking about your leadership. In my coaching work with clients, we focus on better understanding a client’s strengths and how that understanding can lead to even more effectiveness as a leader.

I believe in listening first, leading with empathy, that everyone is an innovator, and the client always has all the answers. My role is to help them unlock those answers.

I am also a Mom, a triathlete and a race volunteer. My philosophy, “forward is a pace,” is what I bring to leadership, coaching and racing. I work with clients to help them understand what their forward is.

My clients all have one thing in common: they are focused on better understanding themselves as a leader, enhancing their leadership capacity and are open to exploration. I have worked with leaders ranging from mid-career professionals exploring their next step to senior executives with a desire to continue to improve their leadership effectiveness.

Credentials

• Master of Arts, Human Resource Development, George Washington University
• ICF certified leadership coach, ACC level
• Certified in Leadership Circle Profile
• Certified Innovation Toolkit Facilitator
• Certified in Myers Briggs Type Indicator
• Certified in Facilitative Leadership and Interest Based Problem Solving

Languages

English

ICF Certification Level

ACC

Professional Background

Melinda Coles is the Founder of Middle Work Consulting, LLC. As an Abundance Coach, Facilitator and Dreamer, Melinda’s goal is to help people trust themselves more. Melinda works with clients to assist them in clearly separating their own priorities, values, and voices from those of everyone around them. As a coach, Melinda supports her clients in identifying the ways their self-doubt shows up and sabotages them, assists clients in developing tools that help dismantle the lies of self-doubt and uncover the ways in which they can cultivate and strengthen their self-trust. Melinda is an ICF Certified Coach, having completed the George Washington University eCo Leadership coaching program and holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Syracuse University.

Coaching Philosophy

I help overachievers remember that their worth surpasses their ability to achieve.

Languages

English

ICF Certifications Level

PCC

Headline

Executive Coach, ICF – PCC, Partner in wobbling and flourishing

Professional background

Shalini Madan Benson serves as an executive leadership coach, trainer and facilitator. She has more than 25 years of experience working in leadership roles of progressively greater responsibility in the federal, private and nonprofit sectors, including managing teams of more than 50 people and overseeing budgets of over $5 billion. She has worked as a nonprofit vice president, a private sector consultant and a member of the Senior Executive Service. She has firsthand experience transforming leaders and teams to achieve their potential by focusing on purpose and authenticity. 

Creating greater connections, growing joy and supporting leaders who serve is her purpose. Shalini enjoys working with people who are navigating personal or professional transitions, and with leaders who are working through issues of identity—both their own and those of others. 

Her clients especially appreciate her lightness during tough conversations. She makes space to address deeply personal professional challenges and honors and respects her clients’ experiences while framing them for opportunities and new horizons. Clients report leaving her sessions refreshed, hopeful and optimistic. 

Experience 

• Coached in multiple industries, including local and federal government, and the nonprofit and private sectors 
• Served in the Office of Management and Budget as a Presidential Management Fellow, in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in the Department of Energy, and in the National Institutes of Health and Federal Emergency Management Agency 
• Experienced leader across multiple sectors, including roles as a nonprofit vice president, a private sector consultant and a member of the federal Senior Executive Service 
• Committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging 
• Founding board member of Girls Global Academy, the first all-girls charter high school in Washington, D.C., providing a global education to a diverse group of young women

Coaching Philosophy

“To be at your edge, where you’re unsteady and uneasy – to be wobbling – is to be growing, finding balance and eventually, steadiness.”

Credentials

Education, Training and Certifications 

• Master’s degree in Public Policy (Georgetown University) 
• A. Politics and Philosophy (Brandeis University) 
• Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching (Georgetown University) 
• ICF (International Coaching Federation) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) 

Assessment Certifications: Leadership Circle 360, DiSC, Reiki Levels 1 & 2 

Assessment Experience: DiSC, EQ-1 2.0, Mile Marker 360, Public Service Leadership 360 

Personal 

• Shalini is a creative, curious and kind mother of three; a spouse, daughter and nonprofit board member; a small business owner; and a leadership coach and friend.  
• She is a first generation Indian American with a healthy dose of New Jersey-born pride. Her name is pronounced “SHA-lyn-ee,” and her pronouns are “she” and “her.” 
• After a challenging, rewarding and productive career in the federal government and nonprofit sector leading and managing teams, she was burned out and took a break. She used the time to try new things and rediscovered yoga.   

Languages

English

ICF Certification Level

PCC