Bio

It is hard to believe that an assignment to survey third shift supervisors at Borg Warner Automotive in Muncie, Indiana, could launch a career, but that is exactly what happened to me. I was a third year Doctoral student at Ball State University struggling to determine what I was going to do with my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. While I sensed I wouldn't survive a lifetime of 50-minute therapist hours, at the time I didn't have an alternative plan.

In retrospect, it was during those few hours in the transmission factory that my 20-year (and counting) career of applying psychological constructs in organizational settings really began. The environment at Borg was stimulating and exciting to this young student; I knew immediately that this was the kind of place I wanted to apply my skills.

From that epiphany, I became more deliberate in my career development. First, I secured a part-time job in Borg Warner's HR department working with the plant manager and union stewards to assess the plant's culture. Simultaneously I took MBA courses during my last year at Ball State to brush up my business acumen. I completed a doctoral internship at Boston University during which I conducted supervisory training for New England Telephone and Telegraph. Finally, I eventually landed a position with Psychological Associates in St. Louis, Missouri, a management consulting firm staffed by psychologists.

As Director of Consulting for Psychological Associates, I was thrown into a multitude of situations, opportunities and projects. The job provided a critical foundation for my professional development. It helped me solidify my understanding of and appreciation for the role a counseling psychologist can play within an organization. My clients spanned the spectrum from large and small, public and private, teams and individuals, growing and shrinking, healthy and troubled. I quickly learned, however, that there was one common factor among all the organizations – people-related issues.

After several years with Psychological Associates, I decided to develop my own practice and moved to Buffalo, New York, to do so. Nearly 20 years later, I am blessed to be working with great clients and to be helping make contributions with our assessment and consulting services. Most of my client relationships span a decade or more. This is evidence that my goal of joining organizations, teams and individuals on their respective journeys has been actualized. Along the way, I have published articles, given speeches, served on boards, developed products and been quoted in various media outlets. I love to continually learn and find new ways of impacting lasting change.

Given that I approach each day with the same enthusiasm and intrigue I felt as a student, I know I made the right call all those years ago in Muncie, Indiana. The cross section of people and the myriad of challenges continue to feel exciting and new. The sense of satisfaction I get when impacting a person, team or system in a sustainable way is hard to beat. I hope to be doing this for some time to come.