Meet The Team | Authentic Leadership Advisors Leadership Staff

Mildred Edwards
PhD, CPTD, ACC, CALC

Mildred Edwards is a social scientist and researcher, authentic leadership coach, learning and performance professional, spiritual practitioner, and yogi.

As a business, government, and non-profit leader, Mildred has 20+ years of experience growing the effectiveness of organizations and building communities. She is a Authentic Leadership Advisors Academy certified coach who uses personal leadership development and social empowerment as tools of her trade.

Mildred’s coaching combines candid conversation, enlightening observations, humor, and extreme optimism, with the art of respecting and honoring others.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Brene’ Brown, Dare to Lead Facilitator
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (BMGI)
Developmental Dimensions International (DDI)
Certified Trainer –
- Emotional Intelligence I & II, TalentSmart
- Influencer, Crucial Conversations & Crucial Accountability, VitalSmarts
Championing Diversity & Project Management for Non-Project Managers. FranklinCovey

Louise Tufnell

Julia’s expertise as a coach lies in her work with expatriates who are on international assignments. She helps them manage cross-cultural differences and be themselves. She supports them in becoming the best leaders they can be – even in an environment and work culture that is out of their comfort zone.

Julia connects easily with new managers who are in a leadership role for the first time. They explore how to create their identity as a leader in a career they love.

Through her storytelling, coaching tools, and exercises, Julia helps leaders to gain insights into their authentic selves. They leverage their insights to create organizations and organizational cultures that thrive and value the potential of every human. She works exceptionally well in the pharmaceutical, chemical, technology, and science-driven industries as well as in creative industries and companies that are operating on an international level.

Julia is fluent in both German and English.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership
Fluent in: German & English

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Denkzeuge Analyst and Partner Coach

Vahbiz Shroff
PhD, ACC, CALC

Vahbiz is an eternally curious person who exemplifies diversity in her personal and professional life. She not only comes from a multicultural heritage, but she also has over 20 years of fulfilling careers in science, business, and now, coaching.

Coaching is Vahbiz’s passion and how she gives back. Her focus is to help clients connect and unleash the genius within themselves through insightful conversations and perspective shifts. She supports her client’s goals and offers a confidential place for them to share and grow.

Vahbiz’s clients include the pharmaceutical and medical industry, major Universities in North Carolina as well as business and entrepreneurship training organizations. Most recently, Vahbiz serves on the Board of Directors for the International Coaches Federation, Raleigh Chapter.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
Company Culture Development
Mentor Coaching
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership
Speaks: English, Hindi, & Gujarti

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Executive Coach Certification (XCC)
Certified Team Coach (WBECS-ICF global)
Certified Career Coach (Career Coach Solutions)

Sara Gagliano

Sara and her husband (newlyweds!) moved to Raleigh from Maine in February of 2020 to start their family. This was just in time for Authentic Leadership Advisors to scoop Sara up and offer her the position of Executive Assistant. Since then she has become an integral member of the executive leadership team.

Sara has over 12 years of experience in Marketing and Customer Service, a passion for connecting deeply with others, and the ability to plan & strategize like a boss! She provides a fresh, yet fun perspective in all she does. Sara makes sure that all team members and clients have the information and guidance they need while ensuring everything maintains the Authentic Leadership Advisors ‘touch’.

Sara is dedicated and diligent in her effort to meet the ever growing demands of her role. She even attended ALA Academy’s Authentic Leadership Coaching Certification as a way to better understand and
support colleagues and clients.

Expertise

Strategic Planning
Graphic and Media Design
Marketing and PR
Brand Development
Budget Planning
Client Engagement

Specialized Training

Graphic Arts
Photography
Authentic Leadership Coach (Pending Certification)

Holly-Jo Jones
MBA, ACC, CALC

In 2013, after more than 20 years in marketing, Holly-Jo began her pursuit to find a more fulfilling career. This led to her pivot to coaching.

Holly-Jo’s caring yet assertively direct approach to coaching is the perfect combination of backbone and heart. Her clients release limiting beliefs and shift emotional and physical patterns to make way for greater work/life harmony in their lives. She partners primarily with women in leadership who desire change, and champions their success by providing encouragement, clarity, and confidence.

Holly-Jo understands that there isn’t a “one size fits all” solution, which is why she makes use of assessments to identify emotional intelligence, core values, and natural behaviors to personalize her coaching approach. Her dedication to inspire and help others achieve fulfilling success is unwavering.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Grief, Loss & Letting Go
Self-esteem & Confidence
Transitions, Change & Choices
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Certified DISC+Values Coach
Certified Grief Coach™ Certified EQ-I and EQ-360 Emotional
Intelligence Assessments Administrator
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (UNCChapel Hill)

Kathleen O’Grady
MCC, CALC

Founder of Authentic Leadership Advisors and Authentic Leadership Advisors Academy, Kathleen is a visionary leadership coach and fearless leader. She supports driven individuals and organizations to achieve the impossible. Her ability to act as a catalyst for people to discover, rediscover, and embrace their unique genius is what makes Kathleen one of the most sought-after global executive coaches. She is a two times past president of the International Coaching Federation Raleigh Chapter, and her work is featured in web articles by the NYTimes.com, Huffingtonpost.com, Forbes.com, and eFinancialCareers.com.

Her real-world stories, practical tools, and actionable insights help clients step out of their comfort zone to create authentic meaning and purpose in their life and work. By embracing change, Kathleen believes everyone can achieve something extraordinary.

Kathleen’s mission is to develop future-ready leaders and companies that honor individual uniqueness, creativity, and innovation, especially within the financial, technology, hospitality, and healthcare industries.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Master Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Certified Business Coach (NCSU)
Certified Tilt Coach (CTC) Tilt 365
Certified EQ-i and EQ-360 Emotional Intelligence Assessments Administrator
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Duke)

Laura Haywood
ACC, CALC

Laura pivoted into coaching after relocating to the US from the UK, where she practiced as a psychotherapist for many years. This unique combination of experience, in addition to her own journey of relocation and change, has led Laura to become a deeply insightful, grounded, caring, and challenging coach. Laura has a great appreciation for people with diverse challenges who want to move forward in life.

Laura is an exceptionally skilled professional coach who can helps her clients move forward by increasing their confidence to navigate change. Laura passionately believes you don’t have to feel stuck, lost, or live in the past. She can help you embrace a more positive, authentic, and fulfilling life.

Laura’s mission is to empower clients to grow through creating positive, meaningful, and sustained changes in their lives. She enables you to have a different relationship with yourself, others, and life.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Self-esteem & Confidence
Transitions, Change & Choices
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ICF)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Advanced Diploma & Certificate of HE. Psychodynamic Counseling

Jennifer Fink
MBA, ACC, CALC

Jenni’s work at some of the nation’s top business schools, including those at Berkeley, Duke, and UNC-Chapel Hill, eventually lead to her venturing out to coach full-time. Jenni supports individuals who are ready to take their career to the next level by helping them create clarity, confidence, and action in their life and work.

Her unique approach blends coaching and consulting techniques to ensure that her clients walk away with the valuable insights, strategies, and tools with each session. Jenni’s coaching philosophy is first and foremost for her clients to be their authentic selves and the rest will fall into place.

Jenni’s mission is to help individuals accelerate careers grounded in authenticity, without wasting years feeling unfulfilled, unhappy, and undervalued.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
Certified Authentic Leadership Coach (CALC)
Myers & Briggs Typology Instrument (MBTI Certified)
StrengthsFinder Certification

Dané Johnson
MBA

Dané is an endlessly curious people-lover and growth-seeker who uses her drive to help others develop themselves in the ways they desire. An experienced coach, facilitator, and learning experience designer, Dané works with individuals and organizations to inspire the development of meaningful and fulfilling workplace cultures.

Dané began her career in hospitality, but her proclivity to challenge the status quo led her to work in the innovation sector of a health system. In 2014, she completed a leadership-focused MBA and began teaching management courses at Bradley University. She now aims to create impact on how individuals experience work (and life) through organizational development efforts, beginning with the self-development of a company’s team members, and through 1:1 coaching with growth-oriented individuals.

It is Dané’s mission to engage with people in a way that inspires a sense of limitless possibility and a desire for meaningful personal growth.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Mindfulness & Self-Awareness
Design Thinking & Innovation Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Graduate Authentic Leadership Advisors Academy
IDEO.org + ACUMEN Fund Design Kit: The Course for Human Centered Design
Northwestern University Leadership Through Design Innovation

Murat Yorukoglu

Murat is an engineer with 25 years of experience. Recently, his work includes technical co-founder and Chief Technical Officer for a cancer support startup in Silicon Valley. Besides being a self taught software engineer, he offers a wide-range of knowledge as a waiter, a US national Fencing champion, an archaeologist, a sports coach to an NCAA championship team, and a teacher.

Murat’s career ranges from an individual contributor to a manager to a Senior Vice President to a Chief Technical Officer. His work includes large companies, like Wells Fargo, down to small two-person startups, and most everything in between and across a wide variety of industries like healthcare and logistics.

As a coach, Murat’s goal is to provide his clients the tools, insights, and open communication that they need to grow to become their most extraordinary selves.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
Career Transition & Development
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Emerging Leaders
Executive Presence Development
Group Coaching Facilitation
New Manager & Promotions

Specialized Training

Graduate of Authentic Leadership Advisors Academy

Jody Fletcher
BSHCA, MSEDM, CALC

Jody served three decades in the Navy, most recently working as the Command Senior Enlisted Advisor to Three-Star Commanding Generals responsible for more than 45,000 people. He spent the first two decades of his Navy career in the Special Operations Community.

Jody’s breadth of leadership and life experience range from elite special operations teams in combat to involvement with Heads of State and Foreign Dignitaries. He’s an avid surfer and loves anything that gets people outside to enjoy nature.

Jody’s mission is to create leaders who understand that true leadership extends beyond the office. He’s passionate about helping them deepen their relationship with their people to build happy and highly functioning teams.

Expertise

Authentic Leadership
C-Level Executive Coaching
Company Culture Development
Leadership in a Diverse Environment
Leadership Under Stress
Building High Performance Teams
Leading Cross Functional Teams
Strategic Communications
Emerging Leaders
Career Transition & Development
Executive Presence Development

Specialized Training

Master Training Specialist
Curriculum Developer
Peer Mentorship Trainer
USAID Joint Humanitarian Operations
Certified Fitness Specialist – Cooper Institute
TS/SCI
CPI Certification

Vanessa Hagerbaumer

For the last 15 years, Vanessa has worked with startups, design agencies, and organizations such as WeWork and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC to develop high-level strategic events and initiatives that purposefully engage client, donor, and employee communities. Vanessa now applies her expertise in experiential journeys to help leaders create and achieve an exponential vision for themselves and their organizations.

Driven by curiosity, Vanessa brings a grounded, smart, and fearless approach to helping leaders transform their mindset to experience explosive growth. Her coaching is packed with creative exercises and practical tools to provoke new perspectives and actionable insights. Serene, introspective, and relentlessly positive, Vanessa is a champion for her clients to achieve legacy-level thinking.

From new managers to C-level executives, Vanessa offers an opportunity to step into your personal power and create transformative change within yourself, your organization, and ultimately the world.

Expertise

Career Confidence
Career Transition & Development
Company Culture Development
Creative Leadership
Emerging Leaders
Employee Experience, Engagement, & Wellness
Leading Cross Functional Teams
New Manager & Promotions
Strategic Initiatives & Project Mangement
Start-Ups, Tech, & Non-Profit
Women in Leadership

Specialized Training

Authentic Leadership Advisors Academy – Authentic Leadership Coach Training

ALA Leadership Team and Executive Coaches

Kathleen O'Grady

MCC, CALC

Founder & CEO

Lead Executive Coach & Advisor

(Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)

Sara Gagliano

Executive Assistant to CEO

(Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)

Holly-Jo Jones

MBA, ACC, CALC

Executive VP of Operations

Executive Coach

(Durham, North Carolina, USA)

Laura Haywood

ACC, CALC

Director of Coach Training

Executive Coach

(Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)

Vahbiz Shroff

PhD, ACC, CALC

Director of Expansion

Executive Coach

(Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)

Jody Fletcher

BSHCA, MSEDM, CALC

Executive Coach

(Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA)

Mildred Edwards

MPH, PhD, ACC, CALC

Executive Coach

(Kansas City, Missouri, USA)

Vanessa Hagerbaumer

ACC, CALC

Executive Coach

(Brooklyn, New York, USA)

Murat Yorukoglu

Executive Coach

(Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)

Dané Johnson

MBA, CALC

Executive Coach

(Des Moines, Iowa, USA)

Louise Tufnell

Executive Coach

(Bath, Somerset, England)

Jennifer Fink

MBA, ACC, CALC

Executive Coach

(San Francisco Bay, CA, USA)

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