Executive & Client Support Team
Executive Consultants
Executive Coach & Career Strategists
Client Branding
Candidate Marketing
Military Transition
Retained Executive Search
Meet Our Team
When I formed this company, I would speak with highly qualified job seekers who had been fired, laid off, or were about to be, or weren’t getting meaningful interviews. Frankly, when offers came, I felt they could have done much better. I knew there was a better way and so, I founded this company. My greatest joy is to see my clients get achieve a rewarding and sustaining job or career move, and using my network of 9+ million people to help my clients meaningfully connect with others.
During my career, I was on the senior team of two different companies, in two different industries, achieving multiple listings in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest growing companies in America. I’ve been quoted in most credible national publications. I also been an invited guest on affiliate stations of ABC, NBC, and CBS, as an expert on the job and employment market.
Presently, I’m the instructor for the Career Transition section of the Air Force General Officer Transition Assistance Program, (GOTAP). I am a founding member of The Arizona Corporate Council on Veteran Careers.
My book, Ready Aim Hired, the 4th edition co-authored and edited by Dr. Conne Reece, is currently the textbook for a 3-credit course at the University of Pennsylvania System, at Lock Haven University. My other books are Leveraging LinkedIn For Job Search Success, and Hire The EQ, Not The IQ, I publish the National Job & Career Transition Resources Guide and am a contributing author to the book, Business Model You, by Tim Clark.
On a personal note, I play 5-string Appalachian claw-hammer style banjo and have performed on the radio and television, and in concert in Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, and throughout the United States.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredcoonscc/
Board Member: http://reveillefoundation.org/
Steering Committee: Arizona Corporate Council on Veterans Careers
Podcasts: The US At Work
Articles: Workplace-Strategies
Books and Other Publications:
Hire The EQ Not The IQ
Leveraging LinkedIn For Job Search Success – 2019
Job & Career Transition Resource Guide
Managing Multi-Generations For Profit and Harmony
Ready Aim Hired! 4th Edition Coming Soon
Actions Speak Louder Than Words….
Michelle Settle has over twenty years of experience in corporate expansion, management development and executive administration. Her high performing, team-centric mindfulness, enthusiastic passion, and creativity is palpable from the moment you meet her. She has been with the firm since its inception, demonstrating a deep grasp of process, policy, planning, and analysis. Michelle’s unique strengths coupled with her diverse and fresh perspective on building and leading has continued to deliver transformational business growth over the years. She is an influential communicator, who speaks the language of both the best organizational minds and the most creative strategists. Michelle’s high success record of problem-solving, conflict resolution and creating excellence, coupled with leadership focused on providing outstanding client service and driving profitable revenue growth has added new dimension to the corporate structure at Stewart, Cooper & Coon.
As an inherent leader and mentor, Michelle has long served her community in various organizations, including leadership positions within her local PTA and Scouting Troops. As the parent of two Eagle Scouts, she firmly believes in building leaders of character today for more enriched communities in the future. Michelle is a proud volunteer, serving various non-profit organizations including Feed My Starving Children, Arizona Boys and Girls Club, Relay for Life, Arizona Humane Society, St. Mary’s Food Bank and The Ronald McDonald House. As a graduate of Arizona State University, Michelle is actively involved in the University Alumni Foundation Lifelong Learning Institute.
Michael Weishaar has over fifteen years of experience building long-lasting customer relationships, working with multiple vendors and all levels of management. His stellar organizational skills have contributed to the effective and successful management of our team. His unique ability to enhance operational procedures, systems and principles has led to our continued growth over the years. Michael’s enthusiastic nature and clear focus on sustainability in the future continues to be an invaluable asset to Stewart, Cooper & Coon.
With a background in the restaurant industry, Michael recognizes the importance of outstanding quality and client service. As a Sous Chef in high-end restaurants, his ability to effectively manage these organizations was outstanding and foundational work for his ability to manage multiple service levels within the SC&C organization.
Brittany Kelsey believes that communication is a key to a successful team. She brings a unique perspective to client management through her professionalism, expertise and passion for creating an amazing client experience. Acknowledged for her diligence, Brittany is eager to succeed, consistently maintaining a positive vision.
Through the years, Brittany has cultivated strong customer relationships, taking the time to guide clients in the direction that best fits their needs. She believes that listening to client needs is top priority, and by doing so, makes us stronger as a successful business. Brittany’s energy and enthusiasm is evident to all who work with her, and she is recognized for her giving and friendly personality.
Originally from Arizona, Brittany spent her youth in Utah, and ultimately settled in Tennessee where she resides with her family.
Pam has hired, trained and motivated dozens of specialized sales and marketing personnel and has managed over 100 representatives simultaneously. In addition to working for Fortune 100 companies such as Becton Dickinson, Sharp, and Dow Chemical, she has also been a recruiter with experience in finding the best talent for each search assignment. Pam is now applying her talents to helping our senior executives at Stewart Cooper & Coon. Pam enjoys speaking with people and communicating with her clients; she is as excited as the client when client secures new employment.
Megan prides herself on her ability to always see a project to a successful end. Anyone who meets her recognizes her hard-working, “get it done” attitude. She is organized and focused, and able to multitask seamlessly. Her generous nature is apparent in her willingness to accept new projects and take on new responsibilities.
Megan is a strong believer in communication – staying connected with her team and clients has led to her ability to build long-term, trustful relationships. Her organizational skills have helped her in both short and long-term projects. She believes in “doing it right” the first time, always with grace and ease.
Arizona was her childhood home, but Megan has had the opportunity to live in many different regions. Her new home-base is Utah, where she resides with her family.
Nyrobi Wheeler is currently an online college professor of Business Management, Leadership and Communications for Bellevue University and the University of Arizona Global Campus. As a writer, Nyrobi’s passion for creating resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles benefits clients of all industries.
With a background working in human resources, Nyrobi understands the importance of communicating the right information in the best light. She is a self-publishing author of several e-books on career tips and foreign languages, as well as a co-author of several books on Black Women. Nyrobi lives in Peoria, IL and in her spare time, enjoys classic movies, retro tv shows, word search puzzles and developing online courses.
After several decades writing and producing the many different types of marketing materials, Jack began concentrating on job search documents. He earned his professional resume writer’s certificate, signed on with a firm that allowed him to serve clients around the world, and create his own web-based business. Realizing that Stewart, Cooper & Coon was a perfect fit, Jack joined the branding team. Over the past several years, he has been instrumental in creating branding packages and marketing materials for executives in a variety of industries. His work exemplifies the corporate belief that a resume is not a job history but a marketing tool that shows a prospective employer the value a candidate can bring to a job and details performance evidence that verifies the claim.
Mary’s professional experience includes over 20 years in the health arena. Her level of dedication to helping others is unmatched. She has cultivated strong customer relationships over the years and a high success record of problem-solving. Her stellar organizational skills and attention to detail are top-notch.
Mary is an articulate communicator, highly skilled and has an outstanding attention to detail. Always striving to achieve maximum performance, she has demonstrated her success as a team player. Her dynamic achievements in managing diverse and comprehensive projects with superb time management have proven to be a great asset to Stewart, Cooper & Coon.
Amanda’s professional experience includes human resources management, recruiting and recruiting management. She has recruited and effectively managed hundreds of people across the country. She also has a strong background in implementing and directing training curriculum for new recruits. Amanda’s positive work ethic and dedication has allowed her to develop professional relationships with many of the Fortune 500-1000 companies.
Sally has been writing resumes and LinkedIn content for clients spanning all industries, including C-level, IT, sales, HR, finance, recent undergraduates, and military transitions.
Prior to resume writing, Sally worked in marketing and advertising. She spent three years at The Integer Group – a promotional, retail, and shopper marketing agency and member of Omnicom Group Inc. – and five years at a Denver-based medical marketing agency. Her agency work gave her extensive experience in account and project management, client communication, technical copywriting, and copyediting.
Sally lives in Golden, CO, with her husband and three children. She enjoys spending her free time running, camping, boating, hiking, and a good cup of coffee.
Tom Dailey began his career as a recruiter and owner of an employment agency before transitioning to the IT industry, where he worked in operations and management roles at Rockland State Hospital in New York, and Boeing Global Services in New Jersey. This led Tom to move into IT in roles selling hardware, software, and professional services at British Telecommunications (BT) and IBM. He held various positions, including Global Account Manager and Client Relationship Executive, working with high-profile clients such as Citigroup, American Express, and AT&T.
Over time, Tom became interested in outsourcing services, first with BT in Europe and Asia, then with IBM in the US. A significant part of his work was a large contract that involved providing up to 400 technical workers with a range of 56 IT skills. Tom enjoyed the challenge of finding the right candidates, matching them to client requirements, grooming them for interviews and helping them to be hired.
Outside of his professional work, Tom is a volunteer as a Guardian ad Litem, advocating in court for children who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused. Now, as part of the SC&C consulting team, his focus will be helping clients start their journey towards finding and securing a fulfilling new career.
The son of an Air Force master sergeant John Emerson moved many times during childhood. When he graduated from high school after the eleventh grade, that marked the 20th school he had attended. John went on to the University of Colorado where he majored in English, Chemistry and Political Science. After graduation, he attended medical school at Colorado University and became a surgeon, specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
John’s mission was to help all those that he could. He often comments that his love of helping others was his favorite part of being a practicing physician. After an injury, he could no longer practice, but consistently looks for other ways to continue to help others. He has enjoyed raising, training and riding Gypsy Vanner horses in his free time.
John comes to us ready and willing to help others, here at Stewart, Cooper & Coon.
Oliver is one of the early adopters of the use of modern marketing techniques to affect the transition of highly successful executives and professionals from one position to another. He is one of the pioneers in the development of individual and corporate outplacement consulting practices that saw career transition as a marketing problem of positioning, packaging, promoting and pricing.
In early 1980 he began a career in corporate and executive outplacement built upon the principles of modern marketing. Rising to the position of Executive Vice President he was one of the key associates to grow the company nationwide, helping to place hundreds of senior level managers and executives in new and exciting growth opportunities. In 1986 he formed his own executive placement and corporate outplacement firm and built the company to cover twenty-one major market areas in the West. He retired from the career industry in 2001. In that same year, he turned his passion into a business and began managing investments. He also helped found a company that was highly successful in raising money for schools, a project that continues to be important to Oliver to this day.
Realizing the absolute necessity of using the Internet and its enormous access to information to run a successful executive search he joined Stewart, Cooper & Coon coming back to the business of helping serious-minded executives find rewarding new jobs and careers.
Dennis brings over 30 years in the outplacement field to the team at SC&C. His outstanding results are derived from his ability to design, deliver and manage customized programs for a variety of candidates. Dennis has assisted a vast number of clients in the executive placement, corporate recruiting, and corporate outplacement sectors. His expertise is working with senior executives to identify both immediate needs and long-term goals, as well as crafting personalized strategies designed to maximize service delivery and client satisfaction.
Dennis is proud to be a member of this highly respected firm, delivering top-notch results through SC&C’s proven, high-quality strategies and comprehensive process. In his career, Dennis has assisted thousands of executives reach their full potential. He builds rapport and trust through thoughtful questions designed to uncover unique needs and goals. He has literally worked with over 90% of the Fortune 500 and has a full understanding of what it takes to reach the next level.
Dennis holds a Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MBA from University of Pittsburgh. He takes great pride in his many clients that continue to remind and thank him for the important role he has played in their lives.
Tom held executive positions with national and international firms in both the profit & non-profit sectors of the economy representing six different industries. He served as the Marketing Director for three NYSE firms prior to functioning as the COO for one of them and President for several other firms. His record of bringing about substantial increases in profits and share of market, the creative positioning of corporations, and directing successful acquisitions and turnarounds, have been reported by the Wall Street Journal and Smith Barney Reports.
Tom has lectured on subjects ranging from direct response marketing to strategic planning for universities, the AMA, government agencies and served as an adjunct professor for a major university. He has two creative works in the Library of Congress and letters of appreciation from Ford Motor Company, Kraft Foods, B.F. Goodrich, Nestles, Chase Bank, and dozens of other high-profile firms.
He has also worked in the non-profit sector and held the title of Executive Director for a Community Foundation. Particularly important to those with whom he consults is his experience as the President and Executive Director for two prominent firms that specialize in the understanding and advancement of human development, one being the Center for Applications of Psychological Type, internationally known for their work using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Tom sees himself as an educator and facilitator between the point where individuals find themselves now, and the point where they want to be. It’s that ‘T’ in the road where Tom helps them gain a clear understanding of what tools and knowledge are available to them and how to apply that knowledge in order to make sound and critically important career decisions.
Tom attended Simpson College and UCLA before earning his B.S.C. from the University of Iowa. He also received AMA’s certificate for C-level executives, has an extensive musical background and is a veteran.
Rodney has been an executive in several diverse industries in his career. He has led start-ups and turn-around situations managing the operational side of those, as well as business development and marketing for both his own company and others. Rodney was President / CEO of Riostar 11, a multi concept hospitality Firm located in Dallas Texas with several locations spread over many states. He worked closely with VC groups as well as solely responsible for raising millions of dollars through conventional financing.
In his career, Rodney has mentored hundreds of Professionals reach their Executive growth. He worked closely with companies like Banco Popular, Sysco, Chase Bank, Ninfa’s Corporation, FJC Growth Capital and Mesbic Ventures’ Holding Corporation.
Prior to joining SCC, Rodney spent over 8 years coordinating the delivery of solutions to help C-level and executive management in identifying appropriate positions. He is known among his peers and clients, as someone with high level of integrity and exceptional people skills.
Josh was educated in Western Canada and earned a Fitness and Amateur Sports Scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan for athletics and academic achievement. He was drafted by the Chicago Black Hawks at age 15 and remained with the Chicago organization for six years. Following this, he taught and coached five years at the high school and college level. He then worked as a CSA (Canadian Ski Alliance) certified Ski Instructor at Sunshine Village, Banff, Alberta. Having received his Tennis Instructor accreditation from Tennis America, Josh worked one-on-one with Dennis Van de Meer and Billy Jean King.
After being invited to Europe to coach Professional Hockey, Josh joined Hal Laycoe to coach the Dutch National team and was the Coach/Manager of the Dutch Junior National Team. Licensed by the KNLTB, the Dutch Tennis Bond, he developed a new tennis instructional program based on range of motion and injury prevention. He also taught tennis at Tennispark Marlot, a club that he also managed. Josh was then recruited by Adidas as the International Marketing/Promotions Director for Winter Sports and Racket Sports overseeing 88 countries where he reported directly to the owner of Adidas, Horst Dassler. Josh developed and negotiated promotional contracts with Ilie Nastase, Stan Smith, Tom Okker, Raul Ramirez, Ivan Lendl and many other professionals. With Adidas, Josh became Player Agent for the Adidas-sponsored Russian and Czechoslovakian hockey players. He negotiated all contracts with Russian and Czech government officials for sponsorship and supply of equipment.
Josh then returned to North America and was recruited by Performance Dynamics International and worked for seven years in the Corporate Outplacement business. Over the last 30 years Josh has developed his career marketing expertise in United States and Canada and is now Senior Executive Placement Consultant with Stewart Cooper and Coon.
Carol is a Certified Coach and workplace consultant and has more than 15 years of experience in Human Resources working at both large and small organizations. She has advanced through positions of increasing authority and decision-making and has been a valuable resource and critical link between internal/external customers, management team members and governmental/regulatory agencies for the organizations she served at as an HR Executive. She supported various discipline teams at the system level as HR Advisor. Carol’s primary goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of people. She demonstrates energy, enthusiasm and passion in all she does. She is courageous in her work and has taught leaders to be courageous in leading their teams.
Carol holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University with an emphasis in HealthCare Administration and a Master’s Degree in Sociology. She is also a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), Central Arizona Human Resources Management Association (CAHRMA), and Arizona Human Resources Executive Forum (AZHREF). She has been serving on the Personnel Advisory Board for the City of Casa Grande since 2014 and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for the City of Casa Grande since July 2017. She is also active in various civic and community organizations in the Casa Grande area.
A former attorney and corporate executive, Valerie’s diverse background spans operations, customer service, strategic planning, change management, and process optimization in fields such as law, import and distribution, career management, coaching, and publications (as an author, journalist, and legislative editor). Fusing her legal, business, and coaching experience provides her with a unique perspective and understanding of the issues faced by organizations and individuals.
With over 20 years of experience, Valerie is adept at building collaborative relationships and partnerships with people at all levels, from Board of Directors and CEOs to mid-management to general staff to the public at large. Experienced in career, business, executive, political, and life coaching for over 1,000 people on 6 continents, she spent five years heading a team of coaches that assisted over 5,000 executives and professionals in planning and achieving career transition, advancement, and enhancement strategies.
Holding senior-level management roles throughout most of her career, Valerie has studied leadership principles independently, in small groups, and through Lifework Leadership. As a community advocate, she represented public concerns before governing bodies, educated the community on governmental processes/procedures, and served on government-appointed committees that studied, made recommendations, and provided advisement to elected officials and other decision-makers. Additionally, she served on the Board of Directors of a non-profit dedicated to quality of life issues within the community.
A certified professional career coach (CPCC) and graduate of Coach U, Valerie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. She is author of a book, “Mongo – The Life and Times of Ramon Grau Alsina,” now being reviewed by a producer for the big screen.
Irene Marshall, MBA, is a committed career services professional with more than 20 years of experience helping people get jobs and manage their careers. She believes there is a job and a career for anyone who will engage in their own process.
She started as a Recruiter in 1999 when she joined Robert Half in 1999. Her take-away from working with both hiring managers and candidates was “Why should someone hire you instead of someone else?”
Irene fully understands the hiring process. People get jobs! She is knowledgeable, trusted, and knows how to listen. She established Tools for Transition in 2003 as a resume writer and coach.
Irene is unique in her industry because she is a true generalist. Her clients range from new college graduates up to C-suite executives in a wide range of industries and professions.
She is a versatile coach. She helps people explore career options, then provides guidance for a job search and for using LinkedIn. She loves doing interview coaching.
She has written more than 2,000 resumes, LinkedIn profiles, cover letters, executive bios, and other documents for people at all stages in their careers.
Irene has had an eclectic career. She was an Accounting Manager at two companies, including a Silicon Valley startup. She also sold promotional products for two other companies. She and her husband owned an auto repair shop for 20 years, and then had a Matco Tool franchise.
Her undergraduate degree was in accounting. Her MBA is from the University of Santa Clara. She has three certifications for coaching and one for writing. Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW); Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC); Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP); Certified Professional – Online Job Search and Reputation Management (OJSRM)
Irene and her husband live in the San Francisco Bay Area with Nikki, their fifth rescue dog.
As a Career Coach Kirk McCarley’s aim for each of his clients is that they are first heard well, then motivated to develop a vision and mission that will achieve their objective. His fundamental philosophy about our careers is that “vocation occupies more waking hours than any other single activity. As such our jobs should not only be fulfilling, but an endeavor to which we feel ‘led.’ It should meet our financial needs, yet also allow for a healthy and sustainable work/life balance.”
Prior to becoming a coach Kirk had over 30 years of experience as a Human Resources Executive in both public and private sector environments. Among his achievements, Kirk navigated a $600MM pension plan through the perilous economic downturn of 2008, restoring it to a stable funded status; developed a Leadership Institute, an executive level training school designed to prepare potential talent for career advancement. More than 70% of the program’s 85 participants were either promoted or assumed roles that eventually had significant organizational impact. Kirk also created an employee wellness program that annually helped keep medical insurance premium expenses 3% below health cost trend line. Four hundred participants in an employer sponsored Weightwatchers program lost over 11,000 pounds.
Kirk sees himself as enthusiastic while also contemplative, determined, yet relaxed. A graduate of the University of North Texas, he is a Certified Professional Coach as well as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM-CP Certified. He also is a Production Assistant for both college football and basketball for ESPN and leads group cycling classes (Spinning). In addition, he is a columnist for his local paper and a member of the Football Writers of America Association (FWAA). Kirk and his wife of 38 years, Cindy, make their home in the Florida Panhandle. They have two grown children and one grandson.
Kris Plantrich’s sustained success in career coaching is her ability to listen, educate, support, and hold her clients accountable in their job search. As an executive career coach of nearly 20 years, she knows the sometimes-difficult questions to ask to get to the root issues and equip clients with the tools to confidently pursue their career goals, so they can move forward with confidence in their value-add, themselves, and their job search process.
She began her journey in the career industry as a resume writer. However, quickly understood the value of including career coaching in her services and was when she found she had a passion for coaching, teaching job seekers the most effective strategies to manage their search and be a confidant and support.
Her career industry experience began in 2004 and in 2006, she founded ResumeWonders Writing and Career Coaching Services which, over time, transitioned into Basil Coaching Services. She has also worked for two large outplacement services firms where she coached many clients simultaneously as part of their separation package offerings. She now applies this experience and executive job search knowledge to SC&C clients.
Kris is a Certified Career Management Coach, Certified Internet Job Search Expert, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Board Certified Coach, and Certified Professional Resume Writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Walsh College in Troy Michigan. Kris has been featured in 10+ career industry books and has been interviewed as a career expert on TV, newspapers and print media, and Internet radio programs. A life-long Midwesterner, Kris now lives in Florida, is a mother of 3 adult children, and grama to two grandchildren.
Rosalinde (Ros) Rosado is an 11x certified coach, including a Certified Master Coach and Nationally Certified Profile Online Expert (NCOPE) with expertise in career and performance management, career transition, leadership, and staff development, supporting executives, professionals, and creatives in exploring new stories, paths, and perspectives.
She studied international business in Switzerland and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management from the University of Redlands School of Business in California. Her broad spectrum of experience includes working for large Fortune 500 companies to small organizations from Wall Street to Los Angeles, with outstanding achievements in human resources, recruiting, banking and finance, real estate, automotive, hospitality, marketing, wholesale, and retail sales.
She is a Director for Member Support representing Military and Workforce Career Centers for the National Resume Writer’s Association. Ros believes to reach your maximum potential, you’ll need a bit of gratitude, a growth mindset, and a positive attitude with a dash of humor to achieve successful results.
Shanti has a strong background in human resources management. Her professional experience includes recruitment management, training, and working with individuals to effectively interview, screen, and hire qualified applicants while working from home. A highly motivated go-getter, Shanti is dedicated to “getting the job done.” Her organizational skills, attention to detail and superior people skills make her one of the top managers and recruiters in the telecommunication industry. Her motto is “Great leaders are determined by the people under their direction. The more successful I can make you become, the more successful I am as a manager.”
Pam has hired, trained and motivated dozens of specialized sales and marketing personnel and has managed over 100 representatives simultaneously. In addition to working for Fortune 100 companies such as Becton Dickinson, Sharp, and Dow Chemical, she has also been a recruiter with experience in finding the best talent for each search assignment. Pam is now applying her talents to placing our senior executives at Stewart Cooper & Coon. Pam enjoys speaking with people and communicating with her clients; she is as excited as the client when client is placed.
Vincent Savino is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served 25 years on active duty, retiring at the rank of Colonel. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration, University of North Dakota, and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air War College. Vinnie is also a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC), Resume Writing Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) and member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC).
After serving his country, Vinnie worked as a senior executive for Target Corporation, a fortune 100 company, and as a senior military advisor to the United Arab Emirates government. During the last 10 years Vinnie found his second calling: helping senior executives and senior military successfully transition to careers that fit their vision, values, and goals. Vinnie’s success is his client’s success. Through in-depth soul searching he knows how important it is to be true to yourself while creating your next move. He’s been through it himself! Vinnie also provides leadership seminars and professional development training to the US and foreign militaries and to select fortune 500 companies. Vinnie is living his best life in southern Italy with his wife, Maria, and their two Italian water dogs, Habibi and Chooki.
Susan Thompson is a Career and Job Search Management Consultant with a background that includes more than 25 years experience as a professional facilitator and career counselor in government and corporate outplacement settings. She has developed extensive expertise aiding federal workforces affected by downsizing, privatization and installation closure. She presents transition seminars across the United States and overseas and provides individual and e-Delivery career counseling.
For the Government, she delivers vocational counseling, transition assistance seminars, change management and organizational design support to a diverse client base including U.S. military, their family members and federal civilians with a wide range of work skills. Training sites include military installations across the United States, the Capitol Region, Quantico, VA and in Europe and the Pacific.
For Corporate Outplacement clients, she assists their displaced employees in the full range of career management actions following job loss. Her private industry specializations are defense, aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, insurance, financial services, energy, oil and gas, communications, medical, retail and logistics and supply chain services.
She has a graduate degree in Educational and Vocational Counseling, complemented by additional training and certification in an array of personality and career assessment instruments including MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, Self-Directed Search and corporate certification in the Birkman Method.
Athena brings a unique perspective to client marketing management through her diligence, research, and passion for creating outstanding social media products. For over a decade, Athena has been compiling topics and pertinent subject matter and composing articles for a variety of industries. Here at Stewart, Cooper & Coon, she has been publishing premium quality content to our corporate website, blogs and social media outlets, increasing our clients’ networking reach.
Athena has managed a team of five writing assistants, as well as created and organized content for group marketing mailings based on demographic and interest and infographic-based social media content. She previously provided proofreading, editing, and text copy restructuring services for overseas content creators seeking American English writing styles for their publications.
Along with additional administrative support services, Athena also has a background in Human Resources, which has resulted in her developing strong relationships with our team, clients and client companies. Athena resides in New York state with her family.
Major General (ret) Jim “Rev” Jones served over 31 years in the Air Force, where he commanded a fighter squadron, an operations group and three operational wings. He also served as the Deputy Combined Force Air
Component Commander in the Central Command Area of Responsibility before retiring as the Air Force’s Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Programs.
Following his retirement from the Air Force, Maj Gen Jones spent several years as a consultant within the defense industry where he provided strategic advice to various major defense corporations to help ensure they were properly positioned to win recapitalization/procurement contracts for major weapon systems.
He also continued to support the Air Force as an Adjunct Contract Professor, an Air Force Highly Qualified Expert-Senior Mentor, and as the contract lead for the Department of the Air Force Senior Leadership Development Program, which delivers focused leadership development courses for General Officers, Senior Executive Service civilians, Colonels, GS-15s and select Chief Master Sergeants. Maj Gen Jones has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for Plexsys Interface Products, Inc., and is currently a Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors for Salentis International. Maj Gen Jones earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Louisiana Tech University, a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, from the Naval War College. He is a co-author of Leadership from 30,000 feet: Attributes of Effective Leaders as Told by Five Air Force Generals.
Kymberli Speight is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management. She served 5 years active duty and 6 years in the reserves and separated as a Major from the U.S. Air Force.
She is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) who has worked with many separating military members and civilian clients transitioning to their next career opportunity. She has coached clients in business start-up and business to business (B2B) strategies. Prior to coaching, Kymberli was an executive recruiter for Zingaro & Company in the life science and healthcare industry. She also worked for the Vice President of Client Services at Catapult Health, a start-up company, with initial staffing and training.
She served on the Board of Advisors for Chadwick’s Fitness & Performance Training during its expansion from a 2,500 square foot business park space to a 20,000 square foot state of the art training complex. Kymberli has a strong background in contract negotiations. As an active duty officer, she was the buyer for the fiscal year 1991 annual year buy of the Air Force’s F-15E fighter jet.
Kymberli has developed a passion for helping military members make a smooth transition into the civilian sector based on her first-hand experience with career transitions, having moved every 2-3 years herself in support of the Air Force mission and as the spouse of a retired Air Force Colonel.
Sharon is a connector, a communicator, coach, catalyst and closer. She is a Certified Master Coach, Executive Recruiter, Diversity Advocate and transitioning Uniformed Services enthusiast. She was listed in, Rites of Passage at 100,000+ The Insider’s Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress, by John Lucht, as one of the nation’s top 1% Retained Search Executives.
Sharon’s servant leadership style has been tapped by previous employers, including Fortune #1 Walmart Stores, Inc. in the Washington DC office and Corporate Affairs and Government Relations departments, executive director roles in nonprofit training and development organizations, as an entrepreneur Recruiter and Coach and in service with indigenous populations in South America. She has served on bi-partisan workforce advisory committees for governors and mayors. With a passion for empowering all individuals to realize their full potential, she has spoken at numerous local, state, national and international conferences. Sharon served on the Diversity Committee of the American Society of Association Executives and as a mentor for the Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) and in the Washington DC Board of Trade. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors or Board of Advisors of the Hispanic Women’s Professional Association, Alcanzando Metas Foundation, HOPE Cancer Resources and PolicyWorks, Inc. She serves as a mentor with the College to Careers (C2C) program, a Kessler Foundation-funded initiative that aims to improve the employment rate of college graduates with disabilities who have a bachelor’s degree or higher and the National Professional Women’s Association.
Sharon brings clarity on the for-profit perspective of “doing well by doing good” and guides you toward potential employment opportunities in the global corporate, trade association and nonprofit markets. Sharon co-trains with Fred Coon in the General Officer Transition Assistance (GOTAP) courses for the USAF.
Monique Lung is a strengths-based career transition and global team performance coach, Faculty Instructor for Global IOC, and owner of Conversation Artistry, LLC., focused on career transition plus individual and team performance. Monique is bilingual in French and English and works from both Paris, France and Atlanta, Georgia, originally from Houston, Texas.
She has over 30 years’ experience in human resources, entrepreneurship, sales and marketing communications. Monique is fascinated by behavioral insights and translates behavioral data in ways that inspire people to break free from limiting beliefs. Since 2010, Monique applies this passion to career transition, and has helped 100’s of clients gain self-awareness and self-promotional skills to stop being the best kept secret and to land more satisfying jobs.
Monique began her career in Executive Search in 1990 then migrated to HR recruitment and management roles for almost a decade. During this time, she developed and delivered training programs to address culture, relevant concerns of the workplace, fill professional development gaps, and to navigate changes of industry, leadership, and departmental service delivery. Monique’s work also involved strategy, influence, and execution in areas of retention, recruitment, and employee relations.
Monique earned a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, after briefly attending Nursing school at Vanderbilt University. She recently served two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of the French American Chamber of Commerce and has one adult daughter living and working in New York City. She is a Certified Business Coach (CBC) and Registered Corporate Coach (RCC). She is also a Certified Digital Career Strategist (LinkedIn Expert), Certified Gallup Clifton StrengthsFinder Coach, DiSC Facilitator, Intercultural Communications Coach, a Forbes Contributing Author, and has earned Toastmaster’s “Competent Communicator” level.
Her philosophy is to help people recognize they are artists of conversations that manifest reality. She is committed to showing them how to create conversations with themselves and others that enable them to elevate their positive influence.
Fred Coon is Chairman and CEO of Stewart, Cooper & Coon. He is a volunteer for the Wounded Warrior program and a founding member of the Arizona Corporate Council On Veteran Careers. He has participated as a guest co-instructor for ETAP and CTAP workshops at the following AFB or Joint Command bases: Shaw, Peterson, Hulburt, Elmendorf-Richardson, Edwards, Langley, and Barksdale. He loves the ability to work with the classes hands-on at the bases and is very proud of having been coined seven times. He is a strong advocate for veterans and their military spouses. Fred says that one of the crowing achievements in his career is to be the selected provider for the General Officer Transition Assistance (GOTAP) workshops for the United States Air Force, through a sub-contract with Flatter, Inc.
His career encompasses decision-making experience and documented successes in both the government and private sectors. In the private sector, Fred was on the senior team of two companies, in different industries, that were listed multiple times in, Inc. Magazine, in the top 500 fastest growing companies in America. One of those years his company was listed as the most profitable among the Inc 500.
Shanti has a strong background in human resources management. Her professional experience includes recruitment management, training, and working with individuals to effectively interview, screen, and hire qualified applicants while working from home. A highly motivated go-getter, Shanti is dedicated to “getting the job done.” Her organizational skills, attention to detail and superior people skills make her one of the top managers and recruiters in the telecommunication industry. Her motto is “Great leaders are determined by the people under their direction. The more successful I can make you become, the more successful I am as a manager.”
Dominic Militello is an Executive Career Strategist with over 15 years of executive coaching and consulting experience. He is on a lifelong mission to change the job search social paradigm from a "job seeker to employer" process to a “personal brand to brand" process.
As a certified coach (Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching), Dominic taps into his personal experiences and the experiences of his senior management through C-level clients to provide the latest and most effective job search strategies available. Over the years, Dominic has worked for a number of different leadership personalities, companies and industries (Utah Freezz professional indoor soccer, Lexus, K-Force Recruiting, Granite School District, Applied Financial, Intermountain Health Care). Dominic believes that in order to stand out within the very competitive marketplace, a candidate must be able to transfer their mindset before transferring their skillset.
On a personal note, Dominic was a D1 major college soccer student athlete (UNLV, PCAA League Champions), professional soccer athlete playing for the Salt Lake Sting (American Professional Soccer League - 3 goal performance in pro debut, starter in over 40 professional games), Atlanta Attack (National Professional Indoor Soccer League - “Newcomer of Year”, starter in over 45 professional games), the Los Angeles Heat, the Hollywood Kickers, (Western Professional Soccer League) and for the San Pedro Yugoslavs (Greater Los Angeles Soccer League; Las Vegas Bud Cup National Tournament Champions - 7 goal performance).
Fred Coon is Chief Executive Officer of Stewart, Cooper & Coon. He started SC&C as an executive recruiter and grew the company into five divisions. He is quoted in Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Success Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and other major national publications, and appears on affiliate stations of ABC, NBC, and CBS as an expert on the job and employment market. His SC&C Career Advice Blog has over 5,000 monthly subscribers worldwide.
Fred was on the senior team of two different companies, in two different industries, achieving multiple listings in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest growing companies in America. One of those companies was in the top 100 fastest growing companies in the United States and number 31 on the 1986 Inc. Magazine’s 100 List and number 54 on the 1987 Inc. Magazine 100 List, as well as first in profitability among all of the listed companies in both years.
He is a Licensed Employment Agent, a Nationally Certified Job and Career Transition Coach, a Behavioral Consultant and a Certified Disc Administrator. Mr. Coon is a member of the Workforce Business Intelligence Board.
He is a best-selling author of career books. His first, Ready Aim Hired, was used as one of the textbooks for the Strategic Career Management course at the Daniels College of Business Graduate School, University of Denver. He was also the first appointed Virtual Executive Mentor for Graduate and Undergraduate students at Daniels, as well.
His best-selling book, Leveraging LinkedIn For Job Search Success has over 54,000 copies in the marketplace. Mr. Coon is a contributing author to the book, Business Model You, by Tim Clark, which is currently printed in seven languages. His latest book is, Hire The EQ, Not The IQ, which focuses on hiring the right “fit” for any given job using behavioral interviewing tactics that he and his co-author, Ron Venckus, spent 10 years researching and perfecting.
He was selected to teach the General Officer Transition Workshop, as a subcontractor under Flatter, Inc. He lectures and conducts hand-on workshops throughout United States for universities, educational, professional, business and management conferences.
On a personal note, he is also a well-known 5-string Appalachian claw-hammer style banjo player with concert performances in Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, and throughout the United States, with media appearances on local, regional, and international radio and television programs, both in the U.S. and overseas, for over six decades.
Carolyn Stickell is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Masters in Business Administration. She was commissioned through Air Force ROTC as a Distinguished Graduate and retired as a Colonel on April 30, 2022.
Carolyn spent 8 years on active duty and 22 years as a Reservist. As a result, she flowed from active duty orders back into the civilian sector on multiple occasions, making her intimately familiar with the transition from active duty into the corporate world.
Carolyn Stickell is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Masters in Business Administration. She was commissioned through Air Force ROTC as a Distinguished Graduate and retired as a Colonel on April 30, 2022.
Carolyn spent 8 years on active duty and 22 years as a Reservist. As a result, she flowed from active duty orders back into the civilian sector on multiple occasions, making her intimately familiar with the transition from active duty into the corporate world.
Mark Van Der Walde is an industry-leading expert in retained executive search and talent management. Over the past 30 years, he has built a deep network of top executive talent and has leveraged that network to meet the placement needs of multiple Fortune 1000 organizations. Mark’s core value comes from his high-level consulting approach, and his ability to deliver on three key things: to reduce the cost of hire, reduce the time to hire, and improve the quality of the hire.
Mark touches all aspects of the search process, from evaluation to recruitment and placement, as opposed to large search firms which typically hand off recruiting to someone else inside the organization. He draws on experience with multiple Top 10 executive search firms in North America, Richards Consultants and Spencer Stuart. Mark’s high success rate is possible because he knows how to properly evaluate talent, both in terms of searching out passive talent, but also in placing only the best candidates in front of companies. An early adopter of Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Mark has built 17 companies from scratch over his career, and has excelled in executive search, HR consulting, and talent acquisition and consulting.
Mark is a graduate of Suffolk University and holds an MBA in Organizational Development and a
Bachelor’s in Public Administration.