James P. Dale founded Seven Citadels Consulting, LLC in 2012 after more than 30 years of distinguished service in the private and public sectors. Using his previous experience and knowledge as a Federal Special Agent and Fortune 500 Chief Security Officer (CSO), Dale provides clients consulting and subject matter expertise on operational risk issues affecting their business. These include consulting in threat management and workplace violence prevention, crisis management, fraud awareness and detection, incident response, security consulting and business ethics.

Dale received the Award for Public Service from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bruce Hamm Trailblazer Award from the Business Ethics Alliance. Additionally, he was awarded a life saving citation by the Omaha Fire Department. Dale served as Secretary for the Nebraska chapter of ASIS International and was a founding member of the Great Plains Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Education
Bachelor of Science  |  Criminal Justice
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Company Affiliation
Seven Citadels Consulting, LLC  |  Omaha, NE

Ellie Fields is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance to clients in the area of executive development and coaching. Ellie is a licensed independent mental health practitioner who specializes in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a psychotherapy method proven effective for the treatment of past or present trauma, depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She specifically uses EMDR in cases where the client is “blocked” from reaching their highest potential.

Her academic foundation in both psychology and biology enables her to understand and work with the complexities of life’s challenges and the variety of ways humans can respond. Ellie has been most successful with clients by engaging the whole person. She believes that the mind and body are interwoven and, thus, we cannot treat one and ignore the other. She guides each individual to a deeper understanding of who they are, the paths they have chosen and the journey they have traveled.

Ellie states that human potential is limited primarily by one’s beliefs. She suggests that the same beliefs and behaviors that allow a person to survive the family dynamic have the potential to become the most destructive part of the adult self. These learned responses can impact one’s personal and professional life; helping clients identify these barriers and eliminate them is an essential element of her work.

Within the parameters of her private practice, Ellie has provided psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families and groups. She also conducts a grief therapy group for bereaved mothers and self-esteem workshops for women. She is a past service provider to the Best Care Employee Assistance Program in Omaha, Nebraska, coordinating onsite services, CISD and substance abuse counseling and assessment to clients and organizations throughout the national EAP network.

Ellie is affiliated with of the National Board of Certified Counselors. She is a current member of the Association of Private Practice Therapists (APPT), where she served as President in 2007. Ellie is also involved with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and the EMDR International Association.

Licensure

• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP)

Education
Master of Science  |  Agency Consulting
University of Nebraska–Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Bachelor of Science  |  Psychology
Lynchburg College  |  Lynchburg, VA

Company Affiliation
Counseling for Growth & Healing PC  |  Omaha, NE

Matt Forrest is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the Healthcare Risk Management area.

Matt has more than 16 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in Radiology and Cardiology. Most of his roles have involved developing strategic partnerships and selling integrated IT solutions to Midwestern hospitals and health systems to improve workflow. Matt understands the importance of integrating medical devices and IT systems. The benefits to healthcare organizations include reducing medical errors, improved workflow for clinicians, and additional data analytics opportunities, all of which will lead to improved quality of care.

In his current role with Renovo Solutions, Matt helps hospitals manage the costs associated with medical equipment maintenance. He performs comprehensive evaluations of the current processes and service programs to determine if current practices can be improved, or if outside services could help reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

Matt has worked with several hospitals and health systems to help implement equipment maintenance programs that reduce maintenance related expenses by 15-25% annually. He understands the operational issues involved with using complex technology in today’s healthcare environment.

Matt and his wife Jessie keep very busy with their twins, who were born in November 2011. When time permits, Matt can be found boating, playing tennis or cooking with his wife. He has been on the Executive Team Leadership Team for the American Heart Association since 2009 and has also been involved with the Teammates Mentoring program since 2007.

Education
Bachelor of Science  |  Business Administration
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Company Affiliation
Renovo Solutions  |  Omaha, NE

Deb Franklin is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance to clients in developing start-up human resource systems.

With over 20 years of human resource experience, Deb has re-invented traditional human resource practices. Her expertise includes human resource strategies and integration, employee relations, retention, safety and culture-building practices.

As Director of the Human Resources Division of Designer Blinds for the past 17 years, Deb implemented many award-winning measures. She has been instrumental in organizational planning, as well as employee development, and she spearheaded a dynamic review of recruiting and retention strategies.

Under Deb’s leadership, Designer Blinds was awarded the Nebraska Human Resources Association of the Midlands (HRAM) Employer of the Year in 1996, Worknet Exemplary Employer for Diversity award in 1999 and the coveted Optimas Award for Managing Change in 2003.

Deb’s passion for balancing people and profits has netted exceptional business results. Deb is active in various professional organizations and has spoken at numerous forums on human resource issues.

Professional Certifications

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

Education
Bachelor of Arts
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Company Affiliation
Designer Blinds  |  Omaha, NE

Andie Gordman is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance to clients on human resource strategy development and tactical execution, including human resource audits to small and mid-size companies.

Andie has over 20 years of diverse human resources experience. She has found success in partnering with business leaders and providing human resource strategies that support their business goals. Her areas of expertise include organizational design, talent management, strategic planning, project management, human resource audits, workforce staffing and benefits administration. 

Andie’s executive level roles have allowed her to learn about the success factors of many industries, including customer service, sales, entertainment and hospitality. Prior to working as a consultant, Andie was the Vice President of Human Resources for MECA/Century Link Center Omaha and Director of Human Resources for SITEL. In both roles, she implemented human resource strategies to increase efficiency and improve the employee experience.

Andie is an active community volunteer. Her current activities included mentoring for the TeamMates program and she is on the Board of Trustees at Temple Israel.

Professional Certifications

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

Education
Bachelor of Arts  |  Organizational Communication
Creighton University  |  Omaha, NE

Company Affiliation
AG Human Resource Solutions  |  Omaha, NE

John Herz is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the areas of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action.

John has over 20 of years experience in the EEO and Affirmative Action field with a unique blend of experience as a Federal administrator and as a professional in the private sector.

John served as a District Director with the U.S. Department of Labor/OFCCP where he directed a staff of Compliance Officers in conducting over 450 compliance audits and complaint investigations. During his tenure, John also streamlined and improved OFCCP internal processes of audit scheduling, EEO complaint investigative strategies and constructed an analytical system to aid other OFCCP administrators in managing open audits. John received numerous awards from the US Department of Labor, including the U.S. Secretary of Labor Exceptional Achievement Award, the U.S. Secretary of Labor Equal Employment Opportunity Award and several Special Act/Service Awards.

After his tenure with the OFCCP, John joined ConAgra Foods as the Corporate Manager of EEO and Compliance. He managed all aspects of the Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) development and the implementation of over 100 AAPs annually. In doing so, he significantly streamlined and simplified the development of AAPs through enhanced data programming. He communicated directly with the OFCCP and successfully closed over 30 audits, including a Corporate Management Review audit. In addition, he managed ConAgra’s Code of Conduct and internal complaint process and successfully closed over 140 internal EEO complaints. Furthermore, he led the training of over 300 field HR professionals in the area of Affirmative Action and EEO regulations.

In 2006, John founded Herz Consulting Group, an organization which provides highly specialized affirmative action and equal employment opportunity services to a wide range of businesses to maximize their compliance stature while reducing liability to the company.

John has an extremely high level of expertise in EEO and Affirmative Action, including AAP development, audit services for OFCCP audits and EEOC investigations and statistical analyses of employment and compensation data, including regression analyses. He also possesses an extensive background in litigation support for individual and class-action charges and internal EEO complaint investigations.

John maintains a professional working relationship with the OFCCP, including the administrators in the OFCCP’s national office. He is highly respected nationally in this field in both the public and private sector and is considered and excellent strategist.

Education
Bachelor of Science  |  Industrial Management
University of Nebraska-Kearney  |  Kearney, NE

Company Affiliation
Herz Consulting Group  |  Plattsmouth, NE

Kathy Kemler is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the areas of executive compensation and incentive plan design. For more than 20 years, Kathy has been a human resource executive for First Data Corporation, a Fortune 500 Company, where she has served in a variety of positions providing strategy and design for compensation initiatives and, most recently, talent management.

Kathy’s approach to compensation design has always been to understand the goals of the organization and then tie rewards directly to the desired behavior or results that accomplish these goals. Kathy has designed a variety of incentive plans, including company-wide bonus plans that align employees to the goals of the organization through appropriate line of sight, as well as individual and group employee incentive plans to drive specific behaviors. Kathy listens to the needs of the client, understands their goals and then recommends compensation plans that drive results.

As Vice President of Executive and Equity Compensation, Kathy prepared and presented detailed materials for the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and designed various stock plans for employees and executives, ensuring that the values issued were commensurate with the job level. By understanding company culture and market data, Kathy has developed a variety of salary structures to fit the needs of various organizations. She establishes clear communication tools for the employees because she understands that when employees do not believe their pay is fair, employee satisfaction is decreased.

Although the majority of Kathy’s career has been in compensation design and delivery, her most recent position was as Vice President of Talent Development, where she developed and executed a succession management strategy to meet the needs of the complex, fast-growing, multi-national business. In this position, she also developed competencies to align with the company’s new mission, vision and values. She enjoys working one-on-one with individuals to interpret their behavior and personality assessments while coaching them into a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Kathy has proven success in leading, managing and directing professionals to results. She is a member of the Human Resources Association of the Midlands and World at Work. She is active in her community and enjoys volunteering at her church and her children’s school.

Professional Titles

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP)

Education
Master of Science  |  Industrial & Organizational Psychology
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Bachelor of Science  |  Education-Communication Arts & Music
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Paul Knutson is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the area of executive and employee compensation, including market analysis, job evaluation, base compensation, incentives, total rewards strategies and intermediate sanctions.

Paul has over 25 years of professional experience developing and implementing human capital strategies, systems and tools that drive alignment, performance and profitability. He is adept at transforming Human Resource functions into strategic partners that drive business results, through the right strategy, people, culture and leadership. For 13 years, Paul has served in top HR executive roles, including Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development for Pamida and Vice President of Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Facilities for Oriental Trading Company.

As a Human Resources and Total Rewards executive, Paul has created, designed and administered comprehensive total rewards programs for Lands’ End, Pamida and Oriental Trading Company. Paul has also conducted market pay analysis and created pay plans for over 120 companies as a consultant.

Additional areas of expertise include HR transformation and strategy, talent management, succession planning, executive recruiting, large-scale recruiting, performance management, workforce planning, executive coaching, strategic planning, change management and corporate communications. Furthermore, Paul has gained business ownership experience by having owned and operated a multi-state facility services business.

Paul is a Board member for the Institute for Career Advancement Needs (ICAN) and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Human Resource Association of the Midland’s (HRAM). He has served as a SHRM National Compensation and Benefits Committee member and as HRAM Vice-President. He has also been an instructor for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Professional Titles

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

Education
Master of Science  |  Industrial & Organizational Psychology
University of Nebraska-Omaha  |  Omaha, NE

Bachelor of Arts
Concordia College  |  Moorhead, MN

Company Affiliation
Knutson and Associates  |  Omaha, NE

Molly Leonetti is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance to clients in the areas of marketing, branding and operational efficiencies.

Molly has extensive experience in performing data analysis to uncover opportunities for operational improvement and cost savings. Her skill set includes supply chain analysis, process and work flow mapping and organizational redesign.

As Director of Strategy for Gap Incorporated in San Francisco, Molly led qualitative and quantitative customer research efforts to create lasting operational improvements for the major retailer. In addition, she led a quantitative research effort to discover how customers responded to various pricing and promotions. She then leveraged the findings to create a highly effective, category-level pricing and promotion strategy. Molly enjoys helping companies utilize market research to improve their operations and bottom line.

As an alumni consultant for McKinsey & Company, she has helped the firm improve its learning and training programs by developing a common set of metrics for measuring program performance in key areas. Molly also helped create a series of new executive dashboard reports for tracking performance against targets.

Education
Master of Business Administration
Graduate School of Business
Stanford University  |  Palo Alto, CA

Diana J. Raimondo-Montalto is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the area of Organizational Development.

Diana is a senior human resources professional with 17 years of experience in human resources management, talent management, and organization development. Her diverse background has been attained through working with various industries in Nebraska, Florida, and Illinois in such fields as transportation, manufacturing, education, consulting services, and most recently the utility industry. She has facilitated leadership development seminars, change management workshops, and business talent reviews for existing and emerging leaders.

Diana has served as Adjunct Professor at Concordia University in Nebraska teaching Human Resources Management, as well as Visiting Professor for Loyola University Chicago teaching Emotional Intelligence. She has most recently worked as a Principal, Organization Effectiveness Specialist at Exelon Corporation in Chicago, where she has been a leader in the areas of change management, talent management, metrics and measurements, internal and external surveys, and performance management.

Diana has a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Organizational Development from Loyola University Chicago, and has served as a case study author and member of the Organization Development Network since 2002. She is a certified Emotional Intelligence Consultant through the Hay Group, and has designed and facilitated Emotional Intelligence programs for leaders at Honeywell and Exelon. She is also a certified MBTI instructor, certified Six Sigma Green Belt, and recently completed a coaching practices for leaders program.

Diana has influenced positive change in organizations such as Walt Disney World, First Data Resources, Behlen Mfg. Co., Loyola University Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Honeywell International, and Exelon Corporation by focusing on employee engagement, strategic succession planning, metrics and measurements, and emotional intelligence.

Education
Bachelor of Science  |  Business Administration
University of Nebraska-Lincoln  |  Lincoln, NE

Company Affiliation
Exelon Corporation  |  Chicago, IL

Dr. Roni Reiter-Palmon is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the area of research.

Roni is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). She teaches graduate courses and consults in her specialty areas — methodology, test development and construction and advanced statistics and analysis. She has conducted extensive research in leadership and leadership development, personnel selection, training development, team functioning and development and facilitation of creative problem solving.

She has published over 40 papers and book chapters in leading journals such as Journal of Applied Psychology, The Leadership Quarterly and Creativity Research Journal. She has given presentations at over 100 conferences, including the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology and Academy of Management. She has also spoken at various workgroups in the Omaha area.

Roni has served as a reviewer for multiple journals and conferences in her areas of expertise. She has supervised a number of Master’s and PhD students in the Industrial & Organizational Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Roni is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Education
Doctor of Philosophy  |  Industrial & Organizational Psychology
George Mason University | Fairfax, VA

Master of Arts  |  Industrial & Organizational Psychology
George Mason University | Fairfax, VA

Bachelor of Arts  |  Psychology & Sociology
Tel-Aviv University |  Tel-Aviv, Israel

Lori Stohs is a Project Consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the areas of succession planning, employee engagement and organizational sustainability.

Lori has over 10 years of professional experience in organizational and strategic coaching, talent management, employee and customer engagement, executive, team and individual performance coaching, project and human resource management, succession planning and development and training development and facilitation.

Lori is a talent management and consulting professional with a strong mission to create meaningful change for individuals and organizations. As an Account Executive for Microsoft Corporation, she managed enterprise accounts while driving business software, services and solutions for increased organizational capability and performance.

Lori spent 9 years with The Gallup Organization, where she worked with marketing Gallup management and leadership programs and building the Gallup alumni base. Within three years, Lori was the Executive Director of Gallup University. As Executive Director, she built the University into a global learning center with public and corporate locations serving over 287 client companies worldwide. Lori’s final position with Gallup was as Principal Consultant, managing client accounts and project teams that included Fortune 500 organizations. She acted as a trusted advisor, helping organizations obtain sustainable growth by designing, developing and implementing talent assessment tools and processes to hire the right talent fit for increased employee engagement and productivity at all roles and levels across all business units.

Helping people utilize their talents and achieve more than they ever anticipated achieving are Lori’s true passions. Lori has her own consulting firm, Lori Stohs Consulting.

Lori is a founding board member of Executives without Borders, an international nonprofit organization that pairs business leaders with international nonprofit organizations. She is also a founding member of Social Impact Omaha, an organization that focuses on increasing awareness of social responsibility and social entrepreneurship.

Education
Bachelor of Arts  |  Business Management & Marketing
University of Nebraska-Lincoln  |  Lincoln, NE

Company Affiliation
Lori Stohs Consulting  |  Omaha, NE

Sue Twit is a project consultant working in collaboration with SilverStone Group to provide assistance in the area of coaching. Sue’s primary focus has been assessing and developing leaders; working with individuals and teams. Sue has coached top leaders – CEOs, CFOs and CIOs, as well as emerging top talent. 

Sue is president of High Road Coaching & Consulting, which she launched after receiving certification as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), so she could devote herself full-time to coaching leaders and their teams.

Prior to launching High Road Coaching & Consulting, Sue was employed by Right Management, a global consulting firm, for 17½ years. During her years with Right, Sue coached and consulted in national and international companies from diverse industries including healthcare, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, technology, agriculture, academia, utilities and entertainment. 

Sue is one of 1,348 coaches in the United States holding the International Coach Federation’s PCC certification. Sue says her main mission is to assist clients, their teams and their companies in achieving maximum professional and personal success
and satisfaction.

Education
Master of Arts | Management
Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE

Bachelor of Science | Business
Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE

Professional Certifications
Professional Certified Coach (PCC) | International Coach Federation

Company Affiliations
High Road Coaching & Consulting | Omaha, NE