Sylvia Lafair, Ph.D. and Herb Kaufman have a shared vision for creating extraordinary leaders in the 21st Century, authentic leaders who dare to do it differently, leading from a place of honesty, integrity, and creativity. They believe there is a new and better way for leaders to gain strategic advantage and improve their bottom line: by learning to observe, understand, and transform behavior patterns that get in the way of success.

Sylvia Lafair, PhD, President of CEO

With a doctorate in clinical psychology, Sylvia has taught at Hahnemann University and has more than 30 years’ experience applying her expertise in human behavior and relationships to organizational environments. She is a highly regarded executive coach and leadership educator, having worked with all levels of organizational leadership at major global corporations, family firms, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profit organizations. Her book "Don’t Bring It to Work" is available in bookstores everywhere in hard copy, e-book, and audio book format.

Herb Kaufman, Chief Executive Officer of CEO

Herb brings to the company more than 30 years’ experience as a corporate executive and experiential leadership educator. Herb has the ability to combine bottom-line thinking with attention to organizational health and well-being. He has developed and conducted adventure-based leadership challenge workshops and innovative executive programs. He is the lead developer and facilitator of our flagship program, “Total Leadership Connections” .

CEO’s Team Of Professionals

Mary Jane Saras, LCSW, Vice President, Leadership Development for CEO

Mary Jane is an experienced educator, executive coach, and facilitator, specializing in leadership, team building, and optimizing workplace relationships. Her goal is to help organizations grow in creativity and collaboration. She is a graduate of Clemson University and Marywood University.

Lois Holbrook, Director of Finance

Lois provides support and services to clients, oversees our purchasing, human resources, budgets and finances. Having more than 20 years of business and management experience in several companies, Lois brings a wealth of knowledge and skill.

Elika Almeida, Director of Business Development for (CEO) at The Country Place Retreat and Conference Center

With a Business Management Degree and a Certified Wedding and Event Planner, who speaks three languages, Elika brings multi-dimensional facets to both CEO and The Country Place. Her expertise in guest services and attention to detail make all our first-time and returning guests feel welcomed.

Shirley Sabol, Executive Coordinator for CEO

Shirley is your first point of contact and her pleasant and warm personality offers a true authentic welcome to CEO. As a graduate of Alvernia University with B.A in Communications with an emphasis on Interpersonal Communication and Public Relations, Shirley brings a wealth of knowledge to this position to assist in the visibility and promotion of CEO and The Country Place Retreat.

Executive Consultants and Senior Consultants:  CEO’s consulting faculty consists of talented, caring, highly experienced individuals with backgrounds in a broad spectrum of disciplines including health care, psychology, education, entertainment, communications, and human resources. With organizational experience ranging from global corporations to not-for-profit companies and entrepreneurial concerns, this multinational team has one very important thing in common: a belief in CEO’s philosophy, mission, and approach. In fact, many of our faculty members were inspired to work with us after experiencing the power of our programs first hand.

Dianne Moore, M.A., Senior Consultant has served as a Human Resource Manager for 3M division, Senior Development Consultant, Manager of Team Building Services and Director of Organization and Talent Development for Imation. She helps executives solve complex issues, provides executive coaching, builds high-performance teams, and leads cultural change initiatives and teaches others to do the same. She has been a "Total Leadership Connections" facilitator since the onset of the program, over nine years ago.

Jess Todtfeld, Communications Consultant,  is President of Results First-Training and Consulting, one of the leading authorities on business communications and media training in the U.S. He helps CEO's, U.N. Officials, and spokespeople, to speak in a more profitable way. Jess has been on NBC, ABC, FOX, and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show", and hosts "America's Premiere Experts."

Bill Drexler, MBA, Executive Consultant,  brings more than 25 years of Operations Management experience to CEO. He has worked with large and small companies in manufacturing, service, software, and government. Bill came to CEO with the realization that improving operations starts with improving how people work together. His skill in process improvement, assessing gaps in service, and developing effective solutions is an asset to any organization. Bill is a graduate of Juniata College and the Erivan K. Haub School of Business at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.

Nancy Pennebaker, M.A., Senior Consultant, specializes in providing coaching and workshops for effective leadership and communication. She is an expert on non-profit organizational issues, having served as a senior director of a large 501c3 for 18 years. Nancy has a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Journalism, which she has put to excellent use as a contributor to CEO's PatternAware™ News. She is a graduate of Stanford University's Institute for Executive Leadership.

Joclyn Bines Goss, Senior Consultant, has dedicated the past 15-years in counseling, social work, and team-training to making a difference in people’s lives, from juvenile offenders to domestic violence victims to the staffs, volunteers, and clients of not-for-profit organizations. An experienced human resources manager, social worker, and academic administrator, she describes herself as a “compassionate, straightforward motivator” who uses skills honed in counseling and social work to introduce change, achieve consensus, and build team support.

Bob Roberts, Ph.D., Senior Consultant,  has more than 25 years’ experience in organizational change, management training, and strategic human resource management, with special expertise in building high-performance work teams. He has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Organizational Behavior, and he earned a Ph.D. in Organization Development from Benedictine University. Dr. Roberts has instituted management development functions at several major companies including McDonald’s Corp., where he was Director of Management Development.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR, Executive Consultant specializes in providing practical, take-home information delivered in high-energy, high-impact presentations. Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources, he has shown numerous organizations how to make the best possible human resources decisions. Using a "folksy" humorous delivery, Michael defines true human resources management as more art than science. His presentations relate to how ranching and management are intertwined and how we can obtain the goal of achieving a philosophical, holistic approach in our careers.

Catherine K. Afeku, Senior Consultant to Ghana,  resides in the town of Kumasi, in the Ashanti district, Ghana. She brings more than 15 years of high-level office management, sales and financial experience in an international environment. Catherine has strong ability to instruct and facilitate programs and her organizational planning and public speaking skills can be seen in her monthly television program about business issues and economic development in Africa.

Mary Wilson, M.A., Senior Consultant,  was head of People Development for McDonald's largest global supplier. She brings 30 years of experience as a business consultant, senior manager and human resources development professional. Her expertise is in the areas of leadership development, performance feedback, team building, and interpersonal communication and conflict management. She is an adjunct professor in the Leadership Development Institute at Northampton Community College and a certified mediator.

Cynthia Tom, Senior Consultant,  has experience in pharmaceutical and healthcare technology sales, training, mentoring, marketing and strategic planning. She specializes in pharmacy, managed care, hospital systems, communications, and critical thinking. Cynthia is a facilitator for PatternAware programs with a focus on women in leadership.