Home – Winner Partners

JENNIFER SAMUEL-CHANCE, MBA – Communications Strategy Partner

Jennifer Samuel-Chance, MBA, is known as one of the most innovative and sought after “speech-fixer”, speakers, and communication strategist out there. As Winner Partners’ Communications Strategy Partner, she works with individuals at all levels to enhance their ability to tell the right story, at the right time. Her 20 years of experience as an international speaker, executive speech coach, and performing storyteller have enabled her to deliver over 1997 presentations on leadership communication issues around the world.

Her international speech coaching clients come from diverse fields like business, professional speaking, education, government, professional sports, and entertainment. Whether she works with organizations, leadership teams, or powerful influencers, her mission is to help them build meaningful connections to ultimately achieve success on their own terms.

After a decade of a successful career in leadership with a Fortune 500 company, job burnout eventually prompted Jennifer to start Your Endless Possibilities, Inc. – which specializes in helping clients create exponential increases in revenues and profits by influencing their audiences and prospects to say YES! Jennifer specializes in presenting and coaching on the power of personal and business storytelling for greater success. She has been certified in several assessment tools and healing modalities which has allowed her to develop her holistically based “Tell it to Sell it”® model for easy and profound public speaking.

She has been the Dean of the Speakers Academy for National Speaker’s Association – Central Florida Chapter and a guest lecturer for several universities and colleges in Florida. Whether she works with organizations, leadership teams, or powerful influencers, her mission is to help them build meaningful connections so that they can ultimately achieve success on their own terms.

Jennifer currently resides in Tampa, Florida. In her spare time, she loves traveling, singing, and dancing. She is a member of the Arts Legacy Dream Team at the Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa which is dedicated to showcasing all artistic expression from around the world. Jennifer also loves to volunteer her time and energy to non-profit organizations such as Metropolitan Ministries, Dress for Success of Tampa Bay, and Girls Inc. of Pinellas.

Ross Foca – Professional EOS Implementer ^®

Baltimore, MS – Send E-mail

Ross Foca is the founder of Power 6 Group. He is growth focused and passionate about building leadership teams. Through Power 6 Group, Ross focuses his efforts on helping entrepreneurs and leadership teams get what they want out of their business and live a better life. He has helped numerous business owners implement EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System. EOS® is a complete set of simple concepts and practical tools that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. Implementing EOS® helps leadership teams get better at three things:

Vision—Getting everyone in your organization 100% on the same page with where you’re going, and how you plan to get there
Traction®—Instilling focus, discipline, and accountability throughout the company so that everyone executes on that vision—every day
Healthy—Helping your leaders become a more cohesive, functional, healthy leadership team

Prior to focusing 100% on Power of 6 Group and EOS® Implementations, Ross enjoyed a 25-year career as a member of the leadership teams of entrepreneurial companies from $5M to $5B in revenue. His last 15 years were focused as an owner and leader of several food manufacturing and distribution companies. He led one of these company’s revenue from $70M to $300M. After a successful exit, he shifted his focus to helping others.

Ross enjoys family time with his wife of over 25 years, traveling, helping his clients, and competitive tennis. He has two children who are both attending universities in Maryland. Ross is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and often volunteers his time to sit on industry boards and mentoring others. Ross has an MBA from Loyola University and BA from UMBC in Economics.

Ross would love to help you and your leadership team achieve your vision and become a more cohesive team.

SANTOS HERNANDEZ, JR. – Human Resources Partner

Pittsburgh, PA – Send E-mail

Santos Hernandez, Jr., serves as Human Resources Partner for Winner Partners. He is a highly accomplished executive with more than 25 years of human resources experience, including strategic business planning and leadership development with federal government contractors engaged in the nuclear engineering industry.

His expertise in all aspects of human resources includes health & welfare benefits programs, talent acquisition & retention initiatives, labor & employee relations, compensation, HRIS management, and EEO/diversity compliance programs. Santos has extensive experience with HR strategic planning of organizational restructuring initiatives, including establishing and overseeing task teams to execute key initiatives. He has held fiduciary responsibility for asset management of defined contributions and benefit plans.

Santos served as Chief HR Officer (CHRO) for a project engineering organization responsible for providing design, manufacturing, and procurement management of high-quality components for the Navy. He oversaw the total human resources organization and HR operations for multiple locations. Santos successfully led the transition of corporate ownership, the merger of two site operations, and the alignment of benefits and compensation structures among two companies.

His earlier career included roles as Division Human Resources Manager at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC and Employee Relations Manager at the West Valley Demonstration Project at West Valley, NY. While serving as Senior HR Professional at the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington, Santos led a successful recruitment campaign for nuclear operations to support the start-up of a major test facility, for which he received a Business Unit recognition award for Diversity Recruitment.

Santos is a native of Washington State and a graduate of Central Washington University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law & Justice. He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Leadership from Duquesne University’s John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business.

On the personal side, Santos is the diocesan leader for the Catholic Men’s Fellowship in the Diocese of Greensburg and Diocese of Pittsburgh, which includes planning and organizing annual ministry events. Santos has attended three World Youth Day pilgrimages to Australia, Germany, and Canada including planning and organizing for one of the three WYD pilgrimages for his diocese. He currently chairs committees that plans and organizes Catholic evangelization conferences, pilgrimages, and youth events in both dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Santos is also active in his parish’s charitable outreach committee where he has been leading the collection and distribution of winter clothing for homeless men for the past ten years.

Santos resides in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, with his wife and family and is a member of St. Bernadette Roman Catholic Church in Monroeville, PA. As a bilingual person, Santos can communicate in English and Spanish.

CHERYL BARRUSO – Managing Director – Information Technology & Risk Management Partner

Pittsburgh, PA – Send E-mail 

Cheryl Barruso serves on the leadership team at Winner Partners and heads our Information Technology and Risk Management functions. She also leads our Career by Design service offering which she played a strategic role in developing, and now serves as a lead delivery partner focusing on Executive Presence, Brand Refinement, and Behavioral Interviewing.

A natural innovator and leader, Cheryl has built teams for creative problem solving in each organization she has served throughout her career. With an innate ability for big-picture vision, she is a change agent for developing strategic solutions to complex challenges using people, process, and technology.

The first 20 years of Cheryl’s career were spent with a multinational management consulting firm. During this time, she designed and implemented complex, multi-million-dollar information technology platforms in both the public and private sectors. She also is credited with building the firm’s national contingent workforce procurement center focused on minimizing risk while maximizing cost savings.

Transitioning to a Managing Director role for a global executive search firm, she designed and implemented a national Executive Interim Management function to augment the firm’s existing service footprint.  Cheryl leveraged her consulting and leadership skills to roll this function out across the US locations, bringing significant revenue to the bottom line.

In her recent career as a senior executive at a multi-billion-dollar financial institution, she has expanded her expertise in talent solutions, risk management, operations, business resiliency, process/data design/build, and large-scale system implementation.

A lifelong Pittsburgher, Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Business Administration from Duquesne University. Cheryl’s son, Xander, is attending Washington & Jefferson College as a junior.

LORETTA MONROE CALVIN Organizational Strategy Partner

St. Petersburg, FL  – Send E-mail 

Loretta Monroe Calvin is Winner Partners’ Organizational Strategy Partner. As a respected business and community leader, Loretta’s personal passion for helping others coupled with her creativity allowed her to launch Monroe Strategic Business Solutions. She helps individuals and organizations deliver on declared strategies by aligning values and mission.

Loretta’s experience with non-profits includes serving as Executive Director for The Edible Peace Patch Project and Interim Executive Director for YWCA Tampa Bay as well as the Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center. In addition to Loretta’s community engagement, she has over 20 years of experience with Tech Data Corporation where she gained global experience in sales, operations, information technology, and human resources.

In launching Tech Data’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion strategic initiative, she paved a way for other organizations to follow suit. She has extended her diversity expertise to construction companies helping to fulfill supplier diversity requirements when designated talent fulfillment is defined in contracts, helping to create a diverse team of subcontractors and labor force. This unique offering aids with creating workforce economic impact reporting.

Loretta holds a degree from Stetson University and has received countless recognitions, honors, and affiliations. Loretta was named a finalist for Tampa Bay’s Consultant of the Year (2015) by the HR Tampa professional local organization (part of the national Senior Human Resource Management: SHRM). She was highlighted in Power Broker’s 2017 magazine edition of “Top African American Female Leaders” in the Tampa Bay area. In December 2018, Loretta completed her five-year volunteer role as President of the Florida Diversity Council Tampa Chapter. She remains active in all diversity and inclusion initiatives and continues to draw attention to solution-based conversations.

Current and past board roles include: Advisory Board for Guardian-at-Litem, UNCF Advisory Board (United Negro College Fund), Former 2020 Project Board member, Pinellas County Urban League Board, Former VP Dress for Success Board, and most recently assumed the role of Board Chair for Legacy-56, Inc.

As Loretta’s storied experiences in activating initiatives have benefited so many in the community and in business, she finds joy in the work of connecting people to create solutions for a better world.

Watch Loretta address workforce challenges in construction: Power of Diversity Outreach in this video.

WILSON BAUTISTA, JR – Cybersecurity Partner 

St. Petersburg, FL – Send E-mail

Wilson Bautista, Jr. is Winner Partners’ Cybersecurity Partner. Wilson is a retired military officer and the founder of Jün Cyber, a professional IT services advisory and management consulting company specializing in cybersecurity. As our Cybersecurity Partner, Wilson will leverage his experience in InfoSec leadership policy, architecture, compliance, and risk to provide his expertise to keep Winner Partners’ clients information and data safe and secure. 

Wilson holds multiple certifications including Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Project Management Professional, and ISO 27001 Senior Lead Implementer. He has earned a master’s degree in Information Systems from Boston University as well as an MBA from the University of South Florida. His education as well as his experience in both the government and private sectors as an information security expert provides value to clients and businesses. 

Developing Jün Cyber and launching an online learning platform offering Cybersecurity Training for Veterans, Transitioning Military, and Spouses has allowed for Wilson’s passion to support veterans and their transition into the civilian workforce with a focus on career in Cybersecurity. Winner Partners has the honor to partner with Wilson and Jün Cyber to do our part to help grow the cybersecurity talent pool with the nation’s best…our veterans.

LEARN MORE AND SUPPORT PROJECT JÜN CYBER OHANA

GAIL Marino-klee – Human Resources Business Partner

Tampa, FL – Send E-mail

Gail Marino-Klee focuses on Human Resources for Winner Partners. She is a subject-matter expert in the development of human resource policies and practices that puts human resources at the center of business. With more than a decade of experience in labor union negotiations, staff training, and acting as a strategic business partner, Gail’s work has crossed industries and geographies, proving her ability to solve complex human resources challenges. Gail has mastered the complete spectrum of HR and recruitment processes: sourcing, hiring, creating the right job descriptions to get work activated. She has introduced performance planning and evaluation as well as managed compliance, benefits, compensation, and the fun stuff like team building and organizational design. Gail is a proven partner in all the best ways. 

Gail holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Cortland and a Master of Management degree from Goldey-Beacom College where she was also an adjunct professor. In her work as Director of Human Resources, she has been highly engaged in diverse industries like healthcare, steel, and technology. This experience led to certifications by the USW and AFL-CIO in labor union relations. 

Gail served at a leadership level for Delaware’s SHRM. She remains closely in tune with hiring trends nationwide and is a well–respected authority on employee retention, talent acquisition, and cultivating engagement.

Areas of subject matter expertise:

HR Audit
Employee Handbook; Creating Concise Job Descriptions; Onboarding Packets; Objectives and Performance Planning; Writing/Developing/Implementing Concise Policy
Resolving Compliance Issues; FMLA/ADA Compliance
Benefits and Payroll Services
Team Building; Organizational Design; Management Coaching and Training
Labor Relations; Labor and Employment Law; Union Avoidance
Implementation of Strategic Business Initiatives and Tactical Plans

Ronnie Bryant

Ronnie Bryant – Not-For-Profit and Economic Development Partner

Charlotte, NC – Send E-mail

Through Ronnie L. Bryant, LLC, Ronnie helps executives improve their leadership skills and business acumen to operate organizations while maintaining a competitive edge in diverse, evolving domestic and global marketplaces.

Prior to forming his consultancy, Ronnie served as President & CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership for 13 years. He and his team marketed the 16-county region to domestic and global companies as the premier site for expansion and relocation. He created strategic partnerships and brokered viable collaborations earning him a national reputation for creating and implementing effective economic development programs.

Bryant’s leadership in economic development spans thirty-five years with executive positions at:

Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
Charlotte Regional Partnership

Bryant served in the Charlotte business community as a board director for the American Leadership Forum, Aspire Community Capital, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Charlotte City Club, and Jazz Arts Initiative. He is a national board member for The Bollinger Foundation (Washington, D.C.) and The Institute for Work and the Economy (Illinois). He was a board member for The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland-Pittsburgh Branch.

Additionally, Ronnie is a past chairman for the International Economic Development Council and a member of Southern Economic Developers Council, among other associations. He is a former dean and a faculty member for University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute as well as an adjunct professor for University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Bryant earned a B.S. in business management from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He was a fellow at The Center for Intentional Leadership®, Center for Creative Leadership, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. Bryant is a recipient of the American Economic Development Council’s Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award.

Throughout his career, Bryant has garnered national recognition and top-industry ranking for his leadership by Site Selection magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Charlotte Magazine. He is an acclaimed contributor to and global lecturer in economic development marketing, organizational governance, strategic management, and current trends in civic and community engagements. Ronnie is also the author of “Driving from the Backseat: Tips for Surviving as a not-for-profit CEO” available here.

Holly McIlwain – Talent Development Partner

Greater Pittsburgh Area, PA – Send E-mail

Holly McIlwain leads our Talent Development platform at Winner Partners. She is a subject-matter expert in the usage of behavior assessments as part of coaching and development plans, in addition to talent acquisition engagements. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, working with individuals and organizations to build a better world and sustainable business solutions is her passion. What’s not exciting about that? This enthusiasm comes with Holly into each coaching session, team workshop, search opportunity, and speaking engagement.

Developing leaders who change lives is Holly’s passion and professional purpose. She has studied and written about topics such as: Leadership and Mission, Bravery in Business, and Managing Human Relationships. As a recognized subject matter expert, Holly has spoken at numerous conferences and on Sirius XM Radio. She holds an advanced degree in Organizational Leadership from Robert Morris University, and is certified as a DISC Behavior Analyst and a Driving Forces Behavior Analyst. After studying with Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, she invested her time and professionalism in the Pittsburgh region, consistently seeking ways to challenge leaders to become fully engaged in transformation. Holly is an expert in the value of dynamic onboarding as part of the foundation for fully engaged employees. Joining Winner Partners allows for this investment to expand even further, serving clients in the global marketplace.

Professionally, Holly functioned as a lead consultant in Organizational Management and Leadership Development for one of the largest non-profits in the world and spent 15 years in the non-profit sector. Recruiting and developing the talent pool for the non-profit sector soon led her to engage as a full-time consultant, and director of leadership development and talent acquisition for a local firm. Holly joined Winner Partners in 2019 to engage even more organizations through the people who lead them. She is the author of “For She Who Leads: Practical Wisdom from a Woman Who Serves”, available here.

Holly has worked with and served on the Boards of Directors for foundations and non-profits, and continues to be a frequent speaker and trainer on topics of leadership and living at Universities, Churches, Conferences, and Workshops. She and her husband, Kevin, are raising two young boys and residing in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area.

Vera Anderson

VERA ANDERSON – Legacy Creation Partner

Tampa Bay, FL – Send E-mail

Vera Anderson is a dynamic Legacy Coach. She specializes in working with domestic and global business leaders and family office principals, helping them create customized solutions to reach their full potential in business and personal life, removing mindset blocks, and empowering them to create an intentional, multi-generational legacy.

As the grand-daughter of a Russian diplomat and the daughter of a Russian Olympic coach, Vera was raised with an expectation of excellence, earning dual degrees at Penn State University. At the age of 26, Vera was invited to join a Private Equity firm as a Partner. Four years later, she was an Operating Partner based in London, overseeing Treasury for a multinational conglomerate with USD $60M+ in annual revenue, managing a global team of 30 people, and serving on international Joint Venture boards. Subsequently, she founded a seven-figure real estate firm in Chicago, and also served as the CEO of a health-tech startup combining neuroscience and virtual reality technology, for which she raised $4M in 2015.

Combining her Private Equity, Finance, and Startup experience with Strategic Intervention Coach training, and years of testing and validation, Vera developed the Intentional Legacy Model©. This process enables her clients to work and live with a clear purpose and sense of fulfillment in their personal and business lives. Vera works with entrepreneurs, top performers, and the international business elite to reach their full potential, attain their next level, and create an intentional legacy every step of the way.

Connect with and listen to Vera’s latest commentary on LinkedIn.

Video Library

Learn more about the usage of personality assessments in business.

RACHEL BACh – Community and Downtown Redevelopment Planning Partner

Toledo, Ohio – Send E-mail

Rachel Bach is Winner Partners’ Community and Downtown Redevelopment Planning Partner. She has extensive experience in urban planning and development services and had led transformative land development, transportation and beautification projects throughout South Florida. She has led governmental agency and departmental reorganizations to attract substantial urban redevelopment projects and has significant experience in historic preservation, development of workforces housing, special events, and marketing to enhance the community user experience.

Her career spans more than 20 years of diverse leadership work for in community redevelopment agencies (CRA’s) which have included the cities of Plantation, Lake Worth, Dania Beach, Margate, West Palm Beach, and North Miami Beach. Rachel has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 2000 and earned a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. She is adept at navigating multiple facets of development and construction while executing capital projects including land development, budgeting and financing regulations, codes compliance, and has been resourceful in securing project funding through federal and state grant programs.

An astute project manager, Rachel has been tapped for leadership roles using her innate ability to build coalitions that set communities on a path to achieve redevelopment goals. In recent years, Rachel was drawn to her hometown to bring a vision to life in downtown Toledo where city leaders were focused on changing the city’s image and added Rachel’s expertise to a redevelopment mission implementing the award-winning Downtown Toledo Master Plan.

As the “Downtown Doctor”, Rachel discovered early that people are the key to successful cities and communities and has instilled this in her work. Her approach to city planning breeds community, diversity, and vitality tapping into the unique character of cities and their residents to create opportunity for shared public life using placemaking, branding and niche marketing strategies. She has accomplished award-winning projects and events through creative public, private, and nonprofit partnerships spanning downtowns, industrial parks, historic districts, and neighborhoods.

Rachel currently resides in Perrysburg, Ohio with her two children; Dakota age 15 AJ age 16. In her spare time, she volunteers for the Perrysburg High School Theater boosters and is involved with Wood County Special Olympics. For fun, she enjoys attending art festivals, live music events, and exploring new cities.

See Rachel speak here about What Makes a City for People.

DEON BRADLEY – Leadership Development Partner

Tampa Bay, FL – Send E-mail

Deon Bradley is Winner Partners’ Leadership Development Partner as well as a Certified Business and Executive Leadership Coach. He is one of only 10% of professional Coaches in North America to hold an International Coach Federation-approved Certification. Deon founded Bradley Coaching & Consulting in 2008. He has over 25 years of sales management, business development, and leadership development experience.

Deon’s successful career includes leading regional and national B2B technical Sales and Business Development teams at startups and three Fortune 100 companies, including AT&T. He has held various leadership positions including National Director, General Manager, Senior Vice President and is a two-time CEO. As SVP of Data Communication of Bell South, Deon led a $500 million B2B sales division responsible for 6 offices and nearly 100 Managers and staff.

As a result of his passion for working with young people, Deon has taught Entrepreneurship at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. He was recognized for his volunteer work with students in the college prep program at Goodwill Industries of the Carolinas and the “Alumni Sharing Knowledge” mentoring program at his alma mater, DePaul University in Chicago. He has worked with the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University and the Teach for America Entrepreneurship Program in Chicago. He also launched the Cofounders matchup Chicago networking group for tech startups, which grew to a membership of over 1,100 entrepreneurs and Founders.

Deon is honored to support Veteran entrepreneurs as both a Business Advisor and as the Chairman of the Business Advisors Program for the “Operation Startup” Veterans Incubator at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL. He serves as a Business Advisor for the Tampa Bay WAVE Accelerator CoFoundersLab.com, a resource to over 15,000 entrepreneurs worldwide and for the nation’s largest accelerator, 1871 Chicago. In 2018, 1871 was chosen as the Number 1 Accelerator in the world by the Global Accelerator Network.

Deon believes in serving the communities where he lives and has volunteered as a Board Member, Mentor, and fundraiser for nearly two dozen nonprofit organizations in four states since 1994.

On the personal side, Deon and his wife Edith have three adult children. He is an avid reader and enjoys sailing, snorkeling, live concerts, and traveling.

Outplacement Services and Transition Services

Even the most successful professionals may find themselves facing uncertainty at some point in their career due to layoff, reduction in force, or downsizings. Winner Partners is equipped to assist you with the resources, support mechanisms, and coaching designed to help you positively transition to your next opportunity. Our Outplacement Toolkit is packed with 4 sessions typically including:

Initial consultation,
Document production and resume revisions,
Transition coaching, and
Strategy building.

The Outplacement Toolkit is offered to displaced professionals at the rate of $2500.

*Comprehensive, corporate outplacement services available for organizations designing a thoughtful process for transitioning employees to succeed in finding a new role.

Coaching Fees

Coaching Options Available:

Coaching sessions are typically 1 to 1 confidential conversations conducted in person, by phone, or by video conference.

Introductory Session: This exclusive, one time session provides you with a condensed coaching experience. $150 for one 25-minute session.
Schedule it here.

Career by Design Early Executive: Seeking to empowers the successful professional in making a plan to take their next career challenge, or the emerging leader desiring to break into a top leadership position, by giving them the tools, resources, and support needed.
$2500 for 4 Coaching Sessions and 1 Career Strategy Session.
Sign up here.

Pricing for Coaching Sessions:
$200 for 30 minutes $375 for 60 minutes

Packages:

Packages 3 (60 minute) sessions for $950
or 5 (60 minute) sessions for $1550

Contact us for organization and team pricing.

Your Career By Design

The Career by Design platform empowers the successful professional seeking their next career challenge, or the emerging leader desiring to break into a top leadership position, by giving them the tools, resources, and team to put them in the driver’s seat.

Our experience, resources, and expertise positions Winner Partners as a valued partner for the next step in your career. The proven methodology we have established is complemented by a world-class team of experienced professionals to provide you with unparalleled access to top opportunities and gives you the confidence to successfully “ace” any interview. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss your career goals in further detail.

Winner Partners puts the power of networking into action for you. To get started on your Career by Design contact us for more information and pricing.

Perhaps a dramatic career move isn’t quite right for you…

Career by Design, Early Executive Program

Seeking to empowers the successful professional in making a plan to take their next career challenge, or the emerging leader desiring to break into a top leadership position, by giving them the tools, resources, and support needed, Career by Design for the Early Executive offers a unique service which includes 4 Coaching Sessions and 1 Career Strategy Session. Pricing for this program is $2500. Book your first session here.

For more coaching options, view all of our offerings here.

WHAT IS A COACH?

With so many choices in coaching available today, Winner Partners offers a targeted approach to standing with our clients in offering coaching services.

A coach is a person who invests and interacts with an individual, partnership, or team for the primary purpose of stimulating, motivating, and facilitating their growth, development, and performance.

Simply put, coaches help people identify the gaps between who they are and who they want to be!

Winner Partners executes coaching through the lens of a strengths coach, a certified professional who helps our clients fully appreciate how his or her strengths influences behaviors, activities, and relationships.

What is Forbes saying about the benefits of coaching? Read it here.

More Testimonials

LISA DONNELLY – Human Capital Partner

Cincinnati, OH – Send E-mail

Lisa Donnelly cultivated an innovative and strategic approach for Human Resources, Talent/Recruiting, and Training during her three decades with a Consumer Product Goods corporation. Her ability to build relationships with clients, suppliers, and internal teams made her a natural choice to lead corporate initiatives related to HR. Lisa now applies her well-honed Fortune 100 best practices to phase two of her career in the meetings and event industry.

Lisa’s career at Procter & Gamble started with talent/recruiting and later evolved to HR responsibilities in their Beauty Business Unit. Her commitment to the candidate experience drew her back to the talent area where she developed coveted programs for new hires, interns, benefits, and communication. She designed and led hundreds of internal and external corporate meetings and trainings.

Through Experient/Maritz, a global meetings and events company, Lisa delivers excellence in sourcing and contracting for corporations, associations, non-profits, enthusiasts, and incentive groups in need of hotels, meeting space, AV, transportation, and destination management services. Her clients include Procter & Gamble, AdWeek, Brandemonium, Kona Ice, Winspire Incentive Travel, and Bunbury Music Festival and others

Lisa resides in the greater Cincinnati area.

Dr. Byron Clayton

Winner Partners is pleased to introduce you to our Guest of Honor, Dr. Byron Clayton.
Currently the CEO of Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM), Dr. Clayton brings energy and innovation to the Tampa Bay area, with experiences ranging from higher education to operational excellence.

Join us in welcoming Dr. Clayton on May 7, with breakfast and a tour of one of areas most innovative spaces.

Watch Dr. Byron Clayton in Action

Dr. Byron Clayton is the CEO of Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM). Founded at Carnegie Mellon University in January 2017 and now operating as an independent non-profit, ARM is a national, membership-based consortium dedicated to asserting U.S. leadership in manufacturing by accelerating the commercialization of innovative robotic technologies and empowering American workers to obtain advanced manufacturing jobs. By lowering economic, technical, and operational barriers, ARM and its members help manufacturing enterprises of all sizes adopt robotic solutions and hire a labor force prepared to work collaboratively with robots.

Prior to his appointment as ARM CEO, Dr. Clayton served as the President and CEO of Research Park Corporation, an economic development organization serving Baton Rouge by providing access to facilities, services, seed capital, and diverse talent to help scale technology ventures.

Dr. Clayton previously led regional innovation clusters at NorTech, a Cleveland, Ohio-based economic development organization. The regional clusters ranged from printed electronics, advanced energy and water technologies. In addition, he has more than 25 years of experience developing, commercializing and implementing advanced manufacturing systems and software for various industries. During that time, he facilitated the market entry of more than 40 high-tech products and systems, published articles in academic and trade journals, and received patents for manufacturing optimization software used by numerous production plants across North America.

Dr. Clayton earned his Doctor of Management – Mergers & Acquisitions at Case Western Reserve University, Master of Business Administration at Myers University, Bachelor of Arts – Business Management at Malone University, and his Electrical Engineering Major w/ NASA, GM & Reliance Electric Internships at Tuskegee University.

DENNIS TRACY – Destination Marketing Organization Partner

Cincinnati, OH – Send E-mail

Dennis Tracy is a life-long hospitality industry veteran representing destinations, world-class hotel properties, and unique attractions. His experiences with vibrant organizations have welcomed hundreds of attendees and stimulated local economies via visitor spending. Armed with the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) distinction, the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement, Dennis also holds 30+ years of dedicated sales and leadership experience.

The diverse experience Dennis brings to Winner Partners and our clients includes Destination Sales and Marketing, hotel and visitor attractions, and meeting sourcing spread across six firms:

Experient
Visit Jacksonville
Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau
Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Westin Hotel in Cincinnati

Dennis has extensive experience at relationship building both externally via traditional customer activity streams, supplier partnerships, and internal bonds. He is known as a creative team leader adept at recruiting, motivating, and managing a diverse sales and support staff with a track record of achieving financial and performance goals. His experience includes the operations side of the multi-faceted hospitality industry with the leisure destination marketing side and meetings and conventions.

A bona fide travel enthusiast, Dennis has visited all 50 States, much of Canada, 70 countries worldwide including all 7 continents!

Tina Winner – |

Tampa Bay, Florida – Send E-mail

Tina Winner is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Winner Partners. She brings 12+ years of executive search experience as well as an additional 16 years in private industry to her clients. She has developed candidates for leadership roles in public, private partnerships representing Community, Urban, and Economic Development organizations and her private sector work gives her a broad array of knowledge in multiple industries. Her body of work includes assignments in:

Industrial Manufacturing, Heavy Equipment Manufacturers/Dealers, Oil & Gas/Energy, Financial/Professional Services, Private Equity, Consumer Products, Life Sciences/Medical Devices/Healthcare, Distribution, Automotive, Aerospace, Real Estate, Construction, Education, and NonProfit industries. Tina proudly serves as a trusted advisor to boards, selection committees, CEOs, and other hiring authorities.

Her early career was spent in the life sciences and healthcare industry. Tina navigated through operations, customer service, and sales roles at a world leader in allergy vaccination. Subsequently, she advanced into training and sales roles for an additional six years with one of the world’s largest clinical laboratories.

Actively involved in industry and community activities, Winner is frequently tapped for speaking engagements on executive recruiting, networking, job search strategies, and personal branding. She has served as the co-facilitator for the Pittsburgh Chapter of ExecuNet, a private, executive membership network, for over 10 years.

Steven Oberhoffer – |

Baltimore, Maryland – Send E-mail

Steven Oberhoffer is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Winner Partners. Steven has over 18 years of experience in executive search and brings extensive knowledge and integrity to every assignment. His vast knowledge of the execution component of executive search led Winner Partners’ development of their proprietary methodology for identifying and evaluating candidates in a compressed timeline. This targeted strategic model has led to Winner Partners completing executive-level assignments in as few as 40 days.

Steven has conducted search engagements for an array of industries including NonProfits, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Aerospace & Defense, Engineering, Technology, Life Sciences/Healthcare, Financial Services, Real Estate, Private Equity as well as public-private partnerships including: statewide and regional economic development corporations; professional associations; and, urban, innovation, and river development and restoration organizations.

Steven began his career in a boutique executive search firm where he developed a passion for helping both candidates and clients realize the benefits of making positive career decisions. He was recruited to another boutique firm where he was recognized as the youngest Vice President in the firm’s 20-year history. Prior to launching Winner Partners, Steven spent several years as a partner with one of the largest, international executive search firms where he was recognized as a top performer.

Steven attended DePaul University with a major in communications. He also served on the board of directors and was a founding member of fundraising organization supporting youth arts.

Martita Mestéy – Diversity & Inclusion Partner

New York, NY – Send E-mail

Martita Mestéy leads our Diversity & Inclusion focus for Winner Partners. She is a subject-matter expert in the development of inclusive hiring practices designed to attract high-performing women and minorities. Prior to her role in search, she was the VP of Strategic Partnerships representing six membership and trade associations. She is a lifetime member of Prospanica, an MBA association that strives to empower business professionals to achieve their full educational, economic, and social potential.

Martita leverages her multicultural experience and background to execute a US-based recruitment strategy with a global mindset. Recognizing that diversity is an important strategic business enabler, she has helped clients achieve substantial reputational gain and bottom-line growth through successful engagements in specialty practice areas that include diversity and inclusion, human resources, organizational development, strategic planning, sales, marketing and communications, brand development, healthcare, beauty, retail and consumer electronics, and the digital music industry.

As a subject-matter expert on multicultural networking and staffing solutions, Martita has made guest appearances on radio and television talk shows and was the host of a weekly career program on NBC/Telemundo in Chicago. A fluent bilingual communicator, she has been a cited resource for several books and journals on career preparation and career transition in both English and Spanish. Martita is a member of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), and National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), and she actively maintains relationships through member organizations including ALPFA, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), and is a national officer for National Sales Network (NSN).

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As businesses increasingly rely on cross-company collaboration, they are placing a heavier emphasis on interpersonal communications. Unfortunately, this is a job skill that many American employees are lacking, according to LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner.

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