Meet Our Team

Our greatest resource is the shared wisdom of our team and partners. Collectively, for over 25 years, we have helped organizations create a culture of improved conversations, elevated performance levels and better business outcomes.

Jill Miller

CEO

Jill Miller, CEO

Jill Miller’s background in marketing, professional relations and corporate communications includes nearly 30-years experience in executive and consulting positions with national and multi-national Fortune 100 companies.

As an accomplished executive coach and facilitator and the founder of Velocity, LLC, The Conversation Company™, Jill has spearheaded innovative programs for employees from corporations such as American Express, The Walt Disney Company, Elizabeth Arden, L’Oreal, Mary Kay, Donna Karan, Reebok International and Turner Broadcasting. Her approach to employee motivation and wellness has been highlighted at change management best–practices conferences worldwide.

Jill’s focus is to provide leading-edge learning solutions designed to help organizations establish and sustain a performance culture based on a foundation of Conversational Excellence. In addition to helping businesses gain alignment on goals, strategies, and best practices, under her guidance, they also reach new levels of success and profitability.

Melissa Goldstein

Operations

Melissa Goldstein, Operations

Melissa has over 10 years of program coordination, project management, and quality assurance experience. She has worked in various industries including education and retail with roles in operations, marketing, and copywriting.

She is responsible for the day-to-day operations as well as managing relationships with clients, consultants and partners. She is passionate about exceeding client expectations and is skilled in leading multiple projects from start to finish, meeting tight deadlines and understanding, developing and maintaining brand voice.

Melissa effectively completes operational objectives by contributing to strategic plans, implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; and determining system improvements and implementing change.

Leah Takacs

Operations

Leah Takacs, Operations

Leah has over 15 years of experience in office administration including executive assistant and project coordinator roles. She has worked for various organizations that offer training and development for both large and small clienteles. Leah prepares well-researched and accurate documents; manages busy calendars, and efficiently provides administrative and business support to the CEO and other members of the management team. She is extremely organized and fosters a genuine sense of teamwork and collaboration in her role with Velocity.

Andrew Connolly

Senior Consultant

Andrew Connolly, Senior Consultant

Andrew Connolly is a dynamic leadership consultant with a rich cadre of global experience that spans every industry from Pharmaceuticals (Sales, Corporate and Manufacturing), to Oil Field, Hospitality, Retail, Finance and Manufacturing. Since 2013, as a Partner in Velocity LLC,he has leveraged his business acumen, consulting experience, and platform skills to help organizations leverage the 4S Model in the pursuit of what we refer to as Conversational Excellence™.

Andrew’s practice is focused on eliminating the gap between training and application – helping individuals integrate the world-class content they have been exposed to and have yet to integrate into their daily work.

Prior to his current role, Andrew spent 11 years asa senior consultant at a global training and development organization where he served as one of an elite groupresponsible for certification of Master Instructors in Situational Leadership®.In that role, he designed and led the rollout of leadership, sales, service, and coaching programs at dozens of multi-national organizations.

Andrew makes his home in Simsbury, CT with his two children.

Krissi Barr

Lead Consultant

Krissi Barr, Lead Consultant

In its 14^th year of helping business & individuals succeed, Krissi works with start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. Her organization, Barr is a results-oriented consulting firm that delivers cultural transformation, visioning, strategy and execution, executive and team coaching, leadership and sales training, keynote speeches and assessment programs. Krissi was featured in Inc. Magazine as one of the country’s top ten “super-efficient”. Between 4-6 clients annually are on Inc’s 500/5000 list and two have received the prestigious Cincinnati USA Chamber Partnership Growth Award recognition and several clients have recognized as a Best Places to Work. A speaker and writer, Krissi co-authored a business/golf fable about getting the right things done called Plugged which is endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith, the late Dr. Paul Hersey, Jeffrey Gitomer, Matthew Kelly and others.

Krissi has been using 4S™ for 13 years as a coaching, strategic thinking, conversational excellence, key account planning, sales generation and implementation tool.

Manufacturing, technology, logistics, consumer goods, insurance, financial, consumer goods, and services companies from Fortune 50 to start-ups are well known to Krissi. Her first job at P&G provided her business foundation. Krissi is certified to teach Velocity’s 4S™ Foundations, 4S™Conversational Excellence, 4S™ Focus Forward and Coach 4 Success™ programs, Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There® and Don Brown’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – in Sales® program, Paul Hersey’s Situational Leadership™, Situational Selling™, and Situational Services™ and Jim Pancero’s You Can Always Sell More™. Krissi is a Certified Professional Behavior & Values Analyst, and Attributes Index Analyst. Krissi is a member of the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches, Institute of Coaching Professionals, and CoachSource. Krissi is a 2015 recipient of Venue Magazine Women of Influence award and in 2012 was named one of the 100 Mind’s Thought Leadership within the Greater Cincinnati Region.

Diane Chew

Lead Consultant

Diane Chew, Lead Consultant

Diane Chew is a certified corporate business coach and facilitator dedicated to supporting teams and individuals move from stress to success in order to achieve better business results through others. Diane founded Simply Successful Coaching and Consulting in 2006 after 29 years working for Merck and Co. in positions of increasing responsibility in pharmaceutical sales, sales management, management and executive development and organizational consulting.

A champion for integrating personal, professional and organizational success, Diane brings a multi-disciplined focus to her work, drawing from emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience. She is committed to implementing the principles of Conversational Excellence as she engages with clients to strengthen their personal awareness, build, and apply new skills in the areas of leadership development, team building, employee-manager relationships, employee engagement, corporate culture shifts, and work-life engagement.

Diane is a life long learner and routinely participates in continuing education for coaches, consultants and executives.

Maureen Ennis

Client Management

Maureen Ennis, Client Management

Maureen is a dynamic change leader with significant accomplishments in business transformation. She leverages a unique blend of competencies spanning strategic planning, human resources, technology and leadership. Working with leaders across different sectors and industries, she uses effective team building strategies to cultivate agile, lean, and collaborative organizations.

Yvonne Gaines

Lead Consultant

Yvonne Gaines, Lead Consultant

Yvonne is a coach, consultant and facilitative trainer with over 18 years of experience in learning, leadership development, organizational development, and human resources management. As a certified Neuroleadership Coach, she brings the benefits of a neuroscience-based, emotionally intelligent coaching and consulting approach into work environments to transform conversations, improve performance and build leaders. She actively partners with individuals and organizations in order to reach their next level of growth and success. The results: alignment of vision, mission, goals, execution of strategies, effective leadership, enhanced performance, and improved interpersonal and communication skills.

Yvonne has held roles as a Facilitator for Herrmann International, Organizational Development Consultant and Manager of Emerging Leaders for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Divisional Vice President and Leadership Development Program Manager for UBS Financial Services and Change Management Consultant for Accenture.

Yvonne is certified to administer a number of instruments, including Leadership Architect®, Learning Agility Architect®, Team Architect®, Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument®, DiSC® Personal Profile System, and various 360° Assessment tools.

Geoff Green

Preferred Channel Partner

Geoff Green, Preferred Channel Partner

Geoff Green has over 30 years’ experience as a facilitator and trainer specializing in leadership, team development, and coaching. He is a 4S™ preferred channel partner and a lead trainer in the UK for Situational Leadership as well as being a certified Master Trainer. He also delivers these programs extensively in Europe and Asia.

In addition, he consults widely on issues around developing company cultures that value and build high performing teams. The design and facilitation of experiential team development programs where the emphasis is clearly placed on process rather than energetic outdoor experiences is a specialty.

He works from graduate to director level and has a wealth of experience that enables him to develop enthusiasm and confidence in attendees to participate and engage in his courses. Feedback from client companies often mentions that they particularly value his ability to both train and facilitate so that by the end of a program the attendees fully “own” their learning.

Companies he has worked with include EBay, Alstom, Motorola, McDonalds, Bank of America, United Nations, Thomas Cook, PowerGen, T-Mobile and Johnson and Johnson.

Tom Kukla

Lead Consultant

Tom Kukla, Lead Consultant

Tom Kukla is the Principal and Founder of Tom Kukla Credere Leadership, a Leadership growth organization. He is a highly experienced Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Trainer. Prior to founding Credere Leadership, Tom spent 38 years in Retail and Medical Sales, Sales Management, and Management and Leadership Development. 31 of those 38 years were in the highly competitive Pharmaceutical industry working for Purdue Pharma. With well over three decades of Leadership, Management, and Training experience, Tom’s biggest accomplishments centered around developing dozens of team members and coaching them to reach their sales goals, their career goals, and their full potential. Tom developed a World Class Management Training Program from the ground up that continues to serve 100’s of Sales and Marketing colleagues today.

Tom is a Channel Partner with Velocity, LLC as well as a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Teacher and Speaker. He offers organizations Management and Leadership workshops, seminars, training, and coaching in order to guide the personal and professional growth of Managers of all levels and tenure.

The two guiding principles that have served Tom very well in highly competitive marketplaces are Belief in Self and Abundant Thinking. Before anyone else can believe in you, you have to believe in yourself. Abundant Thinking is simply focusing on what you have versus what you don’t have. It’s your strengths, NOT your weaknesses that define your leadership capabilities. Tom is passionate about developing leaders and seeing people reach their full potential.

Kim Montoya

Lead Consultant

Kim Montoya, Lead Consultant

As a healthcare professional over the last 30+ years in clinical, academic, and industry settings I found that communication in all of these environments was key to achieving optimal outcomes. While there are many different communications models on the market, nothing was as impactful to me and my career as the 4S Conversation model.

I was first introduced to 4S about 13 years ago while working in pharma. It soon became embedded in my thought process and has been a significant tool in ensuring success in many areas of my life.

While working in sales training at Novo Nordisk, I had the privilege and opportunity to work with John Miller, the founder of Velocity, and learn 4S in even more depth. I facilitated the course to new sales trainees and was part of the launch team for the Diabetes Education program. The most challenging and rewarding part of teaching 4S to this group was as clinicians, Diabetes Educators were used to teaching patients through much more “telling” than “listening.” Watching them grow and succeed in their new roles through utilization of 4S with their patients was so exciting!

I joined Velocity in 2015 as a lead consultant after retiring from a full-time career as I wanted to continue to work in something I was passionate about. I look forward to helping many other business teams discover and learn the 4S Conversation model and achieve even further success.

Marc Schwartz

Senior Consultant

Marc Schwartz, Lead Consultant

For over thirty years, Marc Schwartz has trained and coached corporate executives, managers, and sales professionals to identify the motivation and values that authentically drive them to be better. Further, he guides them how to break through the barriers that inevitably stand in the way of reaching their desired next level outcomes. Through a series of powerful tools and processes, he helps managers and leaders further develop their interests, skills and capacity so they can achieve the personal and business goals that have real meaning to them.

Marc is a highly acclaimed speaker and trainer who actively engages the audience in his presentations through the use of experiential learning techniques. Groups regularly report Marc as high energy and able to tie-in pertinent business issues with both organizational and personal development. His humor and passion help participants relax and enjoy presentations so they can naturally retain pertinent information that can help them in many facets of life.

Since 1988, Marc has traveled extensively and has presented keynotes, seminars and workshops to over 47,000 people in twenty-two countries on such topics as Coaching, Generational Leadership, Communication Styles, Sales, Key Account Management, Conflict Resolution and Team Development.

Rosa Schmidt

Preferred Channel Partner

Rosa Schmidt, Preferred Channel Partner

Rosa Schmidt is Founder and President of Rosa Schmidt Consulting. She is a respected leadership development professional with over 25 years of experience in talent management, leadership effectiveness and workforce development. Prior to starting her consulting company, Rosa held various positions in human resources, and was responsible for developing strategic initiatives in the area of workforce planning, employee engagement, change management, as well as leadership and employee development for a Fortune 400 energy company. She was the founder and chair of the first New Jersey Energy Workforce Consortia which brought together leaders from industry, government, education and labor. In addition, she directed the company’s development and implementation of a leading edge workforce planning initiative, The PSEG Energy Utility Technology Degree Program. This program has been recognized as a national model for business and education partnerships in fueling the needs of the energy workforce of today and the future.

Rosa has served as an adjunct instructor for Rutgers University, School of Executive and Professional Education since 2010.

Volunteering is one of Rosa’s passions. She is Vice Chair of the Salvation Army of Great New Brunswick, as well as a member of the advisory board of St. Vincent’s Academy, a high school located In Newark, New Jersey. Rosa has been honored to receive the Tribute to Women in Industry Award, as well as the Women of Distinction Award from Soroptimist International.

Rosa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources/ Organization Development from American University. Rosa has also earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources credential, as well as SHRM Senior Certified Professional.