Professional Skills
Nancy Colter
- BA Economics State University of New York at Stonybrook
- MBA University of South Carolina
- Recipient of the Haywood Memorial Fellowship
- Certified instructor for Zenger Miller
Nancy Colter is a human resources consultant and trainer who develops and implements learning solutions that support the organization business strategies. She is the principal of Nancy Colter Consulting, LLC located in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to establishing her own business, Nancy spent 20 years in the corporate arena. Her career includes senior HR management positions at leading financial services and hospitality companies as well as various benefits, compensation and employment manager positions in other organizations.
This consummate professional is equally accomplished in handling a variety of human resources projects from human resources audits to recruiting in various industries and high-profile environments. She is an effective communicator with a quick, analytical mind who enjoys solving problems that contribute to the organizations bottom line. Nancy incorporates her insights from this highly successful corporate career into the development and delivery of her training programs. Her combination of practical business experience with engaging facilitation has generated fast-paced, effective and fun programs that work. As a result, Nancy has been instrumental in the development and success of corporate management certificate programs for leading Fortune 500 companies. She is widely recognized for delivering effective management programs including but not limited to communicating using DiSC, performance management and coaching, time and productivity, listening skills, delegation essentials, difficult conversations, emotional intelligence, and change management.
Nancy holds her masters degree in business from the University of South Carolina and her bachelors degree in Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is a certified instructor for many leading training programs, is an instructor at several leading Universities and has published many articles on todays cutting-edge management topics. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SPHR certified) and has served as an HR Advisor for the Bureau of Business Practice Georgia Newsletter publication. B.A., Economics State University of New York at Stonybrook M.B.A, University of South Carolina Recipient of the Haywood Memorial Fellowship Certified instructor for Zenger Miller, DISC, Personalysis and Fortune Group Sales and Leadership Training. Society of Human Resources (local and national member), HR Advisor for the Bureau of Business Practice Georgia Newsletter publication.
Katie Karppala
- BS, Interdisciplinary Studies, Kennesaw State University
- MS, Organizational Leadership, Brenau University
- EQ-i 2.0 and EQ-360 emotional intelligence certifications
- Certified in the ARSENAL Assessment
Katie Karppala MSOL, BCC is the founder of Authentic Dimensions Consulting, LLC. She is a board certified executive leadership coach and a member of the International Coach Federation with additional coaching specialties in health, wellness, business, relationship and life coaching. In addition, she is an image management consultant, corporate trainer and organizational leadership consultant. Karppala uses her various bodies of knowledge to deliver an integrative, systems approach to meet her client's unique needs.
Karppala graduated as an Honors Scholar with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Kennesaw State University, and obtained a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership from Brenau University. She has earned EQ-i 2.0 and EQ-360 emotional intelligence certifications, is certified in the ARSENAL Assessment, is a trained DISC facilitator and also facilitates classes using The Peoplemap System. She has received additional training from The Institute for Life Coach Training, Emory Continuing Education and the Conselle Institute of Image Management.
Kimberley Lyles Folkman
- PhD Educational Leadership & Learning Technologies, Drexel University
Kimberley Lyles-Folkman has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies (Drexel University), as well as a design and education background. As a visual thinking expert and communication specialist, she has provided leadership with a hybrid mix of business and creative vision to large organizations and academic institutions. Her diverse background includes leadership roles as CMO, VP of Marketing & Advertising, Director of an Arts & Culture County Office, and Creative Director. She has worked with numerous well-known global brands and developed design products for a client base that has included fortune 500 companies and celebrity clientele. Currently, her expertise and leadership support includes design management and communications for Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Dr. Folkman has won multiple awards surrounding her design guidance which included awards for visual communications and team awards while at CDC. She has also led her teams to receive international design and innovation awards. As a left-brain, right-brain hybrid professional, Kimberley has demonstrated a good mix of creative and business expertise in corporate, academic, and government arenas.
Kimberley has also taught at various universities and colleges for over 20 years, leading her graduate and undergraduate students to win more than 65 awards for integrated advertising and design campaigns. She has taught best practices for advertising, graphic design, brand strategy, public relations, and marketing. Traveling to more than 70+ countries and six continents has also provided Kimberley with a unique global design and business perspective. She is a valued conference presenter, and has published articles, moderated workshops in visual thinking, graphic design, advertising, data visualization, and marketing. Her primary concentration and research are in the areas of visual thinking, creative strategy, and visual communication.
Erin Quinn O'brient
- BA Emory University
- MFA Creative Writing, Goddard College
- MLA Stanford University
Quinn O’Briant, MFA, MLA, is a noted expert in creativity and innovation who has inspired and taught thousands of people around the world. Today she is a Vice President and Senior Artificial Intelligence Content Strategist for Bank of America and a Guest Lecturer in Design and Innovation at Emory University.
As Founder and CEO of the design thinking firm O’Briant Group LLC, Quinn brought her innovation expertise to the world’s top organizations, including Google, NCR, AT&T, and Equifax, and her company was a trusted partner company of Google Cloud. She closed O’Briant Group in 2021 to focus on forthcoming projects.
Quinn is a two-time author, serial entrepreneur, and former English and Creative Writing professor. She holds a BA in Religion from Emory University, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Goddard College, and a Master of Liberal Arts from Stanford University.
Michael Tait
- Virginia Tech
Michael is an independent consultant with over 25 years experience as a strategic financial business consultant for large financial institutions. In addition to core financial analysis, he specializes in management accounting methodologies, profitability analytics, and how to leverage that information to improve financial performance and planning. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a major in Finance, Michael began his career designing discounted cash flow software for real estate investment firms. Next, he took an analyst position with Virginia's largest independent bank. That started his career as an internal financial business consultant which eventually brought him to Atlanta. As a finance business consultant, Michael worked with a commercial consumer, and investment banking business managers, to prepare and interpret historical financial statements, forecast future financial results, and evaluate the impact of changes in products and pricing. As a member of SunTrust's corporate finance team, Michael relocated to Atlanta to facilitate enterprise-wide forecasting and reporting.
Michael also led the financial change management, standardized reporting, and management accounting methodology departments. Finally, he coordinated the client profitability systems that were used to inform client planning, pricing, and incentives. After a rewarding career where he climbed from junior analyst to senior vice president, Michael retired from corporate life to focus on his family, real estate investing, and independent consulting. In 2019, he joined Emory Continuing Education to design a course where he could share his passion for financial analysis, investment fundamentals, and helping others.
