Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of an upcoming book on Networking, is the founder of Executive Essentials, a training company that provides communications, leadership, and team-building programs, as well as executive coaching services.  Michelle specializes in enhancing interpersonal communications for higher effectiveness, empowerment, and productivity and has delivered seminars internationally for corporations, universities, high schools, and non profit organizations including; JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Columbia Business School, and The Museum of Modern Art.    Michelle is an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and serves on the faculty of the American Management Association.  Michelle has appeared on Fox 5’s Good Day NY, been published in Women For Hire, and quoted in the New York Times, Working Mother magazine, US News & World Report, and on MSNBC.com, and Monster.com among others. 

Michelle spent ten years in finance beginning her career as a Certified Public Accountant in Arthur Andersen's audit practice, later joining Primedia as a mergers & acquisitions analyst.  Her experience ranges from venture capital to hedge funds and includes positions as a financial strategist with Deloitte Consulting, a hedge fund investment adviser for HypoVereins Bank, and a director of communications at Investor Analytics, an alternative asset risk management firm. 

Michelle is involved in extensive volunteer and community advocacy.  She has developed a youth curriculum called Leadership Essentials which provides workshop and assembly programs.  Having already reached over 1,000 teens, it is her mission to bring these critical communication and life skills to high school students to increase their likelihood of success.  As an animal advocate, she has organized multiple benefits to raise awareness and donations for New York City animal rescue. 

She received her BS, Summa Cum Laude, in Accounting and Communications from Lehigh University, her MBA, with honors, from Columbia Business School, and her coaching certification from the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching and is accredited by the International Coaching Federation.  Michelle is a member of the National Speakers Association and Executive Essentials is a certified Women Business Enterprise.

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Amy Aronoff Blumkin - Partner

Amy Aronoff Blumkin is a marketing and professional development consultant, focusing on cultivating leaders from inside out. Amy’s marketing and strategic-planning career spans over 20 years working for some of the top tier marketing and sales organizations in the world. Amy’s experience includes sales and marketing positions within AT&T, Salomon Brothers, American Express and the Walt Disney Company.

Known for her ability to lead, inspire and organize, Amy has developed marketing and sales plans for some of Walt Disney World’s newer efforts, including the Animal Kingdom. Throughout her seven years at Disney, and after, as a consultant, Amy led the marketing division’s annual operating plan. Amy also developed the first marketing intern training program in the Walt Disney World Marketing department. Additionally, she developed training programs to improve the strategic thinking for advertising input; coached senior management, and redesigned marketing operational flows and processes. Since leaving Disney, Amy has developed marketing and sales plans for small businesses ranging from Internet Start-ups to Private Equity firms. Amy earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont, and her MBA from the Harvard Business School.

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Ben Dattner

An affiliate of Executive Essentials LLC, Ben Dattner has helped a wide variety of corporate and non-profit organizations become more successful by developing a better understanding of the impact of individual psychology and group dynamics on their performance. He enables organizations to make better hiring and staffing decisions, enhance the professional capabilities of managers and employees, configure teams more effectively, and reduce the amount of interpersonal and intergroup conflict.

Ben received a BA in Psychology from Harvard College, and his MA and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from New York University, where he was a MacCracken Fellow. His doctoral dissertation analyzed the relationship between narcissism and fairness in the workplace, and his masters thesis examined the impact of trust on negotiation. Before graduate school, Ben worked at Republic National Bank of New York for three years, first as a Management Trainee and then as Assistant to the CEO. After graduate school, Ben was Director of Human Resources at Blink.com.

Ben is an Adjunct Professor at New York University, where he teaches Organizational Development in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology MA Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in addition to teaching Strategic Career Management in the Executive MBA Program at Stern Business School. Ben is also an Adjunct Professor at Marist College at the New York City Police Academy, where he teaches Organizational Change in the MPA Program. Ben is a member of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Consulting Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, and the Metro New York Applied Psychology Association.

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Ann Demarais

Ann Demarais is an affiliate of Executive Essentials LLC.  She has over fifteen years experience as an executive coach, facilitator, and business consultant.  She works with individuals and groups in American and International Fortune 100 companies in a variety of industries including financial services, technology, media, education, publishing, and pharmaceuticals.

Ann has coached individuals from all levels of the organization, from CEO to individual contributor.  She develops engaging and supportive relationships with her coachees, and guides them in gaining critical self knowledge, taking personal risks, and overcoming obstacles in realizing their personal and professional visions. In addition to her corporate work, Ann coaches individuals in self presentation in social situations, job interviews, and in business environments.  She has co-written a book: First Impressions: What you don’t know about how others see you, published by Bantam Books (2004), translated into 24 languages.  She has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, 20-20, NPR, The BBC, The London Times, among many other venues.   

Her clients include Soros Fund Management, Barclays Capitol, Morgan Stanley, The Bank of New York, Deutsche Bank, Heidrick and Struggles, Aon Risk Services, Pearson Education, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Johnson and Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, The FBI, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, among others.  Ann holds a Ph.D. in psychology from New York University. 

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Abigail R. Kies

Abigail R. Kies is committed to empowering people in all of their relationships, and is a strategic partner of Executive Essentials. Combining her business background and powerful coaching skills, Abigail works closely with individuals, teams, and organizations from diverse backgrounds including; entrepreneurs, managers, Fortune 500 executives, artists, teachers, lawyers, to enhance communication, enrich relationships, develop leadership, and realize visions.

Prior to professional coaching, Abigail worked in investment management (Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Inc.), management consulting (Mitchell Madison/marchFIRST and freelance), and marketing (Peaceworks LLC, American Express Company). She also has extensive volunteer experience including serving as Treasurer of her NYC co-op, fundraising and event coordination for Project Sunshine, tutoring/mentoring with the East Harlem Tutorial Project, teaching with Junior Achievement, and building for Habitat for Humanity.

Abigail has a BA in Anthropology and Art History from Johns Hopkins, an MBA from Columbia Business School, and is a graduate of Newfield Network, Inc., an International Coaching Federation accredited school.

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Nicole Wells

Nicole Wells turned her greatest fear, public speaking, into her greatest passion and has taught hundreds of professionals to do the same. She is an adjunct faculty member at New York University's Stern School of Business as well as the School for Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS), where she teaches Organizational Communication and Speaking Without Fear. Nicole specializes in presentation/public speaking skills, overcoming performance anxiety, and business writing.

Nicole created the course Speaking Impromptu: The Art of Thinking on Your Feet, which is now part of the curriculum at The New School and NYU's SPCS. The foundation of her skills comes from her extensive actor training--she earned her Master of Fine Arts at Rutgers University under the direction of William Esper. Nicole has performed in numerous theatrical productions throughout New York City and helped found the New Stage Theatre Company.

A successful manager, Nicole Wells has worked for two prominent New York City museums. She has experience in supervising a large staff, retail, customer service, negotiating contracts, and project management. Nicole also maintains a private coaching practice assisting people with vocal and performance issues. Prior to earning her MFA, Nicole received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

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