Vickie Causa- Chief Executive Officer
 
Vickie Causa is a seasoned global human resources executive with keen insights into leadership employment issues.  She spent most of her career leveraging exceptional communication skills and an energetic attitude to motivate personnel to exceed objectives.  Leaving the corporate world as senior vice president of human resources, she is solidly qualified to lend coaching and counsel on leadership and the status of employment today.  Her team is comprised of professionals with a wide-range of business and international experience.

Vickie traveled extensively throughout the US, Southeast Asia and Europe for speaking engagements, committee work and conducted training and development workshops.  In doing so she developed a perspective of cultural differences in the business arena and what motivates employees across cultures and generations.  As a result of her travels Vickie is able to speak on a variety of topics surrounding communication, leadership, work-life balance and surviving the ever-present challenges of the corporate world.

A published author, Vickie's works include A Job Hunter's Guide, The ABC's of Job Hunting and the 1, 2, 3's of Nailing It!; Leader/Manager: Either/Both - Six Levels for Success; and There's No Place Like Here, a work that allows the reader the opportunity to appreciate the fact that we all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days.  Vickie has appeared on more than a dozen radio shows from coast to coast, has been a guest panelist on News12 Westchester, is a  columnist for the Putnam Times, and recently presented a key note speech at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

With the launch of her talk show All Things Employment on Internet Radio, Vickie provides a venue for callers to ask questions about employment issues, share experiences with personal job loss, and gather information and helpful tips on finding new opportunities.  Guest speakers on Vickie's show are available to discuss new areas of opportunities, prospects of employment in various fields, the legalities of job separations and more.

Vickie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Iona College, New Rochelle, NY.  She and her family reside in New York.

Carol A. Celeste - Human Resources Consulting

Carol Celeste has extensive experience across multiple industries in private, public and government sectors, leading human resource functions and building solid teams of consulting experts.  As Vice President of Human Resources Consulting for CausaAssociates, LLC, Carol offers clients practical, compliant solutions that drive individual, team and organizational success.  Carol joined CausaAssociates, LLC after eight years with a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization where she lead a team of 25 employee relations specialists supporting 10,000 employees nationwide.  It was within her scope of responsibility to develop employment policies, standardized practices for administration and collaborating with related functions to implement enterprise-wide people initiatives such as performance management, training and compensation plans.

Carol also has the experience of being one of the original members of the executive team for a start up managed care company where she established a human resources department, servicing over 150 employees.  She spent ten years as a generalist with a Fortune 100 organization in the chemical field; worked in two law enforcement agencies and began her career in a small privately held company dedicated to enhancing educational development for the mentally handicapped.

Carol's intellect combined with her analytic and problem-solving skills help keep CausaAssociates' HR consulting practice in step with today's workplace landscape.

A graduate of Lewis University with a BA in Business Administration, Carol resides in Illinois.

Nicole C. Everest- Corporate Operations / Business Modeling 

Nicole Everest is an experienced professional with significant business modeling experience.  She has a reputation for getting things done well, on time and on budget.  She has a strong international background in operations, managing large scale projects as well as in mergers and acquisitions.  She has taught Organizational Development at York University and has been invited as a guest speaker at conferences and business schools as a recognized expert in her field.

In her most recent position as Senior Vice President, Corporate Operations for a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization, Nicole led over 500 employees in seven processing centers throughout the US.  This team performed rating, coding and policy issuance services, Special Billing services, IT implementation and Help Desk Support and Technical Training as well as being responsible for managing outsourced sales and policy processing operations. 

During this time, Nicole actively worked with the Executive Team to develop a scalable model for optimal work and resource management by consolidating operations and eliminating redundancies in the system.  This process made a considerable business impact by improving service by 60%, improving staff productivity by 30%, while taking on an additional 3-5% in work volume per year with fewer staff, leading to reduced unit costs from 15-30% (pre-inflation).

Nicole resides with her family in Canada and has volunteered her time over the past 20 years with PLASP Child Care Services, a not-for-profit provider of child care services to over 8,000 children in the Region of Peel, a suburb of Toronto.  Nicole has served as Chair of the Board of Directors and was also a member of the Policy, Programs and Personnel as well as the Executive and Finance Committees.

Nicole is bilingual in French and English and holds an Executive MBA from the University of Western Ontario in addition to a Certificate in Human Resources from York University.

Pam Gruszka - Organizational Effectiveness/Executive Coaching

Pam brings a solid background of executive coaching and organizational development to CausaAssociates, LLC.  Her solid work experience in companies of various sizes in various industries allows her to draw upon a multitude of experiences and situations.

Along with her coaching and organizational development skills, Pam's experience includes implementation of talent strategy initiatives, streamlining operational models, processes and practices.  During her tenure with a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization, Pam was instrumental in the development of a global talent strategy system, which resulted in a world class attraction, retention and development model.  Additionally, Pam was a key player in brokering Human Resources functional and strategic products allowing HR to better partner with individual business units within the organization.

Prior to her tenure with the global firm, Pam held positions of increasing responsibility within the Human Resources field.  Her experience as a Managing Consultant, Director of HR Special Initiatives, and HR Director and Organizational Development Leader, position Pam to lend expertise in a multitude of organizations.

Pam holds a Bachelor Degree in Business and Marketing, and a Masters in Education, Guidance and Counseling.  Additionally, she holds certification in the Drexler-Sibbet-Forrester Team Performance System.  She has led numerous sessions on leadership, multi-rater feedback, competency modeling and mentoring.

Pam and her family reside in Illinois.

Jonna Harris - Project Management / Human Resources Generalist 

Jonna Harris is a seasoned Project Manager and Human Resource professional with the analytical and problem solving skills that are necessary in today's workplace.  She is certified in both PMP (Project Management Professional) and PHR (Professional Human Resources).  She has acted as the Project Manager on small to large scale projects ranging from system implementations to organizational changes.  Jonna also has several years experience working as a human resource generalist.

Prior to being promoted to the Project Management role, Jonna was a Human Resources Generalist at a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization.  She worked with managers on employee relations issues, management and employee development, affirmative action, policy development, work life initiatives and development of training programs.  She was also involved in working with Senior Management on projects related to mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations.

Jonna's drive to get the job done combined with her project management skills makes her a valuable resource to CausaAssociates, LLC.

In addition to her PMP and PHR, Jonna holds an MBA and BS from Northern Illinois University.  She resides in Florida with her husband and family.

Katherine Lawler Metcalf - Workforce Engagement and Strategic Business Initiatives

Kathy joined CausaAssociates, LLC in early 2009.  She brings more than twenty years of human resources experience including recruiting, employee relations, employee engagement, human resource audits, performance management, compensation/rewards, coaching, change management succession planning, talent management, training and organizational development.

Prior to joining CausaAssociates, LLC, Kathy was a senior business partner for a $1 billion profit center for a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization and led a shared services team in delivering high quality HR strategic initiatives while providing generalist support throughout the northeastern US.

Kathy is a Certified Professional in Human Resource (PHR) and earned the Training and Development Specialist designation from the University of Maryland.  She is also a certified facilitator in several HR, Management and Leadership development programs, as well as 360 degree Executive Coaching.

Kathy attended Georgia State University and Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Business and Human Resources Management.  She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Chesapeake Human Resources

Kathy and her family reside in Maryland.

Karen Dillenburg - Human Resources Consulting/ Executive Coaching:

Karen’s wide-ranging human resources experience includes being the regional human resources manager for the corporate headquarters which supported several thousand employees.  She managed a staff of HR professionals that provided employee relations expertise to their business partners.  Karen and her team were responsible for developing policies and administering people initiatives throughout the organization related to compensation, performance management, and employee/leadership development.  Karen is well-versed in recruitment, employee relations, performance management, compensation, coaching, change management, project management, and people development.

Karen also had the added experience of being a director of procurement related to HR services and consulting services.  She managed the supplier evaluation and selection process, as well as contract negotiation, management, and administration.  Karen also ensured that the estimated cost savings were actually realized and that supplier performance continued to meet business partner expectations.  This experience served her well in providing a business perspective to human resources related functions.

Karen holds an MBA with an emphasis in human resources management from Roosevelt University as well as a BS in communications with a specialization in psychology and sociology from the University of Illinois.  Karen and her family reside in the Chicago area. 

Monica Pondiccio - Employee Benefits and Strategic Planning

Monica Pondiccio is a dynamic Human Resource professional with over 20 years of experience in Employee Benefits and High -Impact Strategic Planning.  Monica has worked with all aspects of employee benefits including medical, dental, life and disability programs and defined benefit / defined contribution plans.  She has consulted with firms to design and implement these plans, and also has experience in plan administration and communication as a Benefits Manager.

Monica has worked with private and governmental companies ranging in size from 2 to 5,000 employees.  Her knowledge in custom designing programs to fit individual company needs, focus and employee population has led to annual cost savings while increasing employee benefit satisfaction.

In addition to her Employee Benefits skills, Monica is a Certified HISP (High Impact Strategic Planning) Facilitator.  She has assisted leaders from various departments within an organization in developing their short and long term departmental goals and linking them with the corporate mission.

A graduate of the College of Mt. St. Vincent with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business and Psychology, Monica is also an on-call consultant available to conduct employee benefit presentations and health fairs for clients on behalf of a major healthcare carrier.  She is certified in Health Savings Account and Health Reimbursement Arrangement products.  In addition to Welfare plan presentations, Monica has been qualified to deliver 401(k) presentations on behalf of various financial clients.

Monica lives with her family in Connecticut.

Jeanne Smetana- Organizational Development  & Training, Change Management 

Jeanne's focus is development of the organization through its people and its processes.  She brings over 20 years of expertise in consulting, needs assessment, instructional design, development, delivery, and evaluation, national and global performance management, and change management in support of strategic initiatives. 

In her most recent position as AVP of Organizatioanl Development & Training at a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization, she served on the global performance management "Think Tank" while leading the North American performance management intiative.  She played a major role in the design and roll-out of the North American process.  Jeanne led change management teams in support of strategic initiatives, consulted with and designed/developed training for a new marketing position, served as Training Account Executive for a mid-sized account business unit, and created/implemented management development and professional development curricula.

Jeanne earned a BS and Master's degree in Education.  Additionally she holds a Management Certificate, a Training & Development Specialist Certificate, and a Distance Learning Certificate.  She was nominated and completed the Strategic Leaadership program at The Kellogg School, Northwestern University and the company's Leadership/HR program.  Jeanne served on the Maryland Round Table for Education and initiated the adoption of a local elementary school by her employer. 

Jeanne resides in Sparks, Maryland.

Cathy Tydings - Training Design and Development

Cathy Tydings' experience in the field of training and development began as a teacher in the Baltimore City School System.  This was followed by more than 15 years as a commercial insurance underwriter.  The last twelve years of her career have centered on training, working as a Sr. Training and Development consultant with a global financial services/property casualty insurance organization.  In this role she worked side by side with other professionals in the HR area and management to assess, design, develop and deliver training solution that would address performance issues or the development of new skills.

Cathy has presented both vendor-developed and proprietary training in a traditional classroom setting, teaching across the US and in Great Britain.  She is certified as a Training Manager/Director and also holds certification to deliver training and professional development courses from highly recognized and acclaimed training and development organizations for various levels within any organization.

Cathy holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland with a double major in English and Early Childhood.  She and her family reside in Maryland.

Rise Marie Legato - Organizational Effectiveness and Training

Rise has more than 15 years experience in the area of training and development for the corporate world within the financial services sector.  Her forte is needs assessment, curriculum design, management training, professional development, leadership and facilitation.

In her most recent position with a global financial/insurance firm, Rise worked closely with senior leaders to strategically address performance gaps.  Her ability to design and deliver programs for her business units resulted in considerable cost savings to the firm.  In prior positions, Rise worked in many start-up functions within various training departments and played key roles in managing and grooming staff.

Rise is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and holds an MS in Adult Education and Human Resources Development  She is certified in a number of vendor programs and OD assessment tools.  Rise resides in New Jersey.

Judy Schlipp - Communications

Judy Schlipp is an accomplished communications professional who understands big-picture issues and can identify communications needs while managing details and meeting deadlines.  Her experience includes more than 25 years in corporate internal communications, public relations, community relations, and event management in Fortune 50, private and nonprofit organizations.  In her most recent roles, she developed strategy and content for human resources and leadership communications in market-leading insurance and retail companies.

Judy's specialty is implementing creative solutions to communications challenges with diverse audiences ranging in size from 100 to 300,000.  Her competencies include writing/editing or online, print, presentation and video formats; executive messaging and correspondence; development of critical business documents such as business plans and change management plans; corporate and community event strategy, planning and management; project management and support; and relationship building.

A graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Journalism and of DePaul University with an MBA in Finance, Judy's diverse background includes licensing as a real estate broker, an SEC-certified securities manager and an insurance salesperson.  She and her family live in the Chicago area. 

Robert F. Longo - Human Resources Consultant, Trainer and Coach

Bob Longo is an experienced HR practitioner with an effective combination of experiences in the banking, brokerage, insurance, manufacturing and professional services industries.  His experience encompasses global human resources services delivery, operations management, process improvement and expense management.  Bob possesses  a proven ability to strategically align operations and architect solutions that meet business objectives.  In his role as a change agent, he builds and leverages operations partnerships.  Bob is an experienced trainer and coach.  Additionally, he designs and conducts management and business effectiveness workshops for skill improvement in selling, negotiation, presentation, interviewing  and many others. 

Bob also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at local colleges and universities.  He also coaches newly promoted technical professionals in the management skills needed to effectively lead teams.  Bob and his family reside in New Jersey.

Our outstanding national team has the credentials and experience to get you where you want to go!