Our Founders

Victor Buzzotta,      Ph.D., Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Victor Buzzotta, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Vic is Co-Founder and Co-CEO, and his ongoing contribution to the research and development of our leadership programs is at the heart of our company.

Since co-founding Psychological Associates in 1958, Vic has promoted the use of . . .

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Vic is Co-Founder and Co-CEO, and his ongoing contribution to the research and development of our leadership programs is at the heart of our company.

Since co-founding Psychological Associates in 1958, Vic has promoted the use of common-sense methods to select and develop the high-performing personnel needed to meet the challenges of ever-accelerating change.

He has led the Learning & Development effort to develop an array of people skills training programs in leadership, teamwork, and sales. A broad range of clients in the financial, consumer, and industrial fields use these interrelated programs both in the United States and internationally, through Psychological Associates’ network of partner companies worldwide.

Vic has coauthored four books on applied behavioral science, including Making Common Sense Common Practice. He has also written numerous articles on the human side of business.

 
Robert E. Lefton, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Robert E. Lefton, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Co-CEO

As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of our firm, Bob is an icon in our industry and an active consultant and coach on the executive level.

As Co-Founder of Psychological Associates and one of the original developers of . . .

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As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of our firm, Bob is an icon in our industry and an active consultant and coach on the executive level.

As Co-Founder of Psychological Associates and one of the original developers of Dimensional Training®, he has conducted numerous seminars. Today, he is a consultant to senior executives for many corporations, including Fortune 500 companies. He has consulted with and served on the faculties of Washington University, the Motorola Executive Institute, the ALCOA Executive Institute, and CEO International, Inc. He has also served on boards of directors of both public and privately-held companies. As an expert in human development, Bob is a frequent speaker, contributor, and coauthor of five books, including Why Can’t We Get Anything Done Around Here?, written with the late Jerome T. Loeb, Chairman of The May Department Stores Company.

 

Our Leadership Team

Every member of our staff works hard to uphold Psychological Associates’ reputation among our clients for providing service beyond their expectations. One reason for this level of dedication is our Q4 Leadership Team, whose talents, knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm help us to maintain a standard of which we are very proud.

 
William        E. Beane, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Client Services

William E. Beane, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Client Services

Bill is a High-Performance Practice Leader who meets almost nonstop with clients as a senior consultant and facilitator of custom programs, which he usually helps to design.

Bill has provided leadership at Psychological Associates . . .

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Bill is a High-Performance Practice Leader who meets almost nonstop with clients as a senior consultant and facilitator of custom programs, which he usually helps to design.

Bill has provided leadership at Psychological Associates for over two decades. He specializes in personal and organizational effectiveness; leadership development; sales/sales management development; and senior team development. Bill has consulted with multinational organizations, implementing and sustaining organizational and sales effectiveness initiatives. This has resulted in Bill’s designing and producing over 30 custom training programs. Recently, he has been working with clients on an innovation initiative to raise performance levels in an area critical to marketplace viability.

Before joining Psychological Associates, Bill was a professor of psychology at Indiana University and St. Louis University. He has published numerous research articles on team effectiveness and high performance. He has been a speaker for ASTD, The American Management Association, SHRM, The Presidents’ Association, and Management Centre — Europe.

 
Jim Boyd, CPA,      Chief Administrative Officer

Jim Boyd, CPA, Chief Operating Officer

Jim brings best-practice financial consulting to our firm, clarifying and streamlining the processes and practices of our business interactions with clients.

As Chief Operating Officer, Jim is a valued financial . . .

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Jim brings best-practice financial consulting to our firm, clarifying and streamlining the processes and practices of our business interactions with clients.

As Chief Operating Officer, Jim is a valued financial consultant for Psychological Associates. He is a licensed certified public accountant with extensive hands-on experience and a broad background in financial management. Jim is responsible for all accounting and financial processes. These include payroll and 401(k) administration. He is also our on-site HR representative.

Before Jim joined Psychological Associates, his previous experience included a variety of management responsibilities in accounting; business consulting; and financial system design and implementation. He has supervised audits in public utility, manufacturing, and financial/brokerage industries for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 
Tom Brooks,     MBA, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Performance Consulting

Tom Brooks, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Professional Services

Tom is a High-Performance Practice Leader who works with middle- and senior- level management as a coach and facilitator.

Having both an MBA and a doctorate in psychology gives Tom a unique appreciation for . . .

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Tom is a High-Performance Practice Leader who works with middle- and senior- level management as a coach and facilitator.

Having both an MBA and a doctorate in psychology gives Tom a unique appreciation for and understanding of the needs of business clients.

As Executive Vice President, Professional Services, Tom provides assessment services to corporations across the United States for selection, promotion, succession planning, and developmental purposes. That includes assessing individuals at all levels of organizations, including top-level executives. He also provides executive coaching and career evaluations to assist clients in their professional development.

Tom’s extensive background in psychological assessment has been instrumental in training others how to administer and score a wide variety of instruments.

 
MIchelle Clark, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

Michelle Clark, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

As a business psychologist, Michelle consults with companies in situations where the business bottom-line intersects with people issues. With more than 10 years of experience utilizing psychological testing to facilitate personnel decisions, Michelle specializes in assisting organizations to become . . .

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As a business psychologist, Michelle consults with companies in situations where the business bottom-line intersects with people issues. With more than 10 of years experience utilizing psychological testing to facilitate personnel decisions, Michelle specializes in assisting organizations to become smarter and more effective in their hiring and succession processes. In addition, Michelle has international business experience, develops leadership programs, facilitates strategic business meetings, and coaches executives.

Michelle has wide-ranging corporate experience with clients including Cummins, Emerson, Delta Dental, Union Pacific Railroad, and many major universities. She facilitates meetings of the Chief Executive Network, putting her in monthly contact with CEOs from across the country as they tackle their most significant business challenges. In this capacity, she has provided keynote addresses on assessment in hiring, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence. Her experience includes utilizing assessments for hiring and development purposes; training program development; coaching corporate executives and their teams; as well as framing and leading company-wide talent management and succession planning programs.

Michelle has authored and co-authored articles about organizational consulting, including “Developing a Supervisor Feedback Rating Scale Using Outside Observers.”

 
Pamela      Franta, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

Pamela Franta, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

Pam brings her vast consulting experience to a wide variety of clients and projects.

Possessing a comprehensive background in results-oriented management development, Pam has experience in selection, assessment, 360° feedback . . .

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Pam brings her vast consulting experience to a wide variety of clients and projects.

Possessing a comprehensive background in results-oriented management development, Pam has experience in selection, assessment, 360° feedback, employee opinion surveys, conflict resolution, working with teams, executive coaching, and succession planning.

Pam has worked with organizations in business, health care, government, finance, and academia. She has conducted team-building sessions, career counseling, senior leadership retreats, and change management workshops.

Pam is the author of several articles and has delivered numerous presentations to professional organizations on wide-ranging topics such as stress management and goal setting.

 
Hal      Guterman, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

Hal Guterman, Ph.D., Vice President, Performance Consulting

Hal’s area of concentration is assessment services and administering our Competencies Library.

Hal has been instrumental in developing our Competencies Library, helping clients define exact competency profiles to meet their specific needs when . . .

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Hal’s area of concentration is assessment services and administering our Competencies Library.

Hal has been instrumental in developing our Competencies Library, helping clients define exact competency profiles to meet their specific needs when hiring, promoting, or making other talent decisions.

Drawing on his rich background in psychological assessment, Hal also conducts assessments of individuals for selection, promotion, succession planning, and developmental purposes. He provides expertise as well in the areas of personality and job performance, executive coaching, competency modeling, and psychological barriers to productivity.

Hal has coauthored articles on the subjects of personality and job performance, competency models, and assessment centers.

 
Pam Hager,      Vice President, Instructional Consulting

Pam Hager, Vice President, Instructional Consulting

Pam has substantial experience in facilitation, performance consulting, and courseware
design and development.

Pam has been a staff member at . . .

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Pam has substantial experience in facilitation, performance consulting, and courseware design and development.

Pam has been a staff member at EDS (McDonnell Douglas Systems Integration Company); IDS Financial Services; and College of the Sequoias, Visalia, CA. She also directed her own training and development firm, Imaginative Concepts, for 10 years.

As an instructor for Psychological Associates, Pam teaches a broad range of curriculum to corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions throughout the United States. Among the workshops Pam facilitates is the flagship offering, Leadership Through People Skills ®. Pam also developed and leads Working Through Conflict and What You Need to Lead.

 
Carla      Havlin, Office Manager

Carla Havlin, Office Manager

Carla makes sure that all support services and staff are functioning at their best to carry out the complete service needs of our clients.

Much of the work of meeting client needs is performed on a daily basis . . .

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Carla makes sure that all support services and staff are functioning at their best to carry out the complete service needs of our clients.

Much of the work of meeting client needs is performed on a daily basis by the support staff at Psychological Associates. Carla works with this group to instill the “can do” spirit of our company to be sure all the tasks that make up our full client service are executed completely and in a timely manner. She also communicates with the staff and their managers to improve systems and processes, as well as making sure our facilities are up to date and that they support the highest level of professionalism.

 
Roger      Heape, Vice President, Instructional Consulting

Roger K. Heape, Ph.D., Vice President, Instructional Consulting

Roger brings years of experience in sales, sales management, and training to Psychological Associates.

While working for Harper & Row Publishing, Roger wrote and conducted sales management and
sales training programs at the organization’s district, regional, and national levels, . . .

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Roger brings years of experience in sales, sales management, and training to Psychological Associates.

While working for Harper & Row Publishing, Roger wrote and conducted sales management and sales training programs at the organization’s district, regional, and national levels, and developed product tracking and human resource evaluating techniques. He also has expertise in telemarketing and online, computer-based sales supervision.

Since joining Psychological Associates, Roger has worked as a custom program designer for Fortune 500 companies in the United States, and for Midland Bank and Blackhorse Financial Services in the United Kingdom. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

 
Clay      Hildebrand, Vice President, Sales

Clay Hildebrand, Vice President, Sales

Clay is responsible for sales development, and leads our team of directors of business development.

Clay brings extensive sales-executive experience to Psychological Associates. He has excelled both in selling and in leading a variety of sales and customer service teams. . . .

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Clay is responsible for sales development, and leads our team of directors of business development.

Clay brings extensive sales-executive experience to Psychological Associates. He has excelled both in selling and in leading a variety of sales and customer service teams.

Clay’s experience extends to all facets of the sales process, including global sales of multimillion-dollar solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Clients have included the Ford Motor Company, Sun Microsystems, AMD, Western Union, Kelly Services, Assurant Health, Intel, American Water, Arrow Electronics, and Chevron.

Clay served previously at Maritz Inc. for 14 years as an Account Executive and a Director of Operations.

 
Cindy      Lefton, RN, Ph.D., Vice President, Organizational Consulting (Health Care Initiative)

Cindy Lefton, RN, Ph.D., Vice President, Organizational Consulting (Health Care Initiative)

Cindy’s unique credentials put her at the forefront for helping health care institutions improve performance throughout their organization.

Cindy combines knowledge of organizational psychology with extensive experience . . .

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Cindy’s unique credentials put her at the forefront for helping health care institutions improve performance throughout their organization.

Cindy combines knowledge of organizational psychology with extensive experience as a registered nurse to develop effective interventions for academic medical centers and hospitals. Her work encompasses many services: executive coaching; team building; mission development; 360° feedback; survey development and administration; and organizational collaboration. She is also a certified facilitator for several leadership workshops.

Cindy’s active role in the medical field enriches the services she delivers. For instance, in 2006 – 07, she led a research team sponsored by AONE, ARAMARK Healthcare, and the Studer Group to develop and validate a nurse satisfaction survey. She has also spoken at national conferences, including a keynote address at the 2008 Emergency Nurses Association Scientific Assembly.

 
Meghan R. Lowery, Ph.D., Director, Organizational Development Consulting

Meghan R. Lowery, Ph.D., Director, Organizational Development Consulting

Meghan’s extensive background in the design, methodology, and implementation of surveys well prepared her for the critical role she performs at Psychological Associates, overseeing our company’s Survey Department. This responsibility has enabled Meghan to use her expert knowledge . . .

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Meghan’s extensive background in the design, methodology, and implementation of surveys well prepared her for the critical role she performs at Psychological Associates, overseeing our company’s Survey Department. This responsibility has enabled Meghan to use her expert knowledge of statistics and analytics in the measurement and assessment of client needs and outcomes. In addition to her survey work, Meghan has experience in the development of tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for employee selection, placement, and promotion.

Meghan has co-authored or contributed to several articles, books, and technical papers on her two major areas of research interest, performance appraisals and compensation systems, as well as other organizational topics.

 
Jenny D. Swanson, Ph.D., Director, Performance Consulting

Jenny D. Swanson, Ph.D., Director, Performance Consulting

Jenny’s experience with business, clinical, and academic settings provides a unique perspective for her clients. She specializes in middle- and senior-level executive selection and development, leveraging her expertise in assessment services to help clients realize their strategic objectives for . . .

full biography

Jenny’s experience with business, clinical, and academic settings provides a unique perspective for her clients. She specializes in middle- and senior-level executive selection and development, leveraging her expertise in assessment services to help clients realize their strategic objectives for talent selection, promotion, succession planning, and employee development. Her specific expertise is in quantitative analyses, test administration, psychometric properties of assessments, and ethics of individual assessments.

Jenny has extensive experience in organizational and developmental assessment programs working with Fortune 500 companies. She also was essential to the development of comprehensive assessment materials at the Indiana University Northwest Developmental Assessment Center. Jenny has five years experience in clinical psychology, in which she focused on intellectual and personality assessment, behavioral interviewing, crisis intervention, and risk management. In addition, she has co-authored many articles on such topics as engagement and performance, as well as clinical psychology subject matter.

 

 

 

 

 

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