ABOUT

Blue Circle Leadership partners with innovative companies and organizations of all sizes to support leaders who are at the forefront of business transformations. From the Fortune 500 to professional organizations and associations, we equip our clients with unique tools and techniques to help them create a culture within their organizations that can sustain rapid growth, increase resilience, and thus generate breakthrough performance that transfers to bottom-line business results.

Based on our decades of experience and expertise in academic research, instructional design, marketing, and business communication, we design customized, interactive, engaging, just-in-time solutions that guarantee the most efficient and actionable development experiences possible.

OUR MISSION

We have one simple mission: To help the best get even better.

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Empower diverse professionals to advocate for themselves

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Cultivate a diverse leadership pipeline

Position your company for the future

OUR TEAM

Bonnie St. John

Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, Bonnie St. John became the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, taking home a silver and two bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria. In recognition of this historic achievement, Bonnie was quoted on millions of Starbucks coffee cups and was honored at the White House by President George W. Bush.

Today, Bonnie travels the globe as a highly sought after keynote speaker, Fortune 500 business consultant, television and radio personality, business owner, and the bestselling author of seven books. As CEO of the Blue Circle Leadership Institute, Bonnie leads international live and virtual leadership programs including Transformational Leadership – designed to address the unique challenges of multicultural women in the workplace.

Bonnie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, and served in the White House as a Director of the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. She has been featured extensively in both national and international media including: The Today Show, CNN, CBS Morning News, PBS, NPR, and The New York Times, as well as People, “O”, Essence, and Success magazines.

NBC Nightly News called Bonnie, “One of the five most inspiring women in America.”

Allen P. Haines

Allen Haines has spent the last 20 years as CEO of several high-growth, mid-sized companies responsible for creating marketing campaigns in the movie and television industries. From Star Wars: Episode One to Everybody Loves Raymond, Allen has been instrumental in advertising and promoting some of the most successful entertainment productions of all time.

In addition, Allen has advised numerous corporate executives, politicians, and celebrities on their presentation, image, and communication skills. He has coached executive presentations for senior executives at Sony, The Walt Disney Company, IMG, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox, to name just a few.

Emily Halper

Emily C. Halper serves as Chief of Staff for Blue Circle Leadership. In her role, Emily handles program management, internal strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations and logistics. She has over a decade of experience planning and running events, retreats and conferences. Her previous positions include development associate and campaign finance manager for several U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives and non-profit organizations in Washington, DC. An active member of the community, Emily serves on several non-profit boards and committees in Harrisburg, PA, where she lives with her husband, daughter and son.

Kailei Carr

A champion for diversity in leadership, Kailei Carr specializes in equipping women and diverse leaders with the tools they need to thrive and elevate in their careers. Before joining Blue Circle Leadership, she spent over 15 years working in human resources, marketing, and digital media at companies including Eaton, Accenture and Gannet. Her signature approach to leadership presence has helped high potential leaders around the globe advance to the most senior ranks. When she’s not facilitating programs or speaking at conferences and corporations, Kailei can be found hosting her podcast, Beyond the Business Suit, which has listeners in over 100 countries. Her advice to executive and executive-bound women has been featured in numerous media outlets including Forbes, Fortune and The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Malini Janakiraman

Malini Janakiraman is a global executive specializing in Learning, Organizational Development & Executive Coaching. She has provided Leadership, Diversity, Culture, and Talent Management solutions for global participants all over the US, and EMEA, including the Czech Republic, the Asia Pac region, China, India and Singapore.

A native of Bangalore, India, Malini is fluent in three languages and has working knowledge in Mandarin. Her complete understanding of the business environment enables her to stay laser-focused on creating clear, results-oriented processes and experiences for Blue Circle participants.

Pam Rincones

Pam Rincones is a successful Human Capital leader with expertise in employee engagement, inclusion and diversity, and talent development. Most recently, Pam was Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Fifth Third Bancorp. She was responsible for enterprise wide initiatives to achieve diverse talent excellence, an inclusive culture and collaborative partnerships with communities. She is currently a CASA (court appointed special advocate), and is a member of the Greater Cincinnati’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s advisory board, United Way WINGS and Hispanic Leadership Society, and volunteers her time at a local food pantry.

Laura Vollers

Senior Director of Programs Laura Vollers supervises the execution and facilitation of our leadership programs. Over the past decade, Laura has functioned in a variety of professional fields including event coordination, compliance, and public relations. In addition to her valuable contributions to the Blue Circle team, Laura manages a small farm in Easton, PA, with her husband and two sons.

Joanna Miller

As a Program Director with Blue Circle Leadership, Joanna K. Miller manages and facilitates the Transformational Leadership program, serving as liaison and support for the women as they progress through the course. Before joining the Blue Circle team, Joanna worked for over 7 years in event planning, project management, and fundraising for several non-profit organizations. She also served as a cultural ambassador for the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Joanna currently resides in Asheville, NA with her partner, Caleb, and their Norwegian Elkhound, Edgar.

Alison York

Alison York serves as the Manager of Programs, and in this role, she assists in the planning and execution of Blue Circle Leadership programs. In previous positions, she served as a counselor for children, adolescents and families at various non-profit agencies, designing support and treatment plans. Alison has a background in mathematics and psychology and lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband and two children.

Tiffanie DeVarso

As a Program Manager with Blue Circle, Tiffanie DeVarso takes part in providing technical assistance and moderation for our leadership programs. She also serves as a liaison and support for participants as they progress through the course. Before joining the Blue Circle team, Tiffanie worked as an e-learning specialist for multiple leadership training companies and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at TriCounty Technical College in South Carolina. Tiffanie received her undergraduate degrees in Music and Geology from Berea College, her MBA from Southern Wesleyan University, and her MHRD (Master’s in Instructional Design and Organizational Development) from Clemson University. Tiffanie currently resides in Pendleton, SC with her husband, Griff, and their pack of rescue Chihuahuas.