Private Sector Coaches
Kirk McCarley
Senior Executive Coach / Career Strategist
As a Career Coach Kirk McCarley’s aim for each of his clients is that they are first heard well, then motivated to develop a vision and mission that will achieve their objective. His fundamental philosophy about our careers is that “vocation occupies more waking hours than any other single activity. As such our jobs should not only be fulfilling, but an endeavor to which we feel ‘led.’ It should meet our financial needs, yet also allow for a healthy and sustainable work/life balance.”
Prior to becoming a coach Kirk had over 30 years of experience as a Human Resources Executive in both public and private sector environments. Among his achievements, Kirk navigated a $600 MM pension plan through the perilous economic downturn of 2008, restoring it to a stable funded status; developed a Leadership Institute, an executive level training school designed to prepare potential talent for career advancement. More than 70% of the program’s 85 participants were either promoted or assumed roles that eventually had significant organizational impact. Kirk also created an employee wellness program that annually helped keep medical insurance premium expenses 3% below health cost trend line. Four hundred participants in an employer sponsored Weightwatchers program lost over 11,000 pounds.
Kirk sees himself as enthusiastic while also contemplative, determined, yet relaxed. A graduate of the University of North Texas, he is a Certified Professional Coach as well as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM-CP Certified. He also is a Production Assistant for both college football and basketball for ESPN and leads group cycling classes (Spinning). In addition, he is a columnist for his local paper and a member of the Football Writers of America Association (FWAA). Kirk and his wife of 38 years, Cindy, make their home in the Florida Panhandle. They have two grown children and one grandson.
Carol D’souza
Senior Executive Coach / Career Strategist
Carol is a workplace Human Resources Consultant, Certified Executive Coach & Career Strategist. She has 20+ yrs. of experience working at large and small organizations both in the UAE and since 2004 in the US. She has advanced through positions of increasing authority and decision-making and has been a valuable resource and critical link between internal/external customers, management team members and governmental/regulatory agencies for the organizations she served at as a Human Resources Executive. She supported various discipline teams at the system level as Chief HR Officer of Banner Casa Grande Medical Center. Carol drove, and modeled a service-oriented culture focused on employee engagement, quality, safety, compliance, service excellence, fiscal responsibility, and overall customer experience. She made a positive shift in Leadership Effectiveness scores, Employee Engagement and Customer Satisfaction Scores.
Coaching is Carol’s passion. As an Executive Coach, her goal is to make a positive difference to every client, every encounter, helping them navigate through their leadership/career journey and accomplishing their goals. Her clients will tell you that she demonstrates energy, enthusiasm and passion in all she does. She is courageous in her work and has taught leaders to be courageous in leading their teams. Carol specializes in supporting clients as they develop leadership and high-level skills and leadership abilities necessary to succeed as business leaders. Her clients are often highly motivated and achievement-oriented professionals looking for an edge to take their careers to the next level.
Carol holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University, a Master’s Degree in Sociology and a Certificate in Professional Coaching from the College of Executive Coaching, California.
Executive Branding Team
Sally Gonzales
C-Suite / Executive and Military Branding Expert
Sally has been writing resumes and LinkedIn content for clients spanning all industries, including C-level, IT, sales, HR, finance, recent undergraduates, and military transitions. Prior to resume writing, Sally worked in marketing and advertising. She spent three years at The Integer Group – a promotional, retail, and shopper marketing agency and member of Omnicom Group Inc. – and five years at a Denver-based medical marketing agency. Her agency work gave her extensive experience in account and project management, client communication, technical copywriting, and copyediting. Sally lives in Golden, CO, with her husband and three children. She enjoys spending her free time running, camping, boating, hiking, and a good cup of coffee.
Jack Harms
C-Suite / Executive and Military Branding Expert
After several decades writing and producing the many different types of marketing materials, Jack began concentrating on job search documents. He earned his professional resume writer’s certificate, signed on with a firm that allowed him to serve clients around the world, and create his own web-based business. Realizing that Stewart, Cooper & Coon was a perfect fit, Jack joined the branding team. Over the past several years, he has been instrumental in creating branding packages and marketing materials for executives in a variety of industries. His work exemplifies the corporate belief that a resume is not a job history but a marketing tool that shows a prospective employer the value a candidate can bring to a job and details performance evidence that verifies the claim.
Athena Wisniewski
Media Communication
Athena brings a unique perspective to client marketing management through her diligence, research, and passion for creating outstanding social media products. For over a decade, Athena has been compiling topics and pertinent subject matter and composing articles for a variety of industries. Here at Stewart, Cooper & Coon, she has been publishing premium quality content to our corporate website, blogs and social media outlets, increasing our clients’ networking reach.
Athena has managed a team of five writing assistants, as well as created and organized content for group marketing mailings based on demographic and interest and infographic-based social media content. She previously provided proofreading, editing, and text copy restructuring services for overseas content creators seeking American English writing styles for their publications.
Along with additional administrative support services, Athena also has a background in Human Resources, which has resulted in her developing strong relationships with our team, clients and client companies. Athena resides in New York state with her family.
Amanda Meek
Administration
Amanda’s professional experience includes human resources management, recruiting and recruiting management. She has recruited and effectively managed hundreds of people across the country. She also has a strong background in implementing and directing training curriculum for new recruits. Amanda’s positive work ethic and dedication has allowed her to develop professional relationships with many of the Fortune 500-1000 companies.
