Nicole Patterson has over 20 years of experience in business operations and human resources. She’s worked as both an HR Generalist and Specialist across staffing, analytics, operations, program management, learning & development, and compliance. Nicole began her career working in operations with the Managing Partner of a Stanford University medical practice. This gave her exposure to all elements of running a business and an opportunity to discover her passion for HR.

Over the next 15 years, Nicole worked in multiple roles in Google’s People Operations [HR] department, most recently as the Head of Planning & Operations in Google’s People Development [Learning & Development] organization. In addition to her professional experiences as a Google business leader and manager, Nicole facilitated courses and coached Googlers across the company and around the globe. She is a certified Hudson Institute Coach and currently serves on the board of the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation. Nicole enjoys partnering with leaders and managers to create a culture where people learn, grow and perform their best.

Becky Cotton is highly regarded as a top leader in creating a coaching culture in Silicon Valley. Becky first began coaching at Xerox as a manager of large teams and that continued when she joined Google in 2005. Becky co-founded and lead Google’s lauded internal coaching program called Guru+. She grew it to 750 coaches in 150 global offices. The program won international recognition with the International Coaching Federation. She has studied coaching with New Ventures West, the Coaches Training Institute, the Hudson Coaching Institute and the International Coach Federation.

Becky’s coaching work and signature methodology has been featured in the following books: Work Rules, The Pivot Method and Pause. She has spoken multiple times for the Conference Board, including keynotes and panels on Executive Coaching and Talent. She speaks at Stanford University’s Continuing Education department on career planning, discovering work purpose and passion. Becky’s clients rave that she is “insightful, curious, warm, open, caring, direct and honest.” She is driven to help clients achieve their goals and develop the emotional intelligence to navigate any leadership challenge.

David Spungin is known for transforming managers into high-performing leaders. He holds a degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Science in Organization Development from American University/The National Training Laboratories for Applied Behavioral Science (NTL), and has completed advanced leadership studies at Harvard University. A U.S. Army combat veteran with corporate leadership experience, he is sought after for developing self-aware leaders who inspire engaged workplaces. He consults primarily to Fortune 500 companies and has trained 2000+ leaders in companies including Schlumberger, Accenture, Harris, Arthur Gallagher, Johns Manville, and Hogan Lovells.

David is recognized for his ability to quickly assess an organization’s needs, develop creative learning designs, and facilitate highly-engaging training events. He’s known for his skill in relating with a wide variety of personalities and cultures. David can successfully deliver training to an oil and gas executive team in Alaska one day, and Millennial leaders in Silicon Valley the next. 

David specializes in helping leaders to develop their executive presence, create highly trusting and accountable teams, and a develop a servant’s approach to leadership that inspires results.

Li-Ming Pu’s unique blend of Wall Street savvy, Silicon Valley smarts, and ‘in the trenches’ experience enables her to bridge the gap between human potential and change, propelling organizations forward. With over 20 years of experience across sectors, including 17 years at Google, Li-Ming is skilled at helping leaders navigate complex transitions and unlock their teams’ potential.

Trained by coaching luminaries like Bill Campbell (of ‘Trillion Dollar Coach) and Fred Kofman (of ‘Conscious Business’), Li-Ming is an expert in HR business partnering, organizational development, change management, leadership coaching, and talent strategy. Her work has been published, and she has spoken at large conferences.

Passionate about the startup ecosystem, Li-Ming serves as an Advisor at Atlanta Tech Village. Li-Ming holds a BA from Brown University and an MS in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco. She is certified by the Hudson Institute and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and holds multiple leadership accreditations.

Vic is a seasoned thought leader in education technology and learning science.  He is currently a Sr. Advisor to the President of  US Programs at the Gates Foundation focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Learning.  Prior to the Gates Foundation, Vic lead a large initiative (The Learner Variability Project) working with the world’s top neuroscientists to map a learning genome and make the latest learning science accessible for all.  He is an expert in how people learn, innovation, and scaling what works and has launched game-changing initiatives that have increased access to education and improved learning for tens of millions of learners in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Vic previously consulted with a number of foundations and organizations on education technology. While working at the Hewlett Foundation Vic developed strategies and managed over $100 million in grants to launch and grow the Open Educational Resources movement and create and advance the Deeper Learning strategy.  Vic completed a master’s degree in Education, Technology and Learning at Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sofia is our Learning and Development Analyst.  She supports our leadership development programs and analyzes learning metrics and prepares reports.