Founder and President of the Institute 4 Priority Thinking® and EthicsPoll™, Peter supports his clients as an executive coach, organizational consultant, ethics facilitator and strategy advisor. Peter helps leaders and their teams to achieve significant performance improvements while reducing risks and embedding ethical power into decision making at all levels. He also facilitates leadership and ethics education programs for nonprofits, profits and top business schools. His work includes turnarounds, crisis intervention, and helping organizations work through complex regulatory demands in medical device and financial service industries. Peter’s operating priority framework is considered a common sense model for building and sustaining operational and moral excellence in any setting. Over his thirty-plus (30+) year career, Peter has extensive leadership experience in general management and senior level executive assignments in the United States and Mexico with Xerox, Bausch & Lomb and Latex Foam International. During these assignments, Peter served as chief operating officer, division president, managing director, general manager, plant manager, manager of information technology, and quality engineer. He has designed, built and led two large scale production facilities—one in the United States, and one in Mexico—from the ground up, and led three lean transformations that yielded significant sales, throughput and gross margin improvements. Prior to his business career, Peter enlisted in the United States Army after high school and later served as an infantry officer in airborne and mechanized infantry assignments, including seven (7) years as citizen soldier and company commander in the NY National Guard. Peter holds a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MS from the University of Southern California, an MS from the College of Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. He has his permanent certification as a Lean-Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB) through Villanova University, and is currently pursuing post-graduate studies in philosophy at Holy Apostles College. Peter was named a “Top Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business” in 2014 and 2015 by Trust Across America – Trust Around the World.
Theodore (Ted) G. Ryan, Ph.D. is Consulting Professor of Ethics in Management at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, where he teaches Business Ethics and Leadership. He also teaches the Core Management and Leadership course in the Master of Engineering Management Program at Pratt, Duke’s engineering school. Ted is spearheading “Ethics Resources in the Curriculum,” an innovative initiative to incorporate a sound ethics perspective into every MBA course at Fuqua. Ted is a Consultant/Educator for Duke Corporate Education (rated #1 in the world by the Financial Times), and teaches Values-Based Leadership in Duke CE’s Advanced Management Program. Ted is a skilled teacher and facilitator, having conducted numerous workshops, off-sites and retreats, in a broad range of topics, for profits and for not for profit organizations. Ted’s academic work is supported by deep practitioner experience. For over 35 years, he has been a consultant and coach to top-tier organizations, focusing on organizational effectiveness, aligning corporate cultures to strategy, mission, vision and values, leadership and management development; executive coaching and development, 360° development and evaluation processes, business ethics, and selection process development. Ted has created and delivered numerous leadership development programs for executives and managers at major global corporations and not-for-profits. At Morgan Stanley, Ted created and conducted offsite leadership programs globally for officers throughout the firm. Ted helped deliver Bank of America’s executive leadership program to several hundred high-level executives.
Bill brings over twenty-five years experience and a wealth of knowledge to our Professional Learning Center. As an IBM salesman he learned to successfully sell outside, and as a program manager for a large customer call center he learned the nuances of inside sales and customer service. While he earned a good living in sales, his greatest satisfaction comes from training, coaching and mentoring those in his charge. He credits his membership in the American Association for Training and Development (ASTD) for developing his knowledge and skills in becoming a Professional Learning Strategist. He has formulated an effective-classroom-instruction philosophy that has transformed countless content-focused training courses into engaging and interactive learning events. Bill is our resident trainer on meeting facilitation and competency trainer for our Priority Poller™ and Webinar technology platforms. Working with our training curriculum team, he helps support and produce effective training programs which offer attendees the greatest opportunity for self-discovery and skills development. For over 30 years, Bill and his wife Maryanne have lived in Fairport, New York where they raised three children. As a trained and commissioned Stephen Minister he provides lay Christian care to those in his church congregation who need support in coping with many of life’s challenges. Bill is also a proud veteran, with four years of active service in the United States Navy. These experiences, combined with his many other complimentary roles in management and supervision, makes him well suited to partner with our clients to discover how the principles of Priority Thinking can transform their workplace environment.
Caltha Seymour is the Director of the Academic Service Center for Student-Athletes at Tulane University. She also serves as an Ethics Education Associate, specializing in collegiate athletic programs for EthicsPoll™. Originally from Canada, Caltha is the former Director of Academic Operations for the Army football, track and field, and women’s soccer programs at West Point. She created a unique academic support program for the cadet-athletes and raised the academic profile of all three programs significantly. Caltha is an education and athletic coach who mentored cadet-athletes at West Point in three pillars: Military, Physical, and Academic. In 2010, she successfully initiated the first Student-Athlete Enhancement Program for facilitating academic success with at-risk students. In addition to her Athletic Department role in the Army, she was also an Academic Excellence Instructor for the Centre for Enhanced Performance. Caltha is currently launching a scholar-athlete and academic excellence program at Tulane to assist in raising the academic profile of the Tulane student-athletes. Caltha is a 2012 graduate of the NCAA/NACWAA Institute of Administrative Advancement, 2011 graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute, and a 2008 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy. She is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, and the Alliance of Women Coaches. Caltha earned her BS in Education from University of Delaware and MA in Sports Administration from Delaware State University. She is currently pursuing a MBA in Global Strategic Management & Leadership from Tulane University.
Marc Swogger, Ph.D. is a Coach and Clinical Psychologist with Priority Thinking®. He provides coaching support during the Discovery phase, with subsequent coaching support as needed. Marc is a licensed psychologist with 18 years of experience as a clinician and Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Marc’s research, currently funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, focuses on the efficacy of psychological intervention for drug use. Marc has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications examining personality traits associated with violence and other key public health outcomes. In 2005, he received the Christine Louro Award for excellence in both the science and practice of psychology.
Marc has a B.A. in psychology from Penn State University; M.A. in clinical psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. Marc’s post-doctoral training and residency was completed as a research fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
William is responsible for assisting in curriculum development and researching the connection between EthicsPoll, leadership and ethics in organizations. William has significant experience in the medical device industry. Prior to that, he served as an Airborne Ranger with the United States Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps as a reconnaissance platoon leader and sniper employment officer. His missions have included tours in Korea, United States and Iraq. He was seriously injured serving as a combat leader in Iraq. After two years of rehabilitation William realized that he would not be able to complete his career as an Army officer, and he was medically retired as a Captain to begin a new path for his life.
Since his rehabilitation, William has become very involved in community service. He co-founded the Wounded Patriot Foundation and OASIS (Outdoor Adventures for Sacrifice in Service) Adaptive Sports. William also actively volunteers and serves on the board for Cameron Community Ministries (an ecumenically based poverty outreach center) in Rochester, New York. Additionally, William teaches adaptive athletics, mentors several disabled populations and participates in adaptive athletics and wounded veteran fundraising activities and outreach efforts nationally.
A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, William earned his MBA in Health Sciences Management and Operations and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Rochester. William resides in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and children.
Joe LeBoeuf, Ph.D. is a Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (M.B.A. programs) and a Visiting Professor at the Stanford School of Public Policy (Hart Leadership Program), overseeing the overall leadership development program in the business school. Joe teaches in Duke’s Advanced Management Program, and also serves as a scholar in the Coach K Center of Leadership and Ethics (COLE) as a senior mentor and faculty advisor to COLE Leadership Fellows program.
Joe is an education consultant with Duke Corporate Education and the Praevius Group, in partnership with the Army’s Center on the Profession and Ethic. He is a former Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Deputy Head of the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department, Director of Organizational Studies and Director of the Academy’s Eisenhower Program graduate school (in partnership with Columbia University). Joe has held numerous U.S. Army command and staff assignments, serving on the Army Training and Leader Developmental Panel (ATLDP) Executive Committee.
Joe has extensive experience in leadership education, leader development, and organizational culture and change. He is involved in building USMA and Army leadership/leader development programs, and is an advisor to Army Chief of Staff on reshaping Army training and leader development culture/facilitating Army Transformation. Joe is a contributing author on several books and publications for the United States Military Academy and the U.S. Army, and a contributing author to the Army’s leadership doctrine. His research and writing have also appeared in Leader to Leader, Military Review, The Teaching of Sociology, and the Journal of Consulting Psychology.
Joe holds a B.S. in engineering from the United States Military Academy. He earned his M.S. in engineering psychology and Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A graduate of West Point, he earned Executive Leadership diplomas from the Army’s Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.
Alan is President and CEO of the Futures Funding Corporation and has been involved in the sales and service of employee benefit plans for over 30 years. He is also the founder and President of the Rochester Area Business Ethics Foundation (RABEF). RABEF sponsors the annual ETHIE award to businesses that exhibit high ethical cultures, as well as a variety of other educational programs and seminars. In their 11 year history, they have grown to be one of the most important business programs in the Rochester community. In recognition of that work, he was recently one of 4 national recipients of the “Being a Difference” award, given by the Center for Public Trust.
Alan is an alumnus of Dartmouth College. He holds the Master of Science in Financial Services designation from the American College and the professional designations of Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC). He is a past National President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.
Bill McVey is a consultant specializing in business ethics and leadership empowerment. He also conducts frequent seminars and presentations on his book Talking Like Leaders: Communicating in the Workplace. Bill’s diverse professional experience includes years as a corporate executive, ethics consultant, graduate course instructor, and motivational speaker on the nature of human empowerment.
He began his business career as a manufacturing representative, eventually becoming CEO of a manufacturing consultant engineering firm and developing the company’s quality control consulting division. During that time, Bill became acquainted with W. Edwards Deming’s principles of management, introducing these concepts to several manufacturing companies throughout the Midwest.
Bill then taught at classes in the Webster University M.B.A. program as an adjunct instructor. His course topics included business ethics and Principles and Methods of Marketing and Consumer Behavior Psychology. Bill left the university to accept a position with a market research company, where worked as a consumer behavior marketing research consultant with financial institutions such Bank of Montreal and American Century.
Bill holds a B.Ph. from St. Augustine’s College (Ontario, Canada), a B.Th. from St. Paul University (Ottawa, Canada), and an M.A. in Social Ethics from Wilfrid Laurier University (Ontario, Canada).
Coach Jim Johnson’s mantra, “dreams really do come true,” came to life Feb. 15, 2006, as the bleachers of Greece Athena High School exploded into cheers after Johnson called in number 52, Jason McElwain, to the final game of the season. Jason — A.K.A., J-Mac — was a student at Greece Athena High School who had a burning passion for basketball, but because of his autism, he had never been able to play.
Throughout Jason’s high school career, he tried out for multiple sports teams but never made the cut. But things started to change for Jason when he met Coach Johnson. A coach of numerous high school teams for more than 28 years, Johnson saw Jason’s passion but was unable to land him a spot on his team. Instead, he appointed Jason team manager, a role he gladly accepted. Johnson knew this would be Jason’s best chance to be a part of the sport he loved so much.
With Johnson as a mentor, Jason became an integral part of the team for several seasons. But Johnson knew there was one goal Jason wanted most to achieve — the chance to play in a varsity game. Seeing Jason’s persistence and dedication to his sport and to the Greece Athena team, Johnson couldn’t let Jason’s goals be crushed again in the midst of his senior year. The decision Johnson had to make was a tough one; there could be objections from parents and possible ridicule if thing went badly. But one thing loomed most in Johnson’s eyes: to get Jason into the last game of his senior year.
The game was against Spencerport, a bitter rival, and with four minutes left in the last period, Johnson stood up and pointed at Jason to sub in. The entire crowd erupted in jubilant cries as Jason stepped onto the court. And, to everyone’s surprise, Jason scored 20 points, eighteen of which were from three-pointer baskets, leading Greece Athena to the division title. The fans proceeded to rush from the bleachers onto the court, lifting Jason up in celebration. Johnson could only stand and watch in awe as Jason embraced his moment of glory, realizing his dream had finally come true.
In December of 2013, Greece Athena held a ceremony retiring Jason’s jersey and for the 2013/2014 season Coach Johnson has lead his team to a successful 17 & 1 record. The team has won their division and is the #1 seed for their upcoming sectional tournament.
Today, Johnson is a sought-after keynote and workshop speaker who shares not only the amazing story and his remarkable journey with Jason but he shares valuable leadership lessons with audiences all over the country. He is also the author of the book “A Coach and a Miracle.” He and Jason, now a volunteer assistant coach for freshman football and modified baseball for Greece Athena, still work together as coach and as manager-partners, working to make the lives of everyone they meet a true miracle.
Tom brings over 35 years of experience in general management, sales and marketing, and finance and accounting to the EthicsPoll team. He has held numerous leadership positions, including President & CEO, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Vice President of Finance and Controller.
He serves as an Operating Director for DeltaPoint Capital, a board member for several DeltaPoint Portfolio companies, and a Chair of the Rochester chapter of Vistage, an international CEO membership organization.
Tom currently owns an executive coaching and leadership development practice. He acquired, started and sold several businesses over the last 20 years and held various positions with Nabisco and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In addition, he is President of the Monroe Golf Club and on the Advisory Board of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family.
Tom is a New York State CPA. He earned his B.S. in accounting from Ithaca College and M.B.A. from Rutgers University. He also completed post-graduate studies in Bowen family systems theory at the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family.
Tim Kendrick is the Director of Information Technology at EthicsPoll™. He has a unique background in C# application development, business intelligence and reporting software, and database architecture and administration. Tim designs, builds, and administers several Azure SQL cloud databases that link to an online survey platform through a custom application. Using this technical architecture, he creates custom reports and interactive dashboards for our clients to view critical survey information in a clear and coherent interface.
Before joining EthicsPoll™, Tim served roles as an Associate Consultant at Oracle Corporation and Database Architect at Excellus Health Plan, Inc. He gained valuable technical and engagement experience in application development, design documentation, database administration, and UI design.
Tim received a B.S. in Management Information Systems, Philosophy Concentration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is certified in Oracle Database 12c: SQL Fundamentals and is currently pursuing the Installation and Administration Certification.