meet the team
Liz Schulz
Founder & Principal
Strategic HR Advisor, Executive & Leadership Coach, Mentor & Leadership Development Facilitator
Liz is a recognized leader who guides leaders and organizations with clarity, candor, and compassion. With nearly 30 years of experience in HR, Leadership Development and Organization Development —including more than two decades in the biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing space—she has held senior leadership roles at both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, including Abbott Laboratories, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Baxter Healthcare. She has successfully led complex organizational transformations, aligning strategic goals with operational execution and driving positive cultural shifts that enabled success. Whether advising or coaching leaders, mentoring HR professionals, or designing practical strategies that move organizations forward, Liz is known for delivering results while creating workplaces people are proud to be part of. Liz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University. She is a certified Executive Coach, a certified Leadership Coach and is certified to deliver Korn Ferry 360 Assessments. Liz lives with her husband in Southern California. Outside the office, she loves traveling and exploring new places, going camping, and creating lasting memories with her family and friends.
Meredith Benvenuto
Sr. Principal Consultant
Fractional HR Leader, Leadership Development Trainer & Facilitator
Meredith brings over twenty years of global Human Resources, Talent Management and Leadership Development, Coaching, Training and Facilitation experience. Known for her passion in guiding and empowering individuals or groups to develop their leadership skills in a dynamic and creative environment, she has a keen ability to build trusted, long-standing relationships. She has a proven track record of supporting senior leaders in the areas of talent management, performance management, coaching, leadership development, and employee engagement.
Prior to consulting, Meredith has held leadership roles at small boutique organizations and large Fortune 500 organizations including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Syneos Health. She has successfully developed and facilitated leadership programs at all levels, on a variety of topics, with the goal of enhancing leadership qualities of emotional intelligence, communication, decision-making, strategic thinking, and team management. As a trusted HR partner, she has worked with and coached executive leadership teams to redesign their organizations for success and facilitated programs to implement culture and talent strategies to develop and retain talent and high performing teams. Meredith is recognized for her engaging style and ability to connect with people to successfully develop, engage and coach future leaders, allowing them to gain personal insight into their own leadership journey. She is certified to deliver Insights Discovery, MBTI, The Predictive Index, and Zenger Folkman Extraordinary Leader 360 Assessment. Meredith holds an MA in HR Management and Leadership Development from Northeastern University and a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont. She is based outside the Boston area where she enjoys skiing in Vermont with her husband and two daughters, yoga, and cooking.
Karyn Vorhees
Sr. Consultant
Fractional HR Leader
Karyn is a trusted leader with a passion for improving performance and the employee experience by alleviating cumbersome HR processes and bottlenecks. She collaborates and helps employers to optimize their workplaces by creating streamlined and efficient HR processes/systems that are people centered and make work-life easier. With over 13 years of HR experience, Karyn has worked in the biopharmaceutical, semiconductor, and consumer products manufacturing industries. Her career includes leadership and generalist roles at organizations like Red Zone HR Consulting, Baxter BioScience, Renaissance Window Fashions, Your People Professionals (a PEO), and Adecco. She has a proven track record of delivering results in the areas of full-cycle talent acquisition, talent management, and retention. She excels at identifying the root causes of organizational challenges and offering solutions that deliver quick wins. Whether it's utilizing her exceptional listening abilities to guide others through their pain points or encouraging and developing individuals to step out of their comfort zones for professional growth, Karyn is passionate and dedicated to helping others achieve their goals. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). When Karyn is not working, you will find her hiking near her home in the Pacific Northwest, exploring a river or lake on her stand-up paddleboard, and spending time with her family at their McKenzie River cabin.
Gia Ilole
Principal Consultant
Fractional HR Leader
Gia Ilole, SPHR, sHRBP, is an accomplished HR Leader and Executive with extensive experience across both the public and private sectors, including healthcare, technology, clean energy, and Fortune 500 organizations. With a proven record of transforming workplace culture, strengthening talent pipelines, and modernizing HR systems, Gia partners with leaders to deliver strategic people initiatives and systems that drive engagement, performance, and organizational success. As a data-driven HR professional and Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Gia specializes in building scalable HR infrastructure, implementing innovative performance management and learning programs, and guiding companies through periods of growth, change, and acquisition. Her leadership has supported workforces ranging from start-ups to large, unionized public agencies, with a consistent focus on connection, inclusion, and continuous improvement. Gia currently provides fractional and consulting HR support to organizations seeking modern, efficient, and people-centered strategies that align business goals with thriving workplace cultures. Gia also became a memorial / funeral celebrant and special event facilitator after being widowed at 41. A dedicated basketball mom, she lives with her son in Ojai, CA where she is known for taking friends and visitors olive oil and honey tasting.
Deborah Judge
Sr. Principal Consultant
Strategic Advisor, Organizational Effectiveness Leader, Culture Strategist
Deborah is a seasoned Global Organizational Effectiveness and Talent Strategy leader who helps organizations create the conditions where people genuinely want to come to work and do their best. With over 14 years of Organization Development experience across biotech, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and consulting, she partners with senior leaders to align culture, talent, and systems so both people and business can thrive. Her expertise spans culture transformation, organizational design, strategic workforce planning, and belonging initiatives. She has held pivotal organizational effectiveness roles at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, MFS Investment Management, and Korn Ferry, where she led cross-functional initiatives that fostered inclusive, high-performing environments. Whether uncovering the true root causes of performance friction or aligning leadership practices and HR programs to support meaningful change, Deborah brings a systems-level thinking lens, sharp analytical insight, and a collaborative energy that inspires and activates movement. She’s known for translating complexity into clarity and delivering change that endures. Deborah holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology. When Deb is not working, you can find her exploring new cities abroad, forest bathing on hiking trails, or hosting casual dinners filled with good food, great conversation, and people she loves. She’s also an amateur genealogist, an enthusiastic knitter, and a lifelong learner with a soft spot for sci-fi stories and British tea.
Jerry Zaslow
Sr. Consultant
Real Colors® Facilitator
Jerry is a highly experienced facilitator with more than 30 years of leadership, learning, and organizational development expertise across both the public and private sectors. His career includes impactful roles at Pacific Bell, Media One, AT&T, Comcast, Baxter BioScience, Baxalta, Shire, Amgen, and the County of Ventura. He is a certified facilitator through the National Curriculum and Training Institute (NCTI) for the Real Colors® curriculum and holds an instructional design credential from The Training Clinic. Jerry also earned leadership instructor certification from AT&T and Six Sigma Lean Green Belt certifications from both Baxter Bioscience and the County of Ventura. Jerry holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola Marymount University and has numerous freelance articles and has designed a wide range of online and webinar-based training programs. In Jerry's spare time, he loves spending time with his wife, daughters, and grandkids, enjoys riding horses, and participates in historical reenactments from the American Fur Trade time period where he lives in Southern California.