Our authorsThe Top HR and Government experts

Allen was born in Avon Park, Florida on November 21, 1980 to a minister and a special needs instructor, both of who taught him the importance of service to ones fellow man. Known for his vision and perspective, he was raised in the agricultural based, rural city of Wauchula, Florida.After graduating from Hardee Senior High School in 1999, Allen went on to received his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science with a concentration in Business Administration from Florida Southern College where he was elected Treasurer of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, FSC Chapter and soon thereafter, became the organization’s first African-American President.During this time, he was actively involved in community organizing initiatives. These efforts led to the creation of The Community Economic Council, Inc. in which he served as Treasurer and later serving as the organization’s advocate in Washington. The CEC was created to educate and inspire members of the community on the issues surrounding business ownership, trade and commerce.During his tenure at the CEC, Allen would host community forums, town hall meetings and events that were designed to strengthen the communities in the areas of business and home ownership, public-private partnerships, government contracting, financial literacy, trade and commerce.Allen founded the Center for Economic & Policy Development, Inc. (The Center) to facilitate economic growth throughout Central Florida and rural parts of the country. His vision, core philosophies and strong principles are igniting young future leaders from around the country through The Emerging Leaders Initiative, a project placed under The Center. This initiative facilitates his vision of pairing young bright minds with current leaders in the fields of medicine, science, engineering, law, policy and politics.

Mark Delarika is a professional content writer and teacher, successful entrepreneur, and blogger. He is familiar with a wide range of spheres concerning running his own business and education. Mark taught in more than 10 countries all over the world. He is a business writer at US Projector. He helps students and businessmen to improve their writing skills, shares his personal experience, and gives practical tips.

Alena Dunham is a recent graduate of Nova Southeastern University's Masters of Public Administration program in Fort Lauderdale, FL with experience as a secondary education teacher. With knowledge of public policy and strong business ethnic, she researches the trends of economic development in her local community. She also have experience in County Government where she is interested in pursuing a career with the federal government. In addition to her education and experience, Alena serves as a mentor to high school students on topics such as career research and college evaluations to match their talents with the right schools. She also provides online resources to prepare them for the workforce and tips on effective resume writing and application etiquette. When she is not teaching, blogging, tweeting, or mentoring, you can find her back home running through the hills of her neighborhood. She hopes to finish two more 5k runs this year.

Allison Dretzin is a Human Resources expert with over eight years of experience in both private and public organizations.

Paul Luizzi, Fire Chief. Paul has been involved in public safety for over 25 years, 19 of those in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. For the last few years Paul has served in a variety of leadership capacities for the City of Goodyear, AZ including Battalion Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Interim Fire Chief, Interim Deputy City Manager and most recently Fire Chief. Paul has achieved a Certified Public Manager from Arizona State University, MBA from Franklin Pierce University, Bachelors in Public Administration from Roger Williams University and was designated as a Chief Fire Officer from the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

After growing up in the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Texas, Mashaal (muh-SHAWL) Ahmed can attest to the complexity of a DC identity. She helps DC overachievers find and communicate their inner awesome, whether they are looking for that next step in their career or aiming for greater things where they already work. As a certified Job and Career Transition Coach and Certified Professional Resume Writer, she helps DC job seekers look more employable on paper, online, and in person. She has worked with clients from a variety of backgrounds, including business, advocacy, public policy, public relations, and international development. Mashaal continues her lifelong education in organizations such as the Career Thought Leaders Consortium and the Professional Association for Resume Writers & Career Coaches. She is certified in assessments such as the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Step I and Step II. She has been featured in CareerBuilder, Recruiter.com, and JobHero, in addition to Careers in Government.

Bob Lavigna, author of Engaging Government Employees (American Management Association) is Director of the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, a division of CPS HR Services, an independent government agency. The Institute is dedicated to helping public sector and nonprofit organizations measure and improve employee engagementBefore joining the Institute, Bob was Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of HR for the University of Wisconsin. His previous positions also include Vice President- Research for the Partnership for Public Service and Director of the Wisconsin civil service system. Bob began his career with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and was selected as a “Public Official of the Year” by Governing magazine. Bob has a B.A. in public affairs from George Washington University and an M.S. in HR from Cornell University.

Bob Anderson and Bill AdamsBill Adams brings thirty years of leadership development experience to his clients – the CEOs of major Fortune 500 corporations, non-profits and private equity start-up businesses. As a consultant, trusted advisor and coach, he works with senior executives in the areas of strategy, alignment, performance and leadership effectiveness. Bill’s expertise is working with clients to lead large-scale change and cultural transformation within their organizations.Bob Anderson is the founder and CEO of The Leadership Circle, LLC. Bob is the creator and author of The Leadership Circle Profile, an integrated and innovative leadership development tool being used by companies worldwide. The Leadership Circle Profile is being heralded as a genuine breakthrough in the field of leadership development and Bob’s leading-edge research has put him at the forefront of the leadership development conversation worldwide.We are a global team deeply passionate about helping top teams and leaders excel. For the past 30 years our founders have been honing their craft and working with leaders in every industry and in just about every situation you can imagine to achieve better business results. We bring all of that to bear when helping transform businesses, align top teams, improve board effectiveness, design communication systems or coach executives.

Rick Metrick, a graduate of Appalachian Bible College, Liberty University and Emmanuel Baptist University is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), NCC board-certified, a resiliency coach and minister. He has been in private practice for thirty years, for the past twenty years, he has served as founder and director of Total Life Counseling, Inc. in Beckley, West Virginia. He has authored four books and is the pastor of a local church in his community. He and his wife Karen are the proud parents of five children and eleven grandchildren. You can visit his website at www.TLCWV.com.

Nate Regier is the CEO and founding owner of Next Element Consulting, the leader in helping companies build their cultures of COMPASSIONATE ACCOUNTABILITY. Learn more at next-element.com.

Bill Reilly is the Police Chief Coach™, bringing his command-level law enforcement and executive-level certified coaching experiences together for law enforcement professionals seeking greater effectiveness in the way they ‘Lead, Influence, and Achieve’.After attaining his degree in business and serving as a manager in a large corporation, Bill joined the Hartford (Connecticut) Police Department. As a police officer, he began his career in the patrol division – where he was decorated for protecting a family from a knife-wielding attacker – leading to a position on the Crime Suppression Unit (Street Crimes Unit).In his 20+ years as a certified instructor Bill has delivered training programs to thousands of police professionals throughout the United States. He is still a State of Connecticut P.O.S.T. certified instructor in the area of Leadership. Additionally, he holds active memberships in the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA). Bill is a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 213th Session.For information on how Bill can help you ‘Lead, Influence, and Achieve’, call him at 860-647-7993.

Kasia started her career in recruitment in 2012 as a sourcing specialist and quickly discovered this is where her true passion is - sourcing allows her to combine her interest in social media with lots of people contact and allows her to develop her language skills on a daily basis. As an internal Sourcing Specialist at Alexander Mann Solutions, Kasia was able to develop an in-depth understanding of the recruitment industry and has now joined the outsourcing part of the business to gain a better insight into the financial industry. Through work, Kasia has also developed an interest in blogging and has set up the first Relocation Guide to Krakow.