Meet our Team

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Shamil is the President of Aspire Training and Development, a company that empowers business leaders and professionals to enhance their leadership and self-awareness, enabling them to maximize their potential and bring out the best in the people they work with.

With extensive senior-level leadership and management experience in Fortune 500 companies and large urban school districts, Shamil has managed departments with budgets exceeding $30 million and over 300 employees. He has delivered impactful training workshops across the globe, experiencing firsthand how employee training sharpens a workforce and provides businesses with a competitive edge.

In his training workshops, Shamil draws from proven best practices and his management expertise to offer relevant content that resonates with participants and addresses their personal challenges. A certified Myers-Briggs instructor, Shamil holds an MBA from Babson College and is passionate about helping others develop their leadership skills and achieve their full potential.

 Alberta is the Global R&D Productivity Lead at Siemens Healthineers and also serves as the Local Chair of  DEI committee. For Alberta, equity is about understanding and hearing the individual whose  preconditions are unique. She wants to give people a chance to grow without being limited by their  gender, cultural background, or life experiences. Alberta is passionate about Diversity, Equity, and  Inclusion and strives to promote a diverse and inclusive work environment at Siemens Healthineers. She  is also the Director for the Scholars and Sisters in STEM program at Siemens Healthineers. Through  coaching and mentoring, this program encourages middle school and high school kids from underserved  and underrepresented communities to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Alberta grew up as a Nigerian-American. When emigrated to the U.S., she had to learn and adjust to a  new school system and to a society whose culture was very different for her own. She incorporates this knowledge and experience in her DEI work to educate others on how they can support and embrace  diversity and inclusion. Alberta has a dual degree in psychology and biology and is also a Certified Scrum Master 

Alina is an Executive Chef and a Pastry Chef with over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. She has appeared numerous times on the Food Network and has been a featured chef at the prestigious James Beard Foundation twice. Her experiences as a bakery owner and restaurant owner allow her to present recipes that taste great, increase guest frequency, are costed properly, and create a buzz in the community. Alina’s expertise includes Menu Planning and Design, Master Recipe Manual, Detailed Recipe Costing, Food Order Guide Specifications, Equipment Training, Layout and Maintenance Procedures, Kitchen Operating Systems, and Staff Training and Motivation. Alina’s greatest joy is sharing her knowledge and passion for all things food both as a mentor and teacher to chefs, restaurant owners and their staff.

 Ana is a certified ServSafe and CPR instructor with over 20 years of experience within the restaurant industry. She has worked with a variety of restaurants in the US, Brazil, and Barbados and has taught more than a thousand students. Ana’s experience includes being a Hostess, Waitress, Assistant Manager, and Restaurant Manager. She has overseen the openings of multiple restaurants and has expertise in Restaurant Operations and Training & Development of both back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house staff. Ana leads our training efforts in the areas of ServSafe, CPR and Customer Service. Ana is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and can converse in Italian, French and Creole.

Anca is a seasoned executive, with 20+ years coaching, consulting and client-side experience who “ignites, impacts and interlocks” with a passion for analytical rigor with around-the-corner vision. Her focus is on helping individuals and teams connects the dots between aspirational vision and operational realities. With a bias towards deep discernment and “operating from the core,” Anca inspires development of the individual and organizational resiliency fabric of tomorrow, leveraging the best of an individual’s and organization's DNA, capacities, and capabilities, while providing strategic and pragmatic guidance for a better tomorrow. Anca helps them answer the questions "who are we?" "what do we stand for?" "who are we becoming?" and "how will we get there?" She helps clarify strategic goals, key considerations and implications in the context of the larger strategic landscape and key organizational success metrics. 

Her industry experience includes working with a range of organizations, teams and individuals in high tech, retail, financial services, consumer product goods and manufacturing. She helps her clients accelerate their transformation and efficiency and effectiveness improvements by collaboratively developing a high-level roadmap and strategic path forward. She is a graduate from Wharton’s International MBA program, and is fluent in English, Dutch and German. 

 Deborah is an English teacher with 20 years of experience. She leads our training efforts in the areas of English as a Second Language and Business Writing. She has taught at business and academic settings and worked with a variety of staff and executives from across the globe. As an Academic Manager, she has overseen and developed Business English curriculum that yielded a 20% increase in client satisfaction, as well as streamlined student assessments and progress reports. Deb’s writing experience includes graduate business instruction. 

Diana is a dedicated professional with a strong passion for developing leadership talent and witnessing their transformation through learning experiences. She brings over two decades of business experience in Human Resources, Sales, Marketing, and Business Operations. In her most recent role as Vice President of HR, she served an employee population of almost 4,000. Her areas of expertise include talent recruitment, performance management systems, and employee onboarding and offboarding. Originally from Colombia, she has a track record of leadership in 3 geographic regions and 6 countries. Diana likes to travel and in her free time enjoys Salsa dancing. 

 Chef Franny is a professional chef, culinary consultant, and solopreneur with extensive experience leading dining services. As the Director of Dining Services at Hampshire College and Culinary Director at Bay Path University, she transformed dining programs through sustainable, plant-based menus and locally-sourced ingredients. Franny excels in managing large-scale operations and is passionate about training and developing her staff, as well as mentoring culinary arts students. As a consultant, she helps food and beverage entrepreneurs establish their vision with tailored business plans, menu development, and holistic nutrition coaching. Franny is committed to promoting wellness through food and supporting local food systems. 

Chef Gabriela is a Culinary Arts graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Boston and has experience in both back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house settings within a variety of restaurants. She has previously served as the Lead Supervisor at Chinese Mirch in Framingham, taken on the role of Lead Cook at Commonwealth in Kendall Square, and held the position of Operations Manager for Legal Sea Foods in Framingham.

Gabriela moved to the United States from Valencia, Venezuela, when she was just 7 years old. She has inherited both her grandmother’s passion and skill when it comes to cooking. She enjoys cooking many types of food, especially Mexican and Peruvian, because of the diversity both cuisines bring to the table. Making fresh pasta and experimenting with different sauces and flavors is also Gabriela’s specialty. She’s a big believer that a memorable dish plays an important part in the memories we make with friends and family.

  Chef Gianluca is the owner and founder of Chef Capaldi – a Personal Chef Services company. An Italian native, born and raised in Rome he has always had a passion for cooking, vintage Vespa scooters and living “La Dolce Vita”. He was raised in his grandma’s kitchen, not only doing his homework and eying the preparation of pasta made from scratch, but taking part in Mom and Grandma’s delicious Italian cuisine. Gianluca is a member of the USPCA (United States Personal Chef Association) and has trained at the “Gambero Rosso Culinary School” in Rome and with the Culinary Business Academy.

Gianna began her teaching career in 1992 in District 2 in New York City. Her passion for education led her to co-found and lead public, charter conversion, and charter schools in Harlem, New York, and in Denver, Colorado. Gianna has been a school teacher, district level leader, for-profit leader and consults and coaches nationally. She is a certified Goleman EI Emotional Intelligence Coach. She is the co-author of three Heinemann books, Classroom Management Matters: The Social and Emotional Learning Approach That Children Deserve, No More Taking Away Recess and Other Problematic Discipline Practices, and The Caring Teacher: Strategies for Working Through Your Own Difficulties with Students. Gianna also authored Literacy Centers: A Standards Based Approach for Grades 3 and Beyond and is featured in accompanying instructional videos on effective literacy practices, including Step Into Guided Reading, for the New Zealand based Learning Media. 

Hafsa currently works as an Instructional Coach at Worcester Public Schools, the second largest school system in Massachusetts that serves almost 30,000 students. She works very closely with classroom teachers to create an effective instructional team. Her areas of expertise include curriculum development, classroom management, modeling research-based instructional practices, implementing differentiated instruction, and mentoring and developing teachers at all levels. Hafsa has been working in education for over 25 years and has been a classroom teacher in grades K, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. She has a BA in Psychology and MSEd in Elementary Education from the University of Miami.

Jeremy is a writing, literature, and ESL teacher with nearly 10 years’ experience teaching and tutoring at Santa Barbara City College, Education First, Executive Language Institute, Cambridge College, and privately over Zoom. He tailors his curriculum to the needs of his students and has an engaging and interactive teaching style. His online classes are aimed at meeting the specific ESL needs and goals of his students. From basic English to academic essay-writing, Jeremy can increase your confidence and help you take your English skills to the next level!

As Principal of JP Stewart Consulting LLC since 2003, Jim is a certified PMP® and possesses multiple Agile certifications including IC-Agile coach and Certified Scrum Product Owner. Jim is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and served for several years on the board of the local chapter. He has, for many years, taught and developed courseware for PMP® classes and co-developed an Agile 101 online course and, along with Rich Maltzman, a communications class for Successful Projects. 

With over 25 years’ experience in project management, Jim has managed numerous multi-million-dollar international infrastructure. pharmaceutical and software development programs. As Program Manager for Genuity, Jim spearheaded the implementation of its award-winning $20M Virtual Private Network service.

Since going solo in 2003, Jim has implemented several PMOs, worked on projects rolling out software such as Salesforce and Workday, acted as Scrum Master for startups and recently provided resource management for a major retail company. He is currently working with a global pharmaceutical as Agile coach to assist them in their Agile transformation. 

Jim also mentors and coaches individuals to become project managers and agilists including an Iraqi vet and an associate researcher at a leading school of public health. 

With Rich Maltzman, he is co-author of the book How to Facilitate Productive Project Planning Meetings and the upcoming Great Meetings Build Great Teams: A Guide for Project Leaders and Agilists. 

Ken, LMFT, LCSW is an award-winning leader and keynote speaker in the field of workplace health and wellness. He also delivers keynotes on power, bias, and inclusion in the workplace, as well as on parenting, couple relationships, and healing after loss. Ken is the author of four books, and he appears monthly on NBC TV affiliate WWLP’s Mass Appeal show as an on-air expert on mental health, couple and family relationships, and leadership. In 2017, Ken retired from his 19-year tenure at Prudential as Vice President, Health and Wellness where he was responsible for behavioral health services for US employees, leadership consulting internationally, and violence prevention. His team's work led Prudential to receive the American Psychological Association's 2017 Organizational Excellence Award. Ken has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Inc. Magazine, and other highly acclaimed media sources. 

Laura is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and certified Proctor Gallagher Institute coach and facilitator who works with individuals, groups and companies in reaching their potential and achieving their personal and professional goals. She has been studying and teaching personal growth and leadership for over 27 years as she served in the military and has continued to develop her expertise through working with her mentor, who is world-renowned in human potential and success, Bob Proctor. Laura’s areas of expertise include Leadership of self, teams, and others, Time Management, Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback, Team Dynamics, Decision-Making and Trusting Intuition, and Stress and Self-Care. Laura is thrilled to help clients stretch their thinking and minds in a way that opens them up to new possibilities. This mental flexibility allows them to lead happy, healthy, more abundant lives. 

Lisa currently works as in-house counsel at EF Education, the world’s largest private education company. She has been advising corporations for over 25 years on a variety of legal matters. She works very closely with managers and human resource professionals on workplace legal issues. Because of all of her in-house experience, Lisa has an “inside” perspective of the issues that managers face day to day.

 Stephen is a Chef and Registered Dietitian living in Boulder, Colorado.  He has over 25 years of experience in Food Service Management and leading teams to success, and 15+ years as a Food Service Director and School Nutrition leader. He has been a Registered Dietitian (RD) since 2016 and a School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) since 2005.  He has worked in urban, suburban, and rural settings with diverse audiences and constituents. Stephen is passionate about collaboration, reconnecting people to local food sources, and facilitating change. He has a proven track record of success and looks forward to helping you with your next project.