WHO WE ARE
Without trusted team members, Leaders know they are limited in how far they can take their organizations.
Founder & Principal Consultant
For the past 25 years, Dr. Jes DeShields has studied, evaluated, and applied models of leadership, organizational behavior, and systems change across multiple sectors. While writing her dissertation, Jes was told, “Just put pen to paper! It doesn’t have to become your life’s work.” And yet, the conceptual framework of Jes’s original research manifests daily in her work with leaders and organizations.
Elements of an environment reciprocally influence each other creating a reinforcing context. The reciprocal influence and reinforcing context breed conditions for evolving and convoluted organizational problems. A leader’s role in untangling or further tangling these issues is inevitable. How people lead, and the type of culture they perpetuate have the most profound impact on how effectively they can untangle the system.
Jes founded Crescent Leadership based on Leader-First® strategies, her distinct methodology for organizational change. Leader-First® strategies challenge leaders to first examine how their behaviors reinforce conditions for enduring growth, stagnation, or decline.
Jes’s book, 9 Leader Touchstones, releasing on September 12, 2023, takes you on the journey to becoming a Leader-First® Leader.
JES DESHIELDS, PHD, FCA, CFRE
Founder, Principal Consultant, Fascinate® Certified Advisor, Team and Leader Coach, Writer, Speaker
EXPERTISE: Leadership, culture-mapping, team dynamics, organizational behavior, brand, systems design, growth strategy
LOVES: Playing Minecraft with Madi, Exploring National Parks, Hiking anywhere with Brian, Running, Biking, Reading, Cooking and winetasting, Theatre, Lifting heavy things
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Wellness and sleep habits
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Peter Drucker
Collaborators & thought leaders
Collaborators and trusted thought leaders to Crescent Leadership are owners of their own businesses, consultants, educators, researchers and writers, CEOs and leaders in their organizations, and coaches. These individuals serve as expert advisors to Jes in the development of relevant, client-focused products, and ad hoc consultants to extend the specialized expertise of Crescent Leadership. This allows us to consummately serve our clients’ needs.
Brian DeShields, DC, FCA
Co-founder, Collaborator, Thought Leader, Olympic Weightlifting, Nutrition and Holistic Wellness Coach
EXPERTISE: Chiropractic, holistic wellness, trigger point therapy, nutrition, and movement
LOVES: Quality time with family, hiking and exploring in the outdoors, CrossFit and Olympic Weight Lifting, culinary adventures, touring wineries and breweries, and traveling
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Nutrition and personal training certification, marketing and brand
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “The greatest wealth is health” - Virgil
Jada Tullos Anderson, MEM
Collaborator, Thought Leader, Writer
EXPERTISE: Value chain assessment, business case development, environmental and social impact frameworks, environmental sustainability, project management, micro-finance, and international development
LOVES: Wandering in nature, cooking for family, visiting farmer's markets, learning, rowing, and pulling weeds
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Fully understanding the potential for thoughtful investing by preparing for the Chartered Financial Analyst Level I exam
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” – Mary Oliver
LISA AUSTIN, PHR, FCA
Collaborator, Thought Leader, and Accredited Life and Success Coach
EXPERTISE: Organizational development, diversity, equity and inclusion, talent management, and life coaching
LOVES: DIY projects, cooking, wine tasting, reading inspirational literature, music, faith-based activities, facilitating vision board sessions, community theatre, and spending time with family and friends
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Entrepreneurship and Business Development
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” - Sheryl Sandberg
Shefali chudgar, MHA, CLSSBB
Collaborator, Thought Leader, Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
EXPERTISE: Process improvement, strategic project management, healthcare operations and finance, organizational development and change
LOVES: Lifting heavy things, cooking, Indian cultural dancing, being in nature, traveling with my family or best friends, Girl Scouts, and playing cards
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Wellness and Marketing
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
Kerry A Connolly, MBA
Collaborator, Thought Leader and Interim Executive
EXPERTISE: Transition leadership and change navigation, collaborative team leadership, alignment across organizations divisions, talent mentoring, operational excellence, dot connecting, getting things done
LOVES: Learning something new in the arts; traveling to take in new geographies, culture and architecture; taking in classical music, theater and opera; practicing yoga and tai chi, experimenting with cooking, completing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles, trying new cocktails with friends, hanging out with my cats
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Reading and finishing the books I start. Learning something new every day.
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “Great vision without great people is irrelevant” – Jim Collins
Diana del monaco, phd, MBA, MPH
Collaborator and Thought Leader
EXPERTISE: Team building, goal clarity, challenge identification and resolution, communication, cultural relativism, and organizational performance
LOVES: Being a mom, playing super heroes with Noah, hiking, horseback riding, being a foodie, traveling, reading, and music
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Researching new tools in work/life balance, enhanced workplace perception, and team dynamics
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." - Rosalynn Carter
Maryann Dwyer, RP®, FCA
Collaborator, Thought Leader, Writer, Parliamentarian
EXPERTISE: Leadership, systems and organizational change, non-profit governance, parliamentary procedure, board coaching, holistic wellness, and nutrition
LOVES: My family and friends, hiking, kayaking, wine, chocolate and coffee
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Researching and writing about the current challenges facing non-profit boards
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good.” - Joanne Ciulla
James Lovaas, mba, FCA
Collaborator, Thought Leader, Writer, Speaker
EXPERTISE: Leadership, communication, marketing, branding, and life coaching
LOVES: Reading, running, scuba diving, and writing
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Studying stories and their connection to the human spirit.
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “A leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding the potential in people and processes.” -Brené Brown
Jenn osman, MNA
Collaborator and Thought Leader
EXPERTISE: Training and development, adult learning, content synthesis and organization, project management, educational publishing, nonprofit administration
LOVES: Camping and travel, coffee, games and escape rooms, quality time with friends, exploring new places and foods, listening and learning, organizing, leading positive change
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Risk taking
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A. Edison
Savannah ray, MPA
Collaborator and Thought Leader
EXPERTISE: Leadership, relationship-building and interpersonal communication, community-building, outreach, and youth development
LOVES: My faith, walks with Carmel the cockapoo, sunshine, pizza, hiking, dancing, running, lifting, quality time with family and friends
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Continuous process improvement
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: "No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Michelle Taylor, BS
Collaborator, Thought Leader, and Writer
EXPERTISE: Interim management consulting, leading teams during transition, brand development and marketing strategy, fundraising and major events
LOVES: Anything miniature, reading, being a boy mom, thrifting, traveling, hosting ridiculous all-out theme parties
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Researching and exploring executive leadership team dynamics and company culture
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams
Alison Wilcox, MA, FCA
Collaborator and Thought Leader
EXPERTISE: Crisis leadership and communication, company culture, leading change and transformation, organizational development, leadership, non-profit governance, talent development, career planning, organizational structure
LOVES: My kids and family, travel, writing, cooking (and eating), mentoring and supporting youth and women, walking, reading and watching stories through books, theater and movies
CURRENTLY FILLING LEADERSHIP GAPS: Being vulnerable and asking for help
FAVORITE LEADERSHIP QUOTE: “When people stop judging and start helping, everything becomes possible.” - Cy Wakeman
