Associate Bios
Ilene Kouzel
Ilene's company Creative Quests LLC, provides coaching, consulting, and guided retreats for personal development. She has integrated her background in coaching, consulting, entrepreneurial business, art, counseling/therapy, leadership, ritual and spiritual development to create an innovative mix for effective process facilitation and consulting. She specializes in co-designing with her clients the experience that will best forward their process and achieve their desired results. She believes strongly in integrating right and left brain activities and processes for a whole being experience.
In addition to corporate coaching experience with individuals and teams, Ilene has over 15 years of experience as a counselor/therapist in diverse settings. She has also served as a mediator between clients and public service organizations. Ilene has developed and facilitated training within organizations and in the community.
Ilene's experience includes Human Resources Director, Sales Manager and Co-owner of an entrepreneurial manufacturing company. She is adept at managing small business issues including organizational and staff development.
Ilene is a Leader, Trainer, Supervisor and Examiner for the Coaches Training Institute, a prestigious and world-renowned coaches training program. She is a member of the International Coaches Federation. She was a member of the team that helped to advance the coaching profession in Colorado by clarifying legislation as it pertained to coaches.
She holds an M.A. degree in Clinical Art Therapy from Immaculate Heart College and a B.A. degree in Art from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a graduate of a one-year Leadership program and advanced coaching course work, and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, all through the Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California.
Robert Rasmussen
 | Robert Rasmussen is an independent consultant and former President & COO for Executive Discovery, a subsidiary of the LEGO Company. Robert joined LEGO in 1990 as director of global product development and research for LEGO Dacta, the educational division of the LEGO Group. He led the original concept development team for the LEGO Mindstorms product line and has worked extensively with researchers at Tufts University and the MIT Media Lab to develop and market robotics-based learning tools. |
In 1999, Robert joined with IMD business school faculty to research ways of enhancing business leaders’ strategic thinking with more imagination. This lead to the development and launch of the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY program – a concept and methodology that help organizations solve complex business issues by tapping into the experience, knowledge, and imagination of their people.
From 2001 to 2003 Robert managed Executive Discovery, which develops and markets the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (www.seriousplay.com) programs. He was responsible for product development, marketing and delivery of consulting services with this new methodology for strategic decision making and organizational development.
Prior to joining the LEGO Company, Robert spent 14 years working in the public education system in Denmark, first as an elementary and middle school teacher and then as principal leading a school with 50 teachers and 700 students.
Robert has a degree in Psychology as well as a Master’s Degree in Education from The Royal Danish School of Education in Copenhagen. Robert Rasmussen is a visiting professor at Tufts University on topics related to education and learning.
For more information on Robert, see www.rasmussen-and-associates.com
Anton Schwarzinger
 | Anton Schwarzinger's passion is to be a guide to senior executives on their journey to higher effectiveness, success, and fulfillment. In his work he draws from his broad experience as an engineer, a marketer, a chief executive officer, and an executive coach. Born in Hungary, Anton grew up in Germany, was educated in Switzerland, Germany, and the U.S., and has worked in Europe and in North America. His career initially followed an engineering path. He later held positions as product manager and global marketing and sales manager for a Germany-based division of a large U.S. machinery concern. |
Anton eventually led the division's U.S. and Canadian operations. In 1987, he was appointed President and CEO of the division, where he had P&L responsibility for $500 million in sales revenue and 2100 employees on four continents. Anton has extensive experience with local and global operating issues including management development, compensation strategy, and product pricing. During his extensive travels he worked with employees, distributors, clients, and government organizations in more than 60 countries.
During his years as a senior executive and CEO, Anton turned around three companies. The pain he felt, and witnessed, while laying-off large numbers of people caused him to take a deep look at himself, and at his values and beliefs. This led him to study contemplative psychotherapy at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, from which he received his master's degree in 1996.
Anton began his full-time executive coaching practice in the same year. He has since coached C-level and other executives from SUN Microsystems, SAP America, McKinsey & Company, AT&T Telcordia, Level3 Communications, and Monster Cable Products.
Anton believes that the journey to increased effectiveness, success, and fulfillment starts with the executive's recognition of his or her intrinsic strengths and passion. It continues with the growing awareness of beliefs and behaviors that are detrimental to the executive's success. Any progress in these areas is experienced as liberating and helps the executive to see a much broader range of options and possibilities. From here, Anton supports his clients in strategically using all their talents, passion, inner strengths, and professional skills to consciously choose the right path to success and fulfillment..
Anton is married to Maria Michael-Schwarzinger, a psychologist, a Native American ceremonial leader, and a healer. They have 6-year-old twins who keep them young and mobile.
For more information on Anton, see www.workingwisdominternational.com
Ginny Storjohann
 | Ginny Storjohann is the principal in an independent Organization Development (OD) consulting and executive coaching firm in Denver, CO. Her primary areas of emphasis include leadership and team development, executive coaching, building trust and healthy conflict skills, participative planning and work redesign. Her consulting and coaching is customized to the desired outcomes and readiness of the client, and is often shaped by data gathered during an initial action research assessment process. Her work is also guided by the sound professional practices and high ethical standards of Associated Consultant's International (ACI) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) with whom she is a peer reviewed and certified member. Her seasoned experience and humorous, forthright and kind nature have combined effectively to assist many clients in realizing highly successful outcomes. |
Shawn I. Snelgrove
 | Shawn I. Snelgrove, founder of Brainstorming à la Mode, www.brainstormingalamode.com, works with professionals and businesses to create results that matter. Whether she's running a creativity workshop, leading a strategic planning retreat, or coaching a career transition, Shawn inspires innovative solutions for any business challenge. Her clients can expect fresh insight, cool ideas, and rich results. For 20 years, Shawn has worked with Fortune 500 organizations, small businesses, and individuals to bring out the creative best in people. As a management consultant, facilitator, writer, and coach, she has contributed to the growth of organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, Lacks Enterprises, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Procter & Gamble, Chevron, Roche, JP Morgan, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hewlett Packard and many small businesses. |
With enthusiasm and vitality, her approach integrates traditional consulting methods, practical business models, and adult learning theory with attraction marketing concepts, co-active coaching insights, and creativity practices.
Shawn is a graduate of The Coaches Training Institute and is a member of the Boulder Coaches Alliance. Her studies with Connection Partners, Inc in Non-Adversarial Communication®, The Iyengar Yoga Center of Boulder in yoga, movement, and meditation and Candace Lienhart in universal principles inform her work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a minor in Business from University of Arizona.
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