Our Leadership Coaching Team
Our Mason coaching faculty team members are ICF-certified coaches with deep experience.
Coaching Program Leadership
Dr. Pam Patterson is Associate Vice President of University Life at George Mason University with combined experience in leadership and university administration. She is also the Senior Coaching Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.
At Mason, Pam was a member of a team that created and implemented a leader development curriculum for executive education and a separate program for faculty and staff. She is a co-founder and co-chair of MasonLeads, the Leadership Legacy Program, and serves as co-director of Mason’s Strengths Academy.
Her professional interests are in the science and application of individual and organizational well-being, leadership, and coaching. Pam received her Strengths Specialist Certification through The Gallup Organization and is also licensed and certified by the Institute of HeartMath as a Resilience Advantage Trainer.
Pam earned her doctorate in higher education from George Mason University. She received her M.S. in sport administration and B.S. in community health, both from Eastern Illinois University. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program. She holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Ellen is the Director of Training for the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being program. She ensures the curriculum is cohesive and meets the standards set by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She also serves as a consistent presence and support for students across coaching modules.
Ellen has served as co-director for Mason’s Advanced Coaching Program and as a past director of executive education for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. She is thrilled to serve as the MCC Director of Training in this coach certification program.
In her own coaching practice, Ellen works with people to improve their intellectual and emotional flexibility while increasing awareness around leadership presence. Ellen challenges clients and coaching students to reflect on their strengths, areas for growth, values, and interpersonal skills to help them align action plans that maximize strategic goals providing sustainable change. Ellen has extensive experience working with leaders in government, corporations, small businesses, non-profits, and universities. Ellen has worked with over 1,000 individuals and teams across all levels of leadership to include C-Suite, SES, VP, mid-level managers, and individual contributors.
Ellen has an M.S. in education from Old Dominion University. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program. Her Master Certified Coach (MCC) accreditation is the highest level of coach accreditation assigned by ICF.
Coaching Fellows
Beth Buelow is a Professional Certified Coach, author, speaker, mediator, and facilitator with more than a decade of coaching and consulting experience. Prior to starting her own business, she was a nonprofit professional, with roles ranging from fundraising to marketing to grant-making. It was in her role as a foundation Program Officer that she fully recognized the importance of collaborative models and the power of the coaching paradigm. She draws on a range of frameworks in her coaching and facilitation work, including mediation and conflict management, voice dialogue, appreciative inquiry, narrative coaching, non-violent communication, improv, and the work of Parker Palmer, Edgar Schein, and other personal growth leaders.
Beth is the author of The Introvert Entrepreneur: Amplify Your Strengths and Create Success on Your Own Terms which was named one of the 100 Best Business Books of 2015 by Inc.com. She hosts a podcast “How Can I Say This…“ and has contributed to articles in numerous publications. Beth has enjoyed sharing her message that “Success is an Inside Job!” with numerous organizations and corporations, including the ICF Global and regional chapters.
She is a PCC-credentialed coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Sarah Happel is known for creating thought-provoking curricula that spark personal and professional transformation. Her particular expertise is in what leaders co-create with the language they use in conversations.
Sarah is the founder of Spectrum Leadership Solutions, whose mission is to cultivate leadership excellence in individuals, teams, and organizations. She is an alumna of Mason’s Advanced Coaching program and is currently the Board President of Washington Women’s Leadership Initiative. Formerly an internationally competitive athlete, Sarah helps leaders and executive teams determine winning strategies for their organizations through her work as a coach and facilitator. With a background in the field of communication and transition management, Sarah has worked with leaders from five continents in four languages: German, Spanish, Italian, and Finnish.
Sarah is a graduate of Kansas State University with a B.A. and B.S. in Journalism and Communications respectively. She was a Fulbright Grantee at the University of Helsinki, has taught Human Communication at Lasell College in Boston, and spent three years as a freelance journalist in Europe. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching program and an MCC-accredited coach.
Cliff Kayser draws upon his considerable expertise as an executive coach, organization development consultant, and leadership trainer/facilitator who specializes in Polarity Approach for Continuity and Transformation (“PACT”).
Cliff is Vice President of Polarity Partnerships, LLC and President and Founder of XPERIENCE, LLC. He designs and delivers PACT programs worldwide for leadership, team, and organization well-being and has experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Prior to launching XPERIENCE, LLC in 2007 and joining Polarity Partnerships in 2012, he was Vice President of Organizational Development and Training for The National Cooperative Bank (NCB) and spent nearly a decade serving The Washington Post newspaper as Corporate Manager of Human Resources and Training. Cliff is also adjunct faculty in American University¹s Organization Development graduate program, KEY Executive Leadership certificate program, the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, and The Federal Executive Institute under the Office of Personnel Management. He also serves as dean and lead faculty for the two-year Mastery Program in Polarity Thinking.
Cliff holds dual masters degrees from American University in human resource management and organizational development. His B.S. is in history and business from Lenoir-Rhyne University, and he completed his coach training with Georgetown’s Leadership Coaching program. He is a PCC-accredited coach.
Dr. Nance Lucas is Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies in the School of Integrative Studies, an affiliate faculty member of the Higher Education Program, and former Associate Dean of the School of Integrative Studies (formerly New Century College) at George Mason University. Her teaching and scholarship passions focus on the intersections of science and applications of leadership and well-being. She is co-author of Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make A Difference (1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions), a best-selling book of Jossey-Bass Publishers, and contributing author of Leadership Reconsidered and The Social Change Model of Leadership Development and has delivered numerous keynote addresses and presentations globally.
At Mason, she is the co-founder of the Mason Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE), the Leadership Legacy Program, and MasonLeads. She leads Mason’s well-being university initiative in collaboration with colleagues across the institution, while also leading global and national efforts to advance human flourishing and organizational well-being.
Nance received a Ph.D. in higher education with a concentration in leadership studies and ethics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Lucas earned her MA in higher education and BA in industrial and organizational psychology degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. She has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Maryland College of Education.
Daphne Miller, PCC, is a Coaching Fellow and Learning Lab Leader in the Mason coach certification program. She is a leadership coach whose expertise is in working with individuals and groups with an emphasis on leadership development and developing strong cross-discipline partnerships. Her experience lies in sales and marketing in both the federal and for-profit arenas.
Before becoming a coach, Daphne was part of the quality team during her tenure with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company during their successful bid for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. This effort provided the foundation for her view on the importance of how self-awareness, communication and open exchange within all areas of an organization foster resilient relationships. In her leadership roles with Ritz-Carlton and later Kinko’s Corporate she started her own practices around creating new habits and behaviors that supported sustainable improvement. She discovered coaching when she engaged her own coach and came to understand the power that a coaching relationship brings to one’s learning and development.
In 2003, she started her own coaching company, DDM Consulting. Since that time, she has worked with hundreds of clients as they create their own paths at work, in leadership and at home. Daphne respects the coaching relationship and how it can offer new perspectives for clients and open doors that they may not have ever noticed before. Daphne challenges and supports her clients to meet their goals through finding new paths in meeting challenges and opportunities.
Daphne is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in communications and business administration. She received her coach training from Newfield. Daphne is also a graduate of the Mason Advanced Coaching Program and is a PCC-accredited coach.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Michael Rochelle is a Coaching Fellow at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Mike calls upon his considerable active duty military leadership in the U.S. Army, where he headed its Human Capital Office.
Since retiring from military service, Mike has leveraged his #1 strength: Learner. He graduated from Mason’s certified coach program and completed certifications in team coaching and is a certified SOAR trainer. He puts his learning into practice In his coaching and consulting practice. Mike’s clients include George Mason University Leadership Legacy Program, Mercaris, Inc., Playa Resorts International, MTCI Consulting, Leadership Arlington, and the PAC-12 NCAA Conference.
Mike holds a master’s of public administration degree (MPA) from Shippensburg University. He is an ICF PCC-accredited coach.
L’Lorenzo Seabrook, MBA, PCC, CTPC, works with managers, directors, vice presidents, chief executives, and operating officers in the areas of leader development and team performance. L’Lorenzo has coached senior leaders and managers from corporate, international non-profits, and federal and state governments. He has coached executive officers, directors, and senior managers from Freddie Mac and Coca-Cola, chief operating officers from several small businesses, managing partners in law firms, state political candidates, the Undergraduate Staff at the Smith Business School, University of Maryland, University College, in College Park Maryland, and Arlington County leaders. L’Lorenzo has provided extensive services to the federal government, including retired Flag Officers, Chiefs of Staffs, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioners, judges and senior attorneys, and other seniors across several agencies including: the Federal Executive Institute, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, and USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service.
L’Lorenzo uses practical experiences, perspective, and humor in his approach and maintains strict confidentiality. In 2016, L’Lorenzo was recognized by the Dean of the Smith Business School for his direct contribution as a coach to the success of the CBP Leadership Institute Program where the program was awarded the DHS Human Capital Award for Professional Excellence in Learning and Development and in 2017, awarded Outstanding Human Performance Intervention award from the International Society of Performance.
L’Lorenzo is completing his doctorate in Leadership from Liberty University. He has an MBA from Excelsior College and a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Park University. He is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and has certifications in mediation, DISC and 12 Motivators, Hogan Assessment, and Clifton Strengths Coaching.
Adam Schmidt is a Coaching Fellow at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. A former Army Officer, Adam has nearly 20 years of experience in organizational and leadership development. He has served as Manager of Leadership Development at a Fortune 500 corporation and is currently the Director of Talent Management for Strategy Consulting Team (SCT). He is a leadership coach, facilitator and organizational development consultant for clients in both the private and public sectors. Areas of interest and expertise for Adam include leader development programming design, strengths-based coaching and human capital strategic planning. Some of Adam’s past clients in these areas include Arlington National Cemetery, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the United States Army, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Adam is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt, and is certified in The Leadership Circle assessments. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan; a BS, in Electrical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and is a graduate of the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching and Facilitation Programs. He is an ICF PCC-accredited coach.
D. Marlene Thomas is President and CEO of Thomas Management Consulting (TMC), LLC, a woman-owned small business (WOSB) that provides strategic consulting and executive coaching to federal, state, and private sector businesses. Marlene is a former member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) with over 25 years of demonstrated management of complex systems in federal, state, and local organizations Her coaching and consulting practice is dedicated to supporting individual employers and leaders as they build productive partnerships, teams, and workplaces.
As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), she believes that coaches are facilitators of positive change. Marlene believes three words best describe her coaching style — authentic, engaging, and curious. Her areas of coaching specialty include leadership and executive development, career transition, personal and team effectiveness, and coach mentoring.
Marlene has worked with public and private sector clients and partners, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and federal and state governments. She has worked with numerous non-profits including the United Negro College Fund and So Others May Eat. She is also a volunteer coach with Stand Beside Them which provides pro bono coaching and mentoring services to returning military service members and their families/caregivers during their transition to civilian life.
Marlene is the Immediate Past President of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Metro DC Chapter, the largest city chapter in the world with over 1700 members. She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and a certified Team Coach. She received her coaching certifications from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and GTCI.
Rachel Wernicke, Ph.D., ACC, is a Coaching Fellow and a licensed clinical and consulting psychologist, certified coach, and Associate Dean/Chief Mental Health Officer in University Life at George Mason University. At Mason, she provides leadership oversight for student-focused health, mental health, and disability services and works on strategic initiatives related to creating a culture supportive of mental health and well-being.
Rachel’s longstanding interest in leader development began when she served as an Army officer early in her career. Since that time, she has held a number of leadership positions in mental health and higher education settings. Rachel provides talks within and outside of her organization on themes related to mental health and well-being in the workplace including in her recent TEDx talk, Mental Health in the New Normal.
Rachel earned her doctorate and M.A. in psychology from American University and her B.A. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her advanced clinical training and a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is a graduate of Mason’s Leadership Legacy and Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being programs. She is an ACC-accredited coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
To learn more, please contact our center at: coaching@gmu.edu or 703-993-6090.