Themum Crawford is a highly-skilled Learning and Development Trainer and Consultant.  She has a broad range of training experience with profit and non-profit organizations nationally, and internationally. With over 18 years of experience in training and facilitation she is an accomplished hands-on consultant with deep practical experiences in varied workplace environments.  Described by audiences as an excellent facilitator with a positive and enthusiastic, yet professional presentation style, she has the unique ability to expand facilitation of topic into related principles, concepts and theories while building an open and comfortable learning environment.  Themum understands adult learning theory and applies the principles in the classroom, including tailoring content to various learning styles.

Themum has presented workshops to 1^st line and mid-level managers for several Fortune 500 companies in the areas of:  Diversity/Inclusion, Workplace Harassment, Customer Service, Effective Communication and Feedback, Resolving Workplace Conflict, and Coaching skills to name a few.  She is also certified to deliver Stephen Covey, DiSC, and DDI Leadership Development programs.

Themum is highly recommended by corporations who have utilized her services to successfully deal with the challenges of our rapidly changing environment.

Leslie Edmonds is a skilled facilitator known for developing and inspiring creative approaches to designing, marketing, and delivering programs that are client-focused and impact the bottom line. She also has broad-based expertise in Management Training design and delivery.  She has spent more than thirty years advising and consulting on state and federal labor laws as well as Human Resource issues and practices.

Ms. Edmonds received a Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University at Northridge, as well as a California Lifetime Teaching Credential.  Her professional certifications include: a Professional Designation in Public Relations for UCLA, a Certified Focus Group Moderator from the Burke Institute, a Professional Designation in Human Resources from SHRM, and she is MBTI Qualified by the Association for Psychological Type.

Prior to joining the Champion Services Group, Ms. Edmonds successfully trained hundreds of management employees, from entry level to Vice President, at a major Southern California utility on business and skill-related topics, including: Project Management, Decision Making, Strategic Planning, Building Commitment, Supervision, Coaching and Leadership Skills. She consistently received high praise for enthusiastic delivery, effective presentation, and a tie-in to business issues. She also consults with Cal Poly Pomona’s Extended University where she has designed and delivered a series of Supervision classes for various Los Angeles County agency personnel. Originally designed for those who were new to supervision, due its success the university expanded the scope to include managers and agency directors.

Ms. Edmonds is involved in a variety of volunteer/ community activities.  She is a Docent at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles.  She serves as the Secretary for the Silver Lake Reservoirs Conservancy, which has worked for more than 25 years to increase access to open space, increase safe recreational activities and manage this water resource responsibly.  For the past three years she has volunteered with “College Path LA” to assist high school seniors in writing their “Personal Statement” essays as part of their college application.  She’s been able to influence and inspire second-generation and low-income students to achieve more than they had realized was possible.

Thomas K. Harnden is a Consultant with The Champion Services Group, Inc., a Human Resources and Management Consulting Firm. Thomas is also a principal of DS Services a consulting and training group that offers executive coaching, consulting, training and development services to professional organizations and the education market.  Harnden is a proven senior manager and executive in operations and human resources with more than thirty years comprehensive experience within the Fortune 500 corporate arena.  Thomas holds B.S.B.A. and MBA degrees from the University of Redlands. He also maintains a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Harnden is adjunct faculty with the University of Phoenix where he teaches undergraduate and graduate level course work in the fields of Human Resources, Organizational Development and Organizational Behavior. Thomas is also qualified to administer all of the Myers Briggs Type Inventory instruments and has used them extensively in his work with executives, managers, and teams. Thomas continues to expand his skills by completing numerous executive development business courses, seminars and workshops.

Harnden is highly regarded as a dynamic, and results-oriented leader with exceptional skills in strategic planning, change management, employee relations, team building, managing diversity, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action compliance, training development and facilitation, and local community affairs.  He has established a strong record of success in leadership, in a variety of organizations with a proven ability to align programs with business strategy and reduce costs, improve productivity, ensure regulatory compliance, and strengthen employee and organizational performance.  As a result of his outstanding speaking, presentation and facilitation talents and his effective ability to inspire and motivate people to realize their potential. Harnden also has an impressive track record for successfully helping people take positive action to enhance their professional and personal lives.  He is an excellent communicator, negotiator, problem solver and strategist with the ability to effectively interface with people at all levels of the corporate structure.

After holding a number of positions in line management in the utility industry Harnden leveraged his skills and reputation to become a successful and respected HR professional.  He became a successful leader, mentor and coach for a variety of organizations and successfully led large-scale organizational change efforts and held key management and executive human resources positions within Edison International. In these positions he strategically impacted bottom-line business results by directing and managing the design, development, implementation and evaluation of human resources strategies, policies and procedures pertaining to all general human resources initiatives, including employment, employee relations, affirmative action, change management, training and development, employee benefits and compensation.  He also directed the implementation of the valuing and managing diversity concept into the corporate philosophy and management practices of Southern California Edison. He also managed and facilitated numerous training sessions to train the trainers of change and diversity workshops held throughout the corporation.

Harnden is recognized by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), Quartz Hill Town Council, Antelope Valley Flood Abatement Campaigns and other local political issues. Thomas is a Director on the Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce. He is also a successful as an entrepreneur that owns and operates a successful Performing Arts School in California.

Stacey Johnson-Whaley has served as a trainer/facilitator for major corporations, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Twentieth Century Fox, the City of Pasadena’s Neighborhood Leadership Institute and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, just to name a few.  Her experience ranges from coaching corporate employees on how to improve their job performance to helping community leaders refine their presentation skills.  A born trainer and a graduate of the University of Southern California’s prestigious Annenberg School of Communication, Stacey Johnson-Whaley not only educates the participants of her workshops, but also motivates them and inspires them to continue challenging themselves after the workshops have ended. Stacey has facilitated over 500 workshops, and is committed to serving others through education and motivation.

Jackie Newsom has over 20 years’ experience as a business manager and human resources consultant, customer service administrator, information systems manager, and facilitator/trainer in leadership development focused on change management, diversity, and customer service improvement.  For the last ten years she has concentrated on providing facilitation, training, and consulting for all sized organizations in both the public and private sector. Jackie is also a 14-year faculty practitioner for the University of Phoenix.

Her delivery style is consistently professional, highly energetic, interactive, and entertaining.  She has delivered training and consulting for organizations such as the County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, US Navy and US Marine Corps, and International Longshore & Warehouse Union, and California Science Center to name a few.

Jackie designs and delivers a variety of management and employee training including Leadership, Diversity, Harassment Prevention, Conflict Resolution, Customer Service, Communications, Time and Project Management courses.  A popular trainer and consultant, Jackie is invited back by her clients time after time. She is a qualified trainer in diversity, employment discrimination, and sexual harassment prevention having completed certification by the County of Los Angeles Office of Affirmative Action Compliance and the Employers Group.

Jackie earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California Los Angeles. Jackie holds certifications for the Center for Applications of Psychological Typing in Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), EDGE 360 Assessment, DISC, Envisia Learning Emotional Intelligence View 360, National Retail Federation Customer Service and Sales Certification.  She is a member of the American Society for Training and Development.

Her Small Business Enterprise and Women Minority Certifications include County of Los Angeles, Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council, State of California, City of Los Angeles, and City of Long Beach.  In support of her community, she is a volunteer mediator for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Dispute Resolution Program, coach for the EmpowHer Institute and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and a member of the NAACP Beverly Hills Bureau.

Thomas J Simmons, III is a Senior Consultant with The Champion Services Group, Inc., a Human Resources and Management Consulting Firm. He is also a proven Senior Human Resources Executive with more than forty years’ comprehensive experience within the Fortune 500 corporate arena. Mr. Simmons is a graduate of Florida A&M University and has successfully completed numerous executive development business courses, seminars and workshops.

He is highly regarded as a dynamic, disciplined, proactive and results-oriented leader with exceptional skills in executive coaching and counseling, leadership development, team building, workforce planning and recruiting, employee relations, managing diversity, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action compliance, training facilitation, and local/national community affairs.

Mr. Simmons has established a strong, well-respected record of success in directing human resources strategies in diverse industries with a proven ability to align HR programs with business strategy, reduce HR costs, improve productivity, ensure regulatory compliance, and strengthen employee performance. As a result of his outstanding speaking, presentation and facilitation talents and his effective ability to inspire and motivate people to realize their potential, Mr. Simmons also has an impressive track record for successfully helping people take positive action to enhance both their professional and personal lives. He is an excellent communicator, negotiator and problem solver with the ability to effectively interface with people at all levels of the corporate structure.After serving honorably in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant, Mr. Simmons successfully held key management and executive human resources positions with Xerox Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Ryder System, Inc., and AmeriFirst Federal Savings Bank. In these positions, Mr. Simmons strategically impacted bottom-line business results through the direction and management of the design, development, implementation and evaluation of human resources strategies, policies and procedures pertaining to all general human resources initiatives, including employment, employee relations, affirmative action, training and development, employee benefits and compensation. He also directed the implementation of the valuing and managing diversity concept into the corporate philosophy and management practices of several organizations, and facilitated numerous training sessions to address the issues of Workforce 2000 and Beyond.

Mr. Simmons has been involved with the Society for Human Resources Management, Equal Employment Advisory Council, National Urban League, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Miami, Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association.

Bob is a consultant with The Champion Services Group, Inc. who specializes in Organizational and Human Resource Consulting to for profit and non-profit organizations.  Consultation expertise in the following areas: human resource,  Diversity, EEO, ADA, employment recruitment, selection, retention, and separation strategies, “The Virtual HR Center”; training and development; executive coaching; organization systems; change management; strategic planning; organizational diagnosis and assessment; organizational culture surveys; climate surveys; disability management; return to work services; team building; ADA Title I compliance; Board of Director facilitation; and more.

Facilitate Business Board of Director meeting and consult with business owners to facilitate ongoing growth and profitability of the member businesses.

Senior executive responsible for the day to day operation and all human resource policies and functions in addition to providing a full range of organizational consulting, human resources consulting, training and development and disability management services.

Amryl Ward, President of Award Consulting Group, is a dynamic human resources strategist and executive coach with extensive experience in the corporate, government, and non-profit sectors.  She is a generalist with passion for diversity and inclusion, employee relations, leadership development and career coaching.  She is known for her sharp business acumen, compassionate listening skills, strategic problem solving coupled with her ability to integrate cultures and facilitate management transitions.

Amryl’s client list includes major corporations and government entities like Comcast Corporation, IBM, Owens & Minor, and Capital Area Transit (Baton Rouge) along with smaller, entrepreneurial firms like The ROZ Group in Philadelphia, PA and Champion Services Group, Inc. in Miami, FL.  She appreciates the insights and perspectives that come from working with varied clients around the country.  This broad-based work has also resulted in an extensive network of professionals that can be called upon to support the demands of her cutting edge client activity.

Time Warner Cable, Viacom’s Simon and Schuster Publishing, and Macmillan Publishing Company are among the Fortune 500 corporations where Amryl honed her skills as a Human Resources executive, particularly in the areas of change management.  She has facilitated the restructuring of teams during periods of economic downturn and conversely she has participated in the growth of new organizations, serving as the hands-on extension that provides the human resources function.  It is this repertoire of complex assignments in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Mississippi, and North Carolina that solidly prepared her to launch the Award Consulting Group in 2010.

Prior to entering the corporate world, Amryl was a secondary school teacher.  She continues to be passionate about education issues and youth as is evident by her volunteer community projects.  A native of Trinidad, she came to the Brooklyn, NY with her family at the age of 11.  It is that spirit of aggressive pursuit of opportunity and forging her way in new and different environments that has equipped her to be the strong business ally and advocate in her work as a consultant.  She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Secondary Education from Hofstra University, a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix, a certificate in Management from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and her coaching certification from the Coach Training Alliance.

Amryl serves on the boards of Execute Now!, a financial management company based in Baton Rouge and the Triad Region Cares Mentoring Movement, founded by former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine Susan Taylor.  She is a member of National Association for Negro Business and Professional Women, Inc., and an Advisory Board member of the Carlos Lezama Caribbean Cultural Museum in New York.  She was nominated as a Mover and Shaker in the Triad Business Leader and recognized as the Human Resources Leader of the Year at Time Warner Cable in 2005.  Traveling with her family is her favorite pastime.