Meet Our Advisors

Hi, I'm Natalie, and I am an entrepreneur. I have been hustling to earn money since I was a kid playing my flute in the Seattle Pike Place Market, to putting myself through college doing floral design for weddings and parties. I have decades of sales and marketing experience and know how to grow and scale a business from the ground up.

My current business, Mommywise, is in the baby services industry. My company helps babies and parents sleep. We have a team of women who fly around the country to stay with families and guide them through sleep training. We get whole families sleeping through the night and feeling better in 3-5 days.

In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, cooking, yoga, and volunteering my time to help other entrepreneurs create and scale their businesses.

I am an experienced business leader and manager who has worked in For Profit and Not-For-Profit. My orientation is strategic, and with an expertise in business management to drive growth. I have a keen understanding of consumer behavior and how to sell a product or service. Most of my career was at Citibank and with a record of increasing sales, profitability, and product awareness. I worked in both banking, payments, and credit cards with a significant expertise in developing marketing programs and products to drive business results.

I have experience in customer relationship management (CRM), partnerships and alliances and digital marketing using email and social media. Most of my nonprofit experience has been at UJA, United Jewish Appeal, a large nonprofit organization. I have a deep understanding of not-for-profit organizations serving as a strategic and operational consultant.

I am a graduate of Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. After briefly practicing law, I built a long career in the food industry, beginning with managing our family melba toast company and later serving as an executive at Arnold Oroweat, CPC International, Best Foods, and Unilever. During my final years at Unilever, I focused on helping the company divest businesses outside of its long-term strategy.

I later worked for many years as a consultant to food manufacturers, specializing in sales, marketing, and product and business development. I have also served as a volunteer consultant for numerous organizations, helping startups across many industries, with a particular focus on food business startups. My experience combines large-company leadership, entrepreneurial insight, and practical guidance for growing businesses.

Outside of work, I’m also a soccer and lacrosse referee, ski instructor, and saxophone player in several local bands and orchestras.

I help entrepreneurs take ideas from concept to reality and beyond. I enjoy helping inevitably multi-tasking “solo-preneurs” focus in order to achieve effective business development, planning, organization, communications, and branding—both visual and verbal—while also helping balance work and life as business grows.

Starting out with a background in writing, editing, copywriting, foreign language, and communications, I eventually created and led a direct marketing food business for 40 years, focusing on customer service, brand growth, and mail-order development. Along the way, I occupied several leadership roles on boards and committees where I used training in mediation to facilitate defining and carrying out missions effectively.

My well-developed interests involve food and cooking, languages, architecture, urban life, the arts, and psychology.

I owned several manufacturing companies for 35 years and have experience across all facets of running a small business, including startup, purchasing, human resources, acquisition, and production. I have been successful by constantly reinventing myself - creating new markets, expanding my product line, and acquiring other companies. I have experience manufacturing vacuum-formed keyboard covers, dust covers, and other computer accessories, as well as fabricating acrylic displays, sign holders, and sports cases.

In addition to my business experience, I have volunteered as a mentor and board member and currently serve as Vice President of the Bergen Volunteers board. I have also volunteered with Eva’s Village Workforce Development Program, where I helped clients prepare resumes, build interview skills, and receive mentorship. As a result of my business and volunteer experience, I listen carefully to goals and ideas and take a thoughtful, methodical approach to helping guide individuals in starting or growing their businesses.

I am a Mentor and Program Architect experienced in strategic short- and long-term planning. I am skilled in guiding entrepreneurs and startups in pursuing government business opportunities. I have ample knowledge of the construction industry, with a strong background in program development, operational efficiency, and sustainable business growth. I have a proven ability to help small businesses navigate regulations, secure government contracts, and position themselves for long-term success.

As a co-founder of four different non-funded businesses, I work with founders and business owners at a variety of inflection points—whether that’s starting a business, scaling it, preparing for a transaction, or making more intentional, strategic decisions along the way.

My background is in building and operating businesses without outside capital, and I bring a practical, grounded approach to growth and value creation. I focus on helping owners see their business clearly, understand their options, and make decisions that align both financially and personally. I also have direct experience working within a husband-and-wife partnership, and I understand the unique dynamics and complexities that come with that structure as well as the partnership structure in general. More recently, I’ve worked through evaluating private equity offers, structuring deals, improving profitability, and preparing businesses for transition.

I approach each engagement as a thought partner, not just an advisor—bringing clarity, discipline, and perspective to decisions that matter.
Ultimately, my goal is to help business owners build stronger companies and achieve better outcomes—on their own terms.

With 25 years in banking, I have devoted myself to helping new business owners and startups launch their businesses in today's digital world. I have extensive experience helping new owners develop and execute business plans and master financial management to improve wealth.

One overlooked speaking flaw can tank your credibility in 2 seconds—losing customers, deals, or voters. That's where I step in, delivering personalized micro-refinements that eliminate speaking quirks, land words strategically, and consistently convey A-game presence. Over 100 national brands and 10,000 politicians, executives, and people in the workplace rely on my one-of-a-kind tweaks. I offer Strategic, micro-specific techniques that win. No theory—just instant results.
I’m also a voiceover coach & director and have recorded over 13,000 projects for brands including AT&T, Google, & Microsoft. I’m the Founder & CEO of Edge Studio, an international voice over business. And I’ve recently launched Prosody.Center, a modern upgrade to old‑school speaking clubs & finishing schools.

I am a business development executive with experience working across media and technology, with startups and large global organizations. My focus is on structuring partnerships, negotiating agreements, and developing practical monetization strategies. I enjoy helping founders think through pricing, product development, protecting their IP, and closing deals that meaningfully move their businesses forward.

For over 30 years, I launched new businesses and global brands in the U.S. for L’Oréal, a leading CPG company with beauty expertise across all distribution channels, from mass to luxury. I mentor founders and established small businesses in the beauty, food, and creative industries, helping turn ideas and visions into fundable plans and scalable brands, from concept and positioning to pricing, manufacturing, and go-to-market strategies across DTC and wholesale channels.

I am a results-driven executive with extensive experience in startup leadership, business/IT strategy and financial management. I have a proven track record of driving growth and advising high-impact ventures. I have 20+ years in IT strategy and strategy consulting, including roles at Big-4 firms and Booz Allen. I hold an MBA in Finance & Accounting from Columbia. I have extensive experience using AI for strategic decision making. I am passionate about mentoring entrepreneurs and scaling businesses.

My background includes running the New York office of a top global advertising agency and leading international assignments for well-known consumer brands. Later, as a partner in an executive search firm, I gained deep insight into leadership, hiring, and the fast-changing marketing landscape. I enjoy helping entrepreneurs apply proven marketing and business principles to build strong, successful companies.

Marketing and business development executive and consultant to small-to-large medical electronics companies; active volunteer with non-profits. Expert in business model development, business plans, outbound marketing, product development, strategic alliances, and non-profits.

I have experience across a variety of industries, including plastics, chemicals, building materials, plastics processing, consumer packaged goods for food products, distribution of specialized products, and some consumer-facing roles within these sectors.

I created and built a unique nonprofit professional dance company which was sponsored by Columbia Artists and toured nationally. I also created a for-profit video company, as an education tool for Dance History, which was sold to colleges and libraries throughout the US.

I spent 46 years in business across sales, management, and ownership, and during that time I started three businesses. In my 12-plus years as a small business mentor, I have counseled clients on the process of starting a business, B2B prospecting, and closing sales. I bring hands-on insight into the entire sales cycle, from warming up cold leads to deal closure.

I am a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur with a career defined by building value through strategic partnerships, marketing excellence, and hands-on leadership. A pivotal highlight of my career was serving as President of a North American travel consortium representing more than 2,000 travel agencies across the United States and Canada. In this role, I successfully negotiated preferred agreements with major airlines, cruise lines, hotel groups, and tour operators, securing enhanced pricing, amenities, and added value for the clients of member agencies. I was also responsible for the consortium’s sales strategy, marketing initiatives, public relations, and large-scale event planning, ensuring strong brand visibility, member engagement, and sustained growth.
For the past 12 years, I have focused on mentoring entrepreneurs who are starting or scaling small businesses across a wide range of industries. Drawing on real-world experience, I help business owners clarify their value proposition, strengthen operations, and develop practical strategies for growth. Known for my clarity, insight, and results-oriented approach, I bring both big-picture thinking and actionable guidance to every client I support.

I have held sales, marketing, and general management positions, building a successful track record in operations, project management, problem-solving, planning, communications, and leadership to maximize sales and profits. My experience spans aerospace, industrial, commercial, nonprofit, and institutional sectors, and includes fasteners, chemicals, off-road equipment, servos, actuators, temperature controls, and electrical distribution hardware, as well as enterprise software, statistical process control, and quality assurance audits.

As a seasoned specialist, I have led brand strategy, product development, and marketing to invent and reinvent clinical skincare, medical devices, home design, sports apparel, and specialty retailing. With national and international experience, I am a free-thinking strategist who turns concepts into market-ready solutions and crafts the link between strategy and practical tactics, aligning all brand assets with a distinct intention: to build a competitive edge, stand out in crowded markets, and turn customers into long-term brand loyalists. My guidance is straightforward, purposeful, fully functional, and without fail built on viewing the brand through the lens of the customer.

I am the founder and Managing Director of RCDM Studio, a boutique digital agency, and have worked on the leading edge of brand, website, and mobile app design, e-commerce and educational systems, and games and simulations for more than two decades. My experience spans disciplines, media, and industries, with recent projects including brand, web, and mobile design, digital marketing, e-commerce, and membership systems. Prior to establishing RCDM Studio in 2006, I served as Vice President of Technology for Second Avenue Learning, Director of Educational Technology Product Development for Pearson Education, Director of Emerging Technology Research and Development for Scholastic’s Internet and Software group, and Program Manager of Scholastic Book Club’s premier e-commerce initiative, which delivered 25 percent year-over-year growth for the division.
Earlier in my career, I produced and directed entertainment and corporate media for ABC, CBS, HBO Max, Showtime, Universal Pay TV, Paramount, Disney, Dow Jones, Pepsi, Pfizer, RCA Records, and WGBH Public Television. I live in Brooklyn, New York, and recharge in my off hours by sailing, skiing, cycling, and dancing.

I am an AI strategy advisor, author, and mentor who works with executives, founders, consultants, and knowledge professionals facing structural change driven by artificial intelligence. My mentoring begins with first principles, helping leaders clarify how value is created, where judgment truly matters, and which assumptions no longer hold as AI becomes embedded in everyday decision-making. I focus on using AI as leverage rather than substitution, designing agent-based systems as force multipliers, aligning human responsibility with machine capability, and ensuring that technology adoption strengthens trust, accountability, and organizational coherence rather than eroding it. My work helps mentees move beyond experimentation toward durable operating models that can scale without collapsing under complexity.
My background spans advisory work, long-form strategic writing, and education. Across engagements, I emphasize clarity over speed, simplicity earned through discipline, and innovation grounded in human reality. I mentor with the long view in mind, helping individuals and organizations design systems, practices, and careers that remain coherent not just today, but well into the future.

I am a CPA with corporate experience as a CFO/CIO for an industrial wholesale distributor and national retail bookseller. I organized a computer systems consulting practice in 1987, serving manufacturers, wholesalers, and retail operations. I hold a BS in Accounting from NYU Stern.

I started a film production company as a director in New York in 1982, driven by a shared vision of creating compelling visual content. Within two years, we expanded by adding directors one at a time, each bringing unique skills that enhanced our offerings, and later opened an office in Los Angeles. I led sales initiatives and market strategy, fostering strong relationships with a diverse client base and top agencies. These relationships elevated the company’s profile and demonstrated its ability to handle high-stakes projects. At its peak, we staffed five directors, and I oversaw sales, marketing, and all client relationships. The company operated successfully for 20 years, providing invaluable experience across both the creative and business sides of the entertainment industry in New York and Los Angeles.

I am an independent marketing strategy and communications consultant with 40+ years of experience advising U.S. and international clients on marketing research, new product development, service quality, and complex business problem solving. My work spans Fortune 500 financial institutions, technology companies, global service organizations, and not-for-profits in the arts, housing, and environmental sectors. I have led major domestic and international engagements, facilitating strategic planning, consensus building, and the development of effective communications and business plans.

I am a practicing lawyer, most engaged in problem-solving, process, and critical thinking. I balance providing information with guiding clients through checklists and, when appropriate, testing assumptions by “kicking the tires.” I have practiced in a diverse range of corporate, commercial, and civil litigation work, bringing deep knowledge of the law and the legal system. Over nearly fifty years in the profession, I have worked in large and small firms, as well as in solo practice. During that time, I have published several books, operated a publishing company, and maintained an online column addressing law, politics, and culture.

I am a generalist with 50+ years experience who can help you with diverse areas of starting and growing your business. I founded my own business in the cosmetics industry while still in college, and grew it into a successful wholesale and retail operation over the course of my career. I managed and operated 10-15 fragrance and beauty care product retail stores, as well as a robust national/international wholesale fragrance business. I also spent over a decade serving in leadership positions at the NYC Chapter of SCORE, a nonprofit partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), including two years as Chapter Chair. I was recognized nationally for outstanding leadership.

I am a highly experienced brand strategist who can help you uncover what will meaningfully differentiate your product or service from your most important competitors. In addition, I can provide guidance on messaging, branding, marketing plans, workshop design, research design and stakeholder interviews. My portfolio has included both new and established products/services in the commercial and non-profit worlds.