MDA Leadership Consulting Adds Six Employees to Support Operations and Expanding Client Base
September 8, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS – MDA Leadership Consulting announced today the addition of six new staff members to support the firm’s expanding client base and breadth of services. Joining as vice presidents are Jane Hopkins, CPA, MBA, vice president of client services, and Jim Rasmussen, vice president of business development. Also joining the firm are T. Michael Hepperlen, Ph.D., talent management consultant; Julie Peterson, MA, MPA, organizational performance consultant; Jason G. Ortmeier, MA, leadership development consultant and executive coach; and Elizabeth Shamla, client coordinator, to help the firm’s clients improve the effectiveness of their people and organizational processes.
“All of these individuals add greater depth to our operational and consulting ranks,” said Sandra Davis, Ph.D., L.P., CEO of MDA Leadership Consulting. “They will help us continue to provide the best possible service and expertise to our clients as we manage the double digit growth we’ve experienced the past three years.”
As vice president of client services, Hopkins oversees the company’s internal client service processes and staffing. She will support the firm’s consultants to ensure continued client satisfaction and successful consulting results. Hopkins was previously vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer for Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota, where she was responsible for all strategic and operational aspects of finance, information technology, asset and real estate management, payroll and benefits administration, and risk management. Prior to LSS, she was the senior manager for the health care/tax-exempt practice at Deloitte & Touche in Minneapolis. Hopkins is an adjunct professor for the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business and Undergraduate School of Business, St. Paul, Minn., and Hamline University, St. Paul; and an assistant professor at the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Creighton University, Omaha, Neb., and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Rasmussen is responsible for generating visibility and interest in MDA Leadership’s services and products from potential and existing clients. He has 15 years experience selling professional services in Minneapolis and Chicago, most recently for Drake Beam Morin outplacement and organizational development services. He has a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and public relations from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Hepperlen joins MDA’s talent management practice as a consultant, responsible for providing technical and practical industrial/organizational psychology expertise in relation to new hire and executive assessments and development. Previously he was a senior consultant and human capital management consultant at ePredix in Minneapolis, where he led a consulting team in delivering pre-employment selection testing services. He has a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.; a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha; a master’s degree in counseling from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Minnesota Professionals for Psychology Applied to Work (MPPAW). He frequently authors and presents on topics of industrial and organizational psychology for industry publications and events.
Ortmeier uses his background in counseling, education and training to help identify individual development needs and provide coaching to improve the leadership skills of executives. Prior to MDA Leadership, Ortmeier was a consultant and project lead for an international human resources consulting firm specializing in change management, outplacement, performance optimization and employee retention strategies. From 1996-2001, he was in the non-profit sector in a variety of outreach and therapeutic roles. Ortmeier has a master’s degree in counseling and professional psychology from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Dakota.
As an organizational performance consultant, Peterson provides strategic leadership, consulting and coaching to clients in the areas of organizational diagnosis and alignment, action learning, and talent management systems, and assists human resource leaders with HR strategy development and systems alignment. Her primary consulting areas include mergers and acquisitions, organizational alignment, HR transformation initiatives, qualitative and quantitative employee and management research, and succession planning. She was previously a consultant in the organization effectiveness practice of Watson Wyatt Worldwide’s Twin Cities office, working with clients in health care and financial services. She has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Middle East studies from Hamline University.
As client coordinator, Shamla ensures MDA’s client activities run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. She will maintain day-to-day contact with clients, facilitating service from within the firm while demonstrating MDA’s values and client commitment. Shamla brings extensive project management and organizational experience from her previous role as senior executive coordinator for KRW International, where she designed and managed leadership development programs for corporate executives. She is completing her master’s degree in organizational management from Concordia University, St. Paul, and has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of St. Thomas.
Founded in 1981 as an organizational psychology firm, MDA Leadership Consulting helps organizations create outstanding, sustainable results through better leadership. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MDA Leadership Consulting provides talent planning, succession planning, selection assessment, senior hire integration, organizational alignment, organizational change consulting, leadership development and executive coaching services. For more information, visit www.mdaleadership.com.