The Brain Trust

Marcia Wieder

Marcia Wieder, America's Dream Coach®, travels the world - an ambassador for making dreams real. She's known for giving inspiring and moving talks to notable companies such as AT&T, The Gap and American Express.

In addition to being a charismatic speaker, she's the renowned author of three books dedicated to achieving your dreams: Making Your Dreams Come True®, Life is But a Dream, and Doing Less and Having More. She's also a syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, in which she urges readers to take "The Great Dream Challenge"- a call to arms for dreamers from all walks of life. Appearing several times on Oprah and The Today Show, she's shared her message of a "passion-filled life" with millions of viewers. Equally exciting, was the PBS featured national television special, Making Your Dreams Come True®, the namesake of her popular selling book, which has also been translated into numerous languages.

Haitham "Hutch" E. Ashoo

Haitham "Hutch" E. Ashoo is a principal and partner of Pillar Financial, a wealth management firm that is focused on high net worth individuals and families, as well as privately held company owners.   He is also the co-author of several books including his most recent, Beyond Wealth: Finding The Balance. www.pillaronline.com

Kevin Grauman

Kevin Grauman has been a successful “serial entrepreneur” in the USA since 1987, having founded, built and sold three successful human resources ventures. As President and CEO of his most recent venture, The Outsource Group (TOG), he pioneered many unique go-to-market strategies in the HR Outsourcing industry, having received many accolades along the way. TOG was ranked #1 on the INC500 list as America’s fastest growing company in 2001/2, followed by two consecutive INC500 top-50 rankings.

Kevin was acknowledged in November 2002 by HRO Today as one of the “100 Superstars of HR Outsourcing in the USA”. He, too, was the recipient of Ernst & Young’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Business Services Category, and was acknowledged by Kingston’s 2002 registry of “Who’s Who in America”. Being a prolific writer, Kevin has co-authored two published works, and a multitude of magazine and newspaper articles that have been circulated both regionally and nationally. Kevin’s latest startup venture, Emportal, is one that he co-founded together with another industry pioneer. Together they intend to change the paradigm for deploying, utilizing and integrating enterprise software, initially within the workforce management domain. www.emportal.com

Steve Farrell

Steve Farrell is the Worldwide Coordinating Director of Humanity’s Team, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to renew and restore our connection with God and

As a serial entrepreneur, Steve has founded, chaired and sold two technology businesses creating extraordinary value. In 1990, he created Enterprise Networking Systems (ENS), a firm specializing in local and wide area network applications, and grew sales to $75 million. ENS twice appeared on Inc. magazine’s fastest growing private company list before Steve sold it to NEC.

Steve also started Netigy Corp. in 1996, a business consulting company specializing in web design analysis, growing the organization to 850 employees internationally before selling the business in a private transaction in 2001. Steve has also been a chapter officer of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and chapter president of Young Entrepreneur’s Organization (YEO). He lives with his wife and children in Northern California. www.humanitysteam.org

George E. McCown

George E. McCown became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Business Academy in 1989, just two years after its inception. George is the Chairman and Managing Director of McCown DeLeeuw & Co. ("MDC"), a private equity firm that partners with management teams to buy and build "Companies That Make A Difference." Before co-founding MDC in 1984, he spent 18 years at Boise Cascade Corporation in a series of general management positions. He was Senior Vice President, Building Materials Group and President, Boise Cascade Home and Land Corporation at his departure. He received an MBA from Harvard University where he subsequently served as assistant to Professor Georges F. Doriot (founder of the U.S. venture capital industry), and a BS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, where he served as a trustee during the 1980's, chairing the Finance and Investment Policy Committees. He has served as chairman, vice chairman or director of over 30 public and private companies. George serves on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He is a Director of Outward Bound USA (Finance Committee Chairman), The American Himalayan Foundation and the Bay Area Council. He works closely with the Central Asia Institute which builds schools in the remote mountain regions of Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. www.worldbusiness.org

Arthur Joseph

Arthur Joseph MA, is a master teacher/strategist to Hollywood celebrities such as Albert Finney, Anne Bancroft, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pierce Brosnan, Angelina Jolie and corporate giants Disney, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Toyota, and Universal Studios Hollywood Company. Arthur Joseph is also an author of three books as well as two audio series and a video/DVD, and former University of Southern California professor, visiting artist at Yale and George Washington Universities, and is on the faculty of City of New York Graduate Extention Program. He is the founder of the Vocal Awareness Institute, and has studied the physical, emotional and psychological aspects of the human voice for more than 40 years.

"Long ago I discovered that taking the often perilous journey required to fulfill a life vision demands tremendous focus and a carefully organized structure. The Vocal Awareness method recognizes the voice as a metaphor. Its copyrighted techniques integrate the mind/body/spirit into a conscious system that gives one the necessary tools and the compass to take life's journey as effectively as possible. The goal of the Work, in a word, is Sovereignty, supreme excellence, or an example of it." www.vocalawareness.com

Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith is a world authority in helping successful leaders get even better - by achieving positive change in behavior: for themselves, their people and their teams.

Dr. Goldsmith is University Professor at Alliant International University's Marshall Goldsmith School of Management, which was named in his honor in 2006.

Recently the American Management Association named Dr. Goldsmith as one of 50 great thinkers and leaders who have influenced the field of management over the past 80 years and Business Week listed him as one of the most influential practitioners in the history of leadership development. In 2005 he was recognized as a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources – the highest award for an HR professional and recognized in Business Week as one of 50 great leaders in the United States.

Marshall is one of the few consultants who have been asked to work with over 70 major CEOs and their management teams. He conducts workshops for executives, high-potential leaders and HR professionals. His Ph.D. is from UCLA. He is an Adjunct Professor teaching executive education at Dartmouth’s Tuck School and he is frequently asked to speak at leading business schools.

Marshall is co-founder of Marshall Goldsmith Partners, a network of top-level executive coaches. He served as a member of the Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation for ten years and now serves as a member of the Leader to Leader Board. He has also donated substantial time to non-profit organizations, such as the Girl Scouts, the International and American Red Cross – where he was a National Volunteer of the Year. www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com