About Us and Dragons

Dr. David Shelor has spent the past 25 years dedicated to helping individuals, teams and organizations identify core strengths, connect with deep values and develop leadership competencies, transforming these resources into concrete actions and sustainable positive change. As an organizational leader, coach and consultant, Dr. Shelor understands deeply that every significant achievement happens in teams, from raising a child to landing people on the moon. He is skilled in helping leaders grow their own abilities to build and motivate highly effective and innovative teams that bring benefit to their stakeholders, organizations, communities and themselves. He knows from experience that when leaders understand themselves and their influence, when team members are heard and empowered, and when organizations connect with their values and strengths and focus their efforts, they are collectively unstoppable in changing the world.

An ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Shelor has coached leaders and consulted with organizations in a variety of sectors, including nonprofit social services, the arts, primary, secondary and higher education, government, business and religious organizations. He holds a Masters of Science in Positive Organizational Development and Change from Weatherhead School of Management at Case-Western University in Cleveland and is a certified executive coach. He is also founder and owner of Florentica, LLC and a trainer and board member of the Center for Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations, providing emotional and social intelligence training for leaders.

Vicki Cotter M.S., SPHR, CPCC, ACC, has coached, trained, facilitated and developed leaders, leadership teams and individuals at all levels in organizations large and small, public and private, and in the US, Europe and Asia. She is known for her fierce courage and ability to speak the truth.

Vicki has a Master of Science in Human Resource Management, and holds the designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She is a certified coach with credentials from the International Coaching Federation and The Coaches Training Institute. She is also trained in the neuroscience of coaching and leadership, and on the faculty of BEabove Leadership, where she teaches advanced coaching skills.

Tony Bennae Richard is a change agent and disabled veteran who served in the United States Navy for twenty-four years as a hospital corpsman, healthcare administrator, and organization development consultant.  He has led, designed, and participated in numerous leadership, organizational change, organizational equity, inclusion and justice initiatives, and change experiences.  Under the womentorship of Dr. Alice Cahill (CAPT, Retired), he designed and facilitated countless leadership and facilitation courses, interventions initiatives that improved the effectiveness and efficiency of Naval Medicine.  While still on active duty, he imagined a world absent of injustice, wars, fragmented relationships, broken bodies, and wasted human capital.

This vision, mixed with a unique blend of personal and professional life experiences, formal and informal education, and extensive exposure to different cultures and people, gave birth to The Bennae Group, which provides customized experiences that increase the health and effectiveness of individuals and the systems in which they live, work and play. 

By delivering interventions that leave participants affirmed, challenged and changed, he works with individuals and organizations committed to doing the heart work, and hard work, of culture change and transformation.  He has considerable experience with executive coaching and supporting leaders and their teams with their organizational change and improvement efforts.

Tony is a member of the National Training Laboratories (NTL); board member of the Educational Training and Development Alliance; adjunct faculty member with  the Georgetown Organization Development Certificate Program; and holds life memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Kristen Vondruska is Owner and Co-founder of Overt Resolutions Group, LLC. She is passionate about partnering with executives and teams to propel powerful and sustainable organizational change. She brings

over 23 year’s experience as a leader of human systems and now chooses to focus her expertise supporting clients in achieving their goals. Her contributions span the non-profit, for-profit, and government arenas. She served as an internal consultant standing up the first office in the Army Medical Department dedicated to individual and collective growth that made meaningful and lasting change possible. As a consultant for The Center for Human Systems, Kristen designed content for an interactive educational application targeted to improve participant recall of course material by leveraging technology and educational principles. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia and a Master’s degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She finds inspiration for her life’s work at home as a proud wife and mother.

Jeff Peters is a Co-Founder of Overt Resolutions Group, LLC committed to helping professionals have a more influential, positive, and sustainable impact within their organization, profession, family, and community. He holds three master degrees including a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Jeff has been partnering with senior executives/leaders on planned systemic change initiatives since 2005 after helping manage DoD heath care integration in the National Capital region. Between 2005 and 2016, Jeff designed and implemented institutional experiential leadership development programs in both the for-profit and government space. These programs were designed to allow participants to explore leadership skills and potential through the development of a community of peers and leaders who grow and learn together through a variety of shared experiences to gain a deeper understanding of their unique strengths, limitations, and personal influence.

Mary Orton has been helping organizations with change processes for over 20 years. For nine years she has consulted with local and federal government agencies, Native American nations and tribes, and non-profit organizations. She has a master’s degree in the constructive engagement of conflict and was adjunct professor at the Arizona State University Law School. She has authored chapters in two books, the latest published by United Nations University Press about contentious public participation processes in international waterways.

Wendy Fraser excels at understanding team dynamics and the developmental needs of leaders and people working inside organizations. She brings creative energy that is grounded in practical tools and models while working with groups to leverage their best talents toward becoming stronger. Wendy has over twenty years of organization development experience and has worked with public, private, and non-profit organizations throughout the United States and internationally. As a continuous learner, Wendy earned her doctorate at Fielding Graduate University in Human and Organizational Systems and holds three masters degrees. Wendy also likes to teach and facilitate learning with others and is a faculty member with Brandman University’s Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program and with the University of Washington-Tacoma’s Professional Development Program. Wendy lives in Olympia, Washington with her husband and two children. She is an active volunteer in the schools and community service organizations.