Using customized approaches, we put together a team of professionals whose diverse backgrounds, skills and experiences best serve our clients.
ANGELA ANTENORE, M.Ed
President/Principal
Angela Antenore provides facilitation services to help clients meet their business goals by leveraging the talents and experiences of diverse teams. Angela focuses on how leaders can best perform to deliver results and excel in their roles while engaging their teams and motivating them to have an impact.
She incorporates the perspectives and contributions of diverse partners including executives, policymakers, foundations, business owners, non-profit leaders and community members. She is particularly interested in how people and organizations can use their potential to best serve the needs of their organization and multi-cultural communities.
She serves as a consultant to corporations, government/public sector agencies, nonprofits, foundations, for-profit and start-up businesses and universities. She works with a variety of governing Boards and foundations focused on human services and has served as a Human Services Commissioner for the County of Santa Barbara. She has also served on teams to successfully implement private, local, state, and federal grants.
A skilled facilitator and instructor, Angela holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction, and a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA. In addition, she possesses certifications and experience in a variety of subjects where she employs her cross-functional and cross-cultural experience in providing organizational development consulting services.
Certifications & Focus Areas
Combining Relevant Experience
About Me
Angela combines her background in education and psychology to pursue leadership and organizational effectiveness strategies with her clients. She has a unique background including both international consulting experience as well as hands-on experience as a director, manager, small business owner, and educator. In these roles, Angela has developed a common-sense approach to management and leadership.
Angela has worked extensively throughout the U.S., and Puerto Rico. She has traveled to over 30 countries and has consulted in Canada, Colombia, England, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland. She speaks and has taught courses in Spanish.
Angela is currently an International Cooperation Partner with OSB International Systemic Consulting and an associate at Executive Diversity Services, Inc.
Dr. KAREN S. GUNN
Senior Associate
Karen Gunn has worked for over 35 years in higher education and organizational consultation. She recently retired as a tenured professor at Santa Monica College during which time she served as Chair of the Psychology Department. In her position as a professor, she also played an instrumental leadership role in curriculum transformation, student equity initiatives, anti-bias training and professional development.
Her expertise as a consultant has focused on diversity-inclusion, interpersonal communication, community engagement and development, team building, cultural competencies, leadership skills and strategic planning.
Karen received her doctorate in community and organizational psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where she was the recipient of a multi-year Minority Fellowship funded by the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Gunn is highly regarded as a trainer, facilitator, motivational speaker, and community volunteer. She holds certifications in Executive Coaching (International Coaching Federation), Mental Health First Aid, Intercultural Conflict Resolution, Cultural Competency Training, Train-the-Trainer programs. She has published numerous papers, articles, and marketing materials. Karen has served as a board member of non-profit, professional and community organizations. She recently served as Chair of the Santa Monica Bay Human Relations Council.
In addition to her work in education, Dr. Gunn has been a consulting in organizational and management development for over 40 years. She has provided extensive assistance, consultation, and training to private, non-profit and government organizations.
Her clients include Center for Disease Control, Center for Medicare Services, AARP, the County of Los Angeles (e.g. Office of Affirmative Action Compliance, Department of Mental Health, other departments), healthcare and mental health agencies, community organizations, educational institutions, and international marketing firms. And corporations including PepsiCo, United Airlines, MOBIL Oil (Executive Diversity Services-Seattle, WA.)
SANTALYNDA MARRERO
Senior Associate
A dynamic coach, organizational consultant, facilitator, trainer and thought leader, Dr. Santalynda Marrero draws her academic discipline as a counseling psychologist and 30 years experience help individuals, teams and organizations propel to the next level. She is frequently called upon for her broad range of consulting, coaching, facilitation and training skills which make her adept at helping develop individuals, teams and organizations.
She has experience coaching with a broad range of clients within all levels in an organization. Her approach to coaching is client centered with a 360º focus for life and career development. Coaching is about the person as a whole person; values, goals, work, balance, fulfillment, and life purpose. She works with highly motivated individuals to develop a shared plan to address the transition challenges in management styles, expectations, challenges for authenticity, work performance and more as defined with the client.
Her fluency in Spanish and bi-cultural status have naturally led her to successfully facilitate and train on leadership and diversity/inclusion in Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico-Latin America.
ava Diamond
Senior Associate
Ava’s background includes ten years as a human resources leader and organizational development consultant with a U.S. based global Fortune 50 computer company, where she provided leadership to major change and improvement efforts across the U.S. She focused on such areas as change management, business consolidation, diversity, strategic planning, leadership development, and building effective teams. She has also served as an executive director of a nonprofit meals on wheels program for people with AIDS, and has owned two businesses.
She is known for her ability to bring diverse groups of people together to identify and accomplish common goals, while creating a workplace culture where everyone has the opportunity to do their best work. She focuses on leadership, employee engagement, building a thriving work culture, women’s success strategies, and self-leadership.
Ava works with everyone from executives to the front line to create aligned, focused organizations where people are passionately committed to results. Participants in her programs find her inspiring, empowering, down-to-earth, and funny! They walk away with great ideas and the know-how to implement them.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Organizational Behavior.
Hanna Ashcraft
Principal Consultant
Hanna Ashcraft provides production and design support at Antenore & Associates. With a clarity-focused mindset, she handles information organization, graphic design, worksheet creation, and follow-up reports. Hanna has a background in event planning and management, allowing her to proactively prepare for upcoming meetings and facilitations, while also being flexible with client’s wishes in the moment. Outside of work, you’ll find Hanna heading to the airport to explore international outdoor activities and cultural experiences. She holds a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in the History of Art from UC Berkeley.
CATALINA LANGEN
Associate
Catalina serves as project management lead at Antenore & Associates. This includes consultation, data and survey management, project documentation, virtual production, and design support. As co-founder of Civic Wellbeing Partners, Catalina advances leadership for community wellbeing through local action, use of data, and partnerships. She also serves as Executive Director for the Santa Monica Bay Area Human Relations Council, promoting creativity, equitable engagement, and civic action through programs like the Wellbeing Microgrant Program. Catalina graduated with her B.A. in History and Spanish Literature from the University of California Santa Barbara, grew up in North County San Diego, and lives in Los Angeles.
Dr. Carlos Cortes
Executive Advisor
Dr. Carlos E. Cortés is a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Riverside. Since 1990 he has served on the summer faculty of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education, while he is also on the faculties of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication and the Federal Executive Institute and has served as a Smithsonian Institution public lecturer.
A consultant to many government agencies, school systems, universities, mass media, private businesses, and other organizations, Cortés has lectured widely throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Australia on the implications of diversity for education, government, business, and media. He also lectures on cruise ships, where he speaks on such cross-cultural topics as gestures, the history of time, and cultural conceptions of space.
Cortés has served as Scholar-in-Residence with Univision Communications and as Creative/Cultural Advisor for Nickelodeon’s Peabody-award-winning children’s television series, “Dora the Explorer,” and its sequels, “Go, Diego, Go!” and “Dora and Friends: Into the City.” For his Nickelodeon contributions he received the 2009 NAACP Image Award. He also travels the country performing his one-person autobiographical play, A Conversation with Alana: One Boy’s Multicultural Rite of Passage.
His recent books include The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity, The Making — and Remaking — of a Multiculturalist, and his memoir, Rose Hill: An Intermarriage before Its Time. He also edited the four-volume Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia and has completed his first novel, Scouts’ Honor.
Cortés’ has received numerous honors, including honorary doctorates, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award, the California Association for Bilingual Education’s Inspiration Award, the Distinguished California Humanist Award, the American Society for Training and Development’s National Multicultural Trainer of the Year Award, and the California Council for the Social Studies’ Hilda Taba Award. While at the University of California, Riverside, he received the campus’ Distinguished Teaching Award, Faculty Public Service Award, and Emeritus Professor of the Year Award. In 2016, the City of Riverside, California, established the annual Carlos E. Cortés Award for community service that fosters inclusivity and diversity.
Dr. Donna M. Stringer
Executive Advisor
Dr. Stringer has extensive experience on the U.S. and Global platforms as a consultant and trainer in team building, Executive coaching, DEI Initiatives, strategic planning, intercultural communication and instructional design. She is a published author, and her work has been recognized by various organizations (e.g., Association for Talent Development, Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research) for excellence and innovation.
Former President and Co-Founder, Executive Diversity Services, Inc., (Seattle, WA.)
Faculty Member – Intercultural Communication Institute.
Amanda Simons
Associate
Amanda Simons assists with project and survey management, scheduling, and reporting at Antenore & Associates. Amanda holds a B.A. in Sociology from Saint Mary’s College and is a U.C. Davis certified Winemaker. Amanda has a background in hospitality, management, event planning and is a formally trained Sommelier. Outside of work, Amanda enjoys life in Santa Barbara with her friends and family.
Jeff Antenore
Associate
Jeff Antenore serves as a digital producer for virtual sessions and as a documentarian and researcher for Antenore & Associates. Jeff has a background in journalism, photography, and communication coordination, and is instrumental in facilitating smooth and seamless virtual trainings and focus groups with dynamic engagement for participants. Jeff holds a M.A. in Journalism from Boston University and a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Political Science from UCLA. When he’s not working, Jeff will usually be found exploring local parks and trails with his wife and young daughter near his home in Orange County, CA.
KELLY ROSE ALMEIDA
Graphics Associate
Kelly Almeida is the co-owner of a soon-to-be-opened local business and freelance administrative assistant. At the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Kelly held several positions including Art Educator, and School and Teaching Coordinator where she managed and organized student visits, art events and workshops. In addition, she coordinated with over 600 teachers which managing tours, programs and events including teacher training. At Deckers Outdoor Corporation she served as a Customer Experience representative.
Artistically talented, Kelly utilizes her creativity to bring a fresh perspective to her projects. In her spare time, Kelly creates music and art in almost any medium.
DENISE DOLLARD
Associate
Denise Dollard combines her background in social work and business to arrive at the right balance of humanistic realism and organizational excellence. Throughout her twenty-year career in the financial services industry, she has held a variety of positions, ranging from sales management responsibility for 100 banking offices, to managing the design and delivery of business banking training for the state of California. In these roles, Denise developed an intuitive, common sense approach to management and leadership. Since 1999 her focus has been on human performance consulting in the biotech/pharma industry. She has been instrumental in developing the leadership skills and business acumen amongst the scientific population.
As a consultant, Denise approaches all projects by incorporating the perspective of both management and staff to meet the organization’s objectives. The result is an integrative plan that maximizes results. She has extensive experience in helping leaders build high performing teams and developing its members. Denise’s passion lies in transferring knowledge and skills to employees to enable them to excel in their jobs.
When coaching Denise allows the client to choose the focus of conversation, and then through active listening, questioning and observation moves the client to action. This combines an awareness of choice and the client’s willingness to move towards where they want and need to be in the future. The alignment of a client’s intention along with the support and application of the coaching process leads to a path of achievement and accountability.