William J. Rothwell, PhD, DBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RODC, FLMI, CPTD Fellow, is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc., Rothwell & Associates, LLC, and Rothwell & Associates Korea. As a consultant, he has worked with over 50 multinational companies and countless governments and non-profits. In addition to the three consulting companies he founded, he also founded three small businesses (a vacation rental home company employing three people; a personal care home for the elderly licensed for 50 beds employing 27 people; and an 18-unit motel employing nine people).
As a Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Academy Professor at Penn State University, University Park, where he taught for 30 years, he was co-Professor-in-Charge of an online and onsite academic program that offers a master's degree in Organizational Development and a PhD in Workforce Education and Development with an emphasis in Talent Development/Organizational Development. In 2025, after his retirment from Penn State, he was honored by the university with induction into a prestigious Emeritus Academy and by receiving the honorific "Academy Professor" to add to his Distinguished Professor Emeritus title. Before joining Penn State in 1993, he had over 15 years of executive-level work experience in human resources, talent development, and Organizational Development leadership in government (the Illinois Office of the Auditor General) and in business (Franklin Life Insurance Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of a multinational company, #48 on the Fortune 500 list).
With a combined total of 50 years of work experience in HR, OD, and Talent Development, he has published 174 books in the Human Resources field. He was given a special award in 1998 from the American Society for Training and Development for his leadership onASTD Models for Human Performance Improvement; in 2004 he was awarded the Best Book Award from the Academy of HRD forThe Strategic Development of Talent; in 2004 he was given Penn State University's Graduate Faculty Teaching Award (only one per year is given on Penn State's 24 campuses); in 2011 he was given the Association for Talent Development's (ATD) Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award and also the UNICEF and Kiwanis International's Walter Zeller Medal (Award) for International Service; in 2016 he was given the Distinguished Researcher Award by the College of Education at Penn State; in 2022 he was given the Organization Development Network's Lifetime Achievement Award and also Penn State University's highest award for international work; in 2023 he was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame (hosted globally by the University of Oklahoma); and in 2025 he was given the Thomas F. Gilbert Professional Achievement Award from the International Society for Performance Improvement. Over the last 32 years, he has conducted over 1,700 professional talks about training, Organization Development, Talent Development, coaching, and much more on every continent except Antarctica and has taught in universities globally, including 83 trips to China and 32 trips to Singapore.
His recent books since 2020 includeWinning the Talent Wars Through Neurodiversity(2026),Practicing Organization Development, 5th ed. (2026);Using Empathy Coaching to Improve Interpersonal Relationships at Work(2025);Evolving Internal Organization Development: Moving Beyond the Ordinary(2025);The Organized and Engaged Supervisor(2025);Experiencing Organization Development(2025);Facilitating Organization Development Interventions(2025);Motivated to Stay(2025);Revolutionizing the Online Learning Journey: 1,500 Ways to Increase Engagement(2024);Beyond Symbolic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Creating a Culture of Enduring Social Impact(2024);The Inclusive, Empathetic, and Relational Supervisor(2024);Accelerated Action Learning(2024);Building an Organizational Coaching Culture(2024);Mastering the Art of Process Consultation and Virtual Group Coaching Simulation(2023);Successful Supervisory Leadership(2023);Effective Succession Planning, 5th ed. (2023);Transformational Coaching(2023);Succession Planning for Small and Family Businesses(2022);High-Performance Coaching for Managers(2022);Rethinking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(2022);Organization Development (OD) Interventions: Executing Effective Organizational Change(2021);Virtual Coaching to Improve Group Relationships(2021);The Essential HR Guide for Small Business and Startups(2020);Increasing Learning and Development's Impact through Accreditation(2020);Adult Learning Basics, 2nd ed. (2020); and,Workforce Development: Guidelines for Community College Professionals, 2nd ed. (2020).
Behnam Bakhshandeh,Ph.D., MPS is president and founder of Primeco Education, a coaching and consulting company operating in the personal and professional development industry since 2001. Behnam's formal education includes a PhD in Workforce Education and Development (WFED) with a concentration on Organization Development (OD) and Human Resources Development (HRD) from Pennsylvania State University, a master's degree in professional studies in Organization Development and Change (OD&C) from the Pennsylvania State University, World Campus, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix. He is also Founder and President of Primeco Education, a coaching and consulting company working with individuals, teams, and organizations on their personal and professional development since 1993. He has authored and published five books in the personal and professional development industry. His recent books since 2020 includeUsing Empathy Coaching to Improve Interpersonal Relationships at Work(2025);Evolving Internal Organization Development: Moving Beyond the Ordinary(2025);Awakened Leadership: Uniting Organization Development and Awareness Integration Theory(2025);The Organized and Engaged Supervisor: Optimizing Resources and Managing Employee Experiences(2025);Increasing Workplace Empathy Through Transformative Coaching(December 2025);The Impact of the Current 4Cs Skills Gap in Organizations: Using Emotional Intelligence to Develop Competencies(2024);Revolutionizing the Online Learning Journey: 1500 Ways to Increase Engagement(2024);The Inclusive, Empathetic, and Relational Supervisor: Managing Diverse Employees through Interpersonal Relationships(2024);Building Organizational Coaching Culture: Creating Effective Environment for Growth and Success in Organizations(2024);Successful Supervisory Leadership: Exerting Positive Influence While Leading People(2023);Transformational Coaching for Effective Leadership: Implementing Sustainable Change Through Shifting Paradigms(2023);High-Performance Coaching for Managers: A Step-by-Step Approach to Increase Employees' Performance and Productivity(2022); andOrganization Development Interventions: Executing Effective Organization Change(2021).
Besides these books, he has designed and facilitated 17 coaching modules for individuals, couples, the public, teams, and organizations; 9 audio/video workshops; 16 articles on personal and professional development topics; and 21 seminars and workshops. He is an accomplished business manager, known widely as a dynamic writer, speaker, personal and professional development coach, and trainer. Implementing his skills as a passionate, visionary leader, he produces extraordinary results in record time. Behnam brings his broad experience and successful track record to each project, whether it involves personal development, implementing customer-focused programs, integrating technologies, redesigning operational core processes, or delivering strategic initiatives. Behnam enjoyed expanding into psychology as an addition to his already strong background in philosophy and ontology. He particularly enjoyed and was inspired by applicative inquiry, positive psychology, and the work of many psychologists who used the Humanistic Psychology approach for empowering and treating their patients. Behnam finds these two psychological approaches similar to his own work, methodology, and approaches.
Ethan S. Sanders, MS, is Founder and CEO of Sundial Learning Systems, a consulting firm specializing in the fields of organizational strategy, development, and engagement. Ethan has provided consulting services to clients in the public, non-profit, military, and private sectors for over 35 years. Ethan obtained his Master of Science Degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins University. His leadership experience includes building and leading Sundial, directing AARP's learning and development function, leading a Human Performance practice for ICF International, directing career management for the US Navy's Human Performance Center, and managing instructional design and competency research for the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD). He is a nationally recognized speaker who has published numerous books and articles on topics related to workplace learning and performance; he is also a certified performance technologist through the International Society for Performance Improvement, a certified action learning coach through the World Institute for Action Learning, and a certified Clifton Strengths coach through Gallup. Ethan is the recipient of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) President's Award for Outstanding Achievement, the US Navy's Meritorious Service Award, and the Association for Talent Development (ATD) "BEST Award." Ethan has been a faculty member of ATD for over 25 years, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland since 2010, and has presented at workplace learning and performance conferences around the world.
Rani N. Salman, CODP, is Founder and Managing Partner of Caliber Consulting, a boutique firm that has dual lines in consulting and capability building and specializes in the fields of strategy execution, organization design, and people and culture. Rani's formal education includes a master's in strategy and international business from HEC Montréal and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Concordia University. He is a Certified Organization Design professional who has successfully completed hundreds of projects related to operating model transformations and organizational restructuring. He is also a high-level trainer and advisor on organizational design to some of the leading organizations globally, cutting across various industries. As a seasoned consultant who has worked closely with various international management consultancies and organizations, his commitment to connecting science with management and shaping the future of business through insightful, results-driven consultancy has earned him the trust of many prominent organizations globally that seek to enhance their strategic capabilities and organizational efficiency. His expertise and dedication to sharing knowledge in this dynamic world of business as a trainer,
advisor, and mentor have transformed the way organizations perceive and execute strategy, design organizations, and nurture the heartbeat of any successful venture - its people and culture. Rani has pioneered the design and development of one of the globe's leading programs on organization design, along with his long-time peer and colleague Dr Naomi Stanford. Rani and Dr Naomi have collaborated on the two best-selling books on Organization Design:Designing OrganizationsandOrganization Design: A Practitioner's Guide.
