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Home : About BLI : Our Team Our Team The Business Literacy Institute was founded in 1998 by Dr. Karen Berman, based on the idea that organizations are more successful, and employees are more motivated and committed, if they understand the financial side of their business. For a time the Business Literacy Institute worked primarily with open book management companies, since one of its basic tenets is business literacy. But very quickly, other companies sought the expertise of BLI. BLI expanded its services to train managers and leaders, as well as employees, about the financial side of their business. In 2001 Joe Knight joined forces with Karen. Today, the Business Literacy Institute offers a variety of products and services, including customized training programs, Money Maps, keynotes, train-the-trainer programs, and webinars to Fortune 1000 and other medium-size and large companies. In late 2005, Karen and Joe published their first book, Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean, which has become a best seller. Since then, they've released Financial Intelligence for HR Professionals, Financial Intelligence for IT Professionals, and Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs.
Our philosophy is that everyone in a company does better when they understand how financial success is measured and how they make an impact on the company's performance. Our term for that understanding is "Financial Intelligence®." Greater financial intelligence, we've learned, helps people feel more involved, connected, and committed. Employees understand better what they are a part of, what the organization is trying to achieve, and how they affect results. Trust increases, turnover decreases, and financial outcomes improve. Our Team We are a highly motivated team, focused on ensuring that every engagement meets the needs of your organization and your employees, managers, and leaders. We are passionate about business literacy, as each one of us believes in the core value of financial literacy — that everyone in an organization should understand how financial success is measured and how they make an impact. Below is an introduction to our team of consultants. You will see that our expertise includes finance and accounting, organizational development, operations, training and facilitation, and consulting. If you have questions for any one of us, please send an email to mail@business-literacy.com and it will be forwarded to the appropriate person. Karen Berman, Ph.D., Founder, Co-Owner, and Sr. Consultant Prior to founding the Business Literacy Institute, Karen was a Senior Consultant with two boutique Southern California consulting firms and has also held various management positions in the banking, investment, healthcare, and graphic arts industries. Karen has a master's and doctorate in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and a bachelor's of science degree in managerial economics with a minor in psychology from the University of California at Davis. She has served as an associate professor at the California School of Professional Psychology and has taught at the Claremont Graduate School. Karen writes and speaks nationally about business literacy. She is coauthor of Financial Intelligence, a smart, no-nonsense business finance handbook for managers. The book has been heralded as "the Elements of Style" of finance by CFO.com and as an "accessible, jargon-free" book by Accounting Today. As a result of the success of the Financial Intelligence book, Karen recently co-authored the Financial Intelligence series of books. Joe Knight, Co-Owner and Sr. Consultant His keynote addresses, including the Lessons from the Orgy of Corporate Greed and Financial Intelligence, are resounding successes with diverse audiences because of his unique ability to combine content with energy and humor. Recent keynote and speaking appearances include the Inc. 500, International ISM, and SHRM conferences. Audience members rave about his speaking, saying, "I was on the edge of my seat the entire time," "Joe's sessions keep us engaged and enthusiastic through his real-world stories and experiences," and "Joe was ideal...given his humorous, positive approach and emphasis on demystifying the numbers and ratios." Joe facilitates numerous training programs including Financial Intelligence for Managers and Financial Intelligence for Leaders in large and small companies, public and private, non-profits and universities. Clients such as American Express, CVS Caremark, and GE also praise his knowledge, style, and sense of humor. Comments include: "we will definitely get an ROI from this program," "the best training course I've ever taken," and "everyone in our organization needs to take this class." Joe is coauthor of the Financial Intelligence series published by Harvard Business School Press. He has also been a guest on Bob Brinker's Money Talk show on KABC radio and CNBC's Morning Call program. As CFO of Setpoint Companies, he spearheaded the financial education of engineers in this automation and roller coaster company. Under his leadership, Setpoint became an Inc. 500 company and was featured in Inc. magazine and A Stake in the Outcome. Joe's background also includes finance at Ford Motor Company, Bell & Howell, and Arrow Dynamics. He also consults for businesses in the fields of finance and project management. Joe has served as a professor at University of Phoenix and Westminster College and is a frequent guest lecturer at Brigham Young University. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from University of California, Berkeley. Stephanie Wexler, Manager Client Services At BLI, Stephanie handles a variety of functions, including marketing and branding BLI as an organization, development of online training services, and coordination of client sessions and keynotes. Prior to BLI and MacDermid, Inc., she managed fundraising efforts and programs for the University of Hartford, where she received her bachelor's in business administration. Judy Golove, Training Development Manager Deborah Annes, Ph.D., Facilitator and Trainer Deborah honed her skills working directly with Marshall Goldsmith, considered the pre-eminent U.S. executive coach. Deborah earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She continues to teach and conduct research on organizational change, training and development, and organizational behavior at Golden Gate University as the Director of Career Development in the Executive MBA program and in their doctoral program. She has edited two best-selling books, Leaders of the Future and Organizations of the Future for the Peter Drucker foundation. Jim Bado, Senior Facilitator and Trainer During his career, Jim started two consulting companies, worked as an executive for a 100% employee-owned firm, and created learning games that teach employee ownership, business finance, and how to read and understand the numbers. Co-author of the hands-on business book: Open-Book Management, published by Thomson Learning, he has written dozens of articles on building businesspeople at work and is a frequent speaker at national, regional, and local employee-ownership conferences. Jim received an MA from Kent State University. He is a certified Economic Development Professional, having completed the intensive, four-week financial analysis training with the National Development Council. Cathy Ivancic, Facilitator and Trainer In addition to consulting for the Business Literacy Institute, Cathy serves as a consultant and sits on the board of directors of Workplace Development Inc. Cathy has a Master's degree and is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional. She has also spent time in her career doing initial feasibility assessments for business acquisitions. She is author of more than 50 publications, and co-author of the book Open-Book Management: Developing Employees' Business Sense. Marty Lasker, Facilitator and Trainer Marty has a lifetime teaching credential from the State of California, is a master trainer for business simulation trainings and has held several executive positions in healthcare. Marty earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. Sharon Maas, Facilitator, Trainer, and Writer Sharon brings eighteen years of experience at Southwest Airlines to the classroom, most recently as Senior Manager of Business Literacy. Sharon designed, developed, and delivered courses on topics such as organizational goals, performance metrics, and process improvement. In addition, she has written dozens of financially oriented articles for the organization's corporate newsletter and was executive producer of an animated video explaining key financial performance indicators for Southwest Airlines. Sharon graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a bachelor's degree in management and has studied internationally in St. Gallen, Switzerland. She is also a certified internal auditor. Rochelle Martel, Senior Facilitator and Trainer Rochelle was CFO for five years with Comprehensive Medical Imaging (CMI), a healthcare company in Los Angeles. She helped grow the company from $38 million in revenue to $160 million until the company was sold in late 2002. Her background includes Director and Corporate Controller for Syncor International and Audit Manager for KPMG Peat Marwick, where she earned her CPA license. While at CMI and Syncor, Rochelle implemented financial literacy training designed for non-financial managers. Rochelle has taught both undergraduate and graduate studies at Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University in financial management and auditing. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from California State University Northridge, and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. Brad Orton, Facilitator and Trainer As Controller of Spillman Technologies, Brad worked closely with the executive team to explain financial concepts and teach them how to read and interpret financial statements. Brad has a bachelor's degree in business finance from San Jose State University and an MBA from Utah State University. Hovig Tchalian, Facilitator, Trainer, and Writer Hovig has also been active in education, both academically and professionally. He has taught the capstone course in financial planning at California Lutheran University's MBA program, as well as various courses in writing, business communications, and economic theory at UCLA, USC, and Cal State Channel Islands. Hovig holds a Ph.D. in English from UCLA and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and is a member of Duke Corporate Education's Global Learning Resource Network. Ed Westfield, Facilitator and Trainer As a financial executive with a publicly traded specialty chemical company, MacDermid, Inc., Ed was identified as a finance expert with strong facilitation skills. He became a certified BLI trainer and was part of the team that facilitated the BLI designed course for non-financial managers across the company. Ed has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration Degree with a concentration in Accounting from Western Connecticut State University’s Ancell School of Business. He also has certifications in Six Sigma, PSS and RADAR programs. |
Karen Berman is a sought-after expert in the fields of business and financial literacy. She consults with leadership and management teams to facilitate the integration of business literacy into the corporate strategic plan, develops business literacy programs and processes, and facilitates business literacy sessions. Clients praise her ability to understand their business and develop meaningful and engaging programs. Karen also develops Money Maps®, high impact visuals used to educate employees about their business.
Joe Knight is a highly regarded finance and business literacy keynote speaker, trainer, and published author.
First as a client and now as a team member, Stephanie Wexler provides valuable insight and perspective for BLI. As a client, Stephanie was the Corporate Training Manager for a multi-national manufacturer, MacDermid, Inc. After hearing BLI's founder, Karen Berman, speak at a conference, she immediately hired BLI to train at an upcoming sales meeting. It was a huge success, and MacDermid, Inc. continued to hire Business Literacy Institute for many training projects over the years. Stephanie and the company executives partnered with BLI to develop and implement a company-wide financial literacy evolution.
Judy Golove joined the Business Literacy Institute after working in various industries including publishing and legal. She brings her extensive writing, organizational, and communication skills to BLI, where she is responsible for the development of our training manuals, webinars, and trainer support materials. In addition, her experience in the field of social services provides insight into interpersonal dynamics and communication skills. Judy received a master's degree in social work from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from UC Berkeley.
Deborah Annes is a well-known organizational psychologist specializing in professional development and organizational behavior. Clients have experienced profound differences in the way they think, respond to, and behave toward current organizational challenges after working with her. Her organizational and leadership development experience began in the Israeli Military where she worked with soldiers from all over the world, improving their mental acuity, focus, and emotional intelligence.
Jim Bado is a consultant with the Business Literacy Institute. He has provided business education to clients across America for more than 18 years. Specializing in connecting people's daily work to company success, Jim has designed and delivered successful educational sessions on corporate finance, reading financial statements, and interpreting and applying the numbers.
Cathy Ivancic has helped hundreds of employees throughout the country learn about financial concepts. Her interactive style and high energy is ideal for an adult-learning setting. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences, and she has spoken in Russia and Hungary on financial communication. She has more than 15 years practical experience in teaching financial concepts to non-financial managers and employees. Cathy brings expertise in equity sharing, ESOPs, and other retirement plans that include company stock.
Marty Lasker, a consultant with the Business Literacy Institute, has over 15 years of experience teaching finance to non-financial employees, managers, and leaders throughout the United States and internationally. He brings high energy, interactivity, and a straightforward, down-to-earth approach to his teaching. Marty teaches other facilitators how to teach finance in a way that is approachable, engaging, and content rich. Comments from Marty's classes include: "the day flew by so quickly," and "who would have thought that finance could hold my attention for so long?"
Sharon Maas is a highly regarded trainer and content designer of financial training programs. As a consultant with the Business Literacy Institute, Sharon communicates financial concepts in a clear, cogent, informal manner that resonates with audiences and consistently receives positive feedback from all levels of learners. Comments include: "she explains what the numbers mean and how we make an impact in a way that we all understand," and "I can't walk out of here without changing for the better."
Rochelle Martel is a highly regarded finance and business literacy trainer. Clients such as Educational Testing Service, Homecomings Financial, and University of Southern California have praised her knowledge, her approach and her insight. Comments from participants have included: "Rochelle has the ability to take complex information and make it interesting and applicable to our business," "Rochelle is enthusiastic and very knowledgeable," and "the class was unexpectedly informative and fun."
Brad Orton is a highly regarded business and finance professional. He has worked extensively in finance and accounting for the last 15 years, including positions as Director of Accounting and Controller for various public and private companies. His experience in acquisitions, spin-offs, Sarbanes-Oxley, and operational initiatives gives him solid grounding in the needs of non-financial managers and leaders.
Hovig Tchalian has been working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives since the late 1990s. Hovig's experience includes financial services as well as strategy consulting. He has consulted with Fortune 1000 firms at the Monitor Group and has also worked extensively with firms and executives in a direct capacity, helping them align their financial and managerial goals with their long-term strategic vision.
Ed Westfield, a consultant with the Business Literacy Institute, is a highly regarded business and finance professional. He has worked extensively in finance and accounting for the last 18 years, including positions of VP of Finance and Operations, Domestic Controller, General Manager and Director of Finance for companies in the $10M to $750M range. His various positions have been with cash flow driven companies driving results.