SUSAN STAGEMAN, M.A.
Leadership & NLP Consultant
Susan is a Master NLP Practitioner and Certified Trainer through the Society of Neuro Linguistic Programming. For more than 25 years, she has helped leaders and associates improve their ability to connect, influence and lead. She is also a Certified Challenge Course Instructor (Ropes) and a member of the American Society of Trial Consultants. Her areas of expertise include communication, language, building productive relationships and changes in behaviours.
Susan has worked extensively with salespeople, business leaders and entrepreneurs to improve their successes. She coaches managers and employees toward improved communication and team building skills. She has a Masters Degree with honors from the University of Michigan, a B.S. Degree in Biology and Sociology from Augustana College. Outside of work, Susan enjoys traveling and photography.
SAM CHAMBERLAIN
HSE & Communications Consultant
Sam has spent 30 years building regulatory and business relationships based on trust, goodwill and credibility. Sam understands the Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) strategies needed to succeed with a range of key stakeholders – regulatory, government, emergency responders, the media and the public. He has developed HSE plans, created safety cultures and participated in crisis management programs to improve and test the response capabilities of Fortune 100 and 500 groups.
Prior to working with Benchmark, Sam was the HSE Vice President for Murphy Oil Corporation where he implemented programs to transform their safety culture. He was responsible for onshore health, safety and environmental operations and compliance in the USA and Canada. He was HSE Vice President at Pioneer Americas where he developed and instituted HSE standards, sustainability programs and internal audit / compliance programs. He earned his Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and is a Faculty Professor at Brazosport College where his teaches HSE strategies to help the next generation succeed. Outside of work Sam enjoys the great outdoors and spending time with his family.
SANDRA DOYLE
Communications & PR Consultant
Sandra is a leader with impeccable experience in public affairs and marketing, having led a team of 25 Public Affairs managers for many years with a Fortune 500 company. Prior to working with Benchmark, she was on the officer team of the Mid-Tex Division for Atmos Energy as Director of Public Affairs. Her team was responsible for community leadership, media relations, crisis communications, government relations and PR needs to over 550 cities in Texas. The Dallas Business Journal honored her with the 25 Top Women to Watch Award.
Sandra was a corporate trainer for Enserch and TXU Corporations focusing on communications, leadership development and team building, graduating over 2500 employees. Sandra is a graduate of Texas A&M University Commerce, with a BS in Education and graduate work in Media and Technology. During her free time, Sandra enjoys travel, stained glass design, yoga and community volunteer work.
DEE KINDER
Leadership & NLP Consultant
Dee is an Executive Coach, Trainer, Facilitator, holding multiple certifications in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), including a Master Practitioner Certification. NLP is the study of effective behavioral and language patterns and helps people identify more effective ways to engage, influence and lead. Dee has provided NLP training for organizations and individuals in many countries, including the US, China, Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Canada, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, Mexico and others.
She is an expert in a range of areas, including: sales strategies, conflict management, interpersonal communication skills, presentation strategies, leadership, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), behavioral change and much more. She has helped to transform the capabilities of leaders and associates at all business levels and is passionate about helping people reach their full potential. Outside of work, Dee enjoys spending time with her family, reading and travel.
STACIE MCDONALD
Communications, EHS & Social Media Consultant
Stacie excels in helping leaders and associates achieve their goals with proven communication, public relations and stakeholder engagement strategies. Stacie is also an expert in marketing strategies, with an emphasis on online presence, social media and research. Her passion is building successful strategies to create buy-in, so organizations can fulfill their business goals.
Prior to working with Benchmark, she helped Fortune 500 groups, non-profits and political campaigns achieve their goals. As a Public Relations Specialist for a leading energy company, she witnessed the effectiveness of Benchmark’s services and helped her organization build very successful stakeholder engagement, marketing, media outreach and crisis management programs. Stacie is also an Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) expert, and this knowledge is extremely valuable to clients across many industries. Stacie enjoys spending time with her family, as well as pro bono social media work for various local non-profit groups.
LARRY SPRINGER, APR
Communications Consultant
Larry is an accredited public relations and public affairs professional with more than 30 years’ experience in corporate, government and association communications and stakeholder outreach. Having worked more than 10 years as a reporter and journalism instructor, he applied this strong writing and editing background to his public relations career within the energy and chemical industries, where he implemented programs in crisis communications, media relations, stakeholder outreach, community investment and strategic communications planning.
He is a past president of the Public Relations Association of America Austin chapter, a past president of the Texas Public Relations Association and past chairman of the Public Relations Foundation of Texas. Larry was named the Outstanding Texas PR Practitioner of the year by TPRA in 2011. He holds a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. During his free time, Larry enjoys fly fishing in cold mountain river waters, making home-brewed beer, spending time with his three spoiled dogs and volunteering with the Houston Livestock and Rodeo.
SAM WHITEHEAD
Public Affairs Consultant
Prior to working with Benchmark, Sam directed public and government affairs for Colonial Pipeline, one of the world’s largest transporters of refined petroleum products (headquartered in Georgia). His experience includes more than 20 years on the company’s Emergency Response Team; and managing routine and crisis communications with broadcast and print news media, property owners along the right of way as well as, local, state and federal elected and non-elected officials. He managed crisis response for a range of issues, including: pipeline breaks, environmental issues, gasoline tank fires, landowner opposition, hurricanes and more. He also spearheaded lobbying efforts dealing with transportation and regulatory issues.
He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Georgia State University. In addition to his successful PR career, Sam also has expertise in Shipping Logistics, Information Technology, Financial and Operations Auditing, Pipeline Construction and Human Resources. During his free time, Sam enjoys riding bicycles and Harley Davidson motorcycles. He also plays guitar and sings in a band with some of his good friends.
KELLI DURHAM
Communications & PR Consultant
Kelli helps clients improve their leadership, stakeholder engagement, PR and media relations strategies. Prior to working with Benchmark, she was the Assistant Superintendent of Communication for one of the nation’s largest public school systems. There, she successfully managed a range of communication initiatives and strategic plans to engage employees, parents and the community to support the school’s goals. She used multiple communication formats, including print and electronic media, video programming and social media.
She also managed media and crisis issues that attracted local and national attention, including: the H1N1 pandemic, weapons and violence issues, deaths, budget cuts, controversial bond elections, flooding, lost children and other topics. Kelli earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master of Education from the University of Houston. She and her husband enjoy family time, and mentoring engaged couples to build stronger marriages.
DARYL HILL
Communications & PR Consultant
Prior to working with Benchmark, Daryl was the media relations lead for Basin Electric, a major North Dakota power supply group. At Basin, he responded to media inquiries from around the world, including 60 Minutes, CNN, BBC radio and television, Swedish Public Radio, Tokyo Broadcasting, South Korean Public Television and many others. Daryl’s expertise is in planning and directing communication programs to meet specific audience goals, and he is also a very talented writer and speaker, having contributed to many publications and executive speeches over 30 years.
Daryl also served as spokesperson and tour guide to more than 38,000 people for a power plant that attracted worldwide attention with its cutting edge technology. He planned and coordinated dozens of groundbreaking and dedication events for power plants, wind projects and special events. During his free time, Daryl serves on the board for an education foundation; he also enjoys hunting and the great outdoors of North Dakota, Montana and other beautiful places.
K SMITH LEONARD, ABC
Communication Strategist
K has over three decades of corporate experience developing communications strategies, providing communications training and leading results-oriented, award-winning communications programs for multinational Fortune 500 organizations. She has prepared executives for high-profile print and broadcast interviews across North America, Europe, China and Latin America. Named the IABC Houston Communicator of the Year in 2007, she specializes in helping successful leaders enhance their effectiveness by improving their communications skills and adopting proven communications strategies.
Whether the need is to communicate good news about a company’s operational and financial success or respond proactively to a crisis, K has helped C-level executives and senior business unit leaders develop strategies to effectively communicate with Wall Street, the media, the public and employees. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in journalism from Stephen F. Austin State University. During her free time, K enjoys volunteering with SIRE, a therapeutic horsemanship group dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with special needs and disabilities. K has three beloved Appaloosa horses and has won many top awards in national horse competitions.
MARY BETH REESE
Communications Consultant
Mary Beth helps clients achieve their goals in marketing, communications, crisis management, social media and PR. For more than 20 years she directed and managed the internal and external communications for a Fortune 100 company. Her responsibilities included marketing research, advertising, crisis management, annual reports, brand identity, website, stakeholder engagement, executive support, public relations and much more. She was their spokesperson and also took the lead role on merger integration teams involving communication and brand identity.
Mary Beth is also an Instructor at the University of Southern Indiana where she teaches public relations, advertising and communication courses on campus and online. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Purdue University and her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Southern Indiana. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her 3 children, her English Springer Spaniels – Mango and Kiwi, and her rescued cats.
JERILYN CALDWELL
Leadership & Natural Horseman Consultant
Jerilyn is one of the best horse whisperers in the nation. What that means is she has advanced intuition and communication skills that allow her to join a horse’s world at a very deep level to get them to do things that appear magical to most people. These same principles apply to teams and leaders, and that is why Benchmark asked Jerilyn to join our team. Through our Horse Sense for Leaders program, Jerilyn teams up with Benchmark’s leadership coaches to help clients learn how to earn trust and deep rapport with others, as well as how to think from multiple perspectives, understand motivations and the impact of conflicting messages – and more!
Jerilyn has earned the prestigious status of a Certified 3-Star Parelli Coach and has also developed horse systems for the Black Beauty Ranch and the Doris Day Foundation. She has rescued horses from the mouth of kill pens and rehabilitated them with the skills necessary to lead happy and productive lives. She has also helped therapeutic riding centers develop programs to help the disabled regain their mental confidence and physical strength. In her free time Jerilyn enjoys time with her family, chickens, goats, dogs and riding her horses in the majestic mountains of Colorado.
