Profiles of Symphony Facilitators
Erica Hoffman
Carol Graser
Beth Bloomfield
Erica Hoffman is owner and president of The Symphony Group, an organization development and leadership coaching practice founded in 2000. Erica brings to The Symphony Group over 13 years of organization development, leadership coaching and team coaching experience with clients in diverse industries. Erica is committed to awakening the potential in others and expanding choice and possibility in their lives. Erica has coached all levels of the workforce, from senior executives to individual contributors. She has a proven record of helping clients become better communicators and achieve a greater sense of purpose and balance in their lives. Erica has a passion for experiential learning and has created high-impact learning opportunities for her clients in unique venues such as sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and building a Habitat for Humanity house. Erica has expertise designing and delivering large-scale leadership development and culture change programs for her client organizations. Erica's client list includes Northrop Grumman, Kirlin Group, USDA, Department of the Army, Department of Justice, University of Maryland Medical System, Children's Hospital, and the US Naval Academy, among others. Erica holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from James Madison University and two graduate certificates in both Organization Development and Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She is a PCC certified coach and member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Erica is certified in many leadership development and communication style assessments including the MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator), Hogan Assessments, Conflict Dynamics Profile and the Strengthsfinder. She is also an experienced facilitator and coach of the DISC style assessment, Thomas Killman Conflict Modes, and various 360-degree feedback assessments including the Pathfinder 360, LPI Leadership Practices Inventory, and others.
Erica is available to speak and or write about numerous leadership development topics including: Communication, difficult conversations, listening skills, building trust and accountability, resilience, neuroscience of leadership, coaching skills and behaviors, and others.
Carol has a passion for discovering the untapped potential in people and organizations. Carol has held leadership positions in IBM, HP, Marriott and Caterair . She brings creative and innovative approaches and insight gained through these experiences to executive coaching, leadership development and transformation.
Examples of her impact:
Led the organization design and culture strategy for a start-up organization inside a major corporation.
Led Change Management for a multi-year cross-divisional strategic initiative
Designed intranet portals to support strategic change initiatives
Designed and developed leadership training programs and executive coaching programs
Provided executive coaching to clients across many industries
Carol has coached individuals or consulted on leadership and transformation in the following companies: IBM Business Consulting Services, IBM Almaden Research, IMS Health, Merck, Capital One, Nissan, ING, P&G, McDonald's, Allianz, JP Morgan Chase, Lockheed-Martin, AT&T, State of Michigan, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Towers-Perrin, TXU, University of Maryland, US Naval Academy, Pathmark Stores, Essroc, Singapore Ministry of Defense, Anne Arundel Medical Center, The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the DC Cultural Tourism Committee, and the Family Institute for HIV Aids.
Education and Faculty Positions
MBA University of Maryland
BA International Relations, School of International Service, American University,
Executive Coaching. Graduate of Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certification Program.
Faculty positions : A member of the adjunct faculty in the University of Maryland MBA program, teaching Leadership Development and Organizational Change Management. Adjunct faculty at Georgetown University in the Leadership Coaching Certification Program.
Beth is an experienced certified executive coach, strategic consultant, and senior executive whose clients include leaders in the business, non-profit, and public sectors. With 25 years of federal government experience, 12 of those as a Senior Executive, she brings a wide range of leadership experience and a proven track record as a manager of operating components in large, complex organizations.
Beth has earned the distinction of Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coach Federation, the premier international professional organization for coaches, and she currently serves on the faculty of the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certificate Program . She is also a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), the mark of excellence among management consulting professionals, awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants. Beth is trained in instructional design and technique, facilitation skills, human performance improvement, and Baldrige quality methodologies, and is a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, as well as other assessment instruments.
She has coached and consulted for senior executives and leaders in organizations, specializing in strategic planning and systems thinking, organizational assessment, and executive and leadership development. She has pioneered the introduction of leadership coaching programs into organizations. Beth brings to her executive coaching practice the perspective of a strong leader in customer-focused, results-driven, entrepreneurial organizations, with far-reaching vision and well-honed "emotional IQ" to inspire and motivate people. She is a strong advocate and practitioner of collaborative work, and her approach to coaching is to build a solid partnership in support of the client's learning and the organization's strategic objectives. Executive coaching clients appreciate her keen intellect and sharp analytical abilities, coupled with exceptional coaching, consulting, presentation, and writing skills. Beth has extensive experience in strategic forecasting and scenario planning, as well as in designing and implementing major system change. She works inclusively with managers, workforce, customers, and stakeholders to create clear vision, viable transition plans, and performance tracking systems.
She has facilitated senior-level planning sessions and focus groups at all levels, conducted seminars and workshops for leaders of change, and has coached leadership teams engaged in organizational transformation.
Beth graduated from Barnard College and earned a master's degree from Columbia University. She completed executive education programs at Harvard University and professional certification programs at George Mason University.
She trained as a coach with the Newfield Network , recognized internationally as one of the premier coaches training programs. Beth has been recognized repeatedly for her professional excellence, and she is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute for Management Consultants.
Beth has published numerous articles and is an experienced speaker, and she regularly presents at workshops and conferences. She is available to write for publications or to speak to groups on a range of management, executive, and leadership development topics.
John O'Brien combines his experience as a behavioral scientist, teacher and football coach with his profound knowledge of experiential learning. A true pioneer in his chosen field, John believes passionately in the power of experiential wisdom and wants to infuse it in those leaders who have the greatest influence in the world of business and their communities. John's early career in academia was followed by research and development in the field of experiential learning, working as Education Policy Fellow at the National Institute of Education and Regional Director for Laser Leadership Inc. A graduate of Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities, John's degree work is in psychology, learning theory and motivation. He has been a keynote speaker, seminar leader and high performance coach for over 50,000 managers and executives.