NED Program Instructors

The NAIOP SFBA Executive Development (NED) Program is pleased to partner with these outstanding faculty members.

 

Dr. Julie A. Chesley

Dr. Julie A. Chesley is a Ph.D. and an associate professor of organization theory and management at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. Dr. Chesley's teaching focuses on personal and group transformation as well as the critical thinking and analysis required to successfully lead change. Dr. Chesley has also been on the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy and at Colorado College. 

Julie has been deeply involved with the NAIOP Young Professionals Group (YPG) program for a number of years as an instructor, has enjoyed working with NAIOP and is extremely enthusiastic about being involved in this next step of self-development for mid-career professionals.
 

Terri D. Egan, Ph.D.

Terri D. Egan, Ph.D., is an associate professor emeritus at the Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and co-founder of the SyncUp Leadership Group. She has taught graduate and executive courses in leadership, team effectiveness, critical thinking, creativity and innovation, and organizational change and development. Her award-winning research has been published widely.

At the SyncUp group, Dr. Egan and her colleagues translate the benefits of neuroscience research into practical, scalable approaches to developing brain-friendly organization cultures and agile leadership mindset. she and Dr. Chesley have customized this work to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing NED participants as they face an ever changing and dynamic environment.

 

Rita Williams

Rita is currently a Facilitator, Consultant and Instructional Designer for Power Speaking Inc., leading 1 and 2-day intensive presentation skills training courses. As a Senior Consultant she has led presentation training for DeFinis Communications since 2007 and media sales training for Noll & Associates since 2005. Those topics include Negotiation, Business Development, Presentation Skills, Conflict Management, Key Account Management and Time Management.

Prior to facilitating training and immersing herself in the communication arena, Rita spent 15 years selling in the broadcast industry. This includes 7 years as VP National Sales at Univision Television Group, and 7 years for Cox Communications TV Stations and Rep firms. She was focused on new business development and tapped her resourcefulness crafting creative marketing solutions. Her background in media and sales allowed her to learn about many other industries, and she now facilitates programs among many of them, including real estate, law, finance, engineering, hi-tech, medicine, art, travel and the public sector.

Rita is a Board Member on the Lincoln Park Homeowners Association, volunteers as a mentor for Women Unlimited, is a San Francisco City Guide, and runs a speech program for youth to build confidence in elementary and middle school. Rita is a Northern California native, graduated from UC Berkeley in Political Science and Economics, and lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.

 

Gitta Sivander

Gitta is an executive coach with over 12 years of experience in professional communication, executive presence, leadership growth, confidence, and presentation coaching. Clients also seek to work with Gitta to deepen team and trust building, career orientation, fulfillment, and purpose. Gitta supports leaders in finding courage, integrity, and clear vision during times of transition. Since 2008, Managers, CEO's, entrepreneurs, and presenters around the globe have delivered masterful, authentic, and impactful messages after a coaching relationship with Gitta. Having lived and coached in Germany, Sydney, Paris, Rome, and San Francisco, Gitta's international and quadrilingual background brings cultural diversity and a global mindset. In addition to her coaching, Gitta's strong background and knowledge of health, nutrition, yoga, and mindfulness practices offers her clients a unique and holistic approach for achieving extraordinary results.

Gitta is a graduate of the University of Goettingen in Germany. She is a certified professional Co-Active coach (CPCC) by the Coaching and Training Institute (CTI), holds the PCC credential with ICF, accredited in MBTI®, Leadership Circle ProfileTM, DISC certified and experienced with the Enneagram and Clifton Strength assessments.