Meet Our Team

​Emily's deep professional experience and passion for doing good led her to co-found Experience Management Institute. She has more than 20 years of experience working with PK-12 public schools, institutes of higher education, regional education organizations, Head Start programs, state departments, professional associations, nonprofits, and businesses on topics related to strategy, human resources, organizational development, and marketing and communications. Emily writes, speaks, consults, and teaches nationally on topics related to strategy, human resources, workforce development, and the future of education.

Kate's passion to help individuals reach their potential and organizations achieve their best led her to co-found Experience Management Institute. Kate is data-driven with more than 10 years of experience working with K-12 public schools, higher education, state departments, professional associations, and nonprofits. She is highly skilled at translating research and data into a clear plan for action with 20 years of experience leading change initiatives. Kate has extensive experience designing and facilitating synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid models of professional learning, including leading the development of professional learning for the Human Capital Leaders in Education Certification Program.

Angel is an experienced educator. Her resume boasts experience as a teacher, instructional technology specialist, and instructional designer. Angel’s true passion is blending her technology skills and creativity with her instructional design and teaching background. The result is beautiful and user-friendly learning experiences.

Aura retired in 2020 after serving as the Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations for Perrysburg Schools in Northwest Ohio for 18 years. She started her career as a food service supervisor at the Norfolk Public Schools where she learned the ropes of effective and financially successful school food service operations. In addition to serving on the board of several state professional organizations, her major accomplishments include implementing a performance-based compensation system for certificated, classified, and administrative personnel and presenting at many state and national HR conferences. She was also responsible for leading the district food service department from a large deficit to a positive balance in two years. Aura joined EXMI with the goal of using her more than 30 years of human resources, business management, and school district leadership expertise to continue supporting public school boards, leaders, and staff in their journey.

Emily loves to learn and strives to help organizations cultivate better learning experiences. She creates content for virtual learning covering various human resources topics for the professional development and certification of HR professionals in the K12 education and non-profit sectors. Emily has an undergraduate degree in nutrition and is working towards a master’s degree in health promotion. She hopes to combine her passion for creating equitable learning opportunities with her love of food to make nutrition care more accessible. In her free time, Emily enjoys cooking, watching Netflix, and going to the beach.

Erin is a dynamic marketing and communications professional with experience spanning across multiple industries for more than a decade. From optimizing social media to developing and executing marketing strategies for events, Erin is experienced in both digital and print marketing. Throughout her career, Erin has mastered a mixture of right-brained and left-brained skills—she is organized and creative, disciplined and resourceful, analytical and imaginative. Erin brings an extensive breadth and depth of marketing and communications experience to our team with a passion for creativity, exceptional interpersonal skills and strategic thinking.

Keerthana joined Experience Management Institute as a Human Resources Consultant with a vision to make a meaningful impact using her expertise across various industries. Driven by a passion for creating inclusive and engaging workplaces, she specializes in areas such as talent acquisition, compensation strategy, HR compliance, and mentorship program development. In addition, Keerthana is deeply committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations. Her experience spans roles in developing tailored job descriptions, executing comprehensive HR audits, and implementing data-driven solutions to support strategic decision-making. She brings a strong skill set in data analysis, leadership, and communication, all aimed at fostering a culture of growth and belonging. With a Master’s in Human Resource Management from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management with a focus on HR from the University of Hull, Keerthana combines her academic knowledge with practical experience to drive organizational success.

Kim is a dynamic leader with 25+ years of experience in strategy for non-profit, public, and private organizations. Her focus at Experience Management Institute is the people-centered engagement of clients and employees, so that the overall experience of work is enriched by transformational moments. Her areas of interest include organizational development, change leadership, data-driven insights, culture, and strategic marketing and communications. She is an adjunct professor of policy communications and nonprofit marketing at The Ohio State University. She has a U.S. Marine son, a daughter who works in customer service, and a teacher daughter—and she is a proud grandmother to a kindergartener. In her spare time Kim camps, hikes and visits our wonderful state and national parks.

With more than 20 years of experience in education, including more than 10 as a teacher and a building leader, Leesa is a service-focused educator with a passion for removing obstacles and meeting the needs of the organization. She uses her expertise to design both synchronous and asynchronous training materials using a variety of learning tools and supported organizations through the implementation of new learning management systems. She is a dedicated educator that manages tasks delicately, efficiently, and effectively. Leesa leads others through innovative change by demonstrating empathy and inspiring others to join her on the journey.

Malak is a marketing enthusiast passionate about enhancing brand visibility and engagement. Malak is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing at The Ohio State University. As a Marketing & Communications Intern at Experience Management Institute, she develops creative strategies in design, communications, and social media. Outside of her studies, Malak hones her skills in Adobe tools and AI, always eager to explore new ways to engage audiences through visual content.

Prior to transitioning his career into the HR strategy and consulting space, Michael practiced law for five years at a prominent law firm in Columbus, Ohio. His legal practice focused on construction law and public finance, where he often worked with school districts throughout Ohio to assist with construction defect litigation, construction contracts, and school financing issues. His work required him to develop strong presentation, communication, and critical thinking skills, as he analyzed complex issues faced by school districts and worked with school boards and officials to help determine effective and efficient solutions. Michael recently completed his MBA at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business focusing his studies on human resources, strategy, and crisis management.​

Minea is a highly skilled Human Resources Specialist with a passion for creating effective recruitment strategies and enhancing organizational processes. With over five years of experience spanning education, healthcare, and talent acquisition, Minea joined EXMI with the vision of leveraging her extensive human resources expertise to make a meaningful impact. Minea holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor’s degree in English, both from The Ohio State University. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring new places, spending time with loved ones, and honing her skills in creative problem-solving.

Minny is a data-driven professional with a Master of Science in Applied Economics and a Master of Human Resource Management. She brings experience in analyzing data to inform human resources decisions and develop strategic initiatives. Minny is proficient in a wide range of technical tools, including R, Python, SQL, SAS, Tableau, and Power BI, which she uses to design surveys, collect data, and create impactful visual reports. Minny is a highly motivated and results-oriented individual with a strong work ethic. She is a quick learner and is always eager to take on new challenges. She is also a team player and enjoys collaborating with others to achieve common goals.​

Naima has worked in the education sector for more than fifteen years, with experience in teaching, consulting, research, policy, and public service. Prior to joining Experience Management Institute, she served as the Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Human Capital. There, she oversaw educator workforce diversity initiatives and digital learning, and assisted in the rollout of statewide human capital programs. She holds master’s degrees in elementary education and education policy, as well as a PhD in educational psychology. Naima enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, and trying out new recipes. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Steve is a proud educator and leader. With more than 20 years of experience in education, Steve has had many roles from teacher, principal, and Operations Director, to HR Director, Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent. Steve has consulted with districts and communities across the country in setting visions and developing strategic plans. Prior to entering the education profession, Steve served his country as a Combat Arms Officer in the United States Army. Today, Steve serves his community as an elected school board member as the Vice President of the Board. Steve enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, playing the Ukulele and growing bonsai. And during football season you can find Steve cheering on The Ohio State University Buckeyes.

Taylor joined EXMI with the goal of fulfilling her dream of making a difference while using her human resources expertise across multiple industries. Her true passion is in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Taylor has experience with executive compensation, total rewards, recruiting and retention, leadership, creativity, product innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, data management, persuasive communication, and the art of negotiation.

Teresa has spent more than a decade providing client-based comprehensive strategic human resources consulting to PK-12 school districts across the country. Focused on implementing performance management solutions for all non-instructional staff in districts with 30,000 – 210,000 students, consistently attaining measurable improvements via scorecards and other quantitative data. Teresa also has more than 15 years of experience in human resources, performance management, process improvement, business management, ISO-9001 audits, HIPAA and FERPA compliance, and organizational analysis. Teresa also has more than seven years of experience completing compensation and pay equity studies for public organizations.

Zach is an Industrial and Project Engineer with a solid record of accomplishments in building a collaborative relationship between Information Technology and various organization units. With a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a life-long passion for technology and data, he has expertise in data collection, analysis, reporting, and data displays. Zach is a curious, innovative, results-oriented leader with a track record of creatively and relentlessly improving organizations, creating new products, and making work easier with the help of data and technology. He is also a passionate, long-time volunteer for numerous causes and organizations