Our Mission
Coachability Consultants partners with clients to build and sustain coachability & coaching cultures that empower individuals and inspire high-performing teams and organizations.
About
Coachability Consultants is focused on understanding the critical nuances of employee coachability, coaching, and organizational culture necessary for developing and sustaining strong Coaching & Coachability cultures.
After five years of extensive, rigorous qualitative and quantitative organizational research, Coachability Consultants officially launched in 2020.
Since its inception, Coachability Consultants has partnered with numerous organizations across the Health Sciences, BioPharma, BioTech, Marketing, Non-Profit, and Sports Industries.
The Team
Jake Weiss, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Jake Weiss, Ph.D. is an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist and President & CEO of Coachability Consultants, Inc, which he launched in May of 2020. Prior to his current role, he served as a Senior Consultant and the Research Lead at Inteflex, Inc., where he conducted innovative research to inform the development of its advanced managerial coaching development and sales force effectiveness workshops for Fortune 100 and 500 companies across the Health Sciences, BioPharma, and Biotech industries. Before – and during – his tenure at Inteflex, Jake worked on multiple NASA-funded initiatives to uncover optimal crew composition and team processes and dynamics necessary for success in long-duration space exploration (LDSE), in effort to inform and maximize the Mission to Mars.
Passionate about bridging the scientist-practitioner gap and bringing best-in-class, evidence-based engagements to clients, his research focuses on coaching, employee coachability, and organizational cultures. Jake earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he also played Division 1 soccer. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, specializing in organizational coaching and coachability, from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
Lauren Zervos, Ph.D.
Head, Organizational
Effectiveness & Learning
Lauren brings a blend of strong academic and professional expertise to the Coachability Consultants Team. As an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, Lauren leverages her knowledge of behavioral science and research to assess organizational cultures, comprehensively examine and extract client needs, and develop high-impact initiatives that strengthen organizational environments and drive bottom-line results. Prior to her role at Coachability Consultants, Lauren served as a Change Management Consultant at Daniels Consulting Group, where she partnered with clients across various industries to drive sustainable change through applying psychological research, analyzing individual and group behavior, and subsequently developing and executing targeted communication, training, and behavioral change strategies.
Lauren earned her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. During her Doctoral studies, Lauren spearheaded innovative psychological research geared toward uncovering the complexities of human and team behavior, such as examining individual differences and team dynamics and processes critical for sustained performance in high-pressure, rapidly changing environments. Her doctoral dissertation research bolsters our understanding of coachability across organizations, as it pinpoints organizational cultural-level factors critical for developing and sustaining strong, robust coachability and coaching cultures.
Neal Outland, Ph.D.
Head Analytics Consultant
Dr. Outland holds extensive experience as both an organizational scholar and practitioner. He has led numerous projects in organizations centered around determining optimal team structures, driving change management initiatives, and developing + implementing employee assessments and talent management strategies.
Dr. Outland is currently an Assistant Professor of Industrial / Organizational (I/O) Psychology at the University of Georgia where he develops research on team composition, team dynamics and the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace. During his Doctoral studies, he worked on NASA-funded projects to uncover optimal crew composition and interaction patterns for long-duration space exploration (LDSE).
Marcia McDermott
Head, Leadership Development
& Performance
Marcia leverages a wealth of experience as a coach and an executive – from college to professional levels of sport – in her work as a management consultant. She won a championship as the Head Coach of the Carolina Courage of Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), led as the General Manager for the Chicago Red Stars of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), and worked on the technical staff of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) in two Olympics and as an Assistant Coach to the 2011 USWNT.
In addition, she has coached at multiple Division I college programs, served as President of the United Soccer Coaches membership organization, and worked as a senior consultant at Inteflex, Inc.
Marcia graduated from UNC- Chapel Hill, where she played on 3 NCAA National Championship winning teams. She also earned an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited certificate in Business and Professional Coaching.
Gabriel Plummer, Ph.D.
Head, Assessment & Engagement
Gabriel Plummer, Ph.D. brings a unique blend of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Communications expertise to the Coachability Consultants leadership team. He holds robust experience developing and leading executive assessment and coaching engagements from his tenure as a senior assessor, coach, and consultant at Development Dimensions International (DDI). Prior to his tenure at Coachability Consultants and DDI, Gabe led and collaborated on NASA funded projects focused on building the crew and examining potential risks to team dynamics to ensure a successful Mission to Mars.
He received his Master of Science in I/O Psychology from Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University specializing in leadership and team effectiveness.
Tony Chambers
Commercial Consulting Partner
Tony boasts extensive experience in both commercial leadership and consulting to the Coachability Consultants team. He has built and led sales teams – in the United States, Asia, and Latin America – across a wide range of specialty therapies, such as Oncology, Nephrology, and Infectious Disease. Over the course of his career, Tony also had the opportunity to develop and spearhead all areas across the commercial function, including market access, marketing, training, and sales operations.
Currently, Tony also serves as the Principal at NuVida Consulting, a boutique firm specializing in developing solutions that drive results through elevating targeted components of Sales Force Effectiveness across the Health Sciences, BioPharma, and BioTech industries.
Laurette McIlwee, Ph.D.
Head, Instructional and
Graphic Designer
Laurette McIlwee, Ph.D. possesses robust experience as a learning specialist and educator. Prior to her role at Coachability Consultants, she held positions as a Teaching Associate at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and Adjunct Professor at DePaul University. Through her academic tenure, she developed extensive expertise and a passion for distilling and visualizing complex research and science into digestible formats to maximize learning across audiences of all levels. She leverages this expertise and her scientific background to create dynamic graphics and presentations that elevate the impact and sustainability of engagements across Coachability Consultants’ clients.
Laurette earned her Master of Arts degree in Experimental Psychology from St. Johns University and her Ph.D. in Psychological Science from DePaul University, where her research focused on social psychology and interpersonal dynamics.
Mounica Reddy, M.A.
Consultant
Mounica holds over five years of experience in organizational consulting for clients in the public safety, technology, manufacturing, and insurance sectors. Her expertise in job analysis, assessment development, and assessment centers gives her a unique lens to approach ever-changing organizational needs across a broad range of industries and inform critical business practices with scientific rigor. Mounica’s current research focuses broadly on worker representation in occupational health literature, employee well-being, and negotiations in the virtual space.
Mounica is currently a doctoral student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at DePaul University. Prior to this, she received both her Master of Arts degree in I/O Psychology and Master of Business Administration degree from Roosevelt University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Texas Tech University.
Brandon Kang
Analytics & Organizational
Effectiveness Intern
Brandon holds experience as an internal contributor for small- to large-sized companies in the public consulting, retail & apparel, and chemical manufacturing sectors. He employs his knowledge of organizational behavior and research to assess clients’ organizational cultures, examine areas of opportunities, and grow initiatives to support organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining Coachability Consultants, Brandon employed empirically-backed organizational change practices as a Learning and Development Consultant at SPANX to drive employee engagement, reward and retain employees, and manage the transition to a cloud-based human resource information system. During this time, he also managed his e-commerce startup to effectively drive global sales by partnering with supply chain and fulfillment vendors. Additionally, his experience with sales, workforce analytics, and survey development provide him with the ability to provide meaningful recommendations to clients across industries.
Brandon is a doctoral student in Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology at the University of Georgia (UGA). Before this, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from UGA, where he was a research assistant for I/O labs studying leadership, psychometrics, and personality. Brandon’s current research examines the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, the influence of leadership styles on employee outcomes, and team dynamics.
Nina Carmichael-Tanaka
Analytics & Organizational
Effectiveness Intern
Nina brings a knowledge and passion for diversity and inclusion as they relate to team processes, as well as selection and hiring. Currently, Nina is in her second year in the industrial-organizational PhD program at the University of Georgia. Her research interests lie at the intersection of teams, leadership and diversity and she is currently involved with projects focused on quantifying the measurement of identity in the workplace. In addition to working as a research assistant, she serves as a co-chair of the I-O program’s recruitment committee and is an active member of the Department of Psychology Diversity Committee.
Nina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Neuroscience from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she was also a member of the varsity volleyball and diving teams. Before graduate school, she served in the Peace Corps as a Community and Youth Empowerment Volunteer.