For over 22 years, Jillian Rudman has been working with organizations to help them envision their futures in ways that can set them apart. Prior to launching JRA in 1998, Jillian managed the West Coast operation of State Street Global Advisors, focusing on marketing and new business development for SSgA’s institutional practice. She led the business development effort for SSgA in Sydney, Australia, where she introduced two new products to market, and was instrumental in growing assets from $6 billion to $11 billion in six months.

Before SSgA, Jillian developed the institutional business practice at Robertson Stephens Investment Management. Earlier in her career, she held marketing and sales positions at Investment Research Company, Massachusetts Financial Services, PanAgora Asset Management, and The Boston Company.

Jillian has been involved with The Professional Association for Investment Communications Resources in Washington, DC (former President of the Board, Advisory Board Member); The Center for Attitudinal Healing in Sausalito, CA (former Board Member); and The Institute for Private Investors in New York, NY.

Jillian has been providing executive coaching and leadership development workshops to individuals and corporations globally for over 16 years. In addition, she completed twelve months of extensive coursework in psychotherapy at Pacifica Graduate Institute and has facilitated weekly peer-to-peer support groups in Sausalito for over seven years. Recognizing the importance of fitness and its impact on clarity of mind and purpose, Jillian’s training work extends beyond the corporate realm: Jillian has been a group and individual fitness trainer since 1987, and currently runs Pilates Pro, Barre Pro and Bootcamp Pro classes at Pilates ProWorks in Mill Valley, CA.

Jillian graduated with honors from The University of Michigan with a BA in Political Science and History.

Jim Humes has been helping financial services and consumer products companies define, articulate, and communicate their brands and business strategies for the last 18 years. At JRA, Jim brings brand strategy and storytelling expertise to help firms better express who they are, what makes them different, and how they can frame their opportunities. Jim’s experience includes five years at SY Partners, where, as a Strategy Team Lead, he led clients such as Charles Schwab, eBay, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, GE, Apple, and Nike through engagements that focused on brand innovation and business strategy. Prior to joining SYP, Jim held strategy and user-experience roles at Walmart.com, Sapient, and Studio Archetype.

Jim holds a BA in English Literature from Rice University and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Rick Shaughnessy brings 30 years of practical experience to JRA. Rick’s role with JRA includes presentation training, business strategy, product development, and distribution-related initiatives. Prior to working with the JRA team and setting up his own consulting practice, Rick was Product Specialist and Director of Marketing for a $30 billion equity investment team at American Express Asset Management. He previously served as Director of Communications at Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management, where he acted as principal spokesman for the firm and oversaw development and production of communications programs for institutional, managed accounts, and offshore markets.

Rick holds a BA from Wayne State University.

Heather is a writer, communicator, and marketer with more than 20 years of experience. She has worked extensively in the financial services industry with a focus on corporate branding, content strategy, writing, and executive positioning.

Heather has a track record creating materials and campaigns to help organizations engage their clients to deepen relationships, drive sales, and improve retention. She has expertise converting financial concepts and data-rich information into marketing, social media, and sales support materials.

While working at BNP Paribas’ US subsidiary Bank of the West, Heather was head of client experience for the bank’s wealth management business, which included private banking, trust services, and brokerage. In that role, she gained a deep understanding of high and ultra high-net-worth client preferences through her team’s client insights research.

In addition to leading sales strategy and advisor training efforts as part of her Bank of the West role, Heather created a content marketing and client communications program for the wealth management business.

Heather has worked with a range of financial services companies while at marketing communications agencies in New York City and San Francisco. She earned her MBA degree in finance from NYU and her bachelor’s degree in economics from Denison University.

Danielle McCarthy brings to JRA extensive experience in strategic planning, project leadership, and administrative operations, consulting in the fields of finance, techology, fashion, and television production. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz and an MA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California. She has worked for companies and organizations including Aspiriant, Chicago Tribune Media Group, The Documentary Group, ABC Studios, Hearsay Systems and more recently AdRoll and Stitch Fix in San Francisco. Danielle is a renaissance woman who manages to balance her professional and personal life in fulfilling, meaningful, and intentional ways.

Shannon Coleman brings to JRA over 15 years of professional experience in sales, project, and event management. She managed all aspects of projects related to work with clients such as Velodyne LiDAR, Oracle, McKinsey & Company, KPMG, Barclays, and Royal Bank of Scotland. Responsibilities included developing project plans, setting and maintaining the sequence of work for the team and the client, and executing final work products. She also managed all aspects of large-scale events, from content development to print and event production.

Shannon graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Sociology. She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, Australia to gain her certificate in basic cuisine. Shannon has lived and worked internationally, and enjoys outdoor adventures and exploring with her family.

With over 15 years of experience in design and strategy, Nichole has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest brands, working to envision and activate change for their clients and employees. She has designed employee and customer experiences for companies such as Amgen, Charles Schwab, Facebook, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Starbucks, Steelcase, Silicon Valley Bank, and United Technologies. Her work has appeared in Communication Arts, Graphis, How, I.D. Magazine, Print and Step Inside Design, and has been recognized by The Art Director’s Club and AIGA.

Nichole is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kristin Glunt brings more than 20 years of experience as an HR and Learning & Development professional to JRA. Believing that transformation is essential for the modern workplace and key to business growth, Kristin is relentless in proposing innovative solutions and linking training and learning goals to long-term business strategy. Kristin has a bachelors in Communication from Santa Clara University, masters-level coursework in Organizational Development, multiple coaching and facilitation certifications. Prior to forming her own firm and partnering with JRA, Kristin held senior leadership positions at Wells Fargo & Co, Intraware and ExecuTrain.