Who We Are

Najeeb Ahmad is a Founder and Principal of Pennington Human Dynamics. Najeeb has compiled more than three decades of experience as a leadership consultant, coach, and organizational leader. Najeeb has worked with clients from a wide array of industries, transforming businesses of all types around the globe. Prior to Pennington, Najeeb held senior human resources, talent acquisition and talent development positions with organizations ranging in size from 120 to more than 50,000 employees, from privately held outfits to Fortune 100 companies — including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capital One, Mobil Oil, and Office Depot. Najeeb couples his consultation and coaching with deep experience in the areas of team performance, talent management, leadership coaching, talent acquisition, and change management. Along the way he has developed a particular knack for leveraging intercultural effectiveness to drive business performance. With a track record of success with downsizings, expansions, and everything in between, Najeeb consistently applies a robust mix of personal instinct and insight, well-researched theory and proven practical applications to every assignment. Najeeb holds an MBA and MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in History from Georgetown University. Najeeb is based in New Jersey.

Scott Willett is a Founder and Principal of Pennington Human Dynamics. Scott's leadership, consulting, and executive/team coaching experiences span more than 25 years across a diversity of industries, organizations and geographies. Scott has worked with leaders and teams from the frontlines to the C-Suite through a wide range of business transformations. Since his earlier career as an industrial and quality engineer, he has held senior and global executive positions responsible for building and leading internal organizational consulting functions at IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton University, The Hartford Financial Services Group, and Prudential Financial. Coupled with applied research and his diverse consulting and coaching experiences, Scott brings organizational effectiveness expertise in the areas of senior leader/team performance, organization climate, and business transformation to every client engagement. Scott is an adjunct faculty member at the internationally ranked Thunderbird School of Global Management, and at the University of Connecticut School of Business, where he teaches a range of executive development and executive MBA courses. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Management from Capella University, as well as an MBA, an MS in Management Systems, and a BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management from Clarkson University. He is based in Connecticut.

Nadine Krause has spent more than 15 years as a leader, coach, and consultant. Prior to joining Pennington, Nadine held business leadership and Human Resources positions at organizations ranging from start-ups to global Fortune 50 companies. In addition to her experience leading large-scale change, engagement, and climate and culture initiatives in the corporate sector, Nadine led a branch of an award-winning start-up in higher education which was brought from Silicon Valley to the Northeast as a non-profit organization. Nadine’s passion for creating flourishing work climates and supporting others so they may thrive, along with her background and expertise in systems thinking and holistic process design, perfectly complement her experience as an organizational leader. Nadine applies technical thinking and humanity to her work in equal measure. Originally from Germany, Nadine’s bicultural background further shapes her perspective, enabling her to design culturally inclusive solutions. Nadine holds an MA in Organizational Psychology, as well as a Graduate Certificate in HR Management, from the University of New Haven, and a BA in Psychology and Complex Organizations from Mount Holyoke College. She is based in Colorado.

Mariel’s experiences with leadership, data analytics, and program management span over 10 years across numerous industries. Prior to joining Pennington, Mariel held project management, Human Resources, and diverse operations roles at a multitude of firms, where she worked to create operational efficiencies informed by the needs of the organization, as well as applying relevant insights gained via her formidable data analysis skills. An innovator at heart, Mariel has a passion for building intuitive systems; being hands-on with process design; and the pursuit of informed decision-making. Mariel holds an MS in Health Promotion and a BS in Exercise Science from the University of West Florida. Mariel is a military spouse and enjoys the “Wherever it takes us!” adventure of military life. Mariel currently resides in Washington state.

David is a specialist executive coach who delivers breakthrough performance improvement for individuals, teams, and organizations. His emphasis is on core leadership and management capabilities, including complex issue prioritization, problem solving, and decision-making. He also specializes in risk management, strategic planning and execution, marketing functional leadership redefinition, and assessing and modifying human performance ecosystems. David has held global leadership roles in telecommunications, software, automotive, manufacturing, training, and management consulting. He has trained and coached clients at all levels - from operational teams to the C-suite - in capabilities including program planning, project management, marketing planning and execution, and partnership and alliance management. While serving at Kepner-Tregoe, David held global leadership roles in Marketing, Sales, Operations and Alliance Management, and led programs for clients such as IBM Rational, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens Diagnostics, The Walt Disney Company, and Motorola. Previous to Kepner-Tregoe, David served at Berlitz Global Leadership Training, where he was a prime architect of both the brand and the GLT global solutions portfolio, driving turnaround change in 70 countries. Since 2013 he has coached dozens of leaders at well-known organizations such as Verizon, Amgen, and American Express, as well as at a large number of mid-sized and privately held firms. He coaches top table leaders, mid-level and new/emerging leaders as well as high net worth entrepreneurs. David is fluent in French and Spanish and has lived and worked in the UK, France, and Spain.

Joanne is an executive coach, consultant and speaker on topics related to strategic human resources, organizational design, leadership development, culture, process improvement, storytelling, change management and talent management. Joanne has spent more than 30 years helping business leaders to create strategy and deliver people-related processes that contribute to the bottom line. Her experience spans a variety of industries, including financial services, technology, automotive, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, insurance, healthcare, convenience/retail, non-profit, public agencies and higher education. Joanne is recognized for her ability to think strategically, encourage reflection, and provide practical advice and tangible actions that deliver sustainable results. Her current coaching and consulting clients include executives in small to mid-sized firms along with leaders in mid-size to Fortune 500 organizations across various industries and professional associations and. Among her other experiences, Joanne served as a Program Director for The Conference Board, leading ten industry conferences on talent management, performance management, and the development of emerging leaders. Her most recent corporate role was as Vice President of Talent Management and Organizational Development for Genworth Financial, where she was responsible for leading recruiting, succession planning, leadership development and global talent management strategies and processes.