People
Meet Our Team
Founded in 1992, LEADon is a highly respected organization focusing on corporate performance enhancement through transformational leadership development.
The LEADon Team includes professionals with expertise in Individual, Organizational and Systems Psychology, Psychological and Organizational Assessment, Educational Leadership, Business and Management, Law Enforcement, and Non-Profit Organizations. LEADon was founded by Drs. Steve and Rebecca Wilke to positively impact 21st-century leaders.
Steve Wilke, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
LEADon was founded by Steve Wilke, Ph.D., a leading expert in Leadership Development. Dr. Wilke has spent decades researching and developing principle-based approaches to leadership that create lasting transformational impact on individuals and organizations. He is a renowned speaker on a variety of leadership topics, known for his energetic and engaging style.
Rebecca Wilke, Ed.D.
Co-Founder
Rebecca Wilke, Ed.D., co-founded LEADon to bring a comprehensive, research-based approach to leadership development. Together with Steve Wilke, Ph.D., she has authored multiple books on corporate culture and leadership effectiveness, including The Leading Edge and Corporate Family Matters.
Jared Wilke, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Jared Wilke, Psy.D., fulfills many roles at LEADon as a presenter, facilitator, author, and central principal at LEADon and LEADon University. Dr. Wilke has published multiple articles in APA journals on LEADon’s core content, and has been fundamental in the research and development of the DECQ® metric—the Developing Emotional Competency Questionnaire®—measuring the emotional quotient of individuals, teams, and the Corporate Family®. Dr. Wilke also applies his clinical expertise in private practice, focusing on adolescents, adults, and families.
Ryan M. Wilke
Psychiatric Physician
A team member since 2005, Dr. Wilke focuses on equipping leaders in personal and professional life balance. He is a Board Certified Psychiatrist by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Wilke completed his Residency training at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Wilke is also LEADon’s Director of Research and Development, where he is responsible for creating and maintaining the research for LEADon’s® materials and publications.
Mark Wilke
Executive Coach and Chief Culture Officer
Mark Wilke has held executive positions in non-profit organizations for over 30 years. His professional focus includes reorganizing and rebuilding Corporate Families® in order to help people operate at optimum capacity. Mark’s expertise in the “turn around”—from Boards, constitutions, operational systems, teams, and culture while leading vocational and non-vocational staff—has yielded measurable results throughout the country. Mentoring and counseling have also played key roles in his leadership positions, but Mark finds his greatest professional satisfaction when he is leading individuals and teams. His role as a Lead Pastor began with studies in theology, philosophy, and communication—skill sets he integrates in his work with others. Mark’s gifts include vision-casting, mentoring and motivating leaders, and implementing operational strategies that improve individuals, teams, and entire Corporate Family® systems.
Brian Shelton
EVP
Brian Shelton is an award-winning executive producer with decades of experience building high-performing teams for global brands. Based in Texas, he leverages his background in large-scale content production to spearhead LEADon's business development and creative strategy. Understanding the friction points executives face, Brian delivers LEADon’s clinically-backed solutions to help remove barriers, improve emotional intelligence and achieve peak performance across Corporate Families®.
Karyn L. Avazian, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Karyn Avazian is a licensed psychologist who is currently in private practice. She received her B.A. degree from UCLA and her M.A. and Psy.D. from Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. Beginning her counseling work after her licensure in 1992, Dr. Avazian has specialized in individual psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults. Recently she has applied these skills in the area of industrial/organizational psychology as well as leadership development.
Bertram C. Edelstein
Organizational Psychologist
Dr. Bertram Edelstein is an Organizational Psychologist and has served as president of The Edelstein Group, an international consulting firm, since 1987. He is the Consulting Director for Executive Programs at the University of California, San Diego – Extension (UCSD) as well as a Lead Faculty member in the Executive Program for Scientists and Engineers (EPSE). Dr. Edelstein teaches in the Healthcare Executive Leadership Program (HELP) at UCSD. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Industrial Organizational Psychology doctoral program at the California School of Professional Psychology – Alliant International University in San Diego. The Edelstein Group also conducts a 360-degree assessment for the participants in both the HELP and EPSE programs.
James Madero
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. James Madero has over 25 years of experience as a clinical psychologist. He is an expert in psychological testing, threat assessment and workplace violence prevention training. Dr. Madero has conducted over 1,000 threat assessments of potentially violent employees for public and private sector companies and organizations. Dr. Madero has developed workplace violence prevention training programs and materials and has trained numerous Workplace Violence Prevention Teams in companies and organizations across the United States. Dr. Madero is a graduate of the Clinical Psychology Program at Catholic University, Washington, D.C., a member of the Clinical Psychology faculty at Alliant International University, San Diego, and a licensed psychologist in the state of California.
Don Viglione
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Don Viglione is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the California School of Professional Psychology – Alliant International University in San Diego. After completing his B.A. in Psychology at Yale University, he studied and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University. Dr. Viglione also interned as a naval psychologist. As an expert in psychological assessment, Dr. Viglione has taught assessment courses for more than twenty years to graduate students as well as to a variety of national and international audiences. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Assessment Psychology, a Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment, and a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. In addition to his private practice that he began in 1980, Dr. Viglione is involved in research programs and has published more than twenty-five articles and chapters on psychological assessment. In 1992, his paper, Severe Disturbance or Trauma Induced Adaptive Reactions: A Rorschach Child Case Study, won the Walter Klopfer Award for outstanding contribution to the literature from the Society for Personality Assessment.
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