Institutional Sponsor
Dr. Terrence E. Maltbia is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also serves as Faculty Director for the Columbia Coaching Center of Excellence. His expertise spans strategic learning, leadership and organizational development, diversity and cultural intelligence, and executive coaching.
Before academia, Dr. Maltbia held key leadership roles at Westvaco Corporation (now WestRock) and Rath & Strong Management Consultants, specializing in organizational effectiveness and process improvement. He has consulted top-tier clients such as Newmont Mining, J.P. Morgan Chase, HBO, and Equitable.
An award-winning scholar, Dr. Maltbia received the Malcolm Knowles Dissertation of the Year Award and AHRD's Cutting Edge Award. He has been recognized globally, including the AIIR Consulting’s Coaching Leadership Award and Henley Business School's Outstanding Contribution to Coaching Award. Named among Thinkers50 | Marshall Goldsmith’s Top Global Coaches, he continues to advance the field through teaching and scholarship.
Dr. Maltbia holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Ohio State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Teachers College. He is an member of The Graduate School Alliance of Executive Coaching Programs (GSAEC) and teaches courses on leadership, emotional/cultural intelligence, and qualitative research methods.
Academic Co-Chair
Dr. Rachel Fichter (EdD, MBA, PCC) is the founder of VISIA Leadership, a boutique consulting firm specializing in leadership development for a complex world. With over 20 years of experience in global financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase, Rachel brings a unique blend of business acumen and leadership expertise to her practice.
As an executive coach and consultant, Rachel works with C-suite executives and their successors, focusing on deepening self-awareness and transforming leadership styles to unlock full potential. Her approach is informed by cutting-edge research on the intersections of leadership, complexity, and sustainability.
An Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University and lecturer at Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Rachel holds a doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia and an MBA from Duke University. She is a certified coach through the Columbia Coaching Certification Program (3CP) and is the Academic Co-Chair for the 2025 Columbia Coaching Conference.
Rachel is a published author and active member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), serving on the Board of Directors for the NYC Chapter. Her work continues to shape the future of leadership in an increasingly complex global landscape.
Practitioner Co-Chair
David Hughen is the Founder and CEO of AustinWorkNet, a strategic human capital consulting firm. Most recently he served as Founding Principal of Austin HR, having successfully sold that firm to Asure Software, a publicly traded company, in 2018.
David brings over 30 years’ experience as both a business leader and executive coach. In the past twenty years, his firms have provided services to over 500 organizations in the Central Texas region and beyond, adding significant value to their operations and positively impacting their bottom line. David’s emphasis is on optimizing employee commitment and productivity through highly effective leadership—linked to the organization’s strategic business goals. He has the rare advantage of coaching leaders with a number of early to mid-stage tech companies, a range of larger international firms and the non-profit, mission-driven sector.
In his early career, David led human resource operations of prestigious companies such as Applied Materials, Exterprise, ClearCommerce, NEC Electronics, HelioVolt. He’s authored a number of white papers and co-authored “The Culture Book: When Culture Clicks. A Practical Guide to Building Incredible Corporate Cultures.” He’s consulted into a variety of industries — including public sector, nonprofit, semiconductors, internet, software, hardware, and clean technology.
David holds several certifications in the coaching realm including Columbia University’s prestigious 3CP, the International Coaching Federation’s advanced PCC badge as well as Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Human Resources and Organization Development.
Program Committee Chair
Abhijit Bhattacharya is an Executive Coach who provides coaching to senior leaders across industries for them to lead their businesses successfully. He is also a coach educator and trains leaders across geographies for them to show up with a coaching mindset in their businesses and conversations. For over 20 years, Abhijit has worked in various MNCs, such as S&P Global, Well Fargo, ADP, Entain, Wipro, Synnex etc. leading their talent agenda and developing their leaders. He also co-founded an Internal Coaching CoE in one of his engagements, which was featured in HBR and Gartner as one of the most people-centric initiatives redefining the Employee Value Proposition of the organization. He also volunteers with the Coaching Science CoP of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to make coaching a more evidence-based practice. Additionally, he serves as a Director on the board of the Hyderabad Chapter of ICF to spread more awareness about coaching.
Abhijit holds an MSc in Organizational Psychology from University of Essex and is also a Certified Coaching Professional from Columbia University. He is accredited as a Professional Certified Coach from International Coaching Federation.
Sponsorships Committee Chair
Andrea Deutsch Miller is a certified executive coach and professional facilitator specializing in leadership development, and the Founder and CEO of Veritas Leadership, LLC. Andrea has over twenty-five years of experience in the financial services sector in New York, London, and Hong Kong with roles within investment banking and capital markets. She turned her focus towards leadership development as a member of the Pine Street Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and was Head of Talent Development at Blackstone. Andrea spent over a decade at J.P. Morgan responsible for Leadership Training and Talent Development within the Asset and Wealth Management Division. Most recently as Head of Client Skills Training for the U.S. Private Bank, she worked with individuals and teams to enhance their sales skills and commercial impact through live and virtual facilitation and individual executive coaching.
Andrea has a passion for leadership development and helps individuals and their teams thrive as they grow, realize their potential and lead with integrity. At Veritas Leadership, she serves clients as a strategic partner to build leadership and professional capabilities, articulate values and culture, increase engagement and enhance business results.
She graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Politics and has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Andrea earned the Professional Executive Coach Certification from Columbia University, holds the PCC Credential from ICF, and earned a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. She lives in Westchester County, New York, with her husband David and three children.
Marketing & Communications Committee Chair
Amy Mbagwu is a seasoned executive and a strategic leader in Business Development, Sales and Marketing, with a career spanning esteemed organizations such as Amazon, Time Inc., AOL, InterActive Corporation, and Hearst Magazines. Her expertise lies in visionary, data-driven strategies that have driven industry-first innovations and established impactful partnerships across streaming TV, digital media, and technology.
In addition to her corporate achievements, Amy is also the Founder of Gist Advisory Group, an executive coaching and strategic advisory practice. She empowers executives across the media, tech, and entertainment industries—and beyond—to unlock their full potential, lead with confidence, and thrive both personally and professionally.
She has successfully completed the Front-End Intensive phase of Columbia University’s Coaching Certification Program and is a licensed Neethling Brain Instruments (NBI®) consultant. Amy holds an Masters of Science from Columbia University and an MBA from Fordham University.
As a practitioner, Amy’s coaching philosophy embraces a holistic approach to leadership development, considering the whole person—their unique experiences, worldviews, and aspirations. She focuses on helping clients navigate the nuances of their personal and professional environments, and leveraging their superpowers to bridge gaps and achieve their goals.
Finance Chair
Julia Bunyatov is an experienced executive coach and trusted advisor with a proven track record of helping leaders, C-suite executives, and teams achieve meaningful outcomes by optimizing performance and building resilience. Her published research, Thriving in Uncertainty: Neuroscience Applications for Coaches and Leaders, solidifies her expertise in resilience and leadership development.
With 30 years of experience leading high-performing teams in high-pressure environments and serving on multiple boards, Julia brings a unique blend of strategic insight and real-world expertise to her clients. Her notable roles include COO of Global Equities Trading, COO of Global Equity Derivatives, and Americas Risk Officer at Bankers Trust, Lehman Brothers, and Barclays.
Julia’s clients value her ability to challenge and support them concurrently, helping them connect with innate capacities, resolve decision blocks, and unlock their highest potential. Her coaching approach integrates evidence-based practices, guiding leaders to deepen self-awareness, stretch beyond habitual patterns and chart a clear path forward.
Julia graduated from NYU Stern School of Business and earned the Professional Executive Coach Certification from Columbia University. An ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Advanced Coach in Neuroscience for High Performance (Neurozone®), she is also certified in Hogan and NBI Thinking Preferences Assessments and is a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200).
Operations & Events Chair
Dee Raviv is a seasoned certified Executive Coach and a Business Consultant with over25 years’ experience in leading and developing talent in large scale organizations. Currently, she serves as the Director of Career Advisors at myNextory™ where she leads the strategy, business development, operations as well as training for the unit. She also runs her own executive coaching practice, Arete Executive Coaching & Consulting LLC, where she works with professionals to help them navigate and elevate their career and ‘do’ work/life better. Prior to myNextory™, Dee spent 9 years at Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in NY, where she performed various executive roles and most recently, she served as the VP, Program Admin for Ophthalmology. Before her career in healthcare, Dee spent 13 years in American Express and Ameriprise Financial taking on various roles including financial analyst, business development and strategic planning.
Dee holds an Executive Coaching Certification through Columbia University and is certified in Taking Flight with DISC. She serves on the Hofstra Women in Leadership Advisory Board as well as the Columbia Coaching Learning Association Board of Directors.