Consultant Biographies

Lillian Hewitt is the founder and CEO of Common Ground.  She specializes in organization diagnostics, facilitation of work groups and customization of  training designs for team and leadership skills.  Her clients have included NASA, The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), CT Male, JP Morgan, General Electric (Power, Medical and Nuclear Turbine Systems Divisions), NYNEX, BASF Corp., UAW - Ford Motor Co., ORVIS, Boehringer Ingelheim, State Farm Insurance, Bankers Trust Co., The Stanley Works and Grimes Aerospace, among many others. Prior to founding Common Ground, Lilly was on the senior management team of a manufacturing organization. She received her Masters degree in Organization and Management from Antioch University and is also a graduate of Skidmore. She is certified to deliver several 360 degree Feedback instruments.

Bob Wright specializes in the areas of Facility Operations Improvement, Complex Change, Fundamental Management Skills, and Dispute Resolution &  Mediation.  He has served many organizations, including:  NASA, NYS GOER, Ford Motor Company, IBM, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Fire Protection Association. Earlier in his career Bob managed Engineering and Operations of a large Upstate New York hospital, including responsibility for a staff of 120 and a budget of over 6 million dollars. He is a certified Mediator under the Office of Court Administration Program.  Bob received his Engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Marsha Hall Madden specializes in the early identification and selection of management talent, conflict resolution, leadership development and executive coaching, career planning and interpersonal skills development for engineers and scientists.  She has worked for the past 20 years with groups such as CT Male, The General Electric Company, various New York State Agencies, American Express, RPI, The National League of Cities, Monsanto, Putnam Memorial Health Corporation, and The Tennessee Valley Authority. Marsha received a BS degree from the State University College at Oneonta and a MS degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Rusty Renick has spent the last 30 years consulting in the areas of quality improvement, gender issues and cultural diversity.  He has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The City of New York, Avon International, AT&T,  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Michigan Bell. In prior employment, Rusty managed a 200 person training organization and directed the activities of five functional districts for New York Telephone. Rusty is a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy, the National Training Labs and the University of Virginia.  He is certified in the use of the Myers-Briggs instrument.

Robert DiMauro has consulted groups from G. E., Stanley, Dow-Corning, NYNEX, Exxon, and HEW - Department of Education, among others.  He has managed the functions of planning, engineering, operations, employment and consulting and training.  Bob specializes in strategic planning, negotiating for long term results, and organizational consulting. He earned a Masters Degree from American University/National Training Laboratories.  Bob is a graduate of Williams College Executive Program.  He holds a BA degree from Wesleyan University and an MS from New York University.  Bob is the author of an article on “downsizing,” and co-author of a business case study on strategy and structure.

Deb Allen brings over 19 years senior management experience with specific expertise in the areas of corporate dynamics, sales and marketing and strategic planning. Her credentials include extensive experience in business development, as a commercial and consumer lender, and in bank administration (including Retail Management and Human Resources). She specializes in assisting the employees of organizations to face significant changes. Deb received a BA degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University and a graduate banking degree from Stonier Graduate School.

Bill Cuff has helped numerous companies to develop strong work teams. Among these are Bristol Myers, General Foods, Bell Telephone South, AETNA Insurance, Capital Holding Corporation and HCA and Charter Hospitals. In the past eighteen years, Bill has consulted and trained with corporate and public sector groups around the world. In addition to those mentioned above, these have included: Progressive Insurance Co., Digital Equipment Corporation, UNUM Insurance Co., GE, Apple Computer (Singapore), Hewlett Packard and AT and T. Bill received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.

To schedule a phone appointment with one of our consultants, please call (518) 274-0206, Ext. 500

©Common Ground Associates
 January 23, 2000