Consultants and Associates

Pearl Hilliard

Pearl Hilliard, Ed.D is the founder of Hilliard Performance Solutions. She brings to clients a wealth of multi-industry experience in strategic organizational development, learning and leadership development, integrated talent management, organizational improvement, team building, communications training, and coaching. She focuses on performance solutions and results, using appreciative inquiry strategies. Her passion is employee engagement, with an emphasis on a strengths-based approach. Her clients include individuals, and small and medium-sized businesses in various functional areas, as well as UCLA and USC.

Pearl has extensive experience (in higher education, land development, manufacturing and retail sectors) implementing and directing a variety of programs that facilitate the improvement and optimization of performance. She has a successful track record in strategic organizational development, leadership development, learning, talent management and coaching. Pearl provides executive, career management and life transitions coaching. She specializes in developing and facilitating workshops and retreats. Each client is unique, and Pearl will customize her services to fit your needs, focusing on performance optimization and the results you want to achieve. Prior to establishing Hilliard Performance Solutions, Pearl served as Associate Director of Professional and Organizational Development for the University of Southern California.

Pearl received her doctoral degree (Ed.D) in Human Performance at Work from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Counseling from California State University at Northridge. She has a B.A. (Honors) in Applied Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and a B.A. in Business Studies from Manchester Polytechnic, England. Her training certifications include Achieve Global, Coaching (ACC, BCC & CPC), Connecting With Others, DiSC, Emotional Intelligence, Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team.

For additional information, see her LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pearlhilliard

Denise Lopez

Patricia “Denise” Lopez, PhD, SHRM, is Associate Professor in Organizational Psychology at Alliant International University. Her areas of research, teaching and consulting expertise are in work motivation and employee engagement, leadership and organization development, and multicultural and global management. Prior to teaching at Alliant, she served as Project Director of global engagement surveys for International Survey Research (now part of Towers Watson). She also managed the MBA program at the Asian Institute of Management, where she taught MBA and executive education courses. She has 18 years of consulting and training experience with clients from diverse industries in the United States and Asia. She received her B.A. in Psychology (summa cum laude) from the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, and her Masters and PhD in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, New York. Denise brings to clients a wealth of evidence-based knowledge combined with strategic understanding and practical appreciation of management priorities and processes.

Joyce Fernandez

Training and Organizational Development / Career Coach

Joyce is an independent consultant with over 15 years’ experience in many aspects of learning and development. Her expertise includes training design and delivery, career and business coaching, performance improvement consulting, and leadership event development. She is known for her exceptional interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills and is very effective in developing strong client/customer partnerships.

Joyce’s current focus is the development and facilitation of career and life transitions workshops for mid-career professionals, retirees, or anyone making critical life changes. Clients include USC and UCLA.  She also assists USC graduate and undergraduate students in resume and cover letter writing, and coaches them on interview preparation, networking and job search strategies to prepare them for internships and careers. In addition, Joyce develops training content and facilitates seminars for a nonprofit career assessment and job placement program which helps women restart their careers and provides career coaching to participants.

Joyce holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also has certifications in: Achieve Global, Coaching (RCC), Emotional Intelligence, Myers-Briggs (MBTI), ATD/USC Institute for Human Performance Technology, Employee Relations Law and USC Marshall School Management Development.

For additional information, see her LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joycefernandez

Maria Bereket

Social Media and Branding Consultant

Maria Bereket is the founder of Design Bear Marketing a Branding, Marketing and Social Media company based in Southern California. She brings to clients over 20 years of marketing and design experience and is very passionate about working with small businesses and non-profits. Her personal business mission is to educate every person on the importance and fun of living in a socially connected world. Maria’s expertise includes marketing and branding strategy, social media integration and strategy, and social media management and training for individuals, business and staff. She is also a certified LinkedIn profile and marketing trainer.

Along with her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, Maria was traditionally trained in marketing through corporate training programs with Merrill Lynch and Winn Properties Ltd in Boston. She received her Graphic Design Certification in 2010 and has been a passionate and early adopter of social media platforms believing them to be the vital circulatory system to any successful marketing plan.

For additional information, see her LinkedIn profile at: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/mariabereket