Management Team
Career Directions recognition as a leader in talent management and leadership coaching in Michigan and surrounding areas is attributable to its strong management team. The entire team is characterized by their ability to engage people, their emphasis on integrity, a clear understanding that work is more than just business, and insightful vision tempered with compassion.
David Gruner, MSW, Principal, Director of Leadership Coaching
Since founding Career Directions in 1979, David Gruner has been an influencer and proponent of state-of-the-art leadership models that help executives establish a more powerful and impactful leadership presence. His coaching style is characterized by his creation of a space of safety and trust in which leaders can develop an awareness of their reactivity, blind spots, competency gaps, and impact on others. By helping leaders to know themselves better, David is able to free them from personal and professional history that has conditioned them to lead in ways that are not optimal for their current roles or organizational missions. With David’s assistance and without compromising who they are, leaders learn to develop optimal behaviors that are based on both personal integrity and maximizing organizational effectiveness.
David has served as consultant to more than 100 organizations in business, including Fortune 500 firms, higher education, government and health care. His down-to-earth application of the teachings of psychology, combined with his holistic approach to the art of leadership, helps leaders address hard issues and discover their own “right actions.” Leaders coached in his holistic approach are able to readily adapt to new challenges and changes in their organizations. David was the first Career Management Practitioner in Michigan certified by the Institute of Career Certification International (ICC International). His other credentials include Personal and Professional Coach certification by the Coaches Training Institute of San Rafael, CA; Empowerment Coaching Certification from the Empowerment Institute of Woodstock, NY; his MSW from the University of Michigan; and his BA in Economics from Brandeis University.
Terence McGinn, MBA, Ph.D., Director of Assessments and Testing
Terry McGinn joined Career Directions in 1993 after more than 20 years in non-profit management and financial sector human resources work. Terry is a sought after expert in competency-based testing and assessment for the selection, development and promotion of leaders. He is a specialist in designing and leading state-of-the-art assessment centers for municipalities throughout the state of Michigan. His experience in change management and succession planning includes projects for profit-based organizations, such as Warner Lambert (Pfizer) and Reznick Group, and non-profit organizations.
Terry’s doctoral dissertation in organizational innovation focused on the identification of factors that promote successful organizational change. He has a strong background as an educator, from sociology lectures at the University of Michigan to curriculum design and classroom instruction in corporate settings. His highly engaging and interactive style as a presenter, coupled with his expertise, consistently earns him high ratings from training participants. Terry earned both an MBA and a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.
Therese Stanton, MA, Director of Outplacement Services
Therese Stanton has 23 years experience in counseling individuals at all levels from every market sector. She joined Career Directions in 2000. Therese is a nationally recognized writer, a “go to” fundraising strategist for non-profit boards, and a sought after consultant to women’s organizations, such as the MS. Foundation for Women. She co-developed a new, innovative career program for executives to leverage their talents and skills to increase their effectiveness.
Therese’s uncanny ability to compel people to quickly open up and share what’s really important to them is an asset in helping outplacement candidates discover whether their current career path or re-careering will provide the greatest job satisfaction. As an innovative career consultant, Therese guides clients through job searches in uncommonly short time periods. Therese has lectured nationally on diversity issues in the workplace and has been recognized with teaching awards as a faculty member at the University of Michigan. Trained as a Personal and Professional Coach by the Coaches Training Institute of San Rafael, CA, Therese earned her BA in English at Smith College and an MA in English at the University of Michigan.
Jeanne Farah, MS, Adjunct Consultant – Organizational Development
Jeanne Farah has 25 years experience consulting with colleges and universities, libraries, professional design firms and design departments, builders and environmental organizations. She specializes in: facilitating High Energy Planning for strategic growth; designing and managing customized leadership academies that transform individuals and the culture; and developing governance and leadership structures and practices that take leaders and their organizations to the next level.
Jeanne has an unusual ability to clarify difficult business concepts using true-to-life case studies and images. Her seminars, planning sessions, and innovative designs begin where other consultants often leave off. She leads the exploration of the barriers to the client’s own vision followed by the development of field strategies and daily practices which give participants the confidence to turn around their organization.
Jeanne’s BS in Education is from Indiana University, and her MS in Organizational Development is from Butler University.
