
The Institute of Transactional Philosophy Founding Board
January 2020 in Ojai, California
OUR BOARD


























EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Trisha Tyler, Board Chair
Trisha Tyler is CEO/Founder of Sosalient and a recent 2022 Executive MBA graduate at UCLA Anderson, where she focused on corporate governance initiatives to address sustainability and climate change. She was previously a Partner and the U.S. West Health Business Leader for Mercer, an operating company of MMC, a Fortune 200 business. Trisha was named Female Leader of the Year by Seattle Chamber of Commerce in 2018. She now lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Jeff Miller and their dog Riley.
Sue Rhomberg, Vice Chair
Sue Rhomberg’s career as a legacy consultant, building on a foundation as an occupational therapist, developed out of capturing stories that celebrate life. Her own story includes two 4th generation family businesses that are 100+ years old. For over a decade, Sue has been studying transactional competence and the philosophy of transactionalism, which she is integrating into fundamental perspectives on legacy. Sue resides in Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago.
Ana Athanasiu, Treasurer
Ana Athanasiu works from the Silicon Valley in strategic consulting. The author of several early technical books confronting the interconnectivity between technology and humanity, Ana’s articulations for complex systems was honed through years of user interface, engineering & telecommunications systems development. In her last role as an R&D engineering manager at Sun Microsystems, Ana found herself in the privileged role of seeing Java, distributed networking and XML released into the world. She lives in Redwood City, California.
Sarah Shepherd, Secretary & Programs Co-Chair
Sarah Shepherd is President of Circuit Rider of Colorado, LLC, providing executive management to Colorado Special Districts, non-profits and associations, since 2006. She also founded IMPACT Personal Safety of Colorado, a 501(c)3, in 2009. Sarah proudly serves on the Board of Visitors and Governors of St. John's College, the "most forward-thinking, future-proof" and third-oldest college in America. She splits time between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah.
BOARD MEMBERS
Suzanne Pool, Internal Affairs Chair
Suzanne Pool is a Cambridge educated former intellectual property and media Lawyer and is now a self-styled Women’s Sexual Empowerment Coach. She is an entrepreneur and investor in businesses that bring fun and fulfillment to all aspects of people’s lives. She has fun traveling the world, meeting new people and speaking to audiences about what’s possible for them in their lives when they create authentic, honest relationships with their people, and bring compassion and love to themselves. Suzanne lives and practices in London, UK.
Dallas Jackson, External Affairs Co-Chair
Dallas Jackson is Founder and Managing Director of Humaneering, an international coaching and training organization that helps companies realize the full human, operational and technological potential of an Agile environment by providing the training and tools for a successful cultural transformation. She brings not only technical expertise to address a company’s issues but also a set of holistic practices drawn from science-based theories on human behavior to ensure that not only is the product honored but also the humans involved in making it, creating more of a symbiotic relationship rather than one that has to be starved for the sake of the other. Her joy is in helping people tap into more intrinsic motivations and honoring humans over process.
Christopher Mercier, External Affairs Co-Chair
Christopher L. Mercier, AIA, founded (fer) studio - form, environment, research in early 2002 and today (fer) studio is a leading Los Angeles based Architecture, Interiors & Urban Design Practice specializing in Iconic Trans-relational designed environments. As both a practicing Architect and Professional Artist, his work explores the unique relational opportunities between the ecologies of painting, sculpture and architecture in attempt to re-invent the built environment. Christopher lives in Inglewood California with his wife Karen and their daughter Nevaeh.
Lauren Robertson, MS, LMT, BCTMB, MTI, Programs Co-Chair
Lauren is a nationally (US) board certified licensed massage therapist and instructor. She is a practitioner of craniosacral, lymphatic, somatoemotional release and other gentle modalities that facilitate a process by which she facilitates release, self-correction, and healing for her clients. Lauren is a partner in Lantern Tree Media Development Group, holds a Masters of science degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and a Bachelors of Art in the restoration of decorative arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology, is an esteemed alumni of Influential U, and has studied extensively and is a teaching assistant with both the Upledger Institute and the Chikly Health Institute.
Jenn Oliver
Jenn is a Senior Director of Human Resources at the University of Virginia and has been a noteworthy business and human resources leader in higher education for more than twenty years. She specializes in driving process improvement and has been credited with successfully leading initiatives that drive business and human resource transformation. She has been studying transactional philosophy since 2014. Jenn resides in Charlottesville, VA with her husband, Carey, and cockapoo Roxie.
Bernadette O’Shea
Bernadette O'Shea is senior director of development for neurosciences and wellness at Virginia Commonwealth University, a Top 100 National Science Foundation research university. Her career specialization is building infrastructure, leading teams, raising major gifts for healthcare organizations advancing capital, research, and patient initiatives. Bernadette's greatest delight is the time spent with her two daughters outside the office. She divides her time between Chicago, Illinois, and Richmond, Virginia.
Kirkland Tibbels
Kirkland Tibbels is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Influence Ecology, a global business education company specializing in the study and practice of Transactional Competence™. Kirkland has enjoyed a long and successful business career, which includes a nearly 25-year career as a producer in the motion picture and television industry. Kirkland has been recognized by civic and social organizations for diversity and culture change in business and media. He is currently pursuing his PhD in process-relational, transactional philosophy and lives in Oxnard, California.
Daphne Thompson
Daphne Thompson is the Founder of Connecting Medicine Clinic, Ballarat, Australia where as a Physician of Chinese Medicine she combines her eastern medical degree with her PhD in Microbial Metabolism of the Gut to forge new paradigms for chronic health conditions. Previously she spent ten years as National Policy and Program Adviser for the UK Government in Biotechnology, Science and Business Innovation and was Deputy Head of the Microbiology Systematics Department at the University of Reading, UK.
Janet Vreeland
Janet is a Sr. Client Manager for Mercer, an operating company within Marsh McLennan, a Fortune 200 company. In her role she orchestrates the delivery of human capital, employee benefits, total rewards and risk management services for a $10 million global portfolio. Her income has increased 3x since she began studying transactional philosophy in 2015. Janet loves living in Long Beach, California with her husband, Bob and their rescue animals Buddy the dog and Tip Toe the cat.
Dr. Gary Ward
Dr. Gary Ward is a general medical practitioner in Perth Western Australia with a focus on preventive medicine and health promotion. He is the personal physician to many of the leading business and community leaders in Perth. He is a program leader on the faculty of Influence Ecology, the leading business education in transactional competence.
Andrew Crellin
Andrew is a professional numismatist – a dealer in rare coins and currency, and is based in Fremantle (West Australia). Andrew has been the Managing Director of Sterling & Currency since 2006 and has served three times as the President of the Australasian Numismatic Dealer’s Association, the peak body representing professional numismatists across Australasia. Andrew also served as the President of the Fremantle Rugby League Club across a nine-year period, and remains involved with both organizations.
ALUMNI BOARD
Darryl Anderle
Darryl Anderle is the CFO of Influence Ecology, the leading business education in Transactional Competence™. Skeptical, analytical and innovative, his 30 years of experience focused in Accounting, Business Affairs and Information Technologies enables him to pinpoint breakdowns and offer solutions. Darryl lives with his husband on the Pacific Coast an hour west of Los Angeles where they’re often boating in the pristine waters around the Channel Islands.
Marcus Bell
Marcus Bell has marketed and promoted, produced, written songs for, mentored and developed some of the world’s superstars and brands, including: Katy Perry, Shelita Burke, Timbaland, Amitabh Bachchan, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, Arista Records, Netflix, MTV, HBO, EMI and Universal Music, McDonalds, General Mills, and Peter Diamandis (X-Prize, Singularity University). He is an Amazon #1 best selling book author of “Bellringer Branding Bible.” Based in Los Angeles, Marcus is a Social Media Influencer and recognized coach training people to increase their visibility.
Alex Bould
Biography forthcoming.
Peter Burgraf
Peter Burgraf is a Vice President of business development for Q2 Business Capital, a subsidiary of First Savings Bank. Peter specializes in SBA financing for small to mid-size businesses seeking capital across the USA. Over his more than 20 years in the banking industry Peter has ranked among the top producers in the organizations he has worked. He is happily married with one daughter and enjoys golfing during his leisure in the NW suburbs of Chicago, IL.
Karina Christensen
Karina Christensen is a real estate developer and sales professional in Denver, Colorado. She has been consistently ranked in the top 1% of agents nation wide based on volume and is an owner in several Keller Williams Realty franchises. She is also the co-founder of Ubuntu Partners, a 100% woman owned real estate development company, focusing on high-rise, urban residential projects. Ubuntu Partners is currently developing a 312 unit residential project in Downtown Denver, where Karina currently lives with her husband.
Dr. Khush Cooper
Khush Cooper, MSW, PhD. is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs as well as a social entrepreneur. She specializes in foster care reform, LGBTQ youth, implementation science, and leadership. Dr. Cooper teaches Leadership, Child Welfare Policy, and Macro Practice at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and is an advisor to the UCLA Williams Institute, a nationally renowned LGBT research and policy analysis center. She lives in Los Angeles and has been a student of transactional philosophy and a transactionalism practitioner since 2014.
Angela Meharg, Treasurer
Angela Meharg is founder and CEO of Datisfy Inc., and is a database analytics specialist with over 20 years of industry experience. She is a sought-after speaker, educator, and consultant in the area of small business and nonprofit accounting data. Angela is based in Toronto, Canada, and visits her clients and colleagues around the world, using remote business systems to manage and grow her enterprise.
Sarah Jane Meharg, Ph.D.
Sarah Jane Meharg is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College, and founder of Peace & Conflict Planners Canada Inc. Sarah is a global authority in post-conflict and post-disaster reconstruction and recovery. Recently named a Top Woman in Defence and Security for 2020, she lives with her husband and two daughters near Ottawa, Canada.
John Patterson
John Patterson is Co-founder and CEO of Influence Ecology, the leading business education in Transactional Competence™. His expertise is the construction of educational environments that accelerate effective performance. Since 1987, he has educated tens of thousands of people internationally while managing and training hundreds of managers, faculty, and mentors. He is the host of the company's podcast with listeners in 100+ countries. John lives with his husband in Ojai, California.
John Severson
John Severson, owner and president of Severson Compass & Associates, a division of A Cruise World, has over 30 years experience and expertise in planning meetings and conferences all around the world. He has contracted with over 250 hotel programs (cruises, resorts, spas, convention centers) worldwide. His company specializes in advising thought-leaders that offer a unique and powerful message for the world. John is based in Pasadena, California.
STAFF
Jill Locantore, Executive Coordinator
Jill Locantore has been managing key projects for C-Suite Executives and their leadership teams for the past 8 years. She currently works closely with Dr. Khush Cooper in both her commercial and academic endeavors. Her organizational skills have benefitted several boards, including the Board of Directors of a $7M Los Angeles non-profit and of the Institute for Transactional Philosophy. She lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys working out, fishing, and dirt-bike riding.