Meet Our Team

Pearl Meyer’s senior consultants guide their clients in the design and implementation of pay programs that help turn compensation into a catalyst for value creation. Learn more about their expertise.

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Malcolm Adkins

Managing Director

Malcolm Adkins

Managing Director Houston

Malcolm leads Pearl Meyer’s Energy practice, with 15+ years advising boards and executives on director and executive pay, including incentives, benchmarking, governance, and M&A support.

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Margaret H. Black

Managing Director

Margaret H. Black

Managing Director Los Angeles

Margaret has 30+ years experience advising on tax, compensation, and benefits matters, with a focus on corporate transactions, change-in-control provisions, and IRC compliance.

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Jon Boba

Managing Director

Jon Boba

Managing Director Chicago

Jon has 30+ years in real estate consulting and 1,000+ engagements, with deep specialization in senior housing/health care and affordable housing.

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Karen C. Butcher

Managing Director

Karen C. Butcher

Managing Director Boston

Karen advises on executive and board compensation and broad-based program design, including short- and long-term incentives, performance management, and leadership development/coaching.

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Steve Charlebois

Managing Director

Steve Charlebois

Managing Director Los Angeles

Steve has 20+ years of executive and global compensation consulting experience gained through a combination of external consulting and in-house roles.

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Yvonne Chen

Managing Director

Yvonne Chen

Managing Director New York

Yvonne brings 25+ years advising clients of all sizes on compensation objectives, pay-for-performance alignment, incentive design, and governance, with deep expertise in executive and director compensation.

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David T. Clary

Managing Director, Leadership Practice Head

David T. Clary

Managing Director, Leadership Practice Head New York

David heads Pearl Meyer's Leadership practice, bringing 30+ years of expertise in building and growing advisory firms, focused on board impact and executive leadership.

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Will Cockle

Managing Director

Will Cockle

Managing Director San Francisco

Will specializes in executive compensation for technology and life sciences companies, from startups to public firms, with deep expertise in IPO preparation and equity strategy transitions.

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Matt Depp

Managing Director

Matt Depp

Managing Director Charlotte

Matt advises boards and management teams of public, private, and tax-exempt organizations on executive compensation matters.

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Michael Esser

Managing Director

Michael Esser

Managing Director Los Angeles

Mike has 25+ years experience advising boards and senior management on executive and director compensation strategy, including annual and long-term incentives and equity design, across a broad range of industries.

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Michael Franklin

Affiliate Managing Director

Michael Franklin

Affiliate Managing Director Los Angeles

Michael is an affiliate managing director with over 25 years of experience helping CEOs, boards of directors, and senior managers to align on strategic direction and build leadership and organizational capability to drive successful performance.

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Patrick Haggerty

Managing Director

Patrick Haggerty

Managing Director Boston

Pat has 25+ years advising boards and senior management on incentive design, performance measurement, and corporate governance, with deep experience supporting both private and public companies.

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David Hale

Managing Director

David Hale

Managing Director Chicago

David brings 15+ years in strategy, operations, and organizational development as both an advisor and operator, including M&A experience and leadership roles from startups to large enterprises.

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Wes Hart

Managing Director

Wes Hart

Managing Director Houston

Wes has 25+ years advising on executive compensation, including competitive pay and performance analyses and annual/long-term incentive design, with an industry focus on energy, clean technologies, finance, and healthcare.

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Brett A. Herand

Managing Director

Brett A. Herand

Managing Director Chicago

Brett advises boards and management on executive compensation, including performance measurement, incentive design, and technical matters spanning tax, accounting, and SEC requirements.

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Sarah Holmes

Managing Director

Sarah Holmes

Managing Director Atlanta

Sarah is a managing director with Pearl Meyer. With 13+ years of experience she advises boards and senior management on compensation program design, incentive plan management, governance and regulatory considerations, as well as succession planning and talent management risk.

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Ryan P. Hourihan

Managing Director

Ryan P. Hourihan

Managing Director Los Angeles

Ryan brings 10+ years advising on incentive compensation, governance, and performance measurement across an array of organizations—with particular experience with privately held firms competing with publicly traded companies.

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Jim Hudner

Managing Director

Jim Hudner

Managing Director Boston

Jim has 30+ years advising on total compensation strategy, including base pay, incentives, and performance management, with deep experience designing and communicating broad-based programs.

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Carrie Jablonski

Managing Director, Co-Head of Private Equity

Carrie Jablonski

Managing Director, Co-Head of Private Equity Chicago

Carrie is Co-Head of Private Equity and advises boards, CEOs, and investors on CEO succession and critical leadership decisions to help organizations scale, drive value, and manage human capital risk.

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Robert James

Managing Director

Robert James

Managing Director Los Angeles

Rob has 15 years experience in executive compensation and finance, specializing in life sciences and technology—especially emerging, high-growth companies navigating M&A and IPOs.

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Katie Kaiser

Managing Director

Katie Kaiser

Managing Director San Francisco

Katie has 20+ years of human capital experience in corporate and investment sponsor settings, specializing in leadership assessment, executive placement, and succession planning to help companies scale.

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Jannice Koors

Senior Managing Director

Jannice Koors

Senior Managing Director Chicago

Jan brings 30+ years of executive compensation and governance experience, advising boards and management on strategic human capital decisions tied to long-term value creation.

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Kimberly Kroll, PsyD

Managing Director

Kimberly Kroll, PsyD

Managing Director Chicago

Kim's expertise uniquely combines two decades of running a fourth-generation international business with over a dozen years of experience in leadership advisory consulting, with a particular focus on advising to private equity investors.

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Jeffrey Lagomarsino

Managing Director

Jeffrey Lagomarsino

Managing Director New York

Jeff advises investors and leadership teams on organizational transformation, executive team effectiveness, and talent strategy to improve performance and build enterprise value through human capital.

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Deb Lifshey

Managing Director

Deb Lifshey

Managing Director New York

Deb advises on executive compensation from a legal and regulatory perspective, including securities disclosure, tax and governance matters, contract negotiation, and reasonableness opinion letters.

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Alpha Mengistu

Managing Director

Alpha Mengistu

Managing Director Boston

Alpha advises investors and operators on leadership assessment and selection, succession planning, and organizational reviews, with deep experience supporting private equity portfolio companies and scaling leaders through change.

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Matt Molberger

Managing Director

Matt Molberger

Managing Director Boston

Matt advises life sciences and technology companies on executive compensation, specializing in benchmarking, incentive design, pay-for-performance alignment, security arrangements, and CD&A disclosure.

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Dan Moynihan

Managing Director

Dan Moynihan

Managing Director New York

Dan advises clients including family and privately held businesses on executive compensation, broad-based rewards, incentives, and sales compensation, with a focus on emerging and growth companies.

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Eric Myszka

Managing Director

Eric Myszka

Managing Director Chicago

Eric has 20+ years advising boards and management teams on executive compensation programs that are market-competitive, strategy-aligned, and compliant.

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Terry Newth

Managing Director

Terry Newth

Managing Director Boston

Terry leads the Life Sciences practice and advises companies from venture-backed to multinational on executive compensation strategy, incentive design, governance/disclosure, and transaction-related arrangements.

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Jane Park

Managing Director

Jane Park

Managing Director New York

Jane has 20 years advising public and private companies on executive and non-employee director compensation, including governance, incentive design, benchmarking, and proxy analysis, with expertise in IPO and M&A concerns.

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Sharon Podstupka

Managing Director

Sharon Podstupka

Managing Director New York

Sharon brings 25+ years guiding executive and broad-based pay communications and disclosure, helping boards and management manage change and respond to investor and proxy advisor scrutiny.

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Bill Reilly

Managing Director

Bill Reilly

Managing Director Atlanta

Bill is a senior advisor on executive and director compensation, helping committees and leaders set pay strategy, benchmark competitiveness, design incentives, and navigate contracts, severance/CIC, and governance expectations.

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Matt T. Richburg, PhD

Managing Director

Matt T. Richburg, PhD

Managing Director Fort Lauderdale

In his 30 years of experience, Matt has conducted diligence on more than 2,000+ executives. He often works with top middle-market private equity firms, providing expertise including leadership advisory services and CEO coaching.

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Mark Rosen

Managing Director

Mark Rosen

Managing Director Charlotte

Mark is a consulting team leader who brings 20+ years advising on executive and board pay, including benchmarking, retirement plan design, and tax/accounting and governance considerations.

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Andy Rourke

Managing Director, Co-Head of Private Equity

Andy Rourke

Managing Director, Co-Head of Private Equity Boston

Andy is Co-Head of Private Equity and brings 20+ years in executive assessment, organizational effectiveness, and coaching. He partners with executives and entrepreneurs to strengthen leadership and build enterprise value.

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Susan Sandlund, PhD

Managing Director

Susan Sandlund, PhD

Managing Director New York

Susan brings 30+ years advising boards, CEOs, and leadership teams on large-scale change, culture and organization design, governance and team effectiveness, executive assessment/development, and CEO succession.

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David Seitz

Managing Director

David Seitz

Managing Director Dallas

David brings 30+ years of executive compensation experience, specializing in long-term incentives, pay strategy, performance metrics, and executive retirement/global programs, including support for IPO and M&A transitions.

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Aalap Shah

Managing Director

Aalap Shah

Managing Director Philadelphia

Aalap specializes in executive compensation strategy—governance, pay-for-performance, and incentives—helping companies align business, people, and compensation strategy for effective programs.

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Lisa Shall

Managing Director

Lisa Shall

Managing Director Chicago

Lisa specializes in leadership assessment and coaching, organizational design, and CEO/executive succession. She supports executive team development, change management, and talent processes to strengthen organizational effectiveness.

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Ed Steinhoff

Managing Director

Ed Steinhoff

Managing Director Chicago

Ed is a consulting team leader with 25+ years advising boards and senior management on executive compensation for public and private companies to help design pay programs aligned with performance, governance, and stakeholder expectations.

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Greg Stoeckel

Managing Director

Greg Stoeckel

Managing Director Atlanta

Greg is a consulting team leader with 25+ years advising compensation committees and executives on executive and non-employee director pay, including performance metrics, governance, and SEC disclosure.

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Greg Swanson

Managing Director

Greg Swanson

Managing Director Los Angeles

Greg is a part of the banking practice and brings 20+ years advising public and private companies on executive and director compensation, with deep focus on community and regional banks.

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Vamsi Tetali

Managing Director

Vamsi Tetali

Managing Director Atlanta

Vamsi advises investors and global corporations on leadership strategy, organizational transformation, and talent assessment.

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Peter Thies

Managing Director

Peter Thies

Managing Director Charlotte

Peter brings 30+ years supporting CEOs and leadership teams through organizational change, including CEO succession, executive development, and integration challenges.

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Jayson Traxler

Chief Executive Officer

Jayson Traxler

Chief Executive Officer New York

Jayson is Pearl Meyer's CEO, with 25 years of experience guiding companies through significant growth and transformation, and a particular focus on effective leadership at professional services consulting firms.

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Matt Turner

President, Executive Compensation Consulting

Matt Turner

President, Executive Compensation Consulting Chicago

Matt leads the firm’s executive and broad-based compensation practices, advising boards on pay strategy, incentives, and shareholder-focused performance objectives, including support through ownership changes and business transformations.

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Steven Van Putten

Senior Managing Director

Steven Van Putten

Senior Managing Director Boston

Steve advises compensation committees and senior management years on executive and director compensation, with 30+ years of board-level Fortune 500 experience, is a frequent presenter at national executive compensation forums and conferences.

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Daniel M. Wetzel

Managing Director

Daniel M. Wetzel

Managing Director Los Angeles

Dan brings 30+ years in compensation and benefits, advising on executive/director and broad-based pay, incentive design, CIC/contracts, and transaction support.

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Gail Wise, PhD

Managing Director

Gail Wise, PhD

Managing Director Chicago

Gail has 25+ years of experience delivering highly targeted solutions, including executive and organizational diligence, executive team alignment, and leadership development and advisory services.

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Alexander Yaffe

Managing Director

Alexander Yaffe

Managing Director Baltimore

Alexander brings 20+ years of experience advising tax-exempt boards on executive compensation and succession planning, with deep expertise in physician compensation governance for hospitals and integrated health systems.

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Viji Annamalai

Organizational Specialist

Viji Annamalai

Organizational Specialist New York

Viji brings over 20 years of experience in strategy and leadership advisory. She specializes in organizational effectiveness and performance improvement, helping companies optimize organizational factors to achieve aspirational goals.

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Anjani Bhargava

Executive Coach

Anjani Bhargava

Executive Coach Chicago

Anjani is an executive coach who partners with CEOs and management teams to strengthen culture and leadership strategies. She has 20+ years of industry advisor and C-suite talent leadership experience.

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Randy Brenneman

Executive Coach

Randy Brenneman

Executive Coach Atlanta

Randy is an ICF Master Certified Coach with decades of experience coaching executives across industries to increase self-awareness, align strategy, and drive results.

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Annie Czarnecki

Principal

Annie Czarnecki

Principal Denver

Annie combines warmth and professional expertise to advise public companies, private equity investors, and their portfolio companies as they tackle critical human capital decisions that drive value creation.

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Mary Diharce

Vice President

Mary Diharce

Vice President Boston

Mary advises senior management and directors on compensation and governance, including executive/board benchmarking, incentive design, equity utilization, and severance.

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Tim Dupuis

Principal

Tim Dupuis

Principal Detroit

Tim partners with boards and senior leaders to design executive compensation programs aligned with business strategy, supporting talent attraction and retention through competitive pay and incentive design.

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Lanaye Dworak

Vice President

Lanaye Dworak

Vice President Chicago

Lanaye has 10+ years advising compensation committees and management teams on executive pay strategy, benchmarking, and incentive design, including equity plans and change-in-control/severance programs.

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Libbie Engels

Vice President

Libbie Engels

Vice President Boston

Libbie advises on executive and board pay, focusing on peer group development, benchmarking, incentives, change-in-control/severance arrangements, transaction support, and proxy advisory considerations.

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Morgan Fioritto

Vice President, Engagement Leader

Morgan Fioritto

Vice President, Engagement Leader Boston

Morgan designs leadership development and talent programs that improve capability and performance, and supports organizational effectiveness work to align structure and operating models with strategy.

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Veronica Glowacki

Vice President

Veronica Glowacki

Vice President Chicago

Veronica provides compensation and company performance data analysis and recommendations to boards and management teams.

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Steven Grinsztein

Vice President

Steven Grinsztein

Vice President Boston

Steven advises management and directors on broad-based and executive compensation, specializing in incentive design, director pay, and equity utilization—including support for pre-IPO and SPAC companies.

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Sarah Hagerman

Principal

Sarah Hagerman

Principal Chicago

Sarah coaches and develops growth-oriented leaders and teams, helping private equity investors and portfolio company executives build high-performing organizations.

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Steven Hall

Principal

Steven Hall

Principal New York

Steven brings 20+ years advising on executive and director compensation for domestic and international clients, focusing on designing programs aligned with long-term performance and talent attraction and retention.

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Jacob Harden

Vice President

Jacob Harden

Vice President Bozeman

Jacob advises boards and management on executive compensation, including data-driven benchmarking, incentive design, equity utilization, and severance/change-in-control programs, supporting companies from pre-IPO to Fortune 500.

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Pamela Harless

Principal

Pamela Harless

Principal Denver

Pamela advises leaders on business transformation, executive development, and human capital strategy—integrating business strategy, organizational design, team effectiveness, and operational rigor.

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Ellen Higgins

Principal

Ellen Higgins

Principal New York

Ellen specializes in leadership assessment and coaching, team effectiveness, CEO transition support, and change management across public, private, and nonprofit organizations in several industries including insurance, healthcare, and utilities.

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Dionne Hosten

CEO Succession Specialist

Dionne Hosten

CEO Succession Specialist New York

Dionne advises investors, boards, and CEOs, on executive succession and decisions, including selection and onboarding, executive coaching, organizational assessment, and organizational due diligence.

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Carla Huang

Principal

Carla Huang

Principal Atlanta

Carla advises investors and operators on their most critical leadership challenges at Pearl Meyer (Blake Street Group). She has expertise in leadership development, executive coaching, succession planning, organizational effectiveness, and leadership assessment.

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Stephen Huber

Principal

Stephen Huber

Principal New York

Stephen advises on executive compensation for public and private companies, including benchmarking, incentives, pay-for-performance, and proxy analysis/disclosure.

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Quinn Iuliano

Vice President

Quinn Iuliano

Vice President New York

Quinn specializes in compensation design for boards and management, including benchmarking/peer groups, incentives, and equity program design and sustainability across public and private companies.

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Huda Jabri

Vice President

Huda Jabri

Vice President Houston

Huda provides compensation advisory services, specializing in executive and broad-based benchmarking, peer group development, and pay structure and incentive plan design.

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Brad Jayne, PhD

Principal

Brad Jayne, PhD

Principal New York

Brad brings a decade of experience in executive assessment, leadership development, coaching, and team effectiveness, partnering with senior leaders to build high-impact teams and talent strategies.

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PJ Kim

Principal

PJ Kim

Principal New York

PJ has 20+ years advising investors and leadership teams across private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds, specializing in leadership assessment, talent strategy, and organizational design—including diligence and post-close support.

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Caroline Kubacki

Vice President, Engagement Leader

Caroline Kubacki

Vice President, Engagement Leader Chicago

Caroline advises investors and operators on their most critical leadership challenges, spanning across the human capital due diligence, organizational readiness, and leadership development offerings.

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Grace McCullough

Vice President

Grace McCullough

Vice President Louisville

Grace advises committees and senior management on executive compensation and governance for life sciences and technology companies, with expertise in equity strategy and IPO readiness.

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Randy McGraw

Vice President

Randy McGraw

Vice President Raleigh

Randy has 20 years of experience advising financial institutions on executive and board compensation for public and private companies and credit unions.

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Mark Mundey

Principal

Mark Mundey

Principal Houston

Mark has 15+ years of in-house and consulting compensation experience, advising on executive and broad-based pay, incentive and sales design, and regulatory compliance.

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Kimberly Neil

Principal

Kimberly Neil

Principal Charlotte

Kim provides analytical and project management support for compensation engagements, with experience across executive, director, and broad-based employee compensation assessments and strategy.

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Monal Patel

Principal

Monal Patel

Principal Boston

Monal specializes in broad-based pay benchmarking and global job architecture design, helping clients align market data, career progression, and salary programs through modeling and implementation support.

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Alan J. Powers

Vice President

Alan J. Powers

Vice President Boston

Alan has 17+ years of experience bringing analytical rigor and pragmatic insights when advising tech and life sciences boards and management on executive compensation strategy, incentives, and equity design.

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Lianne Richardson (Chew)

Principal

Lianne Richardson (Chew)

Principal New York

Lianne provides compensation consulting for public and privately held clients across industries, specializing in pay strategy, benchmarking, incentives, proxy analysis, and director compensation.

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Khatera Sahibzada, PhD

Executive Coach

Khatera Sahibzada, PhD

Executive Coach Los Angeles

Khatera specializes in executive assessment and development, supporting organizations from the lower middle-market to Fortune 500 across industries and geographies.

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Taryn Schrader

Vice President

Taryn Schrader

Vice President Boston

Taryn advises on executive, director, and broad-based compensation, designing market-based plans and incentives and supporting practical analyses such as FLSA classification, compression, and cost-of-living.

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Tim Sheahan, PhD

Principal

Tim Sheahan, PhD

Principal Chicago

Tim brings 20+ years in executive assessment and development, including C-level assessments and support for investor diligence and acquisition decisions, plus executive coaching focused on measurable outcomes.

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Marla Skibbins

Executive Coach

Marla Skibbins

Executive Coach San Francisco

Marla is an ICF Master Certified Coach who works with senior executives across industries, including leaders in private equity environments, to strengthen leadership impact and performance.

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Christina Thapa

Vice President

Christina Thapa

Vice President Baltimore

Christina has 10+ years advising tax-exempt boards and leadership teams on executive compensation, including incentive design, executive performance evaluation, retirement plan design, and leadership/succession planning.

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Elizabeth Ward, PhD

Executive Coach

Elizabeth Ward, PhD

Executive Coach Boston

Elizabeth is a trusted advisor and coach to senior executives and Olympians with over 30+ years of experience unlocking peak performance.

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At Pearl Meyer, we work with boards and organizations to design and implement compensation and leadership strategies that build great management teams.

Find out how we can help you.

Get in touch with us

Our Expertise

Meet Our Team

Malcolm Adkins

Margaret H. Black

Jon Boba

Karen C. Butcher

Steve Charlebois

Yvonne Chen

David T. Clary

Will Cockle

Matt Depp

Michael Esser

Michael Franklin

Patrick Haggerty

David Hale

Wes Hart

Brett A. Herand

Sarah Holmes

Ryan P. Hourihan

Jim Hudner

Carrie Jablonski

Robert James

Katie Kaiser

Jannice Koors

Kimberly Kroll, PsyD

Jeffrey Lagomarsino

Deb Lifshey

Alpha Mengistu

Matt Molberger

Dan Moynihan

Eric Myszka

Terry Newth

Jane Park

Sharon Podstupka

Bill Reilly

Matt T. Richburg, PhD

Mark Rosen

Andy Rourke

Susan Sandlund, PhD

David Seitz

Aalap Shah

Lisa Shall

Ed Steinhoff

Greg Stoeckel

Greg Swanson

Vamsi Tetali

Peter Thies

Jayson Traxler

Matt Turner

Steven Van Putten

Daniel M. Wetzel

Gail Wise, PhD

Alexander Yaffe

Viji Annamalai

Anjani Bhargava

Randy Brenneman

Annie Czarnecki

Mary Diharce

Tim Dupuis

Lanaye Dworak

Libbie Engels

Morgan Fioritto

Veronica Glowacki

Steven Grinsztein

Sarah Hagerman

Steven Hall

Jacob Harden

Pamela Harless

Ellen Higgins

Dionne Hosten

Carla Huang

Stephen Huber

Quinn Iuliano

Huda Jabri

Brad Jayne, PhD

PJ Kim

Caroline Kubacki

Grace McCullough

Randy McGraw

Mark Mundey