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About the Best Practice Institute Team
Best Practice Institute (BPI) is a community of leaders dedicated to pioneering and sharing best practices in leadership, organizational development, and talent management. Our faculty includes over 200 experts and world-renowned thought leaders, many of whom are academics at top universities or have contributed significant original research to the field.
BPI serves a subscriber base of over 42,000 managers, directors, VPs, and C-level executives at Fortune 500 and Global 1000 organizations worldwide. We provide online learning, research publications, executive work-groups, and conferences to support their growth.
Executive Leadership
Louis Carter
Founder and CEO
Louis Carter founded BPI in 2001. He has authored over 8 books on best practices and organizational leadership, including Change Champions and Best Practices in Talent Management. His research has been translated into over 8 languages, and he has taught at universities including Tsinghua School of Business and Seton Hall University. Lou has performed benchmark research and organization development with most Fortune 500 organizations.
Patrick Carmichael
Vice President of Senior Executive Boards
Patrick Carmichael manages, facilitates, and provides research and coaching for senior executive peer groups among Fortune 500 organizations. He brings 35 years of experience in global training, OD, and talent management, previously serving as VP of Management and Executive Development at Saudi Aramco. He is the recipient of the 2010 Roger Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award.
Brian Fishel
Chairman, Senior Executive Board
Brian Fishel has over 20 years of human resources experience and currently leads Bank of America's Enterprise Leadership Development group. A frequent national speaker on talent management and leadership development, he is a founding board member of the Best Practice Institute and has published numerous articles on leadership.
Christi O'Neill
Vice President of Research and Community Development
Christi O'Neill consults with executive board members to identify key talent challenges and guide annual research trends. She connects with leading experts to highlight next practices and is responsible for the engagement of the BPI community. She has provided research and benchmarking to nearly half of the Fortune 500, including Pfizer, MasterCard, and BP.
Paul Plotczyk
Chief Learning Officer
Paul Plotczyk creates innovative learning solutions based on systems theory and organization development. With over 25 years of experience in organizational change, he has a successful track record in strategy development, High Performance Team (HPT) technology, and process redesign. His clients are primarily executives at companies like Microsoft, Intel, Chevron, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Directors & Practice Leaders
John Spence
Director of Best Practice Innovation
John Spence was named one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America in 2011. He previously served as CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries. As Director of Best Practice Innovation, John contributes to BPI's thought leadership and is a faculty member for webinars.
Roland Sullivan
Director of Transformational Consulting
Roland Sullivan is a second-generation OD consultant who learned from the field's founders. He has led change efforts with over 1,100 organizations in 22 countries and taught OD at 7 universities, including Pepperdine. He is known for transforming whole systems in large interactive events and has edited over a dozen books on change management.
Edward Carr
Director of Productions
Edward Carr brings over 20 years of film and television experience to BPI, specializing in creative storytelling for large-scale transformation. An Emmy award-winning director, he has traveled globally to capture stories that inspire changes in perspective and action. His work with Fortune 500 organizations has been ground-breaking.
Research & Advisory Team
- Kazim Ladimeji, Research Analyst: A CIPD-qualified HR generalist with 14 years of experience, Kazim researches people and process management practices in Fortune 500 companies.
- Rophe Woods, Research Associate/Best Practices Analyst: Rophe uncovers new trends and innovations in talent management and leadership development, works with the Senior Executive Board, and contributes to BPI publications.
- Dan Winder, Psychometrician/Assessment Specialist: Dan creates, validates, and consults on assessments for BPI and its members. A member of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), he has published and won awards for his writing.
- Peter Bartels, Advertising and Marketing Manager: With extensive experience in mass communications, Peter helps craft effective messaging for BPI and its clients, specializing in audio-visual and interactive communications.
- Kim Sanders, Public Relations and Marketing Manager: Kim develops marketing and public relations programs to promote articles from BPI's founder and Executive Board in industry publications.
- Terry A. Hull, Writer: Terry writes articles for BPI on leadership development, talent management, and organizational change, drawing on years of experience as a newspaper reporter and nonprofit marketing director. '''