Team
Our dedicated team of professionals brings a wealth of experience and passion to every meeting, ensuring your events are engaging, productive, and impactful. These are the meeting experts who make it all possible.
Founder
Lee Gimpel
Lee Gimpel is the founder of Better Meetings in Washington, DC. A professional facilitator and event strategist, he is an expert in meeting design, group facilitation, and audience engagement. He helps organizations make their meetings, retreats, and conferences more effective, participatory, and human-centered. He has worked with clients such as the World Bank, Sodexo, and Conservation International. Lee produced the Conference Organizers Summit and has long led a global community of practice for innovative meeting facilitators. He frequently speaks and is quoted in the media including USA Today, The Guardian, Association Conventions & Facilities, and Forbes, where he’s been a regular expert contributor. Earlier roles include directing training and product development at LifeWise Strategies, working in Capital One’s training division, and beginning his career as a software product manager. He serves on the board of the Association of Meeting Professionals.
Lee Gimpel is a real joy to work with, and he is just so smart and committed to this work. And his colleagues are the same, and it feels like working with kindred spirits there who really care that our event is a success, and that people are engaging in a meaningful way at our events.
Suzanne Gunther
Communications Director,
Community Opportunity Alliance
Facilitators, Trainers & Event Strategists
We’ve led strategic planning meetings, executive retreats, and high-impact conferences for the National Park Service, the World Bank, major associations, and Fortune 500 companies. Clients count on our professional facilitators and meeting experts to guide productive dialogue, foster alignment, and engage participants.
Adriano Pianesi
Adriano is an expert in meeting facilitation, leadership development, team conflict, and change management. He held senior roles at Procter & Gamble and Kraft-General Food and worked in more than a dozen countries across Europe, South America, and the Middle East. He teaches leadership and change at Johns Hopkins University and has consulted for Microsoft, NASA, Amazon, the State Department, and World Bank. He is a certified executive coach who is fluent in several languages and is the co-author of Teachable Moments of Leadership.
Anne-Claire Frank-Seisay
Anne-Claire is a professional facilitator with a focus on organizational change, public policy, and innovation. She uses participatory methods such as Art of Hosting, World Café, and Open Space to foster inclusive dialogue. As a skilled tech host, she works across online meeting platforms that include Zoom, MS Teams, Adobe Connect, and WebEx. Fluent in English, French, and Dutch, she has helped diverse international teams, ranging from local government bodies to European cultural organizations.
Bruce Honig
Bruce is an expert in training, meeting facilitation, and organizational development with over 35 years of experience. His work focuses on enhancing creativity and team collaboration. He is the author of numerous books, games, and journal articles on organizational creativity. He has worked with hundreds of organizations, including Coca-Cola, General Motors, the Getty Museum, and the 49ers. Bruce formerly served on the board of the American Society for Training & Development and is based in San Francisco.
Craig Kullmann
Craig is a professional facilitator specializing in strategic planning and collaborative problem-solving. A former senior water specialist at the World Bank, he brings extensive experience in facilitating workshops, program design, and leading multidisciplinary teams. He has facilitated for clients such as the Pike District Partnership, Kids in Need of Defense, AIA Trust, and the National Hispanic Medical Association. Based in Washington, DC, he earned his M.P.H. from George Washington University and holds a facilitation certificate from Georgetown.
Dawn Rhine
Dawn is a professional facilitator and Certified Virtual Facilitator with expertise in strategic planning, retreats, and team performance. Drawing on a decade in events and conference management—including directing the Consumer Electronics Show—she has facilitated for clients such as FEMA, Unilever, Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, Architect of the Capitol, Whiting-Turner, and the National Retail Federation. MBTI-certified, she uses diverse meeting facilitation techniques to foster alignment and improve outcomes. Based in Washington, DC.
Kristine Wood
Kristine is a Certified Professional Facilitator and Certified Virtual Facilitator with expertise in international trade and finance, including roles at the US Department of Commerce and as a director at the Export-Import Bank. She facilitates retreats and workshops in English and Spanish, supporting leadership, team-building, and negotiation. She has facilitated for Fannie Mae, HSBC, General Dynamics, Inter-American Development Bank, and World Bank. Kristine earned her M.A. in international affairs and has taught at George Washington University.
Linda Howard
Linda is a professional meeting facilitator and certified Project Management Professional with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, team development, and organizational change. She’s certified in Everything DiSC and serves on the board of the Institute of Management Consultants, National Capital Region. Linda has worked with groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, PNC Bank, the US Department of State, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Verizon, supporting teams through change, culture transformation, and growth.
Nami Ishihara
Nami is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator who helps teams build trust, align strategy, and improve collaboration. Originally from Japan, she has lived in six countries and brings cross-cultural insight to her work. Nami draws on team building methods like Technology of Participation, Belbin Team Roles and World Café to foster inclusive engagement. She has facilitated for clients such as UNICEF Indonesia, Inter-African Development Bank, World Wide Web Foundation, and the Global Fund for Children. Nami earned her master’s at the London School of Economics.
Tim Reed
Tim is a professional facilitator with over 20 years of experience at the nexus of business and the environment, drawing on his background as a conservation biologist, Deloitte management consultant, and former director of The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Audit Program. He supports impact measurement, evaluation, strategic planning, and process improvement, and has worked with clients such as WWF, Environmental Defense Fund, and leading finance and tech firms. Tim earned an MBA/MS from the University of Michigan.
Vienna Blum
Vienna is an expert facilitator and event strategist who helps deliver high-impact experiential events and provides expert speaker coaching and conference facilitation. She has worked with such clients as Michelin (France), Blue Man Group, Ubisoft, and Cirque du Soleil. She builds custom toolboxes for large-scale conferences and transforms traditional sessions into interactive learning experiences. With over 15 years of experience across corporate, nonprofit, and education sectors, Vienna holds a Master’s in Human Systems Intervention and speaks English and French.
Team Philosophy
Ron Berg
Laura Singler, CAE
Eileen T. O’Grady PhD, RN, PCC
