2024 NOW Conference Coaches

Deepak Patil (he/him)

Deepak has dedicated all 20 years of his career to helping individuals, teams, and organizations to be the best versions of themselves. As a coach and certified facilitator, he designs and facilitates strategic change interventions, leads workshops for senior and middle management, and has been a coach to corporate executives with more than 1000 hours of coaching experience.

Deepak has provided consulting and coaching services to a diverse range of organizations including government and non-government organizations, Silicon Valley technology start-ups, universities, and Forbes...

Diane Lang

UC Berkeley, Department Manager

Diane G. Lang is an experienced, ICF certified, healing centered, executive coach. Having coached educational leaders in higher education and K-12 settings. As a DEI strategists, she is experienced with coaching for equity and antiracist liberation, including goal setting, cycles of inquiry and identifying and establishing action plans related to individual and collective problems of practice.

Her coaching stance includes listening centered practices as she concentrates on patterns and trends to help coaching clients work towards solutions. As a UC Berkeley...

Dina Venezky

Sparkling Leaders LLC, Founder

Dina Venezky is a leadership coach who helps curious people visualize their preferred selves and make intentional changes to maximize their potential and well-being. As a mom, scientist, and founder, she partners with clients to reflect on how their strengths can lead to greater fulfillment in all areas of their lives.

Dina’s work benefits from her diverse background encompassing senior communications roles at Smith College, Stanford GSB Executive Education, the USGS Volcano Hazards Program, and several startups. Dina's PhD is in volcanology from Brown University. She is also...

Diny Chen

Diny Chen coaching

Diny Chen is a certified coach who brings curiosity, energy, commitment, and thoughtfulness. She is deeply invested in partnering with clients from diverse backgrounds to unlock their full potential and find fulfillment in their careers and life. Her professional and leadership experiences span across the design, technology, and nonprofit industries. She is a certified coach through the Co-Active Training Institute, an ICF-accredited program, and also holds a Bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley in Political Economy. Besides having a private coaching practice, she...

Donna Vivar

UC Berkeley, Senior Advisor on Equity and Belonging

I currently serve as the Senior Advisor on Equity and Belonging in the Division of Student Affairs at UC Berkeley. With 20+ years in higher education, I am a dedicated professional who leads by serving students, staff, and faculty from an equity, inclusion, and belonging lens.

In my coaching practice, I consider the whole person, who holds various identities within larger societal contexts and structures. In partnership with each coachee, a space is created for reflection using a blend of asset framing, micro affirmations, motivational interviewing, sharing of lived...

Duncan Cheung (he/him)

CTI Co-Active trained leadership and executive coach with over 750 hours of professional coaching hours and 120 hours of coaching training. Also a seasoned wilderness sherpa and minimalist backpacking instructor. Based in Berkeley CA.

2023 impact highlights:

Helped a coachee jump 11 years in his career ladder in 1 year of coaching, landing his dream job and working on the highest profile project in the tech industry. Coached a mid-career professional to become the most networked employee with the best knowledge of the inner workings of the 60 highest-growth...

Ellie Tabibian (she/her)

I'm a career and executive coach certified in MBTI, CliftonStrengths, Strong Interest Inventory, and the MindScan. I taught Career Development Theories and Techniques at Pepperdine University. I've served clients from diverse backgrounds including undergraduate and graduate students, C Suite, STEM, LGBTQ, those with addictions and felonies, etc. I've delivered trainings to build high-functioning teams in medical practices and financial services. In a brief coaching call, I ensure clients' need for coaching is addressed to gain clarity, provide helpful resources, and action items to...

Emma Pineda Fortin

Guerrera de la Luz Coaching, Somatic Leadership Coach

Emma is a somatic coach, specializing in working with multicultural leaders and entrepreneurs so that they can lead with confidence and ease. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University. Her experience ranges from software consultant to COO of a mission-driven e-commerce startup. She is certified by the International Coaching Federation as an Associate Certified Coach, trained at InviteChange and the Somatic Wilderness Institute. Her coaching specializes in working with multicultural leaders in both group and 1:1 coaching settings. As a somatic leadership coach,...

Emma Wood (she/her)

I have a decade of experience as a management consultant and leader at high-growth companies. Before transitioning to coaching full-time, I was the COO of a private equity-backed consumer products company and have also held various roles in strategy, operations, investing, and innovation for companies such as McKinsey & Company, Sheryl Sandberg’s foundation (LeanIn.Org & OptionB.Org), ZX Ventures / AB InBev, and startups such as Haus. I have both an MBA and a BA from Stanford.

I recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest after many years in NYC and the Bay Area. I...

Erika Reynolds

UC Davis, Associate Director

Erika has over 20 years of experience leading, training, and coaching high performing teams and individuals to successfully manage large scale transition and change. Erika has coached a wide range of leaders from high achieving university students to executive directors, and she is passionate about helping teams perform more effectively and efficiently by leveraging each person’s unique talents to maximize the impact of the team and organization.

Erika’s goal is to help individuals and teams reach their goals with more ease and less stress to mitigate burnout and...