2026 Session Speakers

Lita Abella

Lita Abella, JD, BCC, ACC, is a public speaker, author, and board-certified coach specializing in trauma-informed leadership and professional resilience. Drawing on decades in high-stress legal and investigative roles, including the LAPD, State Bar of California, and as a licensed private investigator, she illuminates the human impact of systems, burnout, and change. A certified mediator and college professor, Lita teaches business law, ethics, and conflict resolution while coaching mission-driven professionals to thrive. Her work translates complex legal and wellness concepts...

Carmen Hill

Carmen Hill, M.Ed., is a Learning & Organizational Development (L&OD) Trainer and Program Lead at UC Davis, where she designs and facilitates leadership programs rooted in adult learning theory and the ADDIE model. A Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD), Carmen specializes in scaling volunteer-led initiatives and elevating the employee experience through research-based mentoring and onboarding frameworks. She is passionate about fostering organizational belonging and helping professionals unlock their potential through strength-...

Kelli Breland

Kelli Breland is currently a Talent Development Specialist at the University of California, Merced. This work allows her a chance to collaborate with staff and units across the campus to embed values based leadership,compassion within teams, and a shared goal to uphold the mission of theUC system. With over 13 years of UC experience in roles ranging from major gift fundraising to instructional design and program analysis, Kelli has remained actively involved in promoting the wellbeing and continued growth of staff. Kelli holds a Masters degree in Psychology from...

Avanika Lal

Avanika Lal is a leadership coach, MBA instructor, and Haas MBA student. She designed and launched Beat the Grind, a Haas MBA course where she coaches students to optimize progression, performance, and long-term success through habit design, reflection exercises, and applied coaching labs grounded in neuroscience and behavioral science.

She serves on the leadership team for UC Berkeley’s Workplace Mental Health Initiative, where she designs programs and coaches organizations on optimizing work environments for performance, wellbeing, and...

Mary Tettenhorst

As the Founder of Impact Talent Strategies, Mary partners with leaders and organizations to develop people, strengthen teams, and align talent strategy with business goals. With more than 20 years of experience across all facets of talent development, she brings a practical, people-first approach to the
employee lifecycle - from recruiting and onboarding to leadership development, performance management, and succession planning.

Her experience spans both corporate and higher education settings. Mary has served as...

Gina Garcia

Gina Garcia is Senior Associate Director of Employer Relations at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she partners with MBA students and employers to build meaningful career connections. With a history of directing recruiting strategies and over 20 years of experience cultivating relationships across industries, Gina understands what it takes to stand out professionally. As a first-generation college graduate and advanced degree holder, she also
understands the power of authentic networking to open doors and create opportunities. She serves as Chair of the Cal...

Yuki Burton

Yuki Burton brings over 14 years of experience in higher education, specializing in student success, equity, and access. She currently serves as Director of UC Berkeley’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and is a proud EOP alum. Yuki has led high-impact cross-campus initiatives supporting first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students, including programs focused on student retention, yield, readmission and cultivating a sense of belonging. Known for her collaborative and mission-driven leadership, she has navigated organizational change across diverse...

Janelle Yasukochi

Janelle Yasukochi began her career at UNLV in 2017. She is currently the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising Practice in the Office of the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, worked abroad in Fukuoka, Japan for three years, and then moved to Las Vegas. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biochemistry at California State University, East Bay and her Master's of Business Administration at UNLV. She enjoys spending time with her family, meeting new people, and traveling.

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Anthea Yugawa

Dr. Anthea Yugawa, Psy.D. (she/her) is the Director of Student Affairs in the Undergraduate Program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She comes from an immigrant family with roots originating in China and Myanmar. With 20 years of experience in clinical psychology, academic advising, student services, and strategic planning, she brings a holistic, equity-oriented perspective to her leadership.

Anthea is dedicated to mentoring...

Mary O. Andrews

Mary O. Andrews, M.A., PCC. is passionate about performance! She first experienced high performance as an Olympic athlete, while studying at Stanford. Coupled with her life-long work on performance, she’s the perfect coach for people wanting to embody excellence.

Knowing human beings are complex, she helps clients harness the power of partnering, producing results beyond one individual. Mary’s superpower is synthesizing what’s being said into team thinking. Her commitment to organizational clients is to provide the thinking space to play big as leaders in the face of daily fire-...