Carlos valdes-dapena

Carlos Valdes-Dapena is the founder of Corporate Collaboration Resources, LLC, an organization and group effectiveness consulting firm, and the author of Lessons from Mars: How One Global Company Cracked the Code on High Performance Collaboration and Teamwork.

Carlos developed his expertise in collaboration at the highest organization levels. For 17 years he was a senior internal consultant at Mars, Inc. and was involved with brands like M&Ms, Snickers, Uncle Bens Rice and Wrigley’s gum. There he won the company’s prestigious Global Make the Difference award for his work on the Mars Framework for High Performance Collaboration, the subject of his book.

Before that he spent three years at IBM as an executive coach and consultant to the top 35 global leaders including a number of CEO Lou Gerstner’s direct reports. For a time he also led the team that designed and ran IBM’s global executive development programs.

Carlos’s knack for working with groups developed early. In a household where both parents worked full time, he was the middle child of eleven. He therefore learned to navigate complex group dynamics, as well as how to iron shirts and make a wicked “Sunday Meatloaf.”

Prior to working in organizations, Carlos, who has an MFA in acting, worked in the performing arts. From his teens through his twenties he acted in over 50 stage productions. He danced in the Cuban Ballet Company in Miami, narrated Beethoven’s Eroica symphony with the Miami Symphony and directed an Off-Off-Broadway show. He is a certified yoga instructor and also plays the bluegrass banjo.

Janet Valdes-dapena

Janet Valdes-Dapena, President, comes from the worlds of theater and of corporate operations.  A Broadway actor, she debuted as The Star To Be in "Annie" and went on to be featured in 5 more Broadway shows including "The Three Musketeers" and "Me And My Girl".  Janet also appeared in films and TV including SNL for 3 years.  She bridged her many talents from interpreting and studying characters and motivations to the corporate world as a speaker coach in New York with The TAI Group with clients from BCG, Digitas and Merrill Lynch.  Janet worked as an administrative operations specialist and project manager at NPR, Capital One, PwC, Microsoft and KPMG.

Her non-profit experience features helping the families of children with cancer at The Valerie Fund, working in development at The Shakespeare Theater Company and expanding economic opportunities in Northern Virginia with NVRC and GO Northern VA.  She holds a BFA from University of Miami