MANAGEMENT TEAM

Few people have influenced the day-to-day management of people and companies more than Ken Blanchard. A prominent, sought-after author, speaker, and business consultant, Dr. Blanchard is universally characterized by his friends, colleagues, and clients as one of the most insightful, powerful, and compassionate individuals in business today. Ken is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management. READ MORE

Dr. Blanchard has earned a reputation worldwide as a compelling motivational speaker, an accomplished management consultant and trainer, a best-selling author, and an entrepreneur. She was the corecipient with her husband, Dr. Kenneth Blanchard, of the Entrepreneur of the Year award from Cornell University. Coauthor of The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life and Working Well: Managing for Health and High Performance, and Leading at a Higher Level, Dr. Blanchard is well-versed in a variety of topics and often speaks on leadership, balance, managing change, aging parents, and life planning. As cofounder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, she works diligently with Ken, developing the company into one of the premier management consulting and training companies in the world. Dr. Blanchard served as president of the company from 1987–1997, leading its rapid growth and success. READ MORE

Tom McKee is the CEO, Family Business Manager, and co-owner of The Ken Blanchard Companies. Since starting with the company in 1987, he has also held the positions of General Manager, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.

Prior to joining The Ken Blanchard Companies, Tom worked in the restaurant and food industry for 12 years. He was in management with The Rusty Pelican Corporation, and was an account executive with Lady Baltimore Foods in Kansas City. Tom helped found the Master of Science in Executive Leadership (MSEL) program with the University of San Diego. Tom’s other Board Member participation has been with The Better Business Bureau, The Private Industry Council and Workforce Partnership, and The Instructional Systems Association (ISA).

Tom earned his bachelor's degree in environmental conservation from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

Scott Blanchard, President of The Ken Blanchard Companies, has more than 25 years of experience at Blanchard, which includes a number of senior positions in product development, sales, and delivery. An energetic innovator, Scott is cofounder of Blanchard Coaching Services, which has democratized corporate coaching with its Coaching Management System and provided highest-caliber coaching to more than 10,000 clients worldwide since 2000.

Since joining Blanchard, Scott has played a number of different roles, including trainer and organizational consultant. As a Senior Consulting Partner, Scott led major training interventions at numerous Fortune 500 companies.

Scott is coauthor of Leverage Your Best, Ditch the Rest and Leading at a Higher Level as well as Blanchard’s Coaching Essentials^® and First-time Manager™ training programs. Scott is a tireless advocate for applying the latest research in adult development, self-determination theory, and social neuroscience to Blanchard leadership content.

Scott was educated at Cornell University and received his Master’s degree in Organizational Development from American University in Washington, DC.

Kristin Brookins Costello joined Blanchard as Chief Human Resources Officer in May 2020 and is responsible for the strategic planning, development, and implementation of Blanchard’s people strategies and its overall human capital experience. As the leader of the Human Resources, Internal Communications, and Learning & Development functions, she works to drive people initiatives related to organizational performance that shape a strong culture of results, continuous improvement, and growth.

Prior to joining Blanchard, Kristin spent more than 20 years at Karl Strauss Brewing Company, San Diego’s oldest craft brewery. Kristin served first as Vice President of Human Resources, and then as Chief Administrative Officer. While at Karl Strauss, Kristin implemented a number of Blanchard’s leadership programs, primarily focused on developing new and emerging managers leadership skills during times of rapid change and growth. Prior to that, she held HR positions at Maxell Corporation of America and Aetrium.

Kristin earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of San Diego and holds several Senior Professional Certifications from SHRM and HRCI.

Craig Spitz, CFO of The Ken Blanchard Companies, has more than 35 years of financial and operations management experience and brings a wealth of senior finance leadership and experience to Blanchard. He has worked in a variety of entrepreneurial and established companies, including manufacturing, distribution, and professional services industries. He was most recently the CFO of Stone Brewing, Co., the 10th largest craft beer brewer in the United States. Prior to that, he worked for an organization serving the biotech industry.

Craig holds a bachelor’s degree with high honors in accountancy from the University of Illinois and is a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois and California. He is on the Advisory Board of San Diego Business Executive Council, and is a member of Renaissance Executive Forums (CFO Group) and the San Diego CFO Roundtable. Craig has been recognized by the San Diego Business Journal as CFO of the Year and has received their CFO Exemplary Service Award.

Debbie Ung is the Executive Vice President of Sales and Professional Services for The Ken Blanchard Companies. She is responsible for leading client growth through collaborating with clients, deepening and expanding those relationships, and ensuring we are helping our clients achieve their desired outcomes. Prior to joining Blanchard, Debbie spent more than 20 years with GP Strategies, a premier global performance company. Her roles there included Executive Vice President, Business Transformation Services, and Senior Vice President of Performance Readiness Solutions. She held multiple roles at RWD Technologies including Senior Vice President, Northeast Region; Vice President, Global Partnerships and Alliances; and Group President, Enterprise Systems. She was also president at Accelera, a start-up services organization focused on the training and performance of pharmaceutical and medical device sales teams.

Debbie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Physics/Radiation Protection from Purdue University and took graduate courses in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. She served as board director of RWD Technologies and SAP Learning Solutions.

Debbie Blanchard is the Executive Vice President of Marketing for The Ken Blanchard Companies, where she leads the global marketing effort for the organization and its worldwide affiliates. Debbie joined Blanchard in 1990 and has served in marketing, sales, and relationship management roles throughout her career. Debbie’s experience outside of Blanchard has included being the Executive Director of Conference Planning for Success Magazine. She also taught executive level English for Berlitz International while living in Concepcion, Chile.

Debbie received a master’s degree in executive leadership from the University of San Diego and a master’s degree in organization development from American University in Washington, DC. She earned her undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Jay Campbell is Chief Product Officer for The Ken Blanchard Companies, responsible for the development and management of the company’s portfolio of product offerings. Jay also coordinates Blanchard’s research efforts on leadership topics, training effectiveness, and new content areas. Prior to joining Blanchard, Jay served as Head of Product Innovation for Experian Consumer Direct, the top provider of consumer credit reports. Before Experian, Jay was Vice President of Product Management at Kelley Blue Book. Jay also served as Vice President of Product Development for Monitor Group, driving the design and development of the company’s technology-enabled products and services.

Jay has engineering and economics degrees from Vanderbilt University, an MBA from Boston College, and is pursuing a doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Change from the University of Southern California.

Butler Newman is Vice President, Client Solutions for The Ken Blanchard Companies. He is responsible for leading collaborative client-focused teams who meet and often exceed client expectations through building powerful and engaging learning experiences and initiatives. Prior to joining Blanchard, Butler served as VP of Organizational Excellence at RWD Technologies, and VP of Performance Consulting at GP Strategies, where he was the lead consultant charged with partnering with internal leaders to transform global learning organizations.

Butler is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served as a qualified nuclear propulsion officer during his years of active duty.