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Management Team
Tom McKee
Chief Executive Officer
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 CFO, General Manager, Vice President, and Chief Operating 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 Masters of Science in Executive Leadership (MSEL) program with the University of San Diego, as well as the Ken Blanchard College of Business at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Tom’s other Board Member participation has been with The Better Business Bureau, The Private Industry Council and Workforce Partnership, The Golf University of San Diego and The Instructional Systems Association (ISA).
Tom earned his bachelor degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
Scott Blanchard
Executive Vice President of Client Solutions
Scott Blanchard is Executive Vice President of Client Solutions and co-founder of Blanchard’s Coaching Services, which has coached more than 10,000 clients worldwide. 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 the author of several books, including Leverage Your Best, Ditch the Rest coauthored with Madeleine Homan, Leading at a Higher Level, and is the coauthor of Blanchard Coaching Essentials training program.
Scott was educated at Cornell University and received his master’s degree in organizational development from American University in Washington DC.
Shirley Bullard
Vice President of Human Resources
and Chief Personnel Officer
Shirley Bullard has been Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Personnel Officer for Blanchard since joining the company in February 1998. In February 2008, Shirley was promoted to Chief Administrative Officer where she has taken on additional roles on the Blanchard Leadership Team, overseeing Client Delivery Management and Operations departments, partnering on Talent Management, as well as various corporate projects.
Prior to joining Blanchard, Shirley worked for the Poway Unified School District as both the Director of Personnel Support Services and Director of the Personnel Commission during her 10 years there. Prior to her time in Poway, Shirley’s industry experience included more than 15 years with the U.S. Navy as a civilian employee.
Shirley attended Thomas Jefferson (formerly Western State University College of Law), San Diego receiving her Jurist Doctorate and Bachelor of Science Law degrees in 1985.
Allison Pico
Chief Financial Officer
Allison Pico is the Chief Financial Officer with The Ken Blanchard Companies, joining the company in January 1998.
Prior to joining Blanchard, Allison was the Controller and Treasurer with Pacific Basin Foods, a food distribution company servicing restaurants throughout the United States. Before Pacific Basin Foods, Allison worked for Ernst and Young and Hewlett-Packard. Her primary responsibilities at EY involved working with companies on the selection and implementation of computerized accounting systems. At Hewlett-Packard, she worked as a cost accountant.
Allison holds an active CPA license in the state of California. She is a graduate of the MSEL program, a master’s program co-sponsored by the Ken Blanchard Companies and the University of San Diego. She holds an MBA from San Diego State University, with an information systems emphasis, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arizona State University.
Debbie Blanchard
Executive Vice President of Talent Management
Debbie Blanchard is the Executive Vice President of Talent Management for The Ken Blanchard Companies and a member of the Leadership Team. She currently focuses her energy on long range succession planning and talent acquisition, sales recruiting, and creating an organizational structure for future growth. Debbie joined Blanchard in 1990 and has served in marketing, sales, and relationship management roles throughout her career. She pioneered Blanchard’s first Client Conference in 1994, which is now in its 13th year of success. As Executive Vice President of Sales, Debbie led the organization through an extraordinary growth period following the industry-wide down turn after the events of September 11, 2001, including a 22% increase in revenue in 2004.
Debbie’s experience outside of Blanchard has included being the Executive Director of Conference Planning for Success Magazine in New York City from 1995-1996. She also taught executive level English for Berlitz International while living in Concepcion, Chile, from 1999-2000.
Debbie has a Master’s degree in Organization Development from American University in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Howard Farfel
Executive Vice President of Sales
Howard Farfel, Executive Vice President of Sales, has more than 15 years of sales, marketing, business strategy, and general management experience. His responsibilities at The Ken Blanchard Companies include worldwide business development, sales and marketing strategy, and P&L management.
Before joining Blanchard, Howard spent six years at Upper Deck, the world's largest sports and entertainment collectibles company. Howard also worked at Clorox, where he helped manage product lines ranging from Pine-Sol to Clorox Bleach, and at Bain & Company, one of the world's leading strategy consulting firms, where he helped develop and implement strategic initiatives for Fortune 500 companies.
Howard received an undergraduate degree from Duke University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Margie Blanchard
Office of the Future
Marjorie heads the firm’s unique Office of the Future—a think tank charged with shaping the future of both the training industry and the company. She served as president of the company from 1987–1997, and was instrumental in leading its rapid growth and success.
As cofounder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, Marjorie works diligently with Ken, developing the company into one of the premier management consulting and training companies in the world. Also an accomplished and respected speaker, she is well versed in a variety of topics and often speaks on leadership, balance, managing change, aging parents, and life planning.
Marjorie received her bachelor and master degrees from Cornell University and her doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Wendy Wong
Vice President of Marketing
Wendy Wong is Vice President of Marketing for The Ken Blanchard Companies, where she manages the integrated marketing and global branding for the organization and its worldwide affiliates.
Wendy brings 15 years of experience in all aspects of marketing management, having led marketing communications and branding at HNC Software/Fair Isaac; and strategic marketing and e-commerce initiatives at Dun & Bradstreet. At D&B, she held a dual leadership role in strategic planning and marketing communications.
Wendy received an undergraduate degree in literature and international studies from Cornell University and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Terry Orletsky
Vice President of Information Technology
Terry Orletsky is the Vice President of Information Technology for The Ken Blanchard Companies. He began his career with the company in 2003 after holding a similar position with TEC International, an organization of CEOs.
Terry’s career in I.T. began as a mainframe computer operator in 1969; 2008 marked his 40th year in the industry. He has seen the technological revolution in business and society from the inside. After a decade spent in programming and designing systems for the wholesale industry, Terry became CEO of a software development firm in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that focused on providing accounting solutions for small businesses utilizing the burgeoning microcomputer climate. He was the primary author and lead developer of the Abacus suite of accounting products. After the accounting software business was sold in 1993, Terry moved to the San Diego area and specialized in building database engines for the new Windows environment. He joined TEC first as a consultant in moving their business to Windows and later accepted the position of Director of IT.
Terry attended the University of Alberta from 1964 to 1968 in the Faculty of Education. He became a U.S. citizen in June of 2008.
Peter Gray
Vice President of Operations
Peter Gray is the Vice President of Operations, where he oversees multiple areas including Production, Purchasing, Fulfillment, Translations, Global Fulfillment, and Facilities. Since joining Blanchard in 1999, Peter has also served as Director of Delivery Services and Custom Production Manager.
Before joining Blanchard, Peter worked in the corporate advertising and production industry for 15 years, the last 5 years of which he managed creative teams for Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. Prior to that, he supported Fortune 500 accounts in their promotional needs in the computer animation industry in New York.
Peter graduated from the University of South Africa with a BA in Fine Arts.