Make The Difference Network
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Jon has over 20 years experience as an executive and consultant specializing in large-scale management, cultural transformation, organizational effectiveness and leadership/executive development in some of the world's largest companies including GE, Xerox and United
Technologies.

As Founder and President of Biel & Associates, Jon created a cutting-edge consulting organization that successfully trained thousands of business leaders in contemporary change management techniques.

Jon holds an MEd from the University of Colorado and an MBA fromThe Keller Graduate School of Management, received his on-the-job training in non-profit organizations as a former Program Director for the Voyageur Outward Bound School, and is a trained Executive/Life Coach.

Jon is an Executive and Life Coach specializing in working with high achievers to attain even greater personal and professional heights. He brings an impressive depth and breadth of experience to his practice having spent over 20 years as an organizational and change management executive and consultant specializing in large-scale change management, cultural transformation, organizational effectiveness, and leadership/executive development. In addition to his successful coaching practice and consulting, Jon has held executive posts in several major corporations and organizations. Among other assignments, he has held positions as Manager, Work-Out and Productivity Best Practices at General Electric's famed Corporate Management Development Institute in Crotonville, NY, Director of Training, NAO, for United Technologies - Otis Elevator Co., Manager of Management Development & Training for Xerox Information Products Division, Program Manager for the Voyageur Outward Bound School, and Internal Consultant/Executive Coach to the Executive Staff of Coors Brewing Company.

While at GE, Jon was responsible for the design, development, implementation, and management of two innovative worldwide corporate initiatives, Work-Out and Productivity Best Practices, the centerpieces of GE's cultural and organizational transformation efforts in the 90's. These efforts, unparalleled in GE's history, impacted over 20,000 employees per year, and involved managing a multi-million dollar yearly program budget and coordinating the efforts of over 140 external and internal consultants. As a consultant to GE, he also served as a key member of a select development team in the design of the highly successful Change Acceleration Program. While providing similar services with other companies (including playing key roles GM's GoFast! efforts and Sun Microsystems Sun Sigma process), he served as a member of the faculty of GE's Corporate Management Development Institute, and as part of the instructional staff for GE's 6 Sigma Quality efforts.

Jon gained extensive experience in the field of Training and Development at Otis Elevator where he managed a Human Resource Development department, which included Management Education, Technical Education, Sales Training, and Organization Development. At Xerox, he assumed division training responsibility for the Leadership Through Quality effort and was able to utilize all these previous experiences while serving as a special organizational consultant and coach at Coors. Prior to his work in the corporate arena, Jon directed the overall program operation for the Voyageur Outward Bound School, one of five National Outward Bound Schools that use creative outdoor environments to provide personal growth, team development, and leadership training.

Jon has provided Leadership Development and Change Management consultation to organizations in Europe, Asia, and the Far East, and is frequent speaker on the topic of organizational change. Along with Coors brewing Company, and GE, some other consulting and coaching clients have included Key Bank, General Mills, Abbott Labs, Heller Financial Inc., Solar Turbines, Inc., General Tire, Ninex, US Customs Service, Rochester Tel, PepsiCo, Merck, Hewlett Packard, JP Morgan, Amoco, SBC, Viad, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Along with a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Colorado in Boulder and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago, Jon is completing his Coaching Certification with the Coaches Training Institute and is a member of the International Coach Federation.