Coaching Staff

Rebecca has been working with gifted and talented individuals to improve their quality of life and work since 1993. Her current focus is working with senior executives, principals, entrepreneurs, business owners and their leadership teams to improve their personal and professional lives through an in-depth understanding of personality styles and how they may affect interpersonal relationships, conversations and leadership performance. Rebecca believes in creating and maintaining on-going coaching relationships that continue to add value for her clients over multiple years and usually works for a minimum of 18 months with her clients.

Rebecca earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Psychology and Religion graduating magna cum laude with honors from Wellesley College in 1985. She earned a master’s degree in Education from Harvard in 1989 and a second master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Smith in 1993. Rebecca’s first book entitled Living In Yes: Helping Smart People Make Good Decisions was published in 2003. She is currently writing a four-book series which focuses on the coaching arenas of Life Style, Relationships, Leadership and Leaving a Legacy. Rebecca lives and works in Durham, NC.

Mark's 25 year tenure as a senior human resources officer informs his approach to coaching chief executive officers, senior leaders and professionals in all areas related to leadership effectiveness, career transition and life balance. Keenly aware of the unique challenges faced by leaders who must manage multiple, sometimes conflicting, roles and meet the demands of diverse constituents, Mark facilitates, educates and coaches in highly dynamic environments, including health care and clinical research. He also speaks and teaches in the areas of leadership accountability, employee engagement, work culture and conflict resolution and is passionate about helping individuals experience personal and professional renewal, discover and leverage their unique strengths and live richer and more integrated lives.

Mark graduated from the Business Coach Institute and earned professional distinction as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He holds a Master of Education degree with a concentration in Human Resource Development from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.

An experienced business and finance executive, Leesa brings to clients both a focus on achieving bottom line results and an insight into the human capital perspective that helps drive this success. During her 25 year tenure working for three major corporations, Citibank, Cone Mills Corporation, and Bank of America, she successfully led teams to develop and deliver strategic initiatives, helped implement organizational changes to match a new corporate vision and experienced a broad range of business challenges including finance, treasury, strategic planning, international development, sales, marketing, and leadership development. Leesa has focused her executive coaching practice on individuals seeking professional and personal growth, particularly business owners, finance executives, lawyers, and high potential individuals in large corporations. Her passion for developing women as leaders has led her to do extensive research on the psychology of money and the impact of stress on health. She is the mother of four children, including a special-needs child.

Leesa earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Industrial Relations and Psychology, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1979. In 1985, she participated in a Citibank-sponsored Executive MBA program, with classes through Harvard Business School and NYU. She earned a master’s degree in Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California in 2007 and will complete the Business Coaching Certification program through N.C. State University in August of 2008. She lives in Mooresville and works in the Lake Norman/Charlotte area and in Durham.

Visitors are Welcome!
Directions to the Merrill Leadership Executive Coaching Center
Located at 514 South Duke Street, Durham, NC 27701
From Chapel Hill and Points West:
Take 15-501 towards I-85 N and exit onto the Durham Freeway (Hwy. 147) heading South, towards I-40 and RTP. After about a mile, take Exit 13 and turn left onto Chapel Hill Street, crossing back over the Durham Freeway. Turn right at the light on the corner of Chapel Hill Street and Vickers (a one-way street that changes names from Gregson Street to Vickers at that intersection). Follow Vickers to the next light at the intersection with Morehead Street and turn left (you will see Greystone Mansion on your left). Take Morehead Street to the next light at South Duke Street and turn left. Follow South Duke Street back over the Durham Freeway and immediately turn left into the Merrill Leadership parking lot which is located in the rear of the building. The entrance is at the back of the building.
From Raleigh, Cary and Points East:
Take I-40 towards Chapel Hill and exit onto the Durham Freeway heading North towards Durham. Take Exit 12C off of the Durham Freeway (just after the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and American Tobacco Campus) onto South Duke Street which is a one-way street, heading North. Merge quickly into the left hand lane and immediately turn left into the Merrill Leadership parking lot located in the rear of the building. The entrance is at the back of the building.
Call us at 919.619.1369.
Or send an email to: requestinfo@merrillleadership.com