Passionate about what motivates people to create sustainable change in their lives, Vanessa's career began in counseling and psychology research. Later, as the manager of a high-end fitness center, she discovered she loved the energy of business. She then learned there was a way to marry her passion for human psychology with the power of business, and joined the Human Capital practice at Deloitte Consulting LLC as an organizational development consultant. Post-Deloitte, Vanessa worked as an internal consultant in Human Resources at Levi Strauss & Co., where she directed all aspects of training, communications, and organizational development for five global staff functions. Most recently, Vanessa provided communication strategy consulting to executives and managed the day-to-day operations of two boutique consulting firms before joining Bonfire Communications in 2011. At Bonfire, Vanessa is the CEO's "right hand," providing project, business development, and operations support.

Vanessa holds a BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University and is a Certified Executive Coach through Fielding Graduate University. She has advanced training in Group Facilitation Skills and Organizational Assessment from Community At Work, and is a distributor of Personnel Decision International's (PDI) 360-degree assessments. Known by clients and colleagues as proactive, flexible, and highly intuitive, with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of positive energy, Vanessa is someone you'd want at the helm of any team. When she is not helping Bonfire keep projects and people on track, Vanessa can be found enjoying some of her favorite past-times: swing dancing, trail running, singing "Fame" at karaoke, and visiting her precocious, young niece.