Team

Our consultants come from global consultancies, with the experience and versatility to provide a broad array of services.

Firm Leadership

Mike CappellutiPresident

Mike has been a management consultant since 1990, with a focus on executive management facilitation, strategic planning, process redesign, and organizational change management. Prior to founding Highlands Consulting in 2002, Mike was a management consultant at Price Waterhouse and Synergy Consulting. He provides strategic guidance and quality assurance for all the firm’s projects. Mike is a certified Project Management Professional and also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. He earned an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Shana WedemeyerMarketing Director

Shana has performed consulting business development since 1991, including market strategy, opportunity analysis, partnering, proposal management, and procurement. Prior to joining Highlands Consulting, she managed new business pursuits for EDS, then KPMG. Shana directs all of our sales and marketing efforts. Shana is certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology and has a Bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Eric NortonProject and Recruiting Director

Eric has been a consultant since 1995, with a focus on strategic planning, business process improvement, feasibility study development and procurement strategy, as well as project management. He is a certified Project Management Professional and also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. Eric also leads our talent acquisition and recruiting efforts. He has an MBA from CSU Sacramento.

Nancy SchneidewindAdministrative Director

Nancy has been an administrative professional since 1990 and is responsible for all office operations including accounting, human resources, and office technical support. She also oversees proposal and client deliverable production. Nancy started her career with Price Waterhouse. She helps us feel happy and cared about every day.

Selected Consultant Profiles

Nikki Angle

Nikki has been an information technology management consultant since 1987, with expertise in planning, design, development, testing, and project management for large-scale system implementations. Prior to joining Highlands Consulting, Nikki was a management consultant at CGI. She has deep experience in all phases of the systems development life cycle. Nikki is a certified Project Management Professional and also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. She earned her MBA from the CSU Long Beach.

Will Cuper

Since 2000, Will has performed in both technical and business roles, with a focus on organizational change management. Prior to joining Highlands Consulting, Will was a system integration consultant at Accenture. Experienced in all aspects of the systems development life cycle, he is skilled at communicating with program and technical stakeholders. Will is a certified Project Management Professional and is also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. Will earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Media from Rutgers University.

Robyn Dahlgren

Robyn has been a management consultant since 1994. Prior to joining Highlands Consulting, Robyn worked at EDS and Price Waterhouse. She provides a wide range of change management, facilitation, training, strategic planning, and program evaluation services, including managing large-scale transition efforts for executives, management, and staff. Robyn is certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology and holds a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University.

Abby Darrah

Abby began her consulting career in 1995 gaining experience in all phases of the system development life cycle working for CGI, Deloitte and Synergy Consulting. Her focus is on large-scale organizational change management and business process analysis. Abby holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management Information Systems from CSU Sacramento. She is certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology.

Mark Graziano

Mark has over 10 years of public sector project experience, with a focus on communications, organizational change management, strategic planning, and business process improvement. He has more than 5 years of experience applying the Prosci^® OCM Framework to a variety of digital and process improvement projects, with diverse stakeholder groups, including senior leadership, executive, and technical staff. He is fluent in Spanish and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Mark holds an MBA in Strategy and Management.

Demetre Haralambakis

Demetre began his consulting career in 1997 with KPMG, specializing in configurable COTS software implementations. He now focuses on project management, business process analysis, governance, and organizational change management. Demetre is a certified Project Management Professional, and is also certified in Lean Six Sigma and the Prosci® Change Management methodology. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA.

Michelle Lahmon

Michelle has 10 years of experience in the areas of communications, training, and process improvement, both for the public and private sector. She has experience instituting new procedures to increase organizational effectiveness, and developing and implementing strategic plans. Michelle is a Certified Prosci® Change Management Practitioner and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Political Science from the University of California, Davis.

Judy Melson

Since 2007, Judy has provided program and project management, strategic planning, marketing, budgeting, business analysis, and organizational change management services to the public sector, non-profit organizations, and new technology ventures. Prior to joining Highlands, Judy was a Staff Services Manager/Director of Programs at the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. She is a certified Project Management Professional and is also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. Judy holds an MBA from the University of California, Davis.

Jacob Olson

Jacob has been a large-scale information technology solutions consultant since 2004 and started his consulting career with Accenture. He focuses on organizational change management, facilitation, system design, and testing for enterprise information technology projects. Jacob is a certified Project Management Professional, and is also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology. He has a Bachelor of Arts in History from CSU Sacramento.

Amanda Priest

Ms. Priest is experienced in a variety of roles, including analyst, operations manager, and consultant. She has strategic planning and process analysis experience, with a focus on analyzing financial and industry data through the use of survey tools and real-time feedback tools. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Sociology.

Michele Rickey-Pidd

Since 1985, Michele has been providing program, operational, and consulting services in project management, organizational change management, business process improvement, and training. Prior to joining Highlands Consulting Michele was a consultant with HP and EDS. Michele is a certified Project Management Professional and Certified Scrum Master (CSM). She is also certified in the Prosci® Change Management methodology, Information Technology Information Library (ITIL), Lean Six Sigma, and Kaizen Business Process methodologies. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare/Psychology from CSU San Jose.

Jim Turko

Jim has been a management consultant since 1996, with a specialty in organizational change management and business process analysis for large-scale information technology initiatives. He is a Prosci® Certified Instructor and delivers organizational change management training courses nationally. Jim is also a certified Project Management Professional. He earned his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.