Alan Brisbon and Michael “Coop” Cooper met when Alan hired Coop as his coach. When subsequently they worked together on several projects, Alan and Coop realized they thought alike, were interested in the same things, and viewed business as a powerful mechanism for personal accomplishment.
In particular, Coop and Alan were interested in helping people develop self-leadership skills, work well with others, stay relevant, and become responsible for attaining positions where they can fulfill their potential. These common interests and viewpoints led them to form a company that is focused on helping clients enjoy their work and their lives—and that enables them to enjoy their own work and lives as well.
Alan B. Brisbon, Chief Solutions Architect
Alan brings more than 18 years of experience as a leader in information technology departments in small consulting firms. He has also worked for world-class organizations like Levi Strauss & Co., Kaiser Permanente, Freddie Mac, and the Department of Defense. Alan has designed and led strategic change initiatives and projects improving these organizations’ ability to maximize the use of information, optimize human capital through value-added processes, and leverage technology to improve executive decision-making. He has held a number of leadership roles including technical project manager, program manager, IT/business relationship manager, business process designer, and information architect.
As a certified organizational coach and leadership consultant, Alan specializes in working with leaders at all levels of the organization, helping his clients identify his or her particular leadership voice. He works with his clients to understand how to coach them to maximize their influence and impact in tactical tasks, strategic change and interpersonal relationships. His coaching approach focuses on setting accurate frames to successfully analyze a situation; helping his clients identify where they can best get leverage to make a positive impact; and exploring the options and actions his client can take to remedy any situation. Alan takes an open, non-judgmental and supportive approach to help his clients address their challenges in an extremely thoughtful and methodical way.
Alan is well known for his gentle yet results-oriented approach to helping his clients. He is willing to do whatever it takes to assure his clients are getting value from the coaching relationship. He measures his success by the degree to which his clients feel more aware of their patterns of behavior. He works with his clients to directly address any limitations, eliciting a client’s ability to become more resourceful in achieving their desired outcomes and more confident in their ability to influence others. Alan fuses his East Coast roots with West Coast principles; You’ll often find him surrounded by friends in San Francisco and active in his community connecting people through dialogue, music and tennis.
Alan is a certified coach with credentials from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at John F. Kennedy University in CA. He has also earned certification in NLP, organizational coaching and leadership development. In addition to his credentials as a coach, Alan holds a B.S, in Management Science with a concentration in Decision Support Systems from Virginia Tech.
Michael O. "Coop" Cooper, Chief Experience Architect
Coop delivers training to LeverEdge clients, alone or as a team leader, and ensures that clients meet their objectives. He focuses on cognitive psychology, performance management, organizational and personal development, leadership, communications, and influence.
Coop loves travel, music, reading, and food (he’s a San Franciscan!), but he really lights up when he’s leading and interacting with small groups of people. And he finds his greatest satisfaction in helping others light up and find satisfaction in their careers and lives.
Previously, Coop was a management and IT consultant and strategist with Cambridge Technology Partners (now a division of Novell, Inc.). He has also worked with Vodafone, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Southwest Airlines, and other companies. Coop earned an MBA from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and a BA in history, technology education, and communications studies from the Virginia Institute of Technology. He is the founding president of the International Association of Coaches and a frequent speaker at businesses and non-profit foundations.
Dawn M. Andreas, Chief Marketing Architect/Experience Architect
Dawn specializes in grassroots and guerilla marketing with LEVER/edge. Dawn's passion for the Millennial generation stems from her previous involvement with Seventeen Magazine's lifestyle division and a wealth of knowledge in young adult program development. Dawn has a Masters in Social Work from George Mason University and a focus on helping people realize their potential and surpass their limiting beliefs.