President and founder, John C. Racanelli, brings a unique perspective to our practice based on an extensive resume in both business and non-profits. He served as the CEO of The Florida Aquarium, bringing it from blueprints to Tampa Bayís leading cultural attraction. He joined the acclaimed Monterey Bay Aquarium a year before its opening, and as its first VP of Marketing and Development, created a brand that is now known (and respected) worldwide. John has also worked on the business side, as chief operating officer of Academy Studios, an exhibit design firm, and as Executive VP of Sales for Hornblower Cruises & Events.

More than this, John knows what itís like on both sides of the leadership and governance table. He has served on several boardsóboth corporate and non-profit, been appointed a Tourism Commissioner for the State of Florida, chaired a statewide association and advised boards of directors of numerous large organizations. This broad background in leadership provides a depth of experience and range of skills not usually found in the typical consultantís ìtool kit.î He knows what management teams face, day in and day out, because heís been there too.

John holds a Bachelors Degree in Strategic Management from the Dominican University of California and majored in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz. He is currently the Executive Director of Deep Search, a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Sylvia Earle to explore the deep ocean and inspire a commitment to protect it.

John has spent the majority of his professional life in pursuits related to conservation and advocacy for the natural environment, with an emphasis on the world's oceans. He serves on a number of volunteer boards and writes and speaks on conservation and leadership topics. A native Californian, John is an avid surfer, sailor and US Masters swimmer. He resides with his family in Marin County.

Amelia Tess Thornton has held senior leadership positions in both the old and new economies and today works as an Executive Coach, trainer and change manager. She has held top leadership positions with Hyperion Solutions, Oracle, Federal Express and Ernst & Young. Her management responsibilities have included chief administrative officer and COO roles, overseeing Manufacturing & Distribution, Information Technology, Human Resources, Facilities and Procurement areas of responsibility.

While serving as Chief Administrative Officer of Hyperion Solutions (HYSL), the leading provider of Business Performance Management software solutions, Amelia played a major part in a two-year turnaround that re-shaped the company and maintained its profitability. . In less than 18 months under her direction, Hyperion reduced its cost structure by over $69 million through standardized global operations, multiple quality initiatives, and a wide range of cost-effectiveness measures. She came to Hyperion from Oracle and Federal Express, bringing extensive experience in operations, distribution logistics and consulting.

Amelia has been quoted in Business Week and USA Today and has given over 50 speeches and workshops in North America and Europe, including keynote speeches on topics such as Customer Service, Building Trust, Strategy Execution and Leadership Effectiveness. She serves on a number of corporate and non-profit boards. Amelia a bachelor of music degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin and is a graduate of the Boston University Executive Management Leadership Institute. She lives with her family in Alamo, California.

Michelle Slade, APR, is a writer, editor, public relations strategist and communications specialist. A native of New Zealand, she recently spent a year Down Under as manager of www.cupviews.com, a leading event website for the 2002-3 Louis Vuitton Challenger Series and Americaís Cup, the oldest and most prestigious trophy in sports history. Her 15 years of public relations and media experience includes a decade of corporate communications and investor relations workóboth as a consultant and a client. She has produced numerous award-winning corporate communications, presentations and annual reports.

Michelleís work in sports marketing, tourism and international yacht racing has included strategic positioning and media for clients including Sail America, Ocean Promotions, America True, and Americaís Cup Media LLC. She was recently retained by Swiss Team Alinghi to provide US media direction. Michelle holds a BA in Humanities and a post-graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism. She is a lifelong sailor, athlete and outdoorswoman who volunteers for a number of ocean-related causes. Michelle lives in Tiburon, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

John DuPerry, BSD, is our web designer/developer. John has an eclectic background rooted in the creative arts. An established cinematographer/videographer, he has produced numerous shorts and documentaries. He recently completed a documentary on a sailing race from LA to Cabo San Lucas, Baja. As Web Services Developer for Hornblower Cruises & Events, John created a completely new website, replacing over 1000 pages with a proprietary, SQL-based architecture that allows real-time updating, on-line bookings of 27 cruise products, and direct sales of food, merchandise and premiums. John is also an accomplished musician and studied at the North Carolina Conservatory for the Arts. A big-wave surfer and racing sailor, he lives in Sausalito.

Beth Stewart CPA, has been a CFO, business owner and turnaround specialist for a Big 5 accounting firm. In 20 years of professional experience, Beth has built the financial, human resources and information technology systems for several start-ups; consulted in the areas of financial structure, accounting practices and IT systems; effectively presented complex financial data to boards of directors; negotiated the refinancing of a public bond issue; and managed successful turnarounds for troubled companies. With her exceptional capacity to take esoteric concepts, carefully analyze them and determine the right course of actionóBeth helps executives visualize a master plan, document that plan in keeping with generally accepted accounting principles, and develop a workable program and budget to accomplish it.

Beth founded School is Fun Productions to help improve K-12 education in the United States; in three years, reaching 500,000 students in six states. Prior to this, Beth served as CFO/Vice President of Support Services for The Florida Aquarium from 1993 through 1997. Before joining the aquarium, Beth was with CFO Financial Services, a corporate financial management consulting firm, and was manager of the National Practice of Business Investigative and Restructuring Services for Coopers & Lybrand . Beth holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of South Florida, and a BA in Economics (Minor Music Performance) from Albion College, Michigan. A Bikram yoga instructor, gourmet cook, chamber musician and mother of two boys, Beth lives in Safety Harbor, FL.