Managing Partner

Salley Trefethen

Salley is the managing partner of First and Central Coaching. She is a coach, facilitator, and organizational development consultant whose passion is growing companies by growing their people. Her specialty is moving leaders from their current awareness of themselves and others to more nuanced, effective and less triggered responses. She challenges leaders to investigate their thinking—their assumptions about themselves and others. She gives them the skill to express themselves courageously, authentically, compassionately, while staying connected. In working with Salley, people develop new awareness, new approaches, new possibilities, deeper commitment and connection. They discover how to keep the group together, focused on the goal—how to close the communication gaps, and how to recover from communication gaffs.

Working with Salley is like being at home with all the lights on, getting fully engaged with who you are—your lovable, capable, whole and complete self.

Clients include Sandia National Labortories, New Mexico Legislative Council Services, New Mexico Education Study Committee, City of Portland, University of New Mexico, Heritage Hotels, Sandia Vision Clinic, and Elevate PHW. 

Executive Coach

Diane Malnekoff

Diane Malnekoff, Ph.D. A.C.C. is a senior-level executive coach with deep knowledge in management psychology. She is founder and principal of DM Consulting, and was an executive in international aviation prior to becoming a corporate psychologist. As an executive she built an organization, HR and operations in the US and the Far East. Her dual expertise in leadership and doctoral-level psychology combined with knowledge and experience with organizational systems and dynamics uniquely qualifies her to help leaders to discover critical personal insights, transform their career, broaden leadership skills and take their effectiveness to the next level. 

Diane offers quality consultation in leadership assessment and executive coaching through providing intensive feedback and action planning. The assessment process drives selection decisions and individual coaching plans as well as succession planning, development and promotions. The sophisticated system may utilize only well established scientifically developed tests. Additional qualitative measures enhance and deepen results.

Diane serves management, boards, executives and professionals providing due diligence in assessing and moving their management teams through all stages of growth. She has coached and consulted internally with 3M Optical Systems Engineering, Wells Fargo, Pacific Gas & Electric. She has vast experience working with global enterprises across multiple industries which includes biotech, healthcare, manufacturing, research, and multiple areas of high tech and the internet. She has coached EVP’s, VP’s, Directors, and level 1 & 2  managers at Sandia for over 12 years. 

Dr. Malnekoff’s Mastering Gender Communications coaching, workshops, & presentations based in neuroscience, offer concrete tools and techniques to work with both men and women with more impactful results in the workplace.

Diane holds a Ph.D. in psychology, a graduate of the Executive Coach Academy, and is an ICF Certified Coach.

Executive Coach

Rebecca Perry

As a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant, I love partnering with leaders who understand our strategic influence comes from an inside-out approach: becoming even more self-aware, expanding our communication skills, and modeling respectful integrity in words and deeds — especially when feeling triggered. 

When we’re feeling frustrated or disrespected is when our reputations are made — and tested. My expertise is helping clients get real about what gets them hot and bothered, and to replace reactivity with being intentional.

My early career was in Fortune 50 high tech as an HR strategic partner where I was cited as an exemplar in facilitating people development. Over the years examples of long-term client partnerships include Sandia, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, FLIR, and Nike.

I’ve facilitated several hundred workshops in leadership, teambuilding, and communication skills. In addition to coaching certifications, I’m certified in conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, neuro-linguistics, accelerating change, managing transitions, personality assessments, and other high-impact topics.

While I embrace selected mental models, I’m also an agnostic: I believe in them only if they’re simple and useful. My talent is condensing a 3-day seminar into a 3-minute tutorial. As your coach, I’ll shift into “teach” mode only with permission, and only as needed. My primary focus is helping you build your own self-confidence and trust in your own instincts.

Clients describe my style as perceptive, candid, respectful, and flexible. My Master’s degree is in Applied Behavioral Science with emphasis on Leadership & Systems.