RICK ROTONDO, MBA, PROGRAM GRADUATE, '14
Principal and Executive Coach, Chronos Leadership
Rick Rotondo’s resume includes work in engineering, marketing, and business development, but developing people has always been his true passion. “I asked myself, what have I really enjoyed?” he says. “And that was figuring out ways to serve people and make their careers and lives better.” Rotondo’s search for a professional coaching program led him to the University of Miami. “I asked some coaches I respected to examine three or four existing programs…and each one said the UM program was hitting all the important topics. This program focuses on the fundamentals, so your foundation is extremely strong.”
Rotondo cites the program’s instructors as one of its key benefits. “Every single instructor is a master certified coach. It isn’t just a few; we get exposed to a dozen of them or more, so we get to see all different styles and get feedback from all these different perspectives. It’s extremely valuable.” He also praises the rigorous nature of the program, which he rates as graduate-level course material. “That shouldn’t scare people,” he says. “It should tell them the value of what they’re getting. If you want to be a true professional and rise above the rest…this is the program you want to take, because when you’re done, you know you have been given the tools to become an excellent coach.”
LORA LEBO, MHRM, CPC, ACC, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, PROGRAM GRADUATE '14
Owner, Big Bold Ideas Coaching & Consulting
After spending 25 years in the HR field, working for Fortune 500 Companies, Lora struck out on her own to pursue her passion, consulting with small businesses to help them grow. Lora decided more than ten years ago to pursue coaching as a value-added service offering for her business, which was in alignment to her business philosophy. “I took a class on coaching and realized this is something I really wanted to do,” she says. “I actually started a different program and was not happy with it at all. It was not the right fit for me. I wanted something with more of a professional feel. So I quit that program and kept researching, and I found the University of Miami. It was the perfect fit.”
Now the owner of Big Bold Ideas, a coaching and consulting firm, Lebo knows the value of choosing a coaching program approved by the International Coaching Federation. “One of the key reasons I picked UM is because I don’t do anything halfway,” she says. “This program prepares you and leads you right to the door where you can prepare for the ICF credential, which I obtained weeks after graduation. If someone is going to hire me, I want the credentials to give them the added confidence in my abilities.” Lebo also feels like she gained knowledge and experience that might have taken three to four years otherwise, because her instructors continually challenged her to do her best work. “They were excellent in every way—and they pushed me to reach for my full potential, and having a supervisor coach drove my business further in far less time.”
JUAN ALBERTO PEREZ, MD, PROGRAM GRADUATE '13
A recent graduate of the Certified Professional Coach program, Juan Perez already has a handful of clients but wants to hone his skills before he opens a coaching practice. In the meantime, he puts his new skills to use as a doctor specializing in geriatric care. “Being a physician, one of the things it has enhanced for me is the ability to listen and the ability to observe,” says Perez. “That’s been a huge complement to all the things I do, including medicine.”
Perez was selective when choosing a coaching program. “The program at the University of Miami is excellent. It gives you a good, solid foundation towards becoming a coach of excellence. I wanted a program that was ICF approved, and very few are. I also wanted a program that was university based. A lot of programs will tell you that you can become a coach in a couple of weekends. It just doesn’t work that way.”
JULI ROMERO, RN, BSN, RM, ACC, PROGRAM GRADUATE '13
Registered Nurse, Central Florida Health Alliance
Romero works as a Registered Nurse for the Central Florida Health Alliance where she is building a wellness program for her fellow Team Members. In both roles, the skills she learned in the Certified Professional Coaching program have been invaluable. “I’m working with people who have hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and chronic pain,” she says. “When we’re working on setting goals, getting motivated, learning how to get and stay healthy, that’s coaching. As a nurse, it’s all about partnering and deep hearing; listening to the person and letting them take the lead.”
Romero’s experience in the coaching program initially came up during her job interview, as her prospective bosses discussed the ways her skills could be useful to the position she was applying for. “Having the coaching program offered as a part of the curriculum at the University of Miami gives your resume much more credibility,” says Romero, who rates her instructors as the strongest part of the program. “Having the experience of being mentored and trained by professional master coaches who have real life experience and their own business is priceless. Any questions I had was met with understanding, a full explanation and generous amounts of time. It is very much appreciated and I thank them for the contribution they have made to my success as a professional coach."
SOPHIA HARBAS, ACC
Director of Coaching Services, ClientWise, LLC
Two decades in financial services management made Harbas a perfect fit for ClientWise, an executive coaching firm for the financial services industry. She also credits her experience in the University of Miami’s Professional Coaching program for broadening her understanding of others in both personal and professional situations.
“The best part of the program was creating a core group of participants,” she says. “It becomes very intimate, and you start learning from each other, including people from all walks of life.” Learning how to listen to others and be aware of each person’s learning style not only helps Harbas assist her clients, but it also changed the way she relates to her 14-year-old son. “I started asking questions in a different way, so he can think of things on his own.” Harbas also allows her son to listen to music now while he does his homework after realizing that he’s an aural learner and that’s how he processes. “The program changes the way you communicate with people and how you formulate questions, because you become very curious about people and what they have to say and not your own agenda. That’s very different from the way I was walking through life before.”
ROBERT D. SHAPIRO, ATTORNEY AT LAW
"After a successful career as a trial lawyer, I wanted to find a new career in the helping professions. Returning to school to earn a Master’s in Psychology or a PhD would have required many years of study, but then I would be treating people for mental pathologies hoping to get them into stable and productive lives. Then, I discovered the field of coaching which begins with clients who already have stable and productive lives but are "stuck" in some area of their life or career. Although there are many so-called coaching schools, my investigation revealed that the ICF accredited training programs were recognized by coaching professionals as the best training programs in the World. The UM Program for Professional Coach Certification is a highly structured, well-thought program which instills the core concepts and actual coach training over an 11 month period necessary to undertake a career as an executive and life coach. The instructors are all experienced Master Coaches with the experience and credentials that a coaching student requires. My professors inspired me to great heights to be of service to my clients in facilitating their learning, processing and thinking skills, and for this, I have enormous gratitude for their guidance and generosity."