Dianne Falk brings over two decades of executive experience to her work, sharing lessons learned while delivering large-scale complex programs, overseeing post-merger integration activities, leading high-performing teams, and managing day-to-day operations. A former Military Intelligence Officer for the US Army, she also worked in the Pentagon as an operational research analyst and led strategic planning and programming at a federal defense agency.

During her 10-year tenure in financial services/banking, she consistently interacted with C-Suite executives and interfaced regularly with external regulators during times of tumultuous change in the industry. Dianne founded her own company, Create Greater Impact, in 2010 and provides executive coaching, team coaching, facilitation, and health coaching services to clients all over the world. In addition to her military background, she comes to Battlefield Leadership with a coaching philosophy rooted in the disciplines of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology. She specializes in helping executives successfully navigate the politics and pressure in today’s workplace, working with them to maximize their emotional intelligence, enhance their executive presence, and bring their actions into alignment with their goals.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Dianne earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. She also holds a Master of Science degree in business administration from Boston University and was trained at Georgetown University as an ICF PCC Certified Coach. She and her family live in Raleigh, NC.

dianne.falk@battlefieldleadership.com

Colonel Michael A. Bonura served for over 25 years in the United States Army. A 1997 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he spent the first 12 years of his career as an armor officer commanding an M1A1 Tank Platoon in Vilseck, Germany, and an armored cavalry troop at Camp Garry Owen, Korea. He completed his time as an armor officer by serving as a Unit Trainer for the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee National Guard, preparing them for combat operations in Iraq and serving as an assistant professor of history at the United States Military Academy where he prepared future leaders of the Army.

In 2009, Mike became an Army nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) officer where he served as a program manager and test group director for Air Force and Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) hard target defeat programs at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. He then served as the chief WMD advisor for US Northern Command’s Joint Task Force Civil Support, the DOD’s active-duty domestic consequence management headquarters, where he worked with WMD experts including those among the interagency, National Laboratories, National Guard and state agencies, and corporate partners. Mike finished his career as the senior technical advisor to US Strategic Command’s director of plans and policy where he collaborated with experts in the National Laboratories, DTRA, and academia to ensure that Strategic Command improved their modeling, simulation, and analytical capabilities for strategic deterrence.

Mike holds MA and PhD degrees in history from Florida State University, an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of New Mexico, and an MA in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. A recognized expert on the history of science and technology, 19th century Europe and the United States, and deterrence, his published works include numerous articles and Under the Shadow of Napoleon: French Influence on the American Way of Warfare from the War of 1812 to the Outbreak of World War II.

Mike resides with his family in Lawrence, Kansas.

mike.bonura@battlefieldleadership.com

423.967.8011 tel

Timothy R. Reese joined the Battlefield Leadership team with 41+ years of experience as a US Army officer and defense industry business leader. 

During his Army career that began in 1981, Tim commanded soldiers at the platoon, company, and battalion levels in peacetime and in combat in the United States and overseas. Specializing in Russian and Soviet history, he also served as an assistant professor of history at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY. He led the first US Army tank battalion task force to enter Kosovo as part of the NATO invasion in 1999 and went on to lead the Army’s Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, KS, for three years, cowriting several works in military history, including contemporary histories of the US Army’s operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a colonel, Tim twice served as an advisor to the Afghan and Iraqi militaries during the War on Terror. In his final assignment, he served as the chief of staff of the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.   

Following his Army career in 2011, Tim was hired as the manager of Stryker business development operations for General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), a global manufacturer of combat vehicles. In 2016, he was promoted to director of strategy and government relations and later became director of business development for US operations. During his 11+ years with GDLS, he was responsible for expanding the company’s business portfolio into ground robotics and air defense systems, along with developing the next generation of the Abrams tank and Stryker infantry vehicle.  

Today, Tim is an independent consultant working in the defense industry. His education includes a BA in Engineering from the US Military Academy, an MA in European History from the University of Michigan, an MA in National Security Studies from the US Army War College, and an MBA from Webster University. 

Originally from St. Louis, MO, Tim and his wife Teresa are proud parents of four children and reside in Oakland, MI.

timothy.reese@battlefieldleadership.com

248.464.9210 tel

Major General Brian Winski retired as a two-star general from the US Army in 2021. During his thirty-seven years of service, he commanded formations at every echelon. His assignments included deputy commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, director of the Army Operations Directorate at the Pentagon, chief of Army Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, and most recently, commanding general of the famed 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell.

Brian served as a rifle platoon leader in Operation Desert Storm with the 101st, and after 9/11, he went on multiple combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other contingency areas. He was an infantry battalion XO in the 101st during the invasion of Iraq, an infantry battalion commander in the 101st in East Baghdad, the 101st Division operations officer/CJTF J3 in Afghanistan, and brigade commander in the 1st Cavalry Division in Mosul. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with star. Additionally, he received the Distinguished Service Medal twice, the Legion of Merit three times, and the Bronze Star Medal six times—once, for Valor. Brian holds a bachelor of science degree in history from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a master’s degree in history from LSU. He graduated from Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger school and is a master-rated parachutist. He was a military fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and served as a Military Professor of Leadership and National Decision Making at the Naval War College. Brian has appreciated living all over the United States and experiencing diverse cultures while serving overseas. He and his wife Kimberly now reside in southeast Wisconsin, and both their daughter and their son are US Army officers.

After graduating cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Macaire Merkel began her career as a Military Police Platoon Leader in the US Army. During her five years on active duty, she deployed to Jordan, Panama, Gulf War I, Cuba, and Somalia on both humanitarian and combat missions, serving in Battalion and Division-level staff positions.

Following her time in the Army, she entered the medical device industry. Her success in sales led to a promotion to the position of Field Sales Trainer and a transition to the education and training side of the business. Macaire has more than two decades of experience leading teams for both start-up companies and industry leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific.

She currently manages the education and marketing communications teams at Spineology Inc., a privately held start-up focused on minimally invasive spine surgery. She divides her time between its corporate headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, and her home in Stafford, Virginia, which she shares with her husband, youngest child, and more cats than she cares to admit.

macaire.merkel@battlefieldleadership.com

Mike is currently the Senior Vice President, HR (Global Learning and Development), at Epsilon Data Management. His employer is a 9,000 person data management firm that is a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, one of the world’s largest advertising and communication firms. Epsilon specializes in CRM, data analytics, and online marketing. Their clients include over 1,200 corporations and organizations, including many of the Fortune 100. Mike reports to the Chief People Officer, and is responsible for learning systems along with technical and soft skill training, leadership development, organizational development, performance/talent management, employee relations, and compliance training. 

Prior to Epsilon, he had a variety of HR roles to include VP, HR (Learning and Talent) in a private equity backed healthcare company, and senior director and director roles in healthcare and healthcare consulting. Mike began his career in the private sector as a strategy consultant with IBM Global Business Services where his clients included BP, American Airlines, Cisco Systems, and Herman-Miller, among others. Before joining IBM, he spent 12 years in the U.S. Army in a variety of manager roles, culminating as an instructor and administrator at West Point, where he transitioned from the Army as a Major. He served in Iraq, Kosovo, and South Korea, was an Airborne Ranger, and earned the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star, among his decorations. 

His education includes an MBA from NYU, Stern School of Business, MA in Organizational Psychology and Leadership from Columbia, and a BA from The Ohio State University. He holds the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications along with an Executive Talent Management certificate from UNC Keenan Flagler School of Business. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife and two sons. He volunteers in the community coaching baseball and teaching Sunday School.

mike.dixon@battlefieldleadership.com

 Major General Christopher Ballard retired from the US Army in 2019, concluding a thirty-five-year career as Deputy Director of Operations at the National Security Agency (NSA). He currently serves as a strategic advisor for Jacobs. 

Chris commanded at the Company, Battalion, Brigade, and 2-star level. He led the 1st Cavalry Division’s Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion into Baghdad, Iraq, in 2004 and deployed twice to Afghanistan as the senior Intelligence officer (J-2)—first for Combined Security Transition Command (CSTC-A) and later ISAF Joint Command. Chris similarly served as J-2 and senior Intelligence advisor to the Commander of United Nations/US Forces in Korea, where he routinely briefed US and allied leaders on North Korean military movements and intent.

Chris’s leadership and intelligence experience led the Army to assign him to the newly formed Army CYBER Command in 2012. There, as senior operations officer (G-3) and Director of the Army Cyber Operations Center, Chris contributed at the leading edge of Army Cyber Force design, training, and employment. 

In 2016, Chris assumed command of the US Army’s Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM)—an operational intelligence force of approximately 17,500 soldiers and civilians stationed in or deployed to 130 locations across the globe. INSCOM’s forty-year mission has been to plan, equip, train, and conduct multidisciplinary intelligence operations in support of US Army and Joint Commanders worldwide. 

Chris holds a BA in Political Science and German from Furman University, an MA in Political Science (West European Comparative Politics) from Indiana University, and an MS in National Security Strategy and Policy from the National War College, Washington, D.C. He and his wife of thirty-six years live in Greenville, South Carolina.

chris.ballard@battlefieldleadership.com

864.678.0603 tel

Mike Chibbaro is a former senior partner with the global consulting and advisory firm of Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”) and has more than thirty years of executive leadership experience. Mike currently serves as a senior business facilitator with Battlefield Leadership, LLC. He also provides leadership consulting and executive coaching services to leading organizations and professionals. In addition to co-facilitating Battlefield Leadership’s Alamo, Antietam, Cowpens, Chickamauga, Gettysburg, Little Bighorn, Normandy, and Washington’s Crossing programs, Mike is a frequent speaker on the topics of leadership, organizational culture, and business ethics.

While at EY, Mike held a number of key leadership positions, including quality and risk management leader and learning and development leader for the firm’s Americas Consulting Practice. As a client-serving professional, he assisted clients primarily in the healthcare industry and was EY’s senior coordinating partner for a number of leading US healthcare organizations.

Mike served as a market leader for the firm’s corporate compliance and integrity services and was also a member of the prestigious Americas Partner Advisory Council. In 2012, he was recognized with EY’s Lifetime Educator Award, given annually to a partner who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to learning and development.

Mike is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and is a passionate storyteller with a strong interest in preserving stories that relate to faith, sports, and history. He is the author of three sports history books.

Mike resides with his wife and family in Greenville, South Carolina, and is involved in several local community, charity, and ministry activities.

mike.chibbaro@battlefieldleadership.com

864.270.5543 tel

Elissa Sterry retired from ExxonMobil in 2017, following a 37-year career during which she held a number of senior leadership positions at the corporate and business unit levels and was responsible for identifying and developing senior leadership talent and managing highly diverse teams. Through these experiences, Elissa gained a passion for leadership excellence and additionally became a recognized speaker on ExxonMobil’s outlook for energy and energy-related issues. She has traveled around the world to speak with government officials, government agencies, think tanks, NGOs, investors, national oil company executives, and university students on energy-related matters. Elissa holds bachelor of science and master of engineering degrees from Cornell University.

A 30-year armor officer who commanded at the platoon, company, and squadron levels, Col. Gian Gentile is a combat veteran of two tours in Iraq, a former chief of military history and professor at the US Military Academy at West Point, and a visiting fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley with an MA in military arts and sciences from the School of Advanced Military Studies and a PhD from Stanford University. With specialized knowledge in the history of airpower in the United States, Gian is also a counterinsurgency expert currently employed by the Rand Corporation.