Fast Forward University : Learn Fast, Advance Faster!

Fast Forward University™& CEO Perspective Group

The founder of Fast Forward University™, Dr. Soder has decades of experience helping executives of all ages excel. A leading adviser to top executives, companies, and boards, Soder spent a year researching, developing and testing this unique accelerated training program for high potential young adults. Years of working closely with interns and others early in their careers have enriched her insights and ability to communicate with the next generation of leaders.

The pioneer of executive coaching, a multibillion dollar industry, Soder is consistently cited by the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, CNN, CBS Marketwatch, and NBC as "the country's top executive advisor," "the CEO's coach," and "the CEO's consigliere."

As the founder and managing partner of the CEO Perspective Group, Soder advises top management on a wide range of issues: For over 15 years, Boards of Directors have asked Soder to conduct highly sensitive assessments to determine the status of chief executives. Clients include corporations, private equity firms, government, investment banks, non-profits, as well as highly successful individuals -- the leaders in every field.

Soder's career is full of "firsts." She was a Vice President at Prudential; led one of the President's Reorganization Projects for the White House; was Staffing Director for the District of Columbia; a chief of the D.C. Police Department; and a partner at Rohrer, Hibler, and Replogle (psychological consulting firm). While Senior Research Psychologist for the US Office of Personnel Management, she co-founded the highly regarded Personnel Testing Council in Washington 25 years ago.

Soder's ability to translate her extensive technical background into practical results has frequently resulted in awards such as commendations from President Carter, Chase Bank, the District of Columbia, the New York City Police Department, and plaudits from the Brookings Institution, the American Medical Association, the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, NACD, Directors and Boards magazine and the American Association of University Women. Over the years, she has been a professor at several universities.

Soder is on the Board of the Women's Campaign Fund and is a former director of several other nonprofit boards. She was one of three people recognized in the Labor Department's Glass Ceiling report and has been honored many times for her work helping women advance. She volunteers considerable time to federal law enforcement agencies. Soder's insights and advice to leaders were featured on television, radio, print, and online after September 11 -- helping businesses and law enforcement better address crisis. A sought after speaker, Soder has given over 20 keynotes and panels on leadership and ethics. Her articles and research on CEO assessment and evaluation have received considerable acclaim from members of Congress, associations, governance experts, and key business leaders.

Attending graduate school at night, Soder earned a B.S. with Special Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, M.S., and Ph.D. in Psychology, with an emphasis on industry and legal applications, from the University of Oklahoma, as well as post-doctoral work in assessment and forensic psychology from George Washington University.

Dr. Benjamin leads Fast Forward's Health-Related Division and is a principle member of Fast Forward III, helping women and minorities excel. Acclaimed for her leadership in medicine, business and work for the medically underserved, Regina is an inspiration for many. After attending Morehouse School of Medicine and receiving her medical degree from University of Alabama Birmingham, she started a solo practice in Bayou La Batre, Alabama (a small shrimping village). After several years moonlighting in emergency rooms and nursing homes to keep the practice open, and with an MBA from Tulane under her belt, Dr. Benjamin converted her practice to a rural health clinic which serves approximately 5,000 people on a shoe-string budget. Several years ago, a hurricane destroyed the clinic, requiring her to see patients from her pickup truck for 2 years until the clinic was rebuilt. She still makes house calls.

A Kellogg National Fellow and a Rockefeller Next Generation Leader, Dr. Benjamin was elected in 1995 to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, the first African-American woman and first person under age 40 to be elected to the Board. As past president of the AMA's Education and Research Foundation and a member of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, Regina deliberates and discusses society's most complex issues. Her work has earned her 3 honorary doctorates. Regina received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.

She is a member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and a director of the Federation of State Medical Boards. Appointed to key committees and commissions by both Republican and Democrats, Dr. Benjamin is well known in Washington for her sage advice on health, minority and rural issues.

Regina is a sought-after board member due to her ability to work with diverse individuals and sound judgment. Many of her past and present board memberships have related to education and health, such as the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Catholic Health East, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Mobile, Physicians for Human Rights, the National Board of Medical Examiners, the editorial board of British Medical Journal North America and Florida A&M University.

Dr. Benjamin was named by Time Magazine as one of the "Nation's 50 Future Leaders Age 40 & Under". She was featured in a New York Times article, "Angel in a White Coat", "Person of the Week" on ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, "Women of the Year" by CBS This Morning, and People Magazine. She was featured on the December 1999 cover of Clarity Magazine, received the 2000 National Caring Award which was inspired by Mother Teresa, and is on the January 2003 cover of Reader's Digest.

Her innovative, practical approach to solving problems is exemplified by her work as Director of USA Telemedicine in Alabama. Recognizing the need to connect rural health providers with medical experts in distant cities, she obtained 11.5 million in research funds to create, develop and implement this award-winning program. Dr. Benjamin directed the delivery and integration of medical education and specialty healthcare services to patients and clinicians in rural and medically underserved areas through the use of advanced telecommunications technology. Thus a cardiac expert hundreds of miles away can hear the same heartbeat simultaneously with a rural doctor. This Telemedicine program is now outsourced to a consulting firm, enabling Regina to devote her efforts to Fast Forward University™.

Joel Ospa is routinely praised by business and human resource leaders for his understanding of complex business issues and their implications for people. Joel regularly created sustainable, practical programs to solve systemic, long-standing global problems. These novel programs became models for others (e.g. new hire assimilation programs). His approachable, low key style and wise insights enable him to work in the most demanding situations.

An innovative and solution-oriented human resources professional for three of the world's leading financial service organizations - Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Investments and CitiGroup-Joel's career spans three decades. Whether an investment banker, board director, struggling middle manager, new employee or human resource colleague---Joel always had time to help, even during volatile periods

Joel recently retired from Goldman Sachs & Co (GS). As a Managing Director in Human Capital Management organization, he was responsible for the design and implementation of a global HR management system. This was the first time any company implemented a fully integrated, global system for HR operating 24X7 and accommodating cultural/legal differences across three continents (U.S., Europe and Asia). Recruited to Goldman, Joel initially led a new HR function for the Investment Management Division and then went on to manage GS's HR functions including Global Compensation, Benefits, Employee Relations, and HRMIS /HR Operations before leading the development effort of the global HCM management system. Joel spent considerable time coaching senior executives and helping new employees successfully transition into the demanding Goldman culture.

Prior to joining Goldman, Joel created and led the HR/Payroll Outsourcing business - the Fidelity Employee Services Corporation (FESCO). With a small team of talented professionals, Joel developed the business plan; created the new service offering, developed the software, built the service team and signed Fidelity's first two clients for the business, which continues to grow today. In the midst of this success at Fidelity, Joel was recruited to Goldman.

At CitiGroup, Joel had diverse responsibilities during 20 years of exceptional change for the company and the financial services industry. Starting in the Personnel Research group, he managed many projects involving selection, management and supervisory training, climate surveys, and organizational development. A senior line HR generalist for the U.S. Consumer Banking Group for over six years, Joel was a key member of the small management team that grew the business from a NY-based retail bank to a significant domestic financial service conglomerate with branches and businesses throughout the country. In the early 90's when Citi was experiencing severe financial problems, Joel was asked to manage the core HR functions for the 50,000 employee U.S. business. He dramatically changed the service and delivery model, improved HR services, and substantially reduced costs while maintaining employee morale and ethical standards.

Joel attended NYU's Doctoral program in Industrial/Organization Psychology where he completed all the coursework and the comprehensive examinations. He has an MBA from Baruch and a BA from Brooklyn College with majors in Psychology and Economics. Joel also served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corp during the Vietnam War as a Clinical Psychology / Social Work Specialist.