Speaker Profile

Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica

Founding Partner, Kubica LaForest Consulting

Sara LaForest is a consultant, coach, trainer, writer and speaker. Prior to co-founding Kubica LaForest Consulting, she ran her own independent consulting company in Alaska. She was also an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Alaska, Statewide Corporate Programs and served as a Master Trainer for a large, educationally focused, national non-profit organization. Previous to her consultancy businesses, she worked for non-profit organizations, government agencies, American Indian/Alaska Native organizations, and post-secondary education in management and workforce development roles for over two decades. She started her career in counseling and behavioral health. Having completed her master's and bachelor's degrees in psychology, Sara has continued with graduate studies and professional development in adult education, organizational leadership and entrepreneurial growth.

Sara holds professional affiliations with the International Coach Federation (ICF), the American Management Association (AMA), the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). She also holds certification with Hogan Assessment Systems, an internationally utilized, premier personality and job performance profiling system, used to help organizations hire high-potential talent and develop current and emerging business leaders.

Personally, she is impassioned by her accretive work and is committed to making meaningful differences with the individuals she works with, while helping them to build and grow remarkable companies and organizations.

She thoroughly enjoys outdoor activities and time in nature, fitness training like cycling and Zumba, shopping, cooking and sharing great meals with others. She has a soft spot for under-privileged, at-risk children and animals and has worked to assist through professional roles, volunteerism, mentoring, donations and personal rescue/adoption of her family pets.

Tony Kubica is a consultant, author, coach, and speaker. He specializes in accelerating business growth, strategy, leadership development, and performance improvement. Initially trained as a pharmacist, Tony has been a departmental director, hospital executive, executive in charge of a management consulting practice for a mid-size national consulting company, entrepreneur, and business owner.

While at the University of Connecticut Health Center he held a number of key positions, including: Director of Pharmacy, hospital executive, hospital planner and co-chair of the Health Center’s Strategic Planning Committee. In addition, he served as Assistant Professor of Community Medicine and Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy at the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, respectively.

As a hospital executive at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, he was responsible for all clinical and non-clinical hospital services and, working with key physicians, was instrumental in introducing new technology and care concepts such as minimally invasive surgery, Gamma Knife® and lithotripsy.

Tony joined Superior Consultant Company (specializing in healthcare information technology and management consulting services) as a senior management consultant and grew to Senior Vice President of the Chi Group – Superior’s management consulting company - prior to leaving in 2005 to start his own company. Along the way he was Director of the IDN Practice, Vice President of Implementation for select health care IT software systems, and Vice President for company wide resource management and sales.

He is a member of the ACHE and serves on the RI-Education Committee. He is also a member of the International Coach Federation. He holds a certification with Hogan Assessments, an internationally utilized, premier personality and job performance profiling system, used to help organizations hire high-potential talent and develop current and emerging leaders. When not working with clients, writing or speaking, he pursues his two passions: music and martial arts. He plays the guitar and is a 4th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate. As a martial artist he continues to grow in the art and enjoys working with children and adults to help them improve, learn self-discipline, and build self-confidence.



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Talent Integration: Why So Many Companies Struggle with Low Retention

The integration of talent, whether promoted from within or hired from outside the organization, represents a critical career inflection point for the new employee. Too often this process is overlooked in small businesses or simplified in larger organizations through a quick orientation or onboarding process. This leaves people to attempt to adjust to their new organization and role on their own, negatively influencing their productivity and personal experience. Your new employees perception about your company is lowered, and ultimately your new top talent may leave. They will leave because they have options.

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Tantalize Top Talent: Progressive Talent Management

This session provides an overview to Progressive Talent Management. Participants will gain knowledge in understanding that Progressive Talent Management is a process that starts with attracting a superior workforce to your organization, followed by careful selection.

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Succession Planning: Unless No One Gets Sick, Dies Or Leaves A Plan Is In Order

Done well, succession planning will help your business retain employees and position your business to grow. In addition to "replacement planning", the fundamental of a succession plan, identifying your high potential talent and developing your potential successors is a best practice for business growth. It is also a key factor in employee retention, a primary concern as the economy improves and the demand for specialized talent increases and the reality of a talent shortage looms large for many businesses and industry sectors.

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