Professional Goal-Centric Certified Coach

Jim Gavin, PhD, ABPP, MCC, IMC, is a certified master coach and licensed psychologist who has taught and practiced over the past 45 years. He is deeply committed to the development of human potential and the evolution of human consciousness. His practice focuses on individual development and group learning experiences. He has been privileged to work in a variety of settings, notably in higher education, aviation, mining, tech, public safety, start-ups, and private practice.

Jim is a full professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, and co-designer of the internationally renowned Human Systems Intervention graduate program at Concordia. He also serves as the Director of the Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies at Concordia. He is a Master Certified Coach (ICF) and Integral Master Coach® (ICC). Along with his long-term friend and colleague, Dr. Madeleine Mcbrearty, he designed this ICF coach certification program which was first offered in 2007.

His passion for the practice of Aikido and Iaido link magically with his academic knowledge in personal and organizational change processes. Among his numerous publications, Foundations of Professional Coaching (Human Kinetics, 2022), is a classic and comprehensive work. Jim sees himself as a work in progress, and is often reminded of how much he yet has to learn by his five children and his life partner.

Madeleine Mcbrearty, Ph.D., PCC, CMC, is a fully bilingual (English and French) certified coach and an accomplished educator. With several decades of experience in education and in individual and organizational wellness, her focus is on leadership development and psychological safety at work.

Madeleine’s passion is to walk alongside those who seek to achieve professional and personal excellence. As a professional coach and consultant, she partners with clients to identify strengths and leverage resources to foster resiliency and bring about positive change. When working with organizations, her mission is to help foster the creation of a psychologically healthy work culture though the promotion of a coaching leadership style. Madeleine values collaboration and she has a deep appreciation for all aspects of diversity. In everything she does, she brings an intentional emphasis on enhancing self-awareness, empathy and resiliency.

In 2007, Madeleine partnered with Dr. Jim Gavin when they co-founded the ICF accredited Professional and Personal Coach Certificate (PPCC) now the Professional Goal-Centric Coach Certificate (PGCC) program offered at the John Molson Executive Centre. Currently, she is extensively involved in executive coaching and in delivering educational modules – in person and in virtual classrooms – on the topics of leadership and mental health.

Madeleine has taught in the department of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia. She received her doctorate, focused on individual behaviour change, and two master’s degrees also from Concordia University. She has a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation from the International Coach Federation and is a Certified Mentor Coach (CMC) as well as a certified Social & Emotional Intelligence Coach.

Jim Gavin, PhD, ABPP, MCC, IMC, serves as the Director of Education for the Professional Goal-Centric Coach Certification program, as well as being a co-founder of the program with Dr. Madeleine Mcbrearty. He has taught in the program since its inception in 2007. He is an ICF-Master Certified Coach and an Integral Master Coach. He has written numerous books and research articles on coaching; his most recent publication is Foundations of Professional Coaching.

His doctorate in psychology has given him solid foundation for appreciating the profound importance of the coaching field at this point in history. His love for coaching practice is fed by its forward moving and holistic nature. An invaluable source of inspiration in his work derives from his somatic practices in aikido, iaido, and qigong. But, in truth, he thinks the most important source of his understanding comes from being a parent to five robust and rambunctious children.

As a facilitator of learning, he honors the inherent and accumulated wisdom of those with whom he shares space in the classroom. Magic results when the strengths of novice coaches are valued within the learning agenda. He believes that the cycle of learning necessarily involves practice, reflection, and experimentation, coupled with empirically-based theories and models. As a lifelong learner, Jim sees himself as a work-in-progress.

Diane Fulton, M.A., PCC, is a part-time faculty member in the Department of Applied Human Science at Concordia University, as well as a faculty member for the Professional Goal-Centric Certified Coach program. Diane is PCC certified with the International Coaching Federation (ICF); she is a certified professional Coach. 

Diane received her Bachelor degree from Concordia University with a double major in Psychology and Applied Human Sciences and her Master's degree in Educational Leadership from McGill University. She now has over 30 years of experience as both a practitioner and an educator.

As a practitioner, Diane works as a coach, process consultant, facilitator, trainer, educator and researcher across a wide range of industries such as education, manufacturing, service, and technology in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. As an educator and part-time faculty member at Concordia University, Diane uses adult learning principles in combination with an experiential learning approach and process facilitation to teach people how to use self as an instrument for change. Diane is a specialist in human systems intervention; creating self-sustaining entities - learning organizations and communities with self-managed individuals.

Benoit Desgroseillers, MA, PCC, is vice-president of talent development for the Finance Montréal industrial cluster; he is responsible for talent development and human resources challenges for the entire financial services industry in Quebec. He is also a faculty member for the Professional Goal-Centric Certified Coach program and an ICF PCC Certified Professional Coach.

A graduate of the PPCC program at Concordia University, the predecessor of the current program (PGCC), Benoit has been a mentor/coach in it since 2020.  He has since continued his studies in coaching by completing NLP training, vertical leadership, Non Violent Communication (NVC), and integral coaching.

Former Executive Director of a University Career Centre, EMBA graduate and CHRP member, he is a privileged witness to HR trends and changes in the labour market and career management. He is the author of two books on career management and intervention in career transition coaching.

Isabelle Marin, PCC, is a bilingual (French and English) facilitator, trainer, mentor and certified coach. As a PCC accredited coach and active member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) since 2013, Isabelle has worked with clients in the public and private sectors of journalism, broadcasting, health, security, public safety, finance, navigation, mining and government.

As well as a B.A. from the Department of Communication Studies and a Coaching Certification from Concordia, Isabelle has 20 years of international work experience in communication and media production sectors and 10 years of humanitarian disaster response work with the Red Cross. This experience developed her insight and understanding of stress management, leadership and working in highly complex and uncertain conditions and environments (VUCA).

As a professional and leadership coach, Isabelle helps leaders, managers, executives, and professionals to increase their capacity to perform in high stress environments and careers. Isabelle’s facilitation style is engaging and authentic, creating a safe environment for learning and sharing.

Niem Huynh, PhD, ACC is an Inquirer. Risk taker (calculated). Professional and Personal Life Coach. Trained as an educator (high school science and geography teacher) and geographer, Niem has explored diverse professional opportunities, from being a university professor to career advisor to graduate recruiter. Currently, she supports graduate students in the Master of Environmental Assessment program by connecting them to coveted internships and providing feedback on their submitted reports. Along this evolving journey, she worked in Canada and the U.S.A., as well as short-term collaborations with colleagues based in Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam. Niem’s curiosity and drive to learn has opened opportunities that complement her toolbox, including being co-founder of Grad Matters and presenter to a wide audience of students (FutureBound at Concordia) and employees (McGill, Algonquin College).

Niem completed Concordia University’s Professional and Personal Coaching Certificate program in 2018, honoured to be a student of professors James Gavin and Madeleine Mcbrearty. She received her ACC accreditation with the International Coaching Federation in 2022. Today, Niem offers a boutique coaching practice that serves graduate students as well as budding and veteran professionals who seek clarity in personal and professional topics.

Antonio Starnino, M.A., PhD (cand,), PPCC, is a facilitator, coach, consultant, entrepreneur, and service designer with over 15 years of experience in private and public sectors.

His practice focuses on process design, group facilitation, participatory design, organizational development, and design leadership coaching. He co-creates interventions with individuals, small groups, and larger communities to shift their goals, strategy, process, culture, products or services, and organizational structures in a way that aligns with their values and intentions.

He is co-founder of Studio Wé, a strategic design studio that helps organizations reshape their services and experiences. Antonio is a visiting lecturer at Concordia University, teaching advanced facilitation, and a Ph.D. candidate studying the connection between activist group process and design.