Kathleen Mercker, MA, MCCis an executive coach who leverages her first career of twenty-six years international leadership experience with the Federal Government to help her clients get targeted results. Transitioning from the United States Air Force several years ago, Kathleen added a coaching certification to her credentials, and was awarded the International Coach Federation status of Master Certified Coach in 1998, the first award of this highest level coaching credential. She is President of her Atlanta based coaching business, Strategic Executive Coaching, Inc., Director of the ICF Accredited SECA Corporate Coach Training Program, and globally linked to a select network of coaching leaders. Coaching executives for the past twelve years, she integrates her diverse and unique leadership experience to guide others in leadership development and work-life balance to attain greater success and fulfillment in all aspects of life.

• Developed a transformational model to create coaching cultures in organizations which includes individual executive coaching, internal corporate coaching certifications, and the integration of coaching skills in the leadership style of an organization.Founded the Strategic Executive Coaching Alliance (SECA), a team of coaching leaders who are a single, highly qualified and diverse resource for standard and customized corporate coaching services, to execute the coaching transformation model in corporations. Director of the SECA Corporate Coach Certification Program, accredited as Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH) by the International Coach Federation. Initiated major corporate coaching projects, leading a team of SECA coaches, engaging in executive coaching with the senior executive participants, and documenting dramatic ROI results in enhanced professional as well as personal development.  (A recent example of results for internal clients of one corporation showed improved performance in priority areas of development averaging 55% for the first eight months.)Demonstrated leadership in the emerging field of coaching.  Founded and initially served as president of the Atlanta Coaching Alliance in 1996.Plays a key role to support ICF Credentialing, initially on the global Committee, and then through participation in forums with directors of other ICF Accredited Training Programs, to support the inclusiveness and global availability of high quality coaching.
• Presents at conferences and seminars as an authority on leadership development, a coaching style of leading, and corporate and executive coaching programs. Highly regarded as a role model for professional and work-life balance success.  Recent presentations include international corporate and coaching audiences in Brussels, Executive Coach Training in Portugal and Brazil, plus a variety of presentations and training throughout the United States.

Prior to establishing her coaching business, Kathleen was a Colonel in the United States Air Force.  For twenty-six years she pioneered the way for women leaders in this unique corporate culture.  A sample highlight from her Air Force career includes her assignment in Europe during the Gulf War, during which she directed the first coordination center for transportation of all U.S. equipment and personnel from and through Europe to support the war.  As part of her job, she routinely represented the United States on international logistics policy issues with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Nations.  Other assignments included policy development at the Pentagon, and as a professor of Defense Economics and Strategic Leadership at the Air War College.

Kathleen participated as a mentor in the Georgia 100 Mentor Exchange Program and was honored in an edition of the Women Looking Ahead Magazine List of Georgia's 100 Most Powerful Women. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in management. She is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and has a coaching certification from Success Unlimited Network.

Recent coaching clients include individuals and groups from Center for Disease Control, Georgia Pacific, Genuity, Kinko's, L'Oreal, Luxottica Retail, Mentor Exchange, The Ministry of Singapore, and Turner Broadcasting Company.

A role model for professional and personal success and life balance, Kathleen's story appears in the book, "When Money Isn't Enough…How Women are Finding the Soul of Success," By Connie Glazer and Barbara Smalley.