The Aslan Group

Team

Welcome to our community.

History

Since 1985, the Aslan Group has worked with dozens of organizations to help them become better at what they do. Here is an incomplete list.

 

Get in touch

We at the Aslan Group know that finding the right solution is a choice that requires conversation and care. Please contact us so we can start that conversation.

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Our Team

 
 
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Principal and CO-Founder

Shirley Faughn

Shirley is a co-founder and senior partner of the Aslan Group and has over thirty years of supervisory and training experience. She began her professional career in the mid-70’s in university administration after receiving degrees in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, and Education from Murray State University. After ten years of professional experience she returned to campus and earned her doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in a program which combined fields of education, communication, and business. Shirley serves as an executive consultant in the areas of leadership development and communication across a variety of organizations. She also serves as an executive coach, facilitator, and presenter.

Dr. Faughn worked for several years in university teaching and administration roles in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota where she instructed university courses in Administration, Managerial Communications, and Organizational communication. Shirley is the recipient of several honors, including Outstanding Young Women of America, Who's Who in Human Service Professionals, and a recipient of the John E. Corbally Fellowship at the University of Illinois. She lives in Champaign, IL and enjoys traveling, ballroom dance, and the entertainment of two lively cats.

 
 

Principal and CO-Founder

Robert Husband

Bob is co-founder and senior partner of the Aslan Group, and a retired faculty member from the Communication Department of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is recognized nationally for his work in organizational leadership and executive training and has consulted with some 50 different corporations across the country. He consults primarily in the areas of executive and leadership development, communication, and strategic planning. He also has extensive experience evaluating communication structures of large and small corporations, health care organizations, government agencies, and university administrative units.

For over 40 years, Dr. Husband has been a featured speaker and facilitator on such topics as executive dialogue, listening, interpersonal communication, high performing teams, customer service, and leadership development. He has received several teaching honors, including campus teaching excellence recognition and outstanding teacher of the year award. Listed in Outstanding Educators of America, he holds degrees from Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the University of Illinois. Bob and his wife, Judy, live in Champaign, IL.

 
 
 

EXECUTIVE Consultant

Bill Kruidenier

Bill is a consultant with the Aslan Group with over forty years of service in various local, national, and international leadership and executive positions. Bill recently retired after serving twenty years in numerous campus programs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to his work at the University, Bill directed an international organization that introduced over 90 new educational programs and publications throughout the world and grew tenfold in membership. During this period he served as chairperson of a national council at the request of the United States Secretary of Agriculture.

Mr. Kruidenier has extensive experience in executive consulting, strategic planning, team-building, program development and analysis. He has received several awards for his leadership and professional contributions throughout his career. Bill earned his B.S. and M.S. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and resides in Chicago, IL.

 
 

EXECUTIVE Consultant

Dana Lobocki

Dana Lobocki is a consultant with the Aslan Group with more than twenty-five years of corporate human resources, consulting, and executive coaching experience. Dana has held senior HR leadership positions in manufacturing and professional services industries having served as an HRBP manager with ExxonMobil, a global HR director with Aon-Hewitt, and a Vice President of HR with REV Group. Highlights of Dana’s career include leadership of an international HR team, design and development of global succession management programs at three organizations, and the establishment of a strategic HR talent management center of excellence. Dana also has strong project and change management skills having led several employee M&A integrations, global HR system implementations, and internal HR transformations.

As an HR consultant, Dana has led multiple, complex, global projects across manufacturing, agriculture, and financial services industries. Key clients include Johnson Controls Inc., Brady Corporation, Growmark, Quad, and RW Baird. Dana is also an ICF trained executive coach and has years of experience coaching senior business leaders both internally and externally. Dana earned a bachelor's degree in Communication and a master’s degree in Labor and Employment Relations both from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and lives near Milwaukee with her husband Ray and two sons.

 

EXECUTIVE Consultant

Joshua Barbour

Joshua is a consultant with the Aslan Group and Professor of Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has published over fifty book chapters and peer reviewed articles in multiple academic and professional journals, and he is a co-author of the leading textbook of organizational communication. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and worked as a faculty member at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin before returning to Illinois.

Dr. Barbour has consulted with numerous private and public sector organizations and has directed survey design, implementation, and analysis. His research interests center on how institutional and organizational structures converge in communication and organizational life; how we can improve organizational life by understanding it through better analytics; and, how to bring about change through intervention in and through communication. Joshua lives in Champaign, IL with his partner, Jennifer, and children, Henry and Hazel.

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EXECUTIVE Consultant

Patty Gaumond

Patty is a consultant with the Aslan Group and has over thirty years’ experience in digital transformation, technology, and research. As a former executive in the insurance and financial services Industries, she most recently served as the Vice President of Digital Strategy for a Fortune 25 company. Her primary responsibilities included enterprise digital transformation and the delivery of enterprise digital solutions. She began her career as a software developer and her passion for solution development and innovation led to a broad range of leadership positions across the technology spectrum, including application development, infrastructure, information security and telecommunications. Throughout her career, she successfully navigated partnerships with many of the major technology solution providers across the industry.  

Patty’s additional career experiences include being a research lead with responsibility for conducting qualitative and quantitative studies across a variety of disciplines. In addition, she participated in and led several corporate communication and change management initiatives. She has served as a mentor and coach for a wide variety of professionals, particularly in the technology arena. Patty holds a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on mathematics and computer science from St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. Patty and her husband, Paul, live in the mountains of Asheville, NC.

EXECUTIVE Consultant

Danielle Miller-Schuster

Dr. Danielle Miller-Schuster is the Associate Vice President for the Division of Student Affairs at Illinois State University in Normal, IL. She works as a consultant for The Aslan Group and has more than 23 years of experience as an administrator, workshop facilitator, and executive coach. She has degrees in Political Science, College Student Personnel Administration, and Educational Administration and Foundations from Illinois State University.

Danielle’s professional focus centers on strategic planning, personal growth through coaching, fostering connections through collaboration, and creating positive work environments that inspire, empower, and ignite curiosity. She also is certified in the Working Genius Program.

Danielle has received several awards including the Illinois State University Staff Civic Engagement Award, the Division of Student Affairs Outstanding Mentor Award, the College of Education’s Student Personnel Administration Alumnus of the Year, along with several others. Danielle lives with her husband, Andy, in Bloomington, IL and their rescue dog, Starlight Louise.

EXECUTIVE Consultant

Andy Schuster

Andy Schuster is the Vice President of Organizational Development for Farm Credit Illinois and works as a consultant with The Aslan Group with over 15 years of experience in strategic leadership, training, and coaching. Andy’s primary focus is helping organizations move through succession and strategic planning, ensuring the two programs are tied to the culture and values of the organization. 

Andy holds a Masters in Communication from Illinois State University, is a certified trainer for Crucial Conversations, Insideout Coaching and ATD coaching. He is also a Certified Professional in Training Management (TICE).  Andy is passionate about helping leaders translate theory to action to positively impact their teams by employing communication, accountability, and expectation setting as key competencies.

Andy lives with his wife, Danielle, in Bloomington, IL.  As rescue dog parents, they envision creating a “retirement community” for senior dogs who have lost their owners—a place where these loyal companions can find a loving home for the rest of their lives.

 
 
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EXECUTIVE Consultant

Brad Kolar

Brad Kolar is the founder and leader of Avail Advisors. Brad works as a consultant with the Aslan Group with over twenty five years of experience. Brad was formerly the Chief Learning Officer for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Director of Learning and Performance Strategy for the global consulting firm, Accenture. Brad is an expert at connecting organizational and individual development strategy and implementation. Brad has earned degrees in Economics, Communication, and Computer Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University. 

Mr. Kolar’s areas of concentration include executive level leadership and workforce development; and, productivity improvement, process redesign, training and development in communication. Brad regularly writes on leadership, motivation, and business strategy and is the co-author of the book The Brain Advantage: Become a More Effective Business Leader Using the Latest Brain Research. He lives in Naperville, IL with his wife, Peggy and two children, Zachary and Rebecca.