The Synection Leadership team is comprised of a diverse group of professionals and business leaders.  Not only are they experts within their respective fields, but each one has been immersed in the intricacies of many organizations. Our team has experienced first hand about every kind of business challenge, facing today’s leaders.  Each team member also shares a common passion to help other’s learn new ideas and put them into practice.

Eric Balinski- President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to starting Synection, for 25 years he held business and leadership roles at corporation such as GE, Dow Chemical, and AlliedSignal, which also included being the global leader of business education for two Fortune 100 firms. He has taught and consulted to business people worldwide in the areas of leadership, value creation, strategy marketing and organizational dynamics.   Eric is the co-author of Value Based Marketing for Bottom-Line Success and is currently working to complete a new book Leadership on the Fly™.    

John Brennan- Chief Financial Officer.  John is a serial international entrepreneur with a proven track record of accomplishments in finance, sales, marketing, operations and strategic management.  John has led in the development of proprietary technology, multiple rounds of funding for emerging companies, identified and closed acquisitions, achieved substantial growth in a number of industries and redefined the operations of enterprises. John was previously the CEO of Source One Capital Group, and Co-Founder, President and CFO for TrueAdvantage Inc.  A former regional president of Nextel Communications, John led the charge to design, build and launch the largest cellular network introduced in the US, growing revenue to more than $250 million with more than 300,000 subscribers. Mr. Brennan holds a BS in Business Economics, an MS in Marketing and Accounting from Binghamton University and is a certified CPA.

Rosemary Dietrich- Chief Learning Officer. Rosemary’s specialty is delivering sustained implementation of key customer initiatives that impact the bottom line. With over 25 years experience in organization development and change in a wide range of industries, Rosemary was, most recently, Vice President, Organization Effectiveness, for Aventis Pasteur.  Specializing in organizational alignment, quality systems, change management and influence technology, Rosemary holds both a Ph.D. in Organization Systems (Fielding Graduate University) and an MBA in Management (Pepperdine University).

Jim Edler- Advisor Emeritus.   Jim is a passionate educator who has worked extensively with companies from around the world in most industry sectors.  He has a Masters in Higher Education and Counseling from Kent State University, and a Doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts School of Education.  Jim recently retired from the faculty of GE's John F. Welch Leadership Development Center, Crotonville, NY.  There he was world leader of GE's Change Acceleration Process (CAP) and Work-Out™ while consulting and coaching both internally and with strategic customers.      

Martha Hahn- Director Coaching Services.  Martha is an executive coach and consultant for leaders, executives, and business groups.  Her experience includes 27 years working as one of the nation’s few female senior federal executives; a VP for a non-profit organization; and as a line manager, supervisor, and technical specialist in several federal land management agencies.  Martha holds a MS in Outdoor Recreation Behavior from Utah State University.  She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and is certified in the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES).

Austin Hepburn- Director of Adventure Operations.  Austin founded Hepburn Construction in 1990 in response to the exploding growth in the mid-Atlantic region, for wood window replacement.  Recognized by both Pella and Marvin as an industry leader,  he also developed sales and installation training programs for the industry. Austin has pursued a life long passion for adventure and the outdoors.  He created Uncommon Ventures, specializing in hosted fly fishing adventures in Alaska and the Caribbean.  During the spring, Austin can be found on the lacrosse field, coaching U-10 players.  He was awarded the Doug Gill trophy in 2005 for his contributions to Radnor Youth Lacrosse.  Austin’s corporate experience began with Kidder Peabody & Co in 1983.

Judy Huge- Director, Corporate Communications.   Judy was the founder of work/write consulting. She is a dynamic communications professional with 25 years’ experience helping clients make a lasting difference in the way they define, approach, and solve the communications and management challenges unique to their particular situations. Clients have ranged from Fortune 100 corporations to small not-for- profits, Pennsylvania Power & Light, Lutron, and Premix to the Cleveland Foodbank. Highly successful in motivating and enabling people to change, she holds a Masters degree from The Johns Hopkins University and writes on business issues for the Gannett newspapers.

Barry Mirakian- Chief Operating Officer.  Barry was the founder and president of On A Continuum, which provides interim COO and organizational management services.  Barry has twenty plus years of senior management and leadership experience in both large and small businesses.   Prior, he was President of SB Electronics, served at Polaroid Corporation in several line management positions in engineering and manufacturing, and ultimately as Director of the Worldwide Service Division.  He has a BS from Northeastern University and has selectively continued leadership and management coursework.

Gregg Young- Director Process Improvement.   Gregg was the founder of Young Associates, which lad enterprises in Quality Improvement, New Product Development, and the Improvement of Company Cultures. Gregg's focus is improvement of company performance by cutting through process dogma and bureaucracy with simple, fast and mission-critical approaches.  He developed a stand-alone process that addresses short-term operational problems by eliminating defects quickly, and he adapted it to improve the velocity of Six Sigma efforts - faster results at lower cost, with greater employee commitment.  His approach grew from his leadership role developing the original Quality Improvement and Product Innovation processes at Dow Chemical.