The SSG Approach
We’re experts at becoming experts.
We are professors, published authors, and professional coaches. We love social psychology, artistic exploration and digging into the latest trends and research in communication. We’ve been training executives and employees from the world’s most influential companies for the past 25 years, helping top-tier talent continue to learn, grow and communicate to better themselves and their companies. Our mission is to empower individual voices and elevate team collaboration.
We celebrate our diverse voices.
We’re proud of the range of skills, backgrounds and identities of our coaches. We’re a certified diverse-owned business through the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and have certifications in cultural intelligence, Myers-Briggs Type Instrument and DiSC. We embrace our diversity to help you embrace yours.
*Let us know if your company has a Diverse Supplier Network - we’d be happy to join.
Meet the Group
Peter Novak (he/him) — Founder & Principal
“Peter Novak taught me that words and actions have power.” - Ellen Pao, CEO, Project Include and former Interim CEO, Reddit
Peter Novak is a communications training expert specializing in high-stakes speaker coaching and presentation strategy. He has become a trusted advisor to C-suite executives and senior leaders from myriad industries at some of the most influential companies in the world. He understands how a powerful presentation on the global stage can drive monumental business outcomes, which is why he is the go-to choice for so many high-level speakers.
Peter has particular expertise developing clear speech for non-native English speaking leaders. He utilizes an inclusive model of delivery honed through years of training in phonetics and linguistics.
Prior to founding Strictly Speaking Group, he was a tenured full professor and co-founder of the Performing Arts & Social Justice Program at the University of San Francisco, where he also served as the V.P. of University Life. He holds a doctorate in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from Yale University where he also served as the Dean of Trumbull College. He holds separate Masters degrees in Acting and English. His research on language and culture is published by Cambridge University Press, Palgrave/Macmillan, and Gallaudet University Press, among others.
Alex Schneps (he/him) — Managing Partner
Alex Schneps is Managing Partner of Strictly Speaking Group. His background and training in theatrical performance and education form the foundation of his approach to executive speaker coaching. Alex brings laser-sharp script development skills and prioritizes authentic, charismatic delivery, helping business leaders find their voice and land their message at high-stakes speaking engagements.
He holds an MFA in Theatre Education from Boston University, and an MA in Classical and Contemporary Text (Theatre Arts) from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as well as specialized classical training from Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Having performed in and produced countless productions (including film and VR), Alex brings a highly critical and nuanced lens to all stage and camera work. Additionally, he spent a number of years in journalism event production, where he honed the skills to craft compelling, pertinent narratives across multiple verticals that would resonate with live audiences.
While at Boston University, he taught courses in Acting & Performance and Speech Communications, introducing foundational theatrical concepts to non-performance majors, including applying dramatic narrative structure to presentation formats and confidence-building for public speaking.
Saera Khan (she/her) — Senior Science Officer
Saera Khan is a social psychologist whose research and teaching over the last two decades has focused on social cognitive processes involved in bias, stereotyping, and prejudice. She also serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Research, Artistic and Scholarly Excellence at the University of San Francisco. She received her B.A, in psychology at Loyola University Chicago and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. She has published and presented original research on topics ranging from how biases influence our perceptions of conversations, the effects of mood on using stereotypes for judgments, correcting for biases, and the influence of accents on impression formation. She has also written for the American Psychological Association’s Ethnic Minority Handbook in Psychology about implicit attitudes and stereotyping and was asked to present her work at Cisco DNS. Most recently she published an article for Psychology Today online about multiracial children and their families.
Brandon Brown (he/him) — Senior Writing Coach
“Brandon did an outstanding job providing feedback on my performance review. I wish we had more time to talk. He truly helped me to craft a better self-review.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Brandon R. Brown, Ph.D., elevates scientific stories. He's a longtime Physics Professor at the University of San Francisco, where he's also taught science writing and served in managerial roles. His work has spanned policy, fundraising, science history, and various lab research projects. His writing includes articles and columns in outlets such as Slate, Smithsonian, and Scientific American, as well as three books: the biography Planck: Driven by Vision, Broken by War (Oxford, 2015), The Apollo Chronicles: Engineering America's First Moon Missions (Oxford, 2019), and Sharing Our Science: How to Write and Speak STEM (MIT, 2023). Brandon is a distinguished lecturer of the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, and he recently served as a Writer in Residence at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara.
Max DeLaure — Senior Writing Coach
“Max was excellent at understanding my key strengths, just from a short presentation of my work and involvement in our team's and org's projects. He asked me the right questions in order to have a clear view of my impact.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Maximilian Schlaks DeLaure received his MFA from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and has been teaching writing at both undergraduate and graduate levels for over two decades. His fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Missouri Review, Mânoa, The Sun, and The Massachusetts Review. Although he writes in English, his mother tongue is French, and he grew up in Belgium, France, and the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. He has taught at the University of Iowa, Allegheny College, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, and the University of San Francisco, where he has extensive experience working one-on-one with students through directing graduate thesis projects and professionals from a variety of industries.
Marilyn DeLaure (she/her) — Senior Writing Coach
“Marilyn was very kind and was very empathetic of my language barriers. She helped me see my work from another point of view and find strong lines that could communicate with impact. It was an amazing experience.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Marilyn DeLaure holds a Ph.D. in Rhetorical Studies from the University of Iowa and is a tenured full professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of San Francisco. She is currently Co-Director of USF’s Center for Teaching Excellence; she also spent several years directing USF’s Public Speaking program. Marilyn’s research investigates the intersection of art, bodily performance, and activism; she’s published on the American Civil Rights movement, environmentalism, and is lead editor of the book Culture Jamming: Activism and the Arts of Cultural Resistance (NYU Press, 2017). She is also a producer of the documentary film Motherload (2019). Marilyn is an award-winning teacher who has been coaching students to become stronger writers for more than 25 years.
Aldo Billingslea (he/they) — Senior Consultant
“Aldo was great! Running through a real presentation and getting his feedback was invaluable.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Aldo Billingslea is a professor of Theater at Santa Clara University where he teaches courses in performance and performance studies, including seminars on August Wilson and American Theater from the Black Perspective.
He is currently the interim Artistic Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theater in San Francisco. Aldo became SCU’s inaugural Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and served as the Vice President of the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Renegade Theater Experiment, and on the advisory board of Gritty City Youth Repertory Theater and on the Board of Regents for Archbishop Mitty High School.
As a professional stage actor, he has performed at dozens of theaters nationally and in the Bay Area.
Deborah Eubanks (she/her) — Senior Consultant
“Deb is everything she gave advice on: confident, prepared and very knowledgeable. She is the epitome of practicing what she preaches, and it showed.” - Monsurat Olugbode, Marketing Insights Researcher, WhatsApp
Deborah Eubanks has been coaching executives and industry professionals and students for the past three decades in her unique style of voice and speech. She received her Theater Arts Degree at Harold Pinter Studios in the United Kingdom. Deb began her career in London as an RN Tutor, specializing in speech disorders, which helped her to become resident director for Stephen Hawking’s Libra Theater.
For the past decade, she has taught voice and executive presence for business professionals at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Deborah has taught and directed creative ensemble and voice, at American Conservatory Theater and the University of San Francisco. Her courses incorporate the works of Kristen Linklater, Edith Skinner, and The Tao of Voice into her own extensive and unique teaching methodology. At San Francisco Academy of Art University she teaches undergraduate as well as graduate students in the M.F.A. program. Deb is Myers-Briggs Certified, and has run JumpStart to Success workshops at Cal State universities. She works with The Times Group, India, coaching and editing. Deborah was a speaker at Google Women and Diversity 2020 Summit. She was also recently a BBC Guest Dialect Coach for Ralph Fiennes for the film, The Dig.
Esther Chae (she/her) — Senior Consultant
“Esther is incredible at quickly identifying individuals’ areas of opportunity even after meeting them for a couple of minutes.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Esther K. Chae is an award-winning actor and speaker coach. As a speaker coach, she has worked with companies such as Google, Sephora, XPrize, Cushman and Wakefield, Korean Prosecutors Association as well as other prominent private clients. As a speaker and one of the inaugural TED Fellows, she has presented her talks at TED/TEDx events and numerous international conferences.
Her Hollywood credits include NCIS, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The West Wing, Black Panther, LOST, World of Dance and numerous national commercials; her theatre credits include Yale Repertory Theater, La Mama, Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theater and Harvard/A.R.T. Her unique experience, combined with her acting, led her to help others with their public storytelling and presentations skills.
Chae graduated from the Yale School of Drama (MFA Acting) and recently taught Advanced Acting for Film and TV at Emerson College (LA) and Presentation Skills for Business at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea). She is represented by Lavin Agency speakers bureau.
Deborah Boehm-Davis (she/her) — Senior Consultant
Deborah A. Boehm-Davis holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Over the course of her career, she has worked in academic (George Mason University), industry (General Electric Company, Bell Laboratories, Meta) and government (NASA Ames Research Center, Food and Drug Administration) positions. Most recently, she was a Research Manager at Meta, Reality Labs Research. She is also University Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University. Her research falls in the domain of human factors engineering, also called ergonomics, which focuses on how human performance is helped or hindered by the design of the tools we use to accomplish everyday tasks.
Amy Kim Waschke (she/her) — Senior Consultant
Amy Kim Waschke is a classically trained actor and writer based in Los Angeles. She has practiced storytelling, messaging and public speaking for over twenty years.Amy is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program. In 2012, she met director, playwright and MacArthur Genius, Mary Zimmerman, and toured the US and China as the titular character in Zimmerman’s epic play The White Snake. Amy was also a longtime company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale and Emilia in Othello.Amy’s other theater credits include Seattle Repertory Theatre, Harvard/ART, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory, Goodman Theatre, South Coast Repertory, and the Geffen Playhouse. Her television credits include Law & Order SVU and Mythic Quest and her voiceover credits include Pachinko (AppleTV), Two Racers (Netflix), King Lear and Pericles (Next Chapter Podcasts). When she is not acting, Amy writes and performs personal essays with Adoptee Voices.
Moses Villarama (he/him) — Senior Consultant
Moses Villarama is an award-winning actor based in Los Angeles. He has over a decade of experience performing at some of America’s most prestigious theaters and as an educator in theatre arts. His theatre credits include multiple seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, South Coast Repertory, Alliance Theatre, Denver Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre and Signature Theatre (NYC). He currently performs in the Broadway production of Here Lies Love. He has dubbed voice over in English for Netflix and has appeared in national commercials. Moses graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Francisco with a double major in Communications and Performing Arts and Social Justice. He holds an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory. He was a professor of theatre arts at Southern Oregon University, teaching Advanced Contemporary Acting, Auditioning, and creating the curriculum for a new class on Asian American theatre in the 21st century.
James Thomas Bailey (he/him) — Senior Consultant
James Thomas Bailey is the founder and Artistic Director of CSz Los Angeles, producer of ComedySportz, the longest-running stage show in the history of Los Angeles. He is also a master teacher and certified corporate trainer, specializing in Applied Improvisation. His clients include such powerhouses as Walt Disney, Google, Microsoft, ABC, Nestle, SONY Pictures, Yahoo, Hulu and Coca-Cola, among others. He is a Cultural Specialist for the U.S. State Department, and has taught at the Fulbright Center in Cyprus for the American embassy, using his techniques to foster cooperation and collaboration. Mr. Bailey is also an expert in theatre education, and runs the largest teen improvisation program in the United States, where many thousands of students have received his life-skill training. He has served as President of the California Educational Theatre Association, and is inducted into the national Educational Theatre Hall of Fame. He is the author of Teaching Improvisation: A Practical Guide for Theatre Educators.
Josh Moser (they/them) — Senior Consultant
“Josh was awesome. They were engaging and fun and I loved the way they ‘offered’ feedback - they literally used the words, ‘Can I offer you...’ when they suggested a change or a way to make something better. This may seem small but the way they approached feedback felt so intentional and valuable and I loved it.” - Independent Contributor, Meta
Josh Feliciano-Sanchez Moser (they/them) is a tenure track professor of voice and movement at Kean University’s Theatre Conservatory. They are also an actor, dialect specialist, and coach, based in NYC and NJ. Josh is a Certified (Assistant) Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and a Certified Teacher of Knight Thompson Speechwork. Josh graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (MFA), and West Chester University of Pennsylvania (BA), and completed additional actor intensive training with SITI Company at the 2013 Summer Intensive, and in Bali with the master teachers of Bali Taksu in 2017. They’re also a member of the Fulbright Program's Specialist's Roster.
Other teaching experience includes HB Studio, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the La MaMa ETC/Trinity College Performing Arts Semester, City College of New York, SCAD, PACE, and others. Recently, Josh co-authored an article 'Strategies for Guiding Actors' Accent and Linguistic Needs in the Twenty-First Century' published in the Voice and Speech Review.
Proud member: Equity Membership Candidate, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. Resident Ensemble Member of Phoenix Theatre Ensemble.
Whyler Neubauer (she/her) — Administrative Manager
Whyler Neubauer manages technology, finance, and administration for the Strictly Speaking Group and specializes in project and production management. She was born and raised in rural Northern California before moving to San Francisco, the UK, and back again. After living in Truckee near Lake Tahoe and tending bar at Sugar Bowl and the Pour Cowgirl Company, she’s returned to rural Northern California with moving plans to Los Angeles.
She graduated with honors from the University of San Francisco in 2016 with a degree in Performing Arts and Social Justice. She is an original crew member of Boxcar Theatre's The Speakeasy and works freelance in film and television production. Whyler managed the Performing Arts Department’s productions for five years at the University of San Francisco, and works to move into film coordination moving forward.
In her free time you can find her on a roadtrip or down by the river - ideally both.
Fay Chen (she/her) — Senior Consultant
Fay Chen is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of San Francisco, where she oversees the Public Relations Program. Fay’s research areas include corporate social responsibility and advocacy, startup and entrepreneurial communication, digital communication, and prosocial communication, where she examines organizational behavior, communication messages, and stakeholder outcomes in various organizational and sociocultural settings. Fay has over 35 publications, and is co-author of the book Strategic Communication for Startups and Entrepreneurs in China (Routledge Taylor & Francis). Some of her recent work examined corporate responses to geopolitical issues, women entrepreneurs’ leadership communication and social media strategies, and public responses to AI-applied corporate initiatives. Fay is an award-winning teacher who coaches students to cultivate growth mindsets, establish authentic personal and professional brands, build digital portfolios, and achieve long-term, sustainable career growth.
Fay is an active member of her professional community. She is a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, advisory committee member for the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), and executive committee member for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Public Relations Division. She is also a member of Page Up, a community and professional development organization for senior communications executives.