Our Team
We work hard to balance expertise with energy. Our many paths have led us from healthcare to high tech, publishing to project management, footwear to finance and fundraising.
If it requires project management expertise, change management, or a communications strategy to attain the next level, we've got you covered. Our combined experience across industries and organizations provides us with a comprehensive library of insights and proven approaches, whatever the task we're tackling.
TOBY LUCICH - PRINCIPAL, HERDER-IN-CHIEF
In twenty years working with startups to Fortune 50 organizations, Toby has become obsessed with inspiring teams to dig in, build deeper commitments, and produce work to be proud of. His sky-is-the-limit thinking allows him to see untapped potential and is the inspiration behind the Leverage model.
Return Leverage was founded to help effective leaders recapture capacity in their day, delegating blocking and tackling tasks to self-starters who win on their behalf, so they focus where they’re effective, challenged, and can realize their full capacity.
KELLIE GORDON - COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT
Kellie’s love of language began as a kid with memorizing parts of speech to the catchy Schoolhouse Rock tune – “Conjunction Junction, what’ s your function?” A staple of her Saturday morning cartoon lineup.
Kellie first put her English degree to work for her in broadcasting, sharpening her writing chops composing succinct copy that’s as friendly in print as it is to the ear. Since then, she’s been putting words on paper, packaging, screens and more – on the agency side as well as the business side, with expertise in helping healthcare organizations share their stories of service and care.
ANNELISE BUNCH - MARKETING MANAGER
Give Annelise any task, and she will get it done! A natural born communicator, she will keep you informed along the way of your campaign deliverables. You can count on her for no last-minute surprises and seeing your project through from start to finish.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling internationally, hiking, downhill skiing and spending time with family and friends in the beautiful PNW.
DYLAN PEDERSEN, RL COLLABORATOR - TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
When not wearing the hat of IT Director & Co-Founder of Touchstone Claim Solutions or Co-Founder & CTO of Ataraxis, Inc.., he helps clients use technology to further their business goals. He played for 10 years at Hewlett Packard supporting Helpdesk implementations, business development, and technical implementations for Fortune 500s and 100s.
He's a do-gooder who does right by clients without batting an eye; giving them what they need, and no more. It’s the reason we’re his biggest fans (well, with the exception maybe of his wife and kids).
RHEA HEFNER, RL COLLABORATOR - PROJECT & MEETING MANAGEMENT EXTRAORDINAIRE
A professional watcher-doer, she's honed her ability to facilitate tough conversations and set clear expectations through contributions and as a leader at Fortune 500s, such as GE Capital, Starbucks, Washington Mutual, among others.
Her analytical approach and natural leadership abilities allows her to seamlessly lead as the expert of our blended-model project teams and to support effective business leaders. She applies tact and rigor to all circumstances, and like all Return Leverage collaborators, knows that clear communication, which includes listening to understand, achieves the greatest outcomes.
MARK BROGNA, RL COLLABORATOR - PORTFOLIO AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Mark is a technology-focused project- and portfolio-management expert who partners with clients to dissect process and data issues and formalize systems that streamline business. With over 20 years’ experience as a business and IT consultant, Mark is fluent in system-design best practices, proven analytical and implementation methodologies, and has broad process knowledge to aid organizations in solving complex IT challenges that impede business outcomes.
Mark has delivered solutions around project and idea ingestion, resource and capacity planning, and workflows that drive process, in addition to enterprise data planning for clients, such as The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, U.S. Department of Energy, AARP, State Farm Insurance, and Molina Healthcare.
