Meet Our Advisors

Donna Hicks, PhD is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, where she served as Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Her foundational research on dignity in human interactions directly informs how SayIt.App coaches technicians to treat customers — and themselves — with respect in high-pressure field moments.

Dr. Hicks has worked on conflict resolution across the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Cuba. She co-facilitated encounters with Archbishop Desmond Tutu made into the BBC series Facing the Truth. She is the author of Dignity (Yale University Press, 2011) and Leading with Dignity (Yale University Press, 2018).

Riane Eisler, PhD is a systems scientist, futurist, attorney, and historian whose pioneering work on partnership-based organizations shapes how SayIt.App thinks about healthy team dynamics, fair treatment, and building workplace cultures where field technicians thrive.

Dr. Eisler received the Distinguished Peace Leadership Award — previously given to the Dalai Lama. She is President of the Center for Partnership Systems, Editor in Chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, and a distinguished professor at Meridian University.

Wendy K. Smith helps leaders navigate contradictory demands — exactly the kind of both/and tension field technicians face daily: deliver great service AND hit revenue targets, be efficient AND be human. Her research on strategic paradoxes directly informs how SayIt.App frames coaching moments.

She earned her BA from Yale and PhD from Harvard Business School. Her work has won the 2023 Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award and the Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher Award six consecutive years. She is the Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management at the University of Delaware.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad, PhD is a Research Scientist at University of Washington's Harborview Medical Center and Affiliate Assistant Professor in Computer Science at UW Bothell. His research on algorithmic nudging at scale, Responsible AI, and personality emulation is central to how SayIt.App delivers coaching that feels natural rather than robotic.

He has held academic appointments at the University of Washington, University of Minnesota, and IIT Kanpur, and has worked in applied AI across multiple startups and governmental advisory roles.

"Among the most publicly prominent voices of Germany's younger generation" (Washington Post), Manouchehr is a leading voice on how technology — including AI and VR — can improve human conditions at scale. His expertise in gamification and behavioral technology directly informs SayIt.App's approach to making coaching engaging rather than prescriptive.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, Global Justice Fellow at Yale, and one of 2017's Top 40 Under 40 Entrepreneurs (CAPITAL). He co-founded RetroBrain R&D, recognized as "a benchmark in the therapeutic gamification industry."

Patrice Brodeur, PhD is an associate professor at the Institut d'études religieuses at the Université de Montréal and former Canada Research Chair on Islam, Pluralism and Globalization. His expertise in cross-cultural dialogue informs how SayIt.App coaches technicians to navigate diverse customer backgrounds respectfully and effectively.

With over sixty academic publications and training experience in more than fifty countries, Brodeur brings a uniquely global lens to questions of human communication. He earned his PhD from Harvard University in comparative religion.

Naznin Musa is a dedicated advocate for social justice and inclusion whose work on workforce well-being directly informs SayIt.App's commitment to building tools that work for every technician — regardless of background. Her leadership of an Innovation Fund VR project at Hogeschool van Amsterdam earned her Impact Maker of the Year ('23) and the prestigious ECHO Award in 2022.

As a member of DIHOO (Advisory Committee for Diverse and Inclusive Higher Education and Research), she actively shapes policy to support inclusion in workforce environments.

Brian Nelson has driven communications strategy for some of the world's most iconic brands. His expertise in how organizations tell their story — and how that story reaches the front line — is invaluable to SayIt.App as it helps service businesses communicate their value through every technician interaction.

Previously Brian led communications for eBay in North America ($40B in annual retail sales) and was VP of Communications at The Walt Disney Company. He also managed PR for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars franchises, led Yahoo's content and advertising PR, and held roles at tech startups and the White House.

Howard Kaminsky, PhD is a research fellow at the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution and a mediator for Community Mediation Services in Queens, NY. His deep expertise in principled conflict resolution informs how SayIt.App coaches technicians to de-escalate difficult customer moments and turn potential conflicts into trust-building opportunities.

Howard has an EdD in religion and education from Teachers College at Columbia University. His book Fundamentals of Jewish Conflict Resolution has been recognized as "a monumental contribution to the emerging field of religion and conflict resolution."

Nirmala Ravishankar is a health systems specialist and Senior Fellow at ThinkWell with over 15 years of experience designing systems that deliver services effectively to people in the field. Her expertise in how frontline workers operate within larger systems — and how to measure and improve their performance — brings valuable perspective to SayIt.App's approach to field technician coaching at scale.

Key highlights include leading multi-country projects to improve public resource allocation for primary services and overseeing research at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. She also works as a health financing consultant at the World Bank.

Tracy Pollard is an accomplished entertainment marketing executive who honed her skills as an Agency Creative Director before serving as a studio executive at 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, and Lionsgate, leading award-winning 360° campaigns. Her mastery of brand storytelling informs how SayIt.App helps field service companies build their reputation through every customer interaction.

Known as "a courageous and intentional creative," Tracy is acclaimed for developing precision strategy and driving innovation through inspirational leadership.

Ardeshir Mehran, M.Ed, PhD is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, leadership coach, and author who has helped global leaders and high-performance teams achieve stronger results by stepping fully into their roles. His Emotional Restoration Therapy and Bill of Emotional Rights are foundational to how SayIt.App approaches coaching — not just what technicians say, but how they feel in the moment.

Dr. Mehran has led culture change initiatives at Genentech/Roche, Dolby Laboratories, Kaiser Permanente, and Hewlett-Packard. He earned his PhD and MEd from Columbia University.

Danny Richmond is a Community Lead for the Forum of Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum, with a career focused on civic engagement, youth leadership, and social inclusion. His expertise in building communities across difference informs SayIt.App's belief that the service technician is a community asset, not just a worker.

Previously Danny worked at the Parliament of World Religions, Inspirit Foundation, Ve'ahavta, and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. He got his start as a Faiths Act Fellow of Interfaith America.