About Us
Collegium Strategies, LLC provides Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment (FF&E) tools and training resources to strengthen the capacity of planners, service providers and vendors. Our focus is to bring over 17 years of hands-on experience within the planning industry to improve the outcomes for both client and provider.
Our tools deepen knowledge, provide immediate and contemporaneous data, and simplify the process from concept through occupancy. Led by a team of knowledgeable and committed practioners, Collegium Strategies LLC brings extensive knowledge of the operational and practical expectations of institutional and corporate users.
FOUNDER
Stephanie O'Brien
Evolving from the thriving practice she launched in 2003, Stephanie founded Collegium Strategies, LLC as a platform to now extend the knowledge and insight in the first venture, and to empower other specialists in the facility planning-related field.
She founded her first company, Dovetail Decision Consultants, Inc. following a 22-year career in Facilities, Furniture Planning and Sales Management, specifically to assist publicly funded entities with crucial aspects of FF&E Planning.
Stephanie’s career journey began at Bechtel in Los Angeles where she helped to shepherd a 500,000 square foot new headquarters building for the LA Power Division. She went on to lead the systems planning team for a Herman Miller dealership, and manage the interiors team of another. She then focused on sales and sales leadership with furniture manufacturers, culminating that portion of her career as a District Manager for one of the industry’s largest manufacturers of educational furniture.
She is formally educated in Interior Design (Foothill College and CSU Long Beach), Project Leadership (UC Berkeley Extension) and a wide range of business-related leadership programs (Academy Leadership, Major Account Management, etc.).
Stephanie is a passionate supporter of public education and has spent 19 years serving her community institutions as an elected official.
Founder & Advisory Board
Claire Lachance
Advisory Board Member
Claire Lachance serves on the Advisory Board of Collegium Strategies, LLC as the Lead Strategist, overseeing business plan development and strategic partnerships in support of the company's successful launch and expansion.
Claire is the CEO of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), leading a team of world-renowned scientists and experiential program professionals located at the organization's EarthRise campus in Northern California. Prior to joining IONS in 2016, Claire was founder and president of Inspiration Quest, Inc. where she led the delivery of comprehensive management consulting services to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, foundations, public agencies, and social entrepreneurs. Earlier in her career, Claire held executive positions at Pacific Bell and MetLife. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA magna cum laude in Economics from Tufts University.
Ron Nikel
Advisory Board Member
Ron Nikel brings to Collegium Strategies, LLC his experience in building and funding early stage technical companies. He is currently leading and building the US subsidiary for Canaan Creative which recently went public on the NASDAQ Exchange. Before joining Canaan, he founded a semiconductor intellectual property company TriCN, which he took through a round of venture funding prior to selling the company to Synopsys in 2005.
Ron is also currently focused on advising and supporting a non-profit startup focused on solving issues around homelessness, and is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. He holds an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and completed his studies for a Masters of Engineering at Cornell University.
Lee Krichmar
Advisory Board Member
Lee Krichmar serves Collegiums Strategies as the Information Officer, focusing on the software development and strategic positioning of technology and related resources.
Since 1986, Lee has worked in Information Technology (IT) management with expertise in project management where she oversees staff, budgets, and many various projects. She received her Master of Information Systems degree from Claremont Graduate University in 1999 after receiving her Bachelor of Computer Information Systems degree from DeVry University in 1986. Lee has worked in various industries, including healthcare, insurance, and gaming, where she led the technology teams for networking, infrastructure, software development, and cloud implementation.
Marty Wikoff
Advisory Board Member
Dr. Martin Wikoff is a research psychologist and helps organizations learn evidence-based, positive behavior change techniques to improve business performance. Marty's proven approaches have been deployed around the world; across a diversity of cultures, businesses, and jobs. He holds a PhD. and M.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame in Learning and Performance. He was awarded a B.S. in psychology from the University of Washington.