Our Team
Pamela Weiss is the founder of Appropriate Response.
Pamela is a coach, meditation teacher and recognized pioneer in integrating the principles and practices of Buddhist teaching into leadership development and organizational transformation.
She has worked with executives, managers and teams within a wide variety of organizations, including: Genentech, Oracle, Intel, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Cisco, Lululemon, The Gap, StatoilHydro (Norway), Clouds in Water Zen Center, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Metta Institute and the Center for Executive Development at UC Berkeley.
Pamela was a member of the senior faculty at New Ventures West for over a decade, where she trained hundreds of coaches and designed and led coaching programs inside organizations nation-wide. She has been a Buddhist practitioner and teacher for over 20 years. Her training includes several years of Zen monastic practice and training with Jack Kornfield through Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Currently, Pamela coaches executives, designs and delivers innovative leadership programs, teaches mindfulness programs inside organizations, and leads Buddhist meditation classes and retreats internationally.
Why I Do What I Do
I founded Appropriate Response as a venue to bring the richness and depth of spiritual teachings and into the nitty-gritty of everyday life. When I first began to practice meditation over twenty years ago, I was moved and inspired by the archetype of the bodhisattva. A bodhi (awakening) sattva (being) is a person dedicated to alleviating suffering—their own, others', and the world's.
In the 1980s, I left several years of Zen monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain monastery, and made a vow to carry Bodhisattva spirit with me back into the world and workplace. My vision and aspiration was to find ways to articulate the insight and kindness I had received into accessible, down-to-earth principles and practices suited to the unique issues and concerns of our time.
Since then, I have witnessed the teachings transform the lives of many people—allowing them to rediscover meaning and possibility, and to wake up to the truth and beauty of who and what they are.
Appropriate Response has flourished over the years as well, becoming a true community of coaches working in partnership with our clients to facilitate human development. I am often surprised and always grateful for the opportunity to engage in this rich, mysterious unfolding of our shared human life.
Renee Bastet is the Director of Operations for Appropriate Response.
Renee has over 20 years of experience in accounting, administrative management and event planning. She brings her myriad skills and support to ensure the smooth functioning of the company. In addition to her strength in establishing systems and attending to detail, Renee is also an artist who creates jewelry for healing.
Why I Do What I Do
As an artist, it is essential for me to consistently access my creativity and passion. I love bringing these qualities to my work with Appropriate Response. Over many years, the practice of meditation has allowed me to overcome obstacles and maintain my passion. I feel proud to support a company that teaches these principles, and helps bring more peace and freedom to others.
Tom Bepler is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Tom has spent over 20 years developing leaders, teams, and organizations. He has served as a Senior Consultant with JMJ Associates, an Executive Coach with UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and a Managing Director for a San Francisco Training & Development company. He has worked as an independent coach and consultant for a wide range of companies, including: Apple, Oracle, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Verisign, Citibank, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Stanford School of Business, Leavey School of Business, BP, Statoilhydro, SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator), Arthur Andersen, McKinsey, Genentech, Roche and Dupont.
Why I do what I do
I grew up in Northern California during the 60s and 70s. I was deeply impacted by the reorientation toward human potential that marked that time and place, and transformed my understanding of what is possible for individuals, communities and organizations. Informed and guided by that understanding, I believe that each of us has a responsibility to the environment and to one another. I am committed to what I do because it allows me to support the inherent potential of the human spirit to learn and develop.
Anna Beuselinck is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Anna has spent over twenty years in the field of learning and development, specializing in executive coaching and leadership development. She has partnered with a wide variety of organizations, including: Nestle, Nike, Reebok, University of California, Berkeley, StatoilHydro, Gap Inc., Genentech, Williams-Sonoma Inc., Levi Strauss & Company, Ralph Lauren Polo, Discovery Communications, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce.com, BEA Systems, Sun Microsystems, VeriSign, Apple Computer, Adidas, Clif Bar, and French Connection.
Why I do what I do:
I was born into a large, bi-cultural family. As a child I was fascinated by the diversity of thought, and range of emotions and behavior I observed. After working inside corporations for many years, I noticed employees leaving their hearts and bodies at the door. The result was a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. I do what I do to support individuals, teams and organizations to connect more fully with themselves so they can live with greater fulfillment and success.
Anushka Fernandopulle, MBA is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Anushka has over 12 years of experience in coaching, consulting and facilitation work with organizations ranging from large corporations to small grassroots community groups. She has developed and delivered curriculum in leadership development programs all over the country. Her work is informed by a BA from Harvard University in Social Anthropology and Religion and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Anushka also teaches Buddhist meditation classes and retreats and tries to help people bring mindfulness to everyday life.
Why I do what I do
I enjoy gardening and seeing living things thrive under positive conditions for them. The work that I do brings this same process to the level of human beings-- what conditions does an individual need to thrive? What qualities do they need to cultivate? This is unique for each person; to me, being with someone through this discovery process is a privilege and joy.
Greg Gills is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Greg has over twenty years of leadership experience and has held executive-level positions in Sales, Marketing and Business Development. He works with business people in diverse leadership roles at early stage start-up companies to large, Fortune 10 global organizations, including Abbott, Allergan, AMD, Chevron, Cisco, CNET, Electronic Arts, Equity Residential, Facebook, GAP, Google, Intel, Metropolitan Life, Nuance, Rackable Systems, SAP, Secure Computing, SGI, Surfcontrol, Yahoo, and YouTube.
Why I do what I do
During my career I have had the opportunity to see the inner workings of hundreds of corporations. As a coach, consultant and executive, I have seen and experienced a lot of suffering—some of it organizationally generated and some of it self-generated. I do what I do because I love making a positive difference in people’s lives, helping them grow and gain increased awareness so that they can operate with greater efficiency and experience less suffering in the organizations they work in and in their lives.
Meg Levie, MA specializes in teaching mindfulness in the workplace.
Meg has practiced meditation since 1991, has been a resident practitioner at the San Francisco Zen Center since 1994, and is an ordained Zen priest. A graduate of Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, Meg studied meditation in Japan and Thailand, and is a certified Integral Coach.
Why I do what I do
After practicing Zen for over 15 years, I felt a strong call to bring the basic practices of meditation and mindfulness to a wider audience. I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds, many of whom have no experience with meditation or mindfulness practice. Whether teaching Mindfulness or working with individuals as a professional coach, I love seeing people develop self-awareness, presence, and calm in their work and in their personal lives.
Jennifer Nash is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Jennifer's background includes over 15 years working within internal and external leadership and organizational development. She has worked with companies including: Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, Salesforce.com, Verisign, Yahoo!, Charles Schwab, French Connection, Gap, Inc., Levi Strauss & Co, Polo Ralph Lauren, Williams-Sonoma, Alza, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, StatoilHydro, and UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education.
Why I Do What I Do
What I love about this work is that it requires me to continuously learn and develop in order to be able to help others do the same. One of my favorite poets, David Whyte, once said, "All that is needed to transform from awkward to graceful is to place yourself in your element - the place where you come alive." I do what I do because I love helping people to find their element so that they can fully bring who they are to what they do.
Heather Neely is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Heather’s background includes over 12 years coaching, training and developing leaders and individual contributors throughout the US, Canada and Europe. She is a known expert on generational diversity, and is the author of numerous articles and contributor to two books on work styles across the generations. Her clients include: Applied Materials, Burger King, Cargill, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Genentech, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Lucent Technologies, SanDisk, Miller Brewing Company, Ogilvy and Mather, Los Alamos National Laboratories, UC Berkeley Extension, Saint Luke’s Hospital, and the cities of Claremont, Livermore, Ventura, Santa Ana, and San Rafael in California.
Why I do what I do
I was raised in a multi-generational family, where I learned the importance of valuing different perspectives. While I engage in formal generational study and teaching in my work, my informal study and learning come alive for me every day at home, raising my son and daughter.
My passion is in connecting with people—one body, one heart, and one mind at a time. I do what I do because I love helping others connect to themselves and their own internal wisdom. As a coach, trainer, parent and friend, I am dedicated to supporting people to live WITH purpose and ON purpose.
Ruben Rodriguez is an executive coach and consultant with Appropriate Response.
Ruben has held internal consultant roles with Hewlett-Packard Company, Cisco Systems and BD Biosciences specializing in leadership development and team collaboration. He has designed and delivered corporate leadership programs throughout the US, Europe, Australia, India and Asia. Previous consulting clients include Cisco, Genentech, Google, Intel, Spansion, County of San Mateo and Southwest Airlines.
Why I do what I do
I was born in San Jose, California at a time when fruit orchards and living things still shaped silicon-valley's way of seeing the world. Over the years, a technological mindset replaced the biological, and organizations started treating people like machines—as upgradable, available 24/7, and disposable when no longer effective.
I do what I do because I love reminding people that the best things in life aren't things! I help organizations thrive by enabling their people to live and work with greater skill, compassion and effectiveness.