Our Team
The Transition Strategists team is led by founder Elizabeth Ledoux, alongside emerging leader and successor Andrea Carpenter. Elizabeth created the Transition Roadmap Developer™ (TRD) after seeing too many owners struggle with what should be one of life’s most rewarding moments—confidently passing their successful companies to successors who are ready to lead.
Together, Elizabeth and Andrea, with the support of the TTS Guides, have refined the TRD to help owners step into the Next Adventures they envisioned. As they navigate their own transition journey, they bring real-world experience to helping both owners and successors move forward while keeping the relationships that matter most intact.
Elizabeth Ledoux
Founder/CEO & Head Strategist
Elizabeth is a petroleum engineer by training and an entrepreneur, author, and speaker by experience. She has founded several companies and has been recognized by The Harvard Business School for her work linking the growth and development of the entrepreneur to company success.
Elizabeth founded what is now The Transition Strategists more than twenty years ago to create smooth and effective succession strategies for private and family businesses. Her tools, methods, and values-based approach deliver win-win results for businesses going through transitions, whether it be succession, growth, or sale. She is a thought leader who, for 30-plus years, has worked with companies and leaders in both the US and abroad to resolve issues and maximize opportunities related to transition planning.
Elizabeth believes in guiding individuals to do what they love. Her passion is to help both companies and individuals clearly identify and reach their destinations without sacrificing personal fulfillment or relationships.
Elizabeth is the co-author of the award-winning It’s A Journey: The MUST-HAVE Roadmap to Successful Succession Planning, as well as Accelerate Your Entrepreneurial Flight and Understanding the Growth Mindset of the Entrepreneur. She frequently speaks to organizations and business owners about challenges and opportunities in private and family business transitions, business and individual growth, and the business succession journey.
She serves as Chair for TIGER 21 in Denver, Colorado and was Chair for 14 years of the Women Presidents’ Organization Denver chapter.
Andrea Carpenter
President
As President of The Transition Strategists, Andrea Carpenter specializes in guiding multi-generational families through complex business succession planning. Her unique perspective as both a successor in her own family business and an advisor to transitioning families provides invaluable insights into the challenges faced by both generations.
Andrea excels at creating psychologically safe environments where families can navigate the delicate balance between preserving legacy and embracing innovation. As a certified XChange facilitator, she combines human-centered design principles with proven facilitation techniques to help clients transform business transitions into opportunities for deeper family connection.
Marcy McNeal
Strategist & Transition Guide
Marcy thrives on inspiring individuals to achieve life changing breakthroughs. She is a seasoned, engaging trainer, facilitator, and coach with 24 years of experience in leading workshops and multi-day training courses, both in-person and virtually.
After leading two non-profit organizations for a decade, Marcy leveraged her experience to help more than 350 non-profits raise over $400MM by establishing and maximizing sustainable funding, enhancing organizational development, and cultivating healthy cultures. She is passionate about helping businesses transition successfully because she recognizes the critical role they play in keeping their communities healthy.
Marcy received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing from Colorado State University. She is a certified social and emotional intelligence coach through the Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence, with additional training and experience in psychological safety, team effectiveness, communication, and leadership development. Marcy considers herself a Colorado native, though she currently works with clients from her home in Florida.
Cody Teets
Strategist and Transition Guide
Cody is a practical, visionary thinker and resourceful guide to business owners and successors who value a creative partner as they craft their unique business and personal transitions. She brings 25-plus years of experience to each engagement in positioning key stakeholders to succeed in family-business transitions and designing executive succession strategies.
In her prior careers as an executive of a Fortune 150 company, university professor, and interim president, Cody orchestrated organization-wide turnaround plans and mentored individuals into corporate office and director-level positions. She has also worked one-on-one with young people to develop the intellectual and emotional proficiencies necessary to become successful leaders.
Cody is an author and board member of both for-profit and non-profit organizations. She is an expert in designing business governance systems and developing strategic plans that add value and promote financial and talent growth. In addition to an MBA degree, she holds certificates in brand mastery and communications leadership. As a Strategist and Transition Guide, Cody leverages time-tested methods and experience-driven insights to guide owners and successors in maintaining strong family bonds and ensuring long-term business success.
Jimmy Taylor
Strategist & Transition Guide
Jimmy is a long-time entrepreneur, speaker, consultant, and executive coach. He has led several start-ups resulting in two successful exits and one colossal failure (the best teacher of all!).
Currently he serves as Executive Director of Dallas Human Resource Management Association, a non-profit organization who trains and equips human resource professionals. He also provides executive coaching and family business transition consulting with the team at The Transition Strategists.
Previously he was a founding partner of Novotus, a Texas based Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider named the number one mid-market RPO by HRO Today. He also serves on various boards and is the past State Director for Texas SHRM.
Jimmy uses his experience in both talent management and business ownership to help owners and company leaders understand and grow their companies. His passion is helping leaders and the teams they serve reach their potential!
Tara Lutman
Strategist & Transition Guide
Tara is driven by the conviction that flourishing businesses foster flourishing communities. She ignites business and community leaders to create awe-inspiring long-term visions that motivate organizations and teams to exceed expectations.
With 20+ years of global experience helping leaders navigate uncertainty and change, Tara brings a unique lens to family business transitions: strategic foresight combined with deep coaching expertise.
She’s trained in strategic foresight, which she combines with emerging technology signals and drivers as a lens for leaders and teams to look far ahead and prepare for the opportunities and risks of an uncertain future. Whether you’re figuring out leadership succession or navigating the complexities of generational change, Tara’s combination of global perspective and skilled facilitation helps families move from stuck to aligned about what’s next.
Ellen Robinson
Strategist & Transition Guide
Ellen helps leaders lead and live in a way that is both effective and deeply satisfying. As founder of the Robinson Coaching Group, launched in 2012, she has coached senior executives, emerging leaders, and teams through change, leadership development, and organizational growth.
She built her practice on a proven track record in both Fortune 100 and entrepreneurial companies, serving as brand manager at Frito-Lay, general manager at Pepsi Cola, and president of Ascent Sports (Colorado Avalanche/Denver Nuggets), where she earned a Stanley Cup ring. She also founded EventConnex, a technology start-up, giving her firsthand experience on both sides of the owner’s desk.
A Wharton graduate and certified Integral Coach through New Ventures West, Ellen has served on boards including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Mile High United Way, and First Western Financial.
Ellen brings this blend of executive experience and coaching depth to guiding owners and successors through transitions that strengthen both the business and the relationships behind them.
Matt Smith
Strategist & Transition Guide
Matt has spent more than 30 years developing people and building high-performing teams, with leadership experience spanning retail management, sales, coaching, and organizational development. As a corporate sales trainer, he designed a comprehensive training program that gave professionals the skills and confidence to deliver consistent results.
A lifelong coach and mentor, Matt brings more than 20 years of competitive swim coaching experience, founded a swim and water polo program from the ground up, and served as a Club Development Manager partnering with coaches to strengthen programs and develop talent.
A husband of 26 years, father of two, three-time Ironman finisher, and avid backpacker, Matt is drawn to challenges that reward preparation and perseverance.
He brings this servant-hearted approach and practical wisdom to guiding owners and successors through transitions, helping them move forward with clarity and confidence.
Kayla Kernick
Strategist & Transition Guide
As a business owner, senior-level executive, consultant, certified coach, facilitator, and now transition guide, Kayla is passionate about developing teams and driving positive change. She’s proven her ability to help individuals and organizations increase productivity, overcome challenges, and achieve sustainable growth.
Kayla has an extensive background in marketing, customer experience, and business and brand development in a wide variety of industries. In addition to her professional experience, Kayla draws upon both her academic and DiSC® training to identify the root of financial and interpersonal problems and craft innovative strategic plans to resolve them.
She holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Royal Roads University and a specialized Certificate in International Business and Innovation from Grenoble Ecole de Management.
Micah Vaughan
Head of Strategic Growth
Micah left corporate America in 2014 to join The Transition Strategists, where she helps business owners and their families identify the obstacles that limit their growth—and then acts as a dynamic force to support and encourage them forward.
Over the years, Micah has helped countless families navigate the path ahead, including the honest question of whether engaging an outside perspective will truly be of service to them or not. Sometimes that means guiding them towards a full transition; sometimes it simply means being a great sounding board for a good conversation. Either way, she meets people where they are.
Micah graduated with a BAS in psychology from Dallas Baptist University—a foundation that shapes the way she listens, connects, and helps people see what’s really holding them back. A proud Texan, she treasures quality time with family and friends and lives out her personal mission to have a positive impact on everyone she meets. When she’s not working, you’ll find her adventuring with her husband or taking her grandkids to their favorite family spot on the river in the Texas Hill Country.
The Rest of Our Team
The Transition Strategist maintains a roster of talented individuals that it draws upon to customize its services to each project. Their high-caliber skills and deep subject-matter experience enable our team to develop and execute strategies that are tailored to each client’s unique needs, situation, and business landscape.