Our Staff
Stacy Flaherty, President and CEO
Stacy is in charge of anything and everything here at NVW, from scheduling courses and hiring staff to developing NVW’s presence in new geographical areas. Having steered the company for over twenty years, she loves the surprises and challenges that come with owning her own business. And she loves the chance to travel to new places as New Ventures West grows around the world.
Amber Crawford-Idell, Registrar
Maya Hiersoux, Graduate Development
(on maternity leave)
Upon being certified as an Integral Coach in 2010, Maya knew this was her life’s work. So it's no surprise that she moved into the grad director role seamlessly, making it her mission to build a healthy and vibrant community for our graduates. She makes sure that our certified coaches stay current and that graduate programs are full and robust. On weekends, Maya can be found playing in Lake Tahoe’s great outdoors, spending time with friends and family.
Christy Svanemyr, Undergraduate Development
Peggy Costello, Assistant Director of Enrollment
Peggy graduated from the Professional Coaching Course in 2011. She loves hiking, and just this year had an encounter with a black bear in New England and fell off a 20-foot cliff in Big Sur. (Don't worry, we're keeping close watch on her now.) Peggy's a mom of three kids, two in college and one in middle school. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband Peter and their youngest son. She's a dedicated volunteer for several organizations, an avid student of the Diamond Approach and the Enneagram, and is devoted to ongoing self-development.
Vegar Svanemyr, Director of Communications 
Michael Cabanlit, Production Supervisor
Michael is the events wizard here at the office, booking all our events worldwide while keeping things running smoothly at our two facilities in San Francisco. He's adept at working across multiple time zones, setting up events and/or tracking lost packages, be it in Cape Town, London or Singapore. He's also an avid musical theater actor and occasionally takes on starring roles in his "spare" time!
Clancy Cox, Administrative Assistant
Clancy is the the administrative virtuoso who keeps our busy work flow flowin' and whose lovely voice greets you when you call the office. And if you think it's lovely on the phone, you should hear her sing! She's a classically trained soprano who performs often at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She currently lives in Marin County and is originally from Virginia, where her family owns a bakery that specializes in pies (mmm).
Joy Mazzola, Communications Assistant
Stacy Flaherty, President and CEOStacy is in charge of anything and everything here at NVW, from scheduling courses and hiring staff to developing NVW’s presence in new geographical areas. Having steered the company for over twenty years, she loves the surprises and challenges that come with owning her own business. And she loves the chance to travel to new places as New Ventures West grows around the world.
Amber Crawford-Idell, RegistrarOur registrar Amber takes care of all our incoming and current students' needs with kindness and alacrity. She fosters calm and order in the office with her easygoing nature and clever humor. Amber loves writing, cooking, and hiking in Marin County where she lives with her husband David and giant beagle/part mule Tuesday.
Maya Hiersoux, Graduate Development(on maternity leave)
Upon being certified as an Integral Coach in 2010, Maya knew this was her life’s work. So it's no surprise that she moved into the grad director role seamlessly, making it her mission to build a healthy and vibrant community for our graduates. She makes sure that our certified coaches stay current and that graduate programs are full and robust. On weekends, Maya can be found playing in Lake Tahoe’s great outdoors, spending time with friends and family.
Christy Svanemyr, Undergraduate DevelopmentChristy attended the Professional Coaching Course back in 2003, fell madly in love with the work, and decided to make it her life. Ordained as a monk under Zen Master Genpo Roshi, she recently moved with her husband from Salt Lake City to San Francisco and just gave birth to her first child: daughter Isa. She's also on the NVW faculty, teaching Coaching to Excellence and collaboraring as part of the Professional Coaching Course faculty.
Peggy Costello, Assistant Director of EnrollmentPeggy graduated from the Professional Coaching Course in 2011. She loves hiking, and just this year had an encounter with a black bear in New England and fell off a 20-foot cliff in Big Sur. (Don't worry, we're keeping close watch on her now.) Peggy's a mom of three kids, two in college and one in middle school. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband Peter and their youngest son. She's a dedicated volunteer for several organizations, an avid student of the Diamond Approach and the Enneagram, and is devoted to ongoing self-development.
Vegar Svanemyr, Director of CommunicationsVegar comes to us from Norway via Salt Lake City. His varied experience includes building roofs and websites, hitchhiking around Europe, losing his passport in Bangkok, working with young children, creating print ads, and producing live, large-scale audio/video events. The last few years he's been studying zen in Salt Lake City with his wife Christy (yes, our Christy) and hanging out with their dog Ponyo. He's just moved to San Francisco and has also just become a dad - lots of change in the last few months!
Michael Cabanlit, Production SupervisorMichael is the events wizard here at the office, booking all our events worldwide while keeping things running smoothly at our two facilities in San Francisco. He's adept at working across multiple time zones, setting up events and/or tracking lost packages, be it in Cape Town, London or Singapore. He's also an avid musical theater actor and occasionally takes on starring roles in his "spare" time!
Clancy Cox, Administrative AssistantClancy is the the administrative virtuoso who keeps our busy work flow flowin' and whose lovely voice greets you when you call the office. And if you think it's lovely on the phone, you should hear her sing! She's a classically trained soprano who performs often at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She currently lives in Marin County and is originally from Virginia, where her family owns a bakery that specializes in pies (mmm).
Joy Mazzola, Communications AssistantJoy graduated from the Professional Coaching Course in 2010, after which she found it hard to stay away. She crept back in as a pod mentor for the PCC, moved to filling in as classroom hostess, and now supports the staff with her extensive writing background and graphic design skills. Originally from Boston, she now lives in Berkeley, has her own coaching and freelance writing/design practices.
What our grads are saying:
"I was looking for a program to sharpen my executive coaching skills. I did an extensive search, and New Ventures West came up consistently as the recommended training program. I developed skills that helped me show up differently and make a bigger contribution to my work and the world. Since I completed the program my organization's influence and impact have doubled."
Emily Duncan, Former Vice President
Employee Engagement and Diversity, Hewlett-Packard
Emily Duncan, Former Vice President
Employee Engagement and Diversity, Hewlett-Packard
