Meet the Team
Behind our methodology are people who genuinely love this work —
and the people we do it with.
Inflection Point Leadership was founded by Kristy Braden and Brad Smith in 2019, on a conviction that still shapes every engagement: organizations move through change only as fast as their people can absorb it — and leaders can be equipped to lead that human movement well.
Every one of us has led from inside organizations before partnering with them from the outside. We bring advanced degrees, deep functional experience, and certifications across organization development, leadership, and transition — and we’ve sat in the chair our clients sit in. What you’ll notice first, though, is how much we enjoy the work itself, and each other.
Our Team
Brad Smith
Co-Founder/Principal
Brings rigor and joy to organizations navigating high-stakes change.
I make work more fun by treating every meeting and project as an experience that should include some genuine joy — not just a deliverable. Getting to know clients personally lightens the mood when the work gets hard, so we can take the work seriously and partner toward a common outcome without taking ourselves too seriously.
Kristy Braden
Co-Founder/Principal
Educator at heart; two decades turning learning into measurable leadership growth.
My first passion was education — I discovered it “playing school” with my younger brother, trying to teach him to read. After teaching high school and then adult GED classes, I realized I love working with adult learners most of all. I’m now in my dream job: harnessing the power of education to help clients grow and thrive.
Libby Cervantes
Business Manager
Makes working with IPL effortless — your go-to for contracting, invoicing, and every detail in between.
A sense of balance and accomplishment bring the most joy to my day. Knowing that I succeeded in completing all my necessary tasks for the day and was able to have some fun while doing it brings me great satisfaction! I also love being able to enjoy a few simple quiet moments during the day, taking a walk outside in the sunshine.
Alissa Jamison
Affiliate Senior Consultant
Punctuating work with laughter is, for me, what makes work fun. I think working is infinitely more interesting when you get to learn about more than just the work – creating personal connections to clients and finding reasons to laugh is what makes it fun.
Anjali Burton
Affiliate Senior Consultant
In many ways, I think finding your passion is a lifelong pursuit. I found my passion for helping others through applied psychology through years of practice, research, trial and error, and learning from people I’ve been very lucky to have met.
Kevin Adler
Affiliate Senior Consultant
My passion is helping people connect to the best version of themselves so they can show up as the best version of themselves at work, at home and in their community. Being in nature, and specifically the mountains, fuels me, as does being with fellow heart-centered, growth-minded people.
Norio Suzuki
Affiliate Senior Consultant
As a coach / consultant / educator, I deeply enjoy supporting my client in rejuvenating the passion for continuing exploration and experimentation to realize the greater possibilities that they have within themselves.
Russ Krochock
Affiliate Senior Consultant
The part of my job that I love the most is helping people learn and grow. I’ve made it my goal to continue to hone my learning and development craft and to help people on their development journey. My passion is renewed every time someone tells me that I helped them.
Join Us
We partner with exceptional affiliates who share our approach. If you bring deep expertise in any of the following, we’d love to hear from you:
- Leadership development program design and facilitation
- Instructional design, virtual facilitation, and digital learning
- Global talent strategy, succession, onboarding, and engagement
Tell us about your work — and, in keeping with our team, a bit about how you found your passion for it. Reach us at shift@inflectionpointleadership.com.
