Meet the Team
Carol Williams
Founder & CEO
Carol Williams
Carol Williams is a Strategy and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Consultant with 20+ years of experience managing risk. Her firm, Strategic Decision Solutions, was founded to help companies design flexible—but optimal—strategies and processes to make risk-informed decisions. Carol specializes in identifying strategic and operational opportunities for improvement and offers expert consulting which enable clients to achieve their corporate initiatives and strategy. See here for more details.
Lita Cuen
Consultant
Lita Cuen
With more than more than 20 years of Risk Management experience, Lita is a respected and accomplished entrepreneurial executive. Focusing on providing high value ERM services that produce measurable and sustainable results, Lita has a solid history working with a diverse industry of clients to achieve their strategic goals, protect their intellectual spirit, and deliver optimal shareholder value while meeting relevant regulatory compliance objectives.
Lita received her B.S. in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland and is currently in the process of completing her certification from the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Fellowship Program. Utilizing these skill sets she has designed and implemented vital risk management programs for her clients, focusing on technology, performance metrics, and tools to help mitigate issues.
Located in Florida, Lita has been serving the outstanding clients of Strategic Decision Solutions for the last three years. In her spare time, she enjoys sailing and learning how to salsa dance.
Jim Mitchell
Consultant
Jim Mitchel
Jim Mitchell is an experienced finance officer with extensive property and casualty
insurance experience. He has deep knowledge of statutory systems and processes and is
a thought leader in Insurance Value-Based Modeling and IT strategy and implementation.
Mr. Mitchell has held senior executive leadership roles and consulted with well-known
companies, such as Blackstone Group, Infosys, and Zurich/Centre Re. He served as the
Finance and Pricing Officer at USF&G. Mr. Mitchell’s roles in the technology field range
from online strategy development, leading geocoding infrastructure design, and
managing consultant for major software companies focused on serving the insurance
industry.
He is a former member of the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter Exam
Committee for The Institutes and is a past board member for the Certified Insurance
Counselor program with The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.
Mr. Mitchell received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Georgia and his
master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. He
holds the following designations: Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU),
Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and CDC Project Manager.
Ron Jordan
Consultant
Ron Jordan
Ronald A. Jordan is a tenured executive and financial professional that brings more than 25 years’ experience in accounting and advisory work as a consultant of SDS.
Prior to joining SDS, Ron served as the Chief Financial officer of FedNat Insurance Group for 5 years. Mr. Jordan’s previous work experience also recently includes his role as Chief Accounting Officer of Hatteras Financial Corp., a mortgage real estate investment trust based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, from 2013 to 2016.
Prior to that position, Mr. Jordan held various positions at Lincoln Financial Group from 2003 to 2012, including Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Strategic Initiatives, from 2011 to 2012, Vice President and General Auditor from 2006 to 2011, and Vice President and Controller from 2003 to 2006. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Jordan held positions in financial reporting and accounting at Jefferson Pilot Corporation, CNA Insurance, and Bankers Life & Casualty.
Mr. Jordan began his career at Arthur Andersen, LLP from 1989 to 1996, departing as an experienced Audit Manager. Mr. Jordan is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor (inactive), and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting, with high distinction, from the University of Michigan.
Cindy Mao
Consultant
Cindy Mao
Cindy Mao provides over 20 years of experience as a seasoned Internal Audit & Enterprise/Operational Risk Management professional. In her career, she has developed key strengths in ERM, Internal Audit, SOX, Internal Control, Process Improvement, Cost Recovery, Fraud Examination, Whistle-blower Reporting, and Training. Over the course of her dedicated work, she has thrived in many industries such as Consulting, Financial, Not-For-Profit, Governmental, Public Accounting, Utility, Mining, Manufacturing, Construction, and Retail.
Cindy earned a Bachelor of Science (Accounting) and a Master of Organizational Leadership. In the meantime, she is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certified by the Illinois CPA Society, and a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) from The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Cindy is an extremely seasoned traveler, and her work has brought her to countries such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, India, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, etc. Resides in Canada, Cindy’s experience is an integral part of our consulting team.
Ken Baker
Consultant
Ken Baker
including 14 years in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). He began his career as an international accounting trainee, returning to Canada to pursue a career in operations accounting. He has worked in the manufacturing, forestry, entertainment, banking, and municipal government industries, ultimately reaching the level of Controller at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA, now Alberta Municipalities).
As AUMA Controller, Ken started to gain experience in ERM and moved full-time into that field with the City of Edmonton, designing the City’s ERM program and leading it for seven years. During his time with the City of Edmonton, Ken honed his ERM skills and became known as a leader in the field. As a consultant, Ken has been engaged by small businesses, small and large not-for-profits, and government agencies.
Ken has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta School of Business and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. Over and above his work experience and education, Ken has advised on ERM for municipalities across Canada and the United States. He has served on the Finance Committee of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) in New York. Ken currently serves as Treasurer of RIMS’ Northern Alberta chapter (NARIMS) and was Finance Chair of the 2019 RIMS Canada Conference.
Ken built from scratch an ERM program for the City of Edmonton that has made it a leader among Canadian cities. Ken has advised large and small communities across North America on setting up an ERM program. He contributed to a textbook on the subject, has presented extensively on ERM at numerous industry functions, and is an active social media contributor on the subject. He is also on the faculty of RIMS.
Ken lives in Edmonton with his wife of over 20 years, Cathy, and their three children.
Janet Yienger
HR & Talent Acquisition
Janet Yienger
Janet Yienger has worked over 25 years as an insurance business leader, advisor, and change agent. Her accomplishments are spread over multiple specialties, including human resources and talent, corporate administration, regulatory compliance and enterprise risk, underwriting, customer service, and operations. She successfully executed start-ups, M&A, and state and product rollouts within regional, national, and international firms. Ms. Yienger has proven herself within public, private, and residual market environments.
Janet’s experience includes commercial and personal lines carriers covering the northeast, west and southeast coasts of Florida plus Texas. She provided department leadership and managed personal lines and commercial lines for the post-Hurricane Andrew expansion of the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association (FWUA, now Citizens Property Insurance Corporation).
She is actively involved in current-in-tech solutions and services and is a creative, relationship-driven recruiter to identify, assess, and onboard skilled team members for SDS. Her personality brings enthusiasm and action, combined with good analytics and common sense.
Janet received her bachelor’s degree in education from Towson University. She holds the following designations: RIMS-CRMP (Certified Risk Management Professional), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).
Nathan Williams
Marketing
Nathan Williams
Nathan brings a unique blend of management and marketing experience to an array of behind-the-scenes tasks that are critical to establishing the Strategic Decision Solutions brand and ensuring the firm is able to exceed client expectations.
Before joining Strategic Decision Solutions upon its founding in 2016, Nathan’s copywriting portfolio covered a diverse selection of firms, including ones in the legal industry, precious metals, medical cannabis, and more. He is proud to be able to bring this experience to bear in helping Carol build thought leadership and her professional network.
In his free time, Nathan enjoys an array of activities, including walking his two dogs, working out, vegetable gardening, and spending time with his wife and son.
Ashley Jones
Portfolio Manager
Ashey Jones
Ashley L. Jones provides expertise in the disciplines of Enterprise Risk Management and Project Management. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from FSU in Risk Management and Insurance, she worked in the property and casualty sector for years, including a stint on the regulatory side. She put the theory of ERM into practice when she became a Senior Risk Analyst for a $7+ billion P&C insurer. Now Ashley helps people around the world use risk management to reach their goals.
Ashley’s specialty areas include:
• Risk identification, assessment, and reporting
• Project management
• Writing
• Administration
Emily Bronaugh
Engagement Manager
Emily Bronaugh
Emily Bronaugh is a vital member of the Strategic Decision Solutions operations team, working as a Client Engagement Manager and process improvement specialist. Graduating with her undergraduate and partial post-graduate degree from the University of Texas Austin in Business Management, Emily is an outcome focused and customer-centric individual.
Emily is extremely talented at articulating procedures and building tools to better streamline the business. In her efforts, Emily focuses on creating better resources in order to impact team performance. Emily is highly skilled at enabling virtual teams by providing clear technical support and communication.
Originally from Texas, Emily most recently moved to California (her dream!) with her husband, an active-duty U.S. Air Force officer, and their son. Together they love learning new cultures and soaking in all the amazing things to do in their new home state.
Darlene Moragne -Sheaff
Office Manager
Darlene Morgan -Shaffer
Darlene is a dynamic, accomplished executive assistant with over 15+ years of experience in providing comprehensive support for daily operations, large-scale event planning, and strategic initiatives. In previous roles, she has thrived in areas of project management – acting as a motivational leader to meet target milestones and surpass performance goals. Darlene’s skillset helps Strategic Decisions Solutions thrive through collaborative management and streamlined process implementation. In her personal time, Darlene loves spending time with her five boys and volunteering her time with her local church.
