Argos Behavior Change’s Principal Consultant: Mara Velez
Mara is the principal learning and organizational change consultant at Argos Behavior Change. She has more than 20 years of experience in developing high-quality learning and organizational change interventions. Her area of expertise is in developing training on the complexity of managed markets, reimbursement for specialty pharmaceuticals, and compliance for managed care account managers and field sales teams. Mara has also developed learning interventions in other industries including banking, construction, telecom, not-for-profit, and higher education for learners at all levels, from entry-level positions to knowledgeable leaders and managers.
What can I expect from working with Argos Behavior Change?
Mara combines a strategic organizational change approach with structured learning design. You can expect that Mara will:
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Assess training needs using qualitative and quantitative methods and determine appropriate interventions and goodness of fit with ABC's core competencies
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Engage in thought partnership around organizational change elements including adaptive communication and training to different levels or groups
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Design and develop interactive training programs that engage learners across multiple levels
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Deliver training content directly or coach others to deliver
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Implement pull-through strategies and sustainable change plans
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Evaluate the effectiveness of training interventions
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Manage the timely delivery of learning interventions
What is the capacity for large, complex projects?
ABC is able to manage large complex projects. The principal is connected to a vast network and regularly partners with other consultancies for high-quality, on-time, and results-focused deliverables. If the project necessitates additional resources, then Mara will incorporate other consultants with appropriate expertise to ensure project quality and timely completion. Because of the highly customized nature of the work, ABC takes on a limited number of projects per year so that each project has the attention that it deserves.
What are the Principal Consultant’s credentials?
In addition to more than 20 years of experience in developing, designing, and implementing high-quality learning interventions, Mara possesses a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology and bachelor's degree in psychology. In addition to completing all doctoral-level course work in international and multicultural education, Mara has 17 years in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry and deep expertise in managed care and reimbursement.
Why is there a dog in Argos Behavior Change’s logo?
When not working on a training initiative, Mara hones her knowledge of behavior change principles by publishing articles, teaching workshops, attending animal behavior seminars, and reading related literature. Mara uses the behavioral science principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for effective behavior change in animals, which also applies to human learners.
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Mara is a certified professional dog trainer and is the co-founder and executive director of two non-profits: The Shelter Playgroup Alliance which provides education on, and guidelines for, enrichment programs and shelter dog playgroups; and Humane Dog Training Advocates which provides owner education and a surrender prevention program.
Her passion for dog training and behavior started with her own rescues, one of whom was semi-feral and the other developed human-directed aggression. Mara has spent more than a decade in sheltering at both open-admission and limited-admission facilities. She completed Trish King’s Canine Behavior Academy (CBA), levels I & II; Dr. Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals (LLA); The Karen Pryor Academy Professional Animal Training program (KPA); and more than 2,500 hours of animal-related continuing education.
For fun, Mara trains not just dogs, but also other species. Mara has worked with cats, rabbits, wolves, foxes, guinea pigs, coyotes, buffalo, donkeys, goats, alpacas, chickens, parrots, corvids, budgies, and a fish.
