GS Consultants has been providing Strong Interest Inventory® and MBTI® instruction, training, and program development consulting since 1978. We are committed to the promotion of the ethical use of career assessments. Our instructors & trainers are organizational consultants, National Certified Career Counselors, psychologists, and educators, with extensive experience in using and teaching the Strong Interest Inventory® and MBTI® assessments.
Stephen Santore, MBTI MP
Stephen Santore, our Lead Instructor here at GS Consultants, is currently president and founder of EXCELPATH, focusing on the career choice and change options of clients from high school age to seasoned professionals, using primarily the MBTI®, the MMTIC®, the Strong Interest Inventory® and the Kerwin Values Survey®. Stephen began his practice of career choice and change during his over ten years serving as the managing partner of a regional executive search firm in southern California. His work with thousands of professionals, from senior executives to junior candidates, led to a deep understanding of the critical need for a satisfying career path. He is certified to use the MBTI®, the MMTIC®, and the Strong Interest Inventory® assessments. Stephen holds the MBTI® Master Practitioner credential. He provides workshops and presents topics of psychological type, work interests and career choice and change to organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of San Diego, BAAPT, SANDAPT, The Boys and Girls Club, Beginning Experience, and Grossmont College. Stephen is past president and currently serves on the board of the San Diego Chapter of the Association for Psychological Type.
Stephen was graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration, including significant course work in industrial and product design. He has executed illustration work for BBDO, NWAyer and Chiat/Day, has designed products for Disney, Lenox, and Waterford, is an award winning artist and photographer, and continues to rejuvenate his mind and soul as an avid painter and photographer.
Kelsey Ploeger, M.S.Ed.
As a college student, Kelsey never met a major she didn’t like. After ample academic experimentation and exploration, Kelsey decided to pursue a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration degree at the University of Kansas, so she could continue to work with college students, like herself, looking for career guidance. Before joining the team at GS Consultants, Kelsey held a variety of student affairs positions in housing, admissions, and career services. Most recently, she served as the Assistant Dean of Admissions at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.
Kelsey creatively uses career assessments to open up possibilities for and build confidence in clients and trainees of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. She is certified in the MBTI® and Strong Interest Inventory® assessments and has used both tools to lead University courses, large-group trainings, and community summer camp sessions. Kelsey also completed Gallup’s StrengthsQuest Educator Training. A Minnesota native, Kelsey is now based in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, where she enjoys exploring local haunts, practicing yoga, and trying her hand at new recipes.
Cheryl Hollatz-Wisely, M.Ed., MBTI MP
Cheryl has been steeped in career and personality assessments and career development for over 20 years. From her first position as an assessment specialist to her current work as a career practitioner and GS Consultants MBTI®/Strong Interest Inventory® trainer and consultant, her love of assessments has never flagged. She has experience as a trainer, practitioner, and administrator in business, industry, and college and university settings. She holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a focus on career development and assessment. Prior to becoming lead trainer for GS Consultants, she was counseling faculty at the Portland State University Career Center and adjunct faculty at Clackamas Community College.
Cheryl’s areas of Strong and MBTI® expertise are career development, personal growth and decision making, work values, teaching and workshop delivery, and diversity training. She has interests in the use of the Strong and MBTI® instruments in the areas of personal development and student success, and frequently overlays the discussion of learning style and multiple intelligence in the training and work that she does. A transplant from the Midwest, Cheryl is firmly nested in the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her partner. Cheryl enjoys gardening, running, reading fiction, and her pups.
Our Staff
Lawrence “Pete” Cohen, MBA
Pete directs operations for GS Consultants. As a young adult, Pete was fortunate to receive career counseling from an expert in her field who utilized the Strong® and MBTI® assessments. He credits this guidance with influencing decisions that led to successful experiences in higher education and a long and satisfying career in law enforcement. Prior to directing operations for GS Consultants, Pete spent twenty-seven years providing Peace Keeping services for the citizens of San Diego. He spent twenty-one years supervising patrol officers and directing patrol activities for the San Diego Police Department. He ended every pre-shift briefing with, “Be Safe, Be Professional, Enjoy Yourself, and at All Times… Do The Right Thing!” This is the last thing his officers heard before they left the building to protect and serve. Pete’s formal education concluded at Webster University completing both a BA in Management and his Master of Business Administration. He is a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) and the Strong Interest Inventory® (SII®) assessments. He completed his certification training in 2005 receiving his training from Judith Grutter, MS, and Jean M. Kummerow, Ph.D. Pete is also an authorized trainer for Gordon Training International’s Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.) course receiving his training from L.E.T. Master Trainer Bill Stinnett, Ph.D.
Pete believes that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. Would it not be great if all people could find a course of education and employment they are passionate about and enjoy. To that end, GS Consultants offers career development professionals the tools they need to assist clients with finding a good fit for degree programs, vocational programs, employment, and subsequently a lifetime of personal and professional satisfaction.
Noreen Sandino, MBTI MP
Noreen is our Client Services Coordinator and handles everything related to technology and program inquiries. She is Strong and MBTI® certified, holds the MBTI® Master Practitioner credential, and brings extensive experience with the education market to GS Consultants. She has previously worked for CPP (now The Myers-Briggs Company) and Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Our Founder, Judith Grutter, M.S., NCC, MCC
Judith Grutter, GS Principal and trainer, was a career development program consultant and trainer for over 40 years. A National Certified Counselor and NCDA Master Career Counselor, she developed and for several years coordinated the graduate programs in career counseling at California State University, Northridge. She was on CSUN’s adjunct faculty, as well as the MBTI® certification training faculties of the American Management Association and The Myers-Briggs Company.
Ms. Grutter consulted regularly with business, industry, education, and government on programs and issues related to career selection, satisfaction, and transition. She was a recognized authority on the uses of assessment in career counseling, and was co-author of the Strong Interest Inventory® Interpretive Report, the Strong and MBTI® Career Report, Where do I go Next? Using Your Strong Interest Inventory® Results to Manage Your Career, and Making it in Today’s Organizations Using the Strong and MBTI® Tools. Her latest publication was Career Exploration for College Students Using the Strong and MBTI® Tools.
A past president of the California Career Development Association, Ms. Grutter was a recipient of the National Career Development Association’s Award for Excellence in Career Development, the California Career Development Association’s first Judith Grutter Practitioner of the Year Award, and the 2004 Lifetime Achievement in Career Development Award.
Judi was the author of the GS MBTI® Certification Program for Career Counselors and Educators and co-author of the GS Strong Interest Inventory® Certification Program. She passed away in late 2014 and leaves behind a legacy of training and counseling that will be remembered for generations to come.