Jay Rhoderick
I co-founded Bizprov around a once radical idea: use the core principles of improvisational theater to ignite bravery, agility, and genuine connection in leaders and teams. These qualities are essential in today's volatile, complex, and often ambiguous business landscape. My mission is to help leaders and teams navigate complexity with confidence and authenticity. I believe, as Victor Borge said, that 'laughter is the shortest distance between two people,' and I bring that spirit to every engagement.
My professional background spans performance, theater, arts education, executive coaching, and team building. And I’ve used my broad experience to help executives all over the world balance strategic thinking with a willingness to experiment. From strengthening personal brands at Pfizer, to stoking collaboration at Visa, to creating more agile CIBC bankers in Toronto, to teaching crisis storytelling to Harvard Business School fellows, to embedding core leadership core values with engineers in Mexico and financiers in Hong Kong, I’ve helped executives think faster on their feet and tap into their emotional intelligence.
I earned my BA from Swarthmore College, spent years on stage with Second City and Yale School of Drama, and was a founding member of the groundbreaking Improv group, Burn Manhattan. I even had the wild privilege of prepping US Olympians for the media circus at the Beijing Games (they were way funnier than expected).
Partner
I'm a strategic, executive, and digital communications leader with over 15 years of excellence in creating award-winning communications and marketing programs, building and guiding cross-functional teams, and advising CEOs and Boards. With a background in journalism, film production, an MBA, and fluency in media relations, marketing, and digital strategy, I'm equally at home engaging with the press, crafting targeted social media campaigns, or binge-watching a series. My favorite thing to do, however, is to be of service and help people succeed - professionally and personally - however success is defined.
In recent roles, I crafted the communications infrastructures for an innovative EdTech startup and the first global DEI trade group for the Marketing industry, led communications strategy for some of the country's leading nonprofits, foundations, labor unions, and advocacy organizations, and piloted the Americas communications team for British Airways. I’ve also held senior positions at strategic communications agencies, including Ogilvy, MWW, and Rubenstein. Along the way, I somehow found time to produce and market two award-winning independent feature films.
I earned my MBA from Fordham University and my BA from Amherst College, and I serve on the Advisory Council of that school’s Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning. A NY native, I currently reside in Brooklyn, home to the best pizza in the world.
Partner
Chip Garner
Henry Caplan
For almost 20 years, I’ve helped professionals develop emotional intelligence, build executive presence, strengthen their leadership, manage difficult conversations, practice negotiation skills, and communicate with impact through role-play and coaching. As a co-founder of Pivotal Twist, I emphasize experiential learning and practical steps toward progress to empower high-level performers for greater achievement. With a background in Forum Theatre and Improvisation, I’ve been exclusively coaching, training, and role-playing for the past 10 years.
I’m a member of the CITI Coach’s Council for Professional Development and Leadership, which cultivates thought leaders internally and leverages intellectual capital to drive business culture for greater impact. I also have a TAI Coaching certification and am a graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, with a BFA in acting and directing. I’m very proud of my association with the not-for-profits Year-Up, The Woman’s Project, Give to Give, and Education Is Freedom.
I live in NYC with my wife, author Dr. Dana Cohen, and my dog Frida. As a child, I performed magic and still think levitation is possible.
Associate
As the founder of Powerful Communications, I design and deliver programs in Diversity and Inclusion, as well as Interpersonal Communication for audiences within a wide variety of fields and with a wide variety of goals.
I’ve led training sessions at Croton-Harmon, NY School District (BOE, faculty, staff, leadership teams), Readington, NJ School District, Woodcliff Lake, NJ School District, Cisco, Estee Lauder, Johnson & Johnson, Abercrombie & Fitch, British Petroleum, Sodexo, Novartis, DLA Piper, Skadden Arps, SECO (SouthEastern Conference of Optometry) and more. I also have extensive experience working with educators to facilitate programs on race and culture for the ADL and the New Jersey State Bar Foundation (among others).
As a Certified Diversity Professional who holds an MFA from NYU, I began my career in Human Capital Development as the Assistant to the Director of Human Resources at American Express, Tax and Business Services. I also co-founded and served as Managing Producer for five years of The Mud/Bone Collective, a theater company formed for and by artists of color whose original mission was to perform classical works by a cultural diaspora of actors.
I’m passionate about story, and I incorporate techniques from theater and storytelling to create impactful experiences to help communities create equitable spaces so everyone can feel safe to come to work. I bring the full wealth of my experiences to bear in all of my work.
Associate
Melle Powers
Alejandro Rodriguez
I’m a bilingual leadership coach and communications expert. As the founder of Alejo Communication, I’ve led engagements on five continents, across a broad range of industries including Finance, Legal, Real Estate, Media, Technology, Health Care, and Academia.
With over a decade of experience in the field, I’ve designed and delivered programs that have rolled out globally across thousands of team members for diverse clients such as Google, Netflix, Facebook, Visa, Johnson & Johnson, and many more.
The son of two Cuban immigrants, I earned my degree from The Juilliard School, where I received the Michel St. Denis Prize for Outstanding Achievement. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and now consider New York City a second home.
Associate
I’ve been performing and teaching improv for 23 years, starting in New York and for the last nine years in Los Angeles at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. I’ve also spent many years working in the corporate world, which gave me unique insights into how the skills of improvisation and role play can be used in many business environments and for business development. Over the course of the last decade, I’ve used these combined skills to teach corporate improv workshops and role play for a variety of corporations in the fields of biotech, engineering, accounting, and sales, as well as leading sessions at many MBA programs across the country. As an actor, I’ve performed all over the world, from the Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House. Most recently, I can be seen on Apple+ in “Hello Jack! The Kindness Show” as Delivery Delores.
Associate
Ashley Ward
