The Wilson Group

Our Biographies

Thomas B. Wilson, President

Tom has over 25 years of in-depth experience in consulting and management. He is an international authority in the field of total reward systems, and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on trends, best practices and how to build high performance organizations. He has written over 30 chapters and articles for leading publications, has been quoted in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, the Financial Times and is the author of four books including the highly successful: Innovative Reward Systems for the Changing Workplace (McGraw Hill, second edition, 2003) and Rewards That Drive High Performance: Success Stories From Leading Organizations (AMACOM, 1999); both have recently been translated into Chinese.

Prior to forming the Wilson Group, he was the Vice President and National Director of Reward Systems for Aubrey Daniels & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in utilizing behavioral sciences to improve productivity. Tom was Vice President (Partner) and General Manager of the New England Region for the Hay Group. He was the Director of Organizational Consulting Services for the Forum Corporation and Manager of Management Development for Bankers Trust Company in New York. He earned his master’s degree in management from Vanderbilt Owen School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University. Tom is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) through WorldatWork.

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Susan Malanowski, Principal

Susan has over 20 years in consulting and leadership positions in compensation and human resources. Susan advises boards of directors, executives and leaders in sales, human resources and compensation functions on the strategic application of total reward programs. Since being associated with the Wilson Group in 1998, Susan has worked with a broad range of public, private and non-profit clients in technology, industrial, and service sectors. She works closely with clients to assess, design and implement total compensation programs on a global basis. Susan is a well recognized expert in sales compensation programs.

Prior to consulting, Susan worked in leadership positions at General Cinema Theatres, Aetna Inc., Barclays Business Credit and Community Newspaper Company. She has published the special report Board of Director Remuneration in New England Banks and co-authored several publications with Tom Wilson. Susan earned her master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in human resources from Ithaca College. Susan is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) through WorldatWork.

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Rhonda Farrington, Senior Consultant

Rhonda has over 17 years of human resources experience in both consulting and human resource management roles in small and medium-sized organizations. She has extensive expertise in benefit plan design and total rewards programs to ensure a contribution to business value. She has a strong background in market analysis, job evaluation and the development of performance management programs that focus on driving organizational success. Her background also includes experience in the area of policy and procedure development, handling company restructuring/reorganization, as well as training program design and implementation. She has helped transition workforces in acquisitions and has practical experience working in privately held family owned businesses. She earned her master’s degree in organizational development from Springfield College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. She is a former president of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and member of NEHRA, SHRM, and WorldatWork.

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Jo-Dee Gentile, Senior Consultant

Jo-Dee has over 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of integrated compensation strategies including the assessment and development of executive total compensation plans, sales and management incentive plans, equity-based pay programs and market/competency based salary systems. Jo-Dee is highly experienced in developing competency models used in performance management, selection, workforce planning and compensation programs. She also has extensive experience in the development and communication of employee benefit programs and implementation of HRM Systems.

Jo-Dee is a specialist in the biopharmaceutical industry having worked with companies across the full range of sizes and product stages such as Genzyme, Biogen Idec, Antigenics, Hypnion, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. She also has in-depth experience in the financial services, retail and high technology industries, and in working with companies to implement acquisitions and mergers. Jo-Dee has been actively involved with steering committees for key national and regional surveys. She has made numerous professional presentations, particularly on the design of incentives and broad-based stock plans. Jo-Dee was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the WorldatWork in 1997. She has degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Harvard University.

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Jennifer Laforge Graves, Senior Consultant

Jennifer Graves has over 12 years experience in the design and implementation of domestic and international compensation programs and strategies, primarily in the high technology industry. Jennifer is experienced in conducting detailed market comparison studies, job evaluation, and in developing competency models for performance management and compensation programs.

Jennifer has held internal consulting roles with SimplexGrinnell, Waters Corporation, Thomson Financial and Fleet Financial Group. She earned her Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from Bryant University (formerly Bryant College), and is currently a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) through the national association WorldatWork. She is a member of the New England Compensation Consortium.

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Jean Riley, Senior Consultant

Jean Riley has over 15 years experience in designing and implementing compensation programs and reward strategies that are aligned with the client’s business priorities and culture. She has had extensive experience in developing compensation programs in the financial services and high technology industries, including executive and management incentive plans. Jean is experienced in developing competency models used in performance management, compensation programs and employee selection.

Jean is a specialist in the high technology industry having worked as Director of Compensation and Benefits at Molten Metal Technology and Compensation and Benefits Manager for Thinking Machines Corporation. She also has in-depth experience in financial services. Jean is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) from the national association WorldatWork. She is an active member of New England Human Resource Association (NEHRA), WorldatWork, and is a founder of Creative Work Options Network (CWON), a special interest group of NEHRA. She has a bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State College.

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Ruth A. Ryals, Senior Consultant

Ruth is a highly experienced consultant with in-depth knowledge of international total remuneration practices. She has consulted to both large and small companies, industry associations, and non-profit organizations on both domestic and international HR issues for nearly 30 years. Ruth works closely with her clients in coordinating international activities related to human resource service providers, in-country compensation and benefit specialists, and legal and accounting resources.

Prior to becoming affiliated with the Wilson Group, Ruth worked for the international human resources consulting firm Watson Wyatt, the actuarial firm George Beram & Co (and it’s international affiliates EURACS and IBN) , the international insurance brokerage firm Willis Coroon, and the international accounting firm Ernst & Young. Ruth earned her masters degree from the University of Pittsbugh, and is a certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS). She is a licensed insurance consultant and broker and maintains her National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) designation. She is a career member of SHRM and WorldatWork, and the Society for Financial Professionals (SFP).

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Winnie Skeates, Senior Consultant

Winnie Skeates has over 18 years of human resource experience in the design and implementation of compensation, performance management, and benefit programs, primarily in technology and manufacturing companies. Her special expertise includes designing customized client surveys, including pay and benefits surveys, employee opinions, including a multi-industry regional practices.

Prior to becoming affiliated with the Wilson Group, Winnie held leadership and internal consulting roles with Millipore, National Grange Mutual Insurance Company, Nashua Corporation, GenRad, and Olney Associates. She earned her Master’s Degree from Harvard University, a Bachelor’s Degree from Bates College, and a Certificate in Pension and Benefits Administration from Bentley College. Winnie is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) through WorldatWork. She is also a founding member of the New England Compensation Consortium, current President of the Greater Monadnock Society for Human Resource Management, and of the National Society for Human Resources Management.

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Administrative Staff

Jo-Anne Bourassa, Business Manager
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Lisa Doherty, Office Administrator
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