Opportunity Knocks consists of a network of professionals with the diverse skills and in-depth experience necessary to ensure our clients get results. We recognize that each client is unique. As such, we assemble teams that are tailored to meet the needs and challenges of each client.
We have experts in key disciplines such as organization development, strategic planning, communications, human resources, psychology, education, and youth programs. Our professionals have a proven track record working with government, business, non-profits and the academic sectors. Our unique combination of talent has proven invaluable to our clients.
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 Denise H. Calore, Founder,
President and Senior Organization Development Consultant
Denise H. Calore is the founder and President of Opportunity Knocks, Inc. She has almost two decades of leadership and consulting experience working both as a Federal employee and subsequently as a federal government contractor and consultant in a variety of private, public and federal organizations. She is a high energy, results-oriented professional focused on enhancing system-wide performance and effectiveness by challenging the status quo and discovering new insights and perspectives.
Throughout her career, Ms. Calore has demonstrated success in improving organization performance through designing processes to achieve organizational effectiveness and change. Her core areas of expertise are in leadership and partnership development, program and project management, transition management, organization formation, strategic, operational and staffing planning, communications planning and implementation, process facilitation, stakeholder engagement training design and instruction/facilitation, team and leadership development, and conference/meeting design and management. As an organization development and change expert, Ms. Calore has been instrumental in the design and delivery of strategic, operational and communications processes and plans to assist federal agencies and non-profit organizations achieve their organization goals and objectives.
Ms. Calore is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a B.A. in Government & Politics and The American University with an M.S. in Organization Development. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at The American University instructing graduate students in team building and organization change. She is certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and is a member of the National Organization Development Network.
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Sandy M. Ellis, Organization Development and Marketing Consultant |
Sandy M. Ellis has over 15 years of experience as a consultant with extensive cross-functional business experience. She has demonstrated an ability to influence at the highest levels of organizations and to lead and develop high-performing individuals and teams. With a strong background as an internal corporate organization development manager, she utilizes her expertise as a consultant to corporate and government clients to help them achieve their strategic business objectives.
As an expert in marketing and organization change methodology and facilitation, Ms. Ellis brings her clients specialized expertise in the areas of strategic planning, organization design, and leadership development. She has created transition plans for organizations undergoing change that are designed to achieve effective knowledge transfer, ensure continuity of operations and engage the stakeholders in the organization's new mission and direction. For her government clients, she has also developed workshops and training curricula to improve leadership and team effectiveness, motivation and engagement. In addition, she worked with corporate senior executives and their teams to develop world-class leadership competencies and to integrate these competencies into strategic business initiatives. Prior to becoming a consultant, Ms. Ellis held senior management positions in marketing, strategic planning, and human capital leadership within two Fortune 100 and Global 500 corporations.
Ms. Ellis received her M.S. in Organization Development from The American University/NTL Institute for Applied Behavior Sciences, in Washington, D.C. She earned her M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Durham, NC, and holds a B.S. in Business Logistics from Penn State University.
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Carol M. Laub, Vice President, Administration |
Carol M. Laub has over 20 years experience as a highly skilled marketing and communications assistant. Ms. Laub utilizes her corporate and consulting expertise to assist senior level executives in fast-paced, high-pressure environments in the development of state-of-the-art briefing materials, creation of policies and procedures, and execution of professional document formatting. With a keen eye for creativity and meticulous attention to details, Ms. Laub adds the finishing touches that make documents clearly communicate the message, story or vision of its creator.
As an administrative specialist, Ms. Laub manages the internal administrative operations of Opportunity Knocks. In this role, she manages the timekeeping, payroll and employee travel coordination. She also performs contract administration and proposal development activities. In addition, Ms. Laub utilizes her event planning expertise to organize company and employee events for both Opportunity Knocks and its clients.
Ms. Laub has completed course work towards a BS in Marketing as a part-time student at Muhlenberg College and Penn State University. She also has an Associate Business Degree in Executive Secretarial Services from the Allentown Business School in Allentown, PA. Carol is very active in community activities serving as the lead coordinator for the "Ride for Adam" and Family Picnic to support the Race for Adam Foundation fighting Niemann-Pick Type C Disease and has served as a Team Leader for the Annual United Way Campaign.
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Lorraine Miano-Fike, Senior Organization Development and Human Capital Consultant |
Lorraine Miano-Fike is a seasoned professional, with over 17 years of experience providing strategic human resources, organization development and training solutions to business and government clients. Her tenure includes significant experience directing employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management and training programs as a corporate human resources manager, as well as providing strategic advice and transition management expertise to organizations in all phases of the corporate lifecycle. She utilizes diagnostic, intervention and empowerment skills to help clients improve their quality of decision-making and performance toward achieving their goals.
As an organization development specialist in the government sector, Ms. Miano-Fike has developed and implemented effective internal processes, policies and training programs, including the design and delivery of customized training curriculum on proprietary methodologies and technology, as well as skills-building sessions on topics such as public speaking, presentation, communication and facilitation. For her corporate clients, she has assisted organizations through the initial public offering process, as well as provided guidance to organizations experiencing growth, making acquisitions, downsizing, and divesting. Ms. Miano-Fike is also an experienced project team leader and facilitator, successfully leading task forces focused on process improvement, team effectiveness, and problem solving.
Ms. Miano-Fike holds a B.S. in Industrial Labor Relations from Cornell University and an M.S. in Organization Development from The American University/NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Sciences. She is a certified transition management consultant and a certified compensation professional. She is certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and is member of the Society for Human Resources Management and the Society for Organization Training and Development.
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Tracy L. Savino, Meeting Planner and Analyst |
Tracy L. Savino has over 16years experience in helping government and non-profit clients plan meetings and events, as well as the associated communication requirements. She also has significant experience as a project analyst responsible for managing project data and organization staffing needs.
As a meeting planning specialist, Ms. Savino supports clients with organizing conferences and events from 10-500 participants by researching meeting facilities, establishing programmatic agendas, developing processes for registration, coordinating meeting materials, and facilitating on-site logistics prior to and during events. She also has significant experience as an analyst on project teams focusing on integrating project data into reports for leadership and analyzing project data to identify trends and performance. In addition, Ms. Savino has assisted clients with developing overall staffing strategies and then assisting them with recruiting personnel that meet those requirements.
Ms. Savino has a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a MA in Mass Communications from the University of Maryland.
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Gretchen L. Dellinger - Program Associate |
Gretchen L. Dellinger has eight years experience in event coordination and meeting planning for corporate, education, and non-profit clients including the development of marketing and general communication frameworks for each project.
As program associate, Ms. Dellinger responds to project needs from any of the Opportunity Knocks contracts and supports the in-house accounting department. Specific project tasks include strategic meeting planning, project tracking, and communication development. Ms. Dellinger supports clients organizing conferences and events by researching meeting facilities, establishing program agendas, coordinating meeting materials, and facilitating on-site logistics prior to and during events. In addition, Ms. Dellinger creates and maintains organizational tools for client projects and supports and analyzes client surveys and research for project development.
Ms. Dellinger earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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Mike A. Calore - Management Intern |
As a management intern, Mr. Calore conducts project research and maintains the corporate filings and human resources records systems. In addition to these responsibilities, he is instrumental in the accounting processes and general office management. A great value to the Opportunity Knocks team, Mr. Calore is enthusiastic and brings a fresh perspective to office operations and client projects.
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Lisa Brusio Coster - Senior Consultant |
 Lisa Brusio Coster is a public relations expert with more than two decades of experience working with corporate, non-profit and government clients in the Washington, D.C. area. Her expertise falls into the areas of strategic planning, media relations, writing, and special events.
In her capacity as a communications expert, Ms. Brusio Coster has led campaigns for non-profits and orchestrated annual fundraising galas. She has developed deliverables that move targeted audience to action, including program brochures, contributed articles, conference materials, public service announcements, and e-newsletters. She has produced a cable television business talk show, and placed clients on major media venues. Her tenacity, combined with her communications skills and knowledge, lend themselves well to clients in need of creating awareness of their organizations.
Ms. Brusio Coster earned her M.A. in Public Communication from The American University and her B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Maryland. She is the immediate past president of the Independent Public Relations Collaborative, and a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Chesapeake Chapter.
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