About us

GenderStrategy was founded by BUSINESS people to remedy what they recognized as a glaring void in “diversity training.”  Gender differences in how we use words, tone of voice, patterns of speech, body language and conversation ‘rituals’ lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication -- and often create the perception of discrimination. 

The founders of GenderStrategy have been successful business leaders in fundamentally different industries  and bring a diverse and unique set of talents and experiences to the Company's training program.

TRENT M. KITTLEMAN brings a broad range of experience to GenderStrategy. Her 25-year career has taken her from employment law attorney to CEO of a multi-billion dollar public toll authority.

In 2003, Ms. Kittleman received a Gubernatorial appointment to become Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to assume responsibility as President and CEO of the Maryland Transportation Authority, where she was responsible for a staff of more than 1,600 employees (including 450 sworn police officers), a six-year capital program in excess of $4 billion, and for owning, operating, and maintaining the state’s seven toll facilities, including 60 miles of I-95, the Ft. McHenry and Harbor Tunnels, and the Bay Bridge.

Prior to her appointment to State service, Ms. Kittleman worked for then-Senator Fred Thompson, as Minority Counsel for the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Ms. Kittleman also spent six years with Marriott International as Vice President and Senior Counsel, following five years as an employment law attorney with the D.C. law firm of Arent Fox.

Ms. Kittleman received her BA from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, an MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a JD from the University of Maryland School of Law, where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Maryland Law Review.

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JOAN ATHEN was the Special Assistant for Community Colleges in the U.S Department of Education. In this capacity, Joan served as the principal advisor on community college issues, and provided guidance to program directors with the departments who manage functions and activities affecting community colleges.

Prior to her appointment, Joan served as Chair of the Maryland Association for Community Colleges, trustee and Chair of the Board for Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.

As an entrepreneur, Joan created an international operator service telecommunications product and company to service hotels, and then adapted the technology for use with wireless service for cellular carriers. Joan was named to the list of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2004, the third and final year, inducting her into the Circle of Excellence, Women’s Hall of Fame, Howard County, Woman of the Year, Maryland Federation Business & Professional Woman’s Association, Woman of the Year for the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, Past Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, and Economic Development Advisory Council. Joan was honored by the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges for her tireless advocacy on behalf of the nation’s community colleges and their 14 million students. She was named an Outstanding Alumnae of Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri.

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MARIE ROYCE serves as a Managing Director for a Fortune 500 company. She has extensive experience in training, and served as a full-time faculty member at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Royce also held management positions as Senior Director Marriott International, Inc. North America, Senior Director Marriott spin-off Avendra LLC, Vice President of Choice Hotels International, Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Company (for 10 years). Marie was recognized as the Distinguished Alumna for California State Polytechnic University, Pomona's “College of Business” and served as commencement speaker to an audience of 8,000 in 1994.

At Cal Poly Marie received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a double major in Marketing Management and Management Human Resources. In 1996, Royce received her MBA in International Business from Georgetown University, and was recognized “top six” in her class for her academic achievement. She has served on numerous boards, and currently is a Board Member of The Center for Global Leadership and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).

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JOHN STRAWBRIDGE teaches classes and seminars for professional actors. He is co-instructor of the on-going “Working Actor” series of classes for the Actors Company Theatre where his unique ability to “teach” acting has earned him enormous respect among the members of the Baltimore entertainment community. He also regularly conducts workshops for the SAG Conservatory series, The Actors’ Center, The Modeling Institute, and is a frequent panelist. John shares his unique training skills and ability with GenderStrategy.

In his professional life, John is a Writer/Director living in Baltimore. As the Founder and Creative Director of Campanile Media, John has worked with a broad range of directors including, Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster, Stephan Gaghan, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Brett Ratner, Martin Campbell, Peter Medak, Agnieszka Holland and Betty Thomas. John has worked extensively with director John Waters, on such films as A DIRTY SHAME, CRY-BABY, PECKER, CECIL B. DeMENTED and SERIAL MOM, and with Barry Levinson, on projects including LIBERTY HEIGHTS and AVALON.  For five seasons, he did most of the casting for NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street, which received 3 Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for casting. More recently, he worked on casting the HBO series, The Wire, as well as the East Coast casting for feature films SYRIANA, and WEDDING CRASHERS.

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