
NORTHERN VIRGINIA (NOVA)
Leaders powered by
Collective Intelligence
ABOUT EXECUTIVE FORUMS
Who we are. What we do.
We are a global community of business leaders who grow together.
We gather in peer groups based on trust and commitment, supporting each other on crucial decisions, to achieve our goals, and build an extraordinary life.
Our platform generates experiences, learning, and exchange. We gain the clarity that emerges from the collective intelligence of a group of proven leaders. Because we know that together we are wiser.


MEET OUR TEAM

LEE SELF
Renaissance EXECUTIVE FORUMS is celebrating over 15 years of learning and business success in Northern Virginia under Lee Self's leadership. Since 2003, Lee has brought together over 75 Northern Virginia business owners, CEOs, and presidents in business advisory groups. By sharing collective experiences, Forum members learn how to grow their businesses and their own leadership capabilities. With five EXECUTIVE FORUMS to choose from in Northern Virginia, dozens of executives are learning together to accelerate business performance and personal success.
Lee is an active member of the National Capital Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, and the High Tech Prayer Breakfast Board of Directors. Lee also served as President of the Renaissance EXECUTIVE FORUMS Franchise Advisory Board and has been named Renaissance EXECUTIVE FORUMS Partner of the Year.
A twenty-year veteran of the communications industry, Lee held senior leadership roles at Verizon (then Bell Atlantic) and Web.com (then Interland). She was also a certified facilitator and continuous learning coach, chaired customer advisory boards, and served on the board of the Research Institute for Small and Emerging Business (RISE).
Lee received her MBA from George Mason University, her B.S. from the University of Virginia's McIntire School Commerce, and lives in Fairfax, VA.

DONNA PEARRING, MS, PCC
Donna leads one of the two Key Executive Forums for Renaissance Executive Forums in Northern Virginia, where she facilitates Forums designed to support senior leaders, who are focused on growing their business, their teams, and themselves through an entrusted environment. Her members find that being part of the Forum has enabled them to make better-informed decisions, grow and change their businesses, be open to new possibilities, feel less isolated, and able to inspire their employees to achieve the desired goals.
Donna has over 30 years of practical business, managerial, and leadership experience in Fortune 500 companies, such as IBM and Siemens.
In addition to being a Forum Leader, Donna currently offers Executive Coaching, and Executive Team Leadership and Development.

KATHLEEN CROW, PPC
After spending fifteen years as an M&A Investment Banking professional working with successful business owners and their teams, Kathi became a certified executive coach and formed Golden Leadership Coaching. She is a trusted advisor to senior leadership where she assists and develops executives into the effective leaders they desire to be. She specializes in providing executive and leadership coaching and consulting services to entrepreneurs and senior executives and their leadership teams in finance, technology, analytical/engineering, Non-Profit and Government Contracting. As a Renaissance Executive Forum Leader, Kathi will add the power of peer insights and perspectives to the equation as she helps leaders navigate change and get to the next level!
In addition to being a Forum Leader, Kathleen currently offers Executive Coaching, and Executive Team Leadership and Development.
I am honored to join Lee Self’s Renaissance Executive Forums team in Northern Virginia! Lee has been bringing together business owners, CEOs, presidents in business advisory groups for over 15 years. As a Renaissance Executive Forum Leader, I will work with Key Executives and add the power of peer insights and perspectives to the equation as I help leaders navigate change and get to the next level!

JOSEF MARTENS, PH.D, CSP
A scientist in his 'previous life', more recently, Josef Martens, Ph.D, has spent over 20 years working with clients and facilitating groups of all kinds and sizes. His background allows him to connect well with analytical leaders (especially scientists, engineers and technology professionals). He's able to help them and their teams address behavior, skills and their way of being so that they are able to find new solutions, break existing and limiting patterns and achieve new levels of success.
His clients are organizations that deal with complexity and change, and they want to implement new solutions to deal with it. They want to move their performance from good to great, so that everyone in the organization improves their output, reduces risks, and drives radical growth. Most of his clients have an analytical workforce with deep subject matter expertise. Knowledge is of high value to them and despite (or because of) their expertise they sometimes overlook that other factors are more important in leadership and in building relationships.
"I feel that my expertise and what Lee Self’s Renaissance Executive Forums team in Northern Virginia are perfectly aligned. I help smart people be great leaders and organizations create a culture of creativity and innovation. The outcome: increasing bottom-line results, growing customer relationships, improving leadership, and nurturing a culture of creativity and innovation. I am excited to be a part of this REF NOVA team."