Meet the Team
Cheri Britton, M.Ed., is President/CEO of Whetstone Consultations, a training and consulting firm. She has almost 20 years of experience public health as an HIV counselor, disease intervention specialist, educator, and trainer.
Cheri's down-to-earth approach blends humor and practical advice in a refreshing style that leaves her audience and clients inspired. During her lively programs fun, learning and shared experiences are the norm. Sharing her delightful blend of comic and profound personal experiences, Cheri creates a backdrop for participants to re-energize their commitments to serve clients. But don't confuse this with "fluff" or mere cheerleading; participants consistently report increased learning in this environment when compared with "serious" sit-down-and-listen, "death by PowerPoint" training.
Cheri embraces a realistic vision of working professionals born of her own challenge to juggle her commitment to raise two young children while simultaneously training professionals in both the public and private sectors.
Cheri is also the creator of BOOM ThinkingT, both a process and a way of being. As a professional speaker and business coach she helps her audiences and clients become BOOM Thinkers, thus moving their lives forward in amazing ways.
What's a BOOM Thinker? BOOM Thinkers are people who recognize the power of their thoughts and feelings and therefore work to shift their negative thoughts to positive thoughts. They honor the power that their thoughts and feelings have over how they perform.
Learn more about BOOM ThinkingT at www.boomthinking.com. Also, sign up to receive Cheri's two newsletters, "The BOOMerang: A Newsletter to Help You Break Out of Old Mindsets" and "Passion to Profit: A Newsletter in Support of the Solopreneur."
Bill Petz, M. Ed., M.Div., is Vice President for Programs at Whetstone Consultations. Bill has done training throughout most of his professional life. For 15 years Bill worked in higher education as a counselor, adjunct faculty, and Dean of Students. He most recently completed 17 years in public health with the North Carolina HIV/STD Prevention and Care Branch where he provided direct clients services, supervisory leadership, and staff training for Branch staff and other public health professionals. The training program he created for the Branch has received national attention. He first began training for HIV counseling and testing 1988. Participants in his training and workshops benefit greatly from his years of experience in this field, his conscientiousness as a trainer, and his empathy as a counselor. Bill has always been an advocate for understanding and respecting the experience of students and clients.
For more than 20 years Bill has been deeply involved in men's issues. He came to that work from feminist perspectives that recognized the destructive nature of gender stereotypes. Bill has presented papers, lead workshops, and been a part of men's gatherings. Both men and women have found Bill's insights a challenging path for growth and change.
In addition to his work with Whetstone, Bill is pursuing his many diverse interests, such as the ClergyMan™ workshops , non-fiction essays and the development of the light-hearted "Red Ring Library™" , with his own company PetzRitter Enterprises.
Bill is the father of three grown daughters and five grandchildren. He lives in the country in Fairview, North Carolina with his wife where they are a part of the Spring Mountain "Sunday Night On The Porch" community.