Leadership Training and Workforce Development Courses
Our Trainings & Workshops
As a business owner, you’re an expert on what you do. We are the experts on the how and why. Business improvement is who we are, what we do, and what we’re passionate about. We believe investing in the development of your team is the key to long-term success, growth, and customer satisfaction.
Business Improvement Group aims to be the premiere workforce development partner for Alaska organizations while demonstrating measurable outcomes to your business goals. We offer a wide range of workforce development courses, training programs, leadership seminars, process development workshops, and more to help equip you and your team with the necessary tools and certifications to help you boost efficiency, maximize performance, and increase value.
Reach out to us for our full agnostic and context driven course catalog and to learn more about our enterprise workforce development and training programs. Our first-class instructors seek to provide the fullest spectrum of business training available with courses geared toward your business’s specific needs.
Our Instructors
James Bates
James is the Founder, President, and CEO of BIG – Business Improvement Group, an Alaska-based business consultancy that is passionate about helping businesses big and small reach their full potential. Using over ten years of industry expertise and proven techniques and tools, such as Lean Six Sigma, ITSM (ITIL), BPI, COBIT, PMI Project Management, and more, to help our clients find opportunities for cost savings, create a customer-centric culture, gain market share, and more.
James is a highly motivated and experienced Executive and Consultant who continuously delights customers by delivering high value solutions to everyday business challenges. Consistently demonstrates the ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success in a variety of highly competitive industries, technological challenges, and fast-paced environments. Strong technical and business qualifications with an impressive track record of more than 40 years of hands-on experience in strategic planning, tactical deployment, business unit development, service management, project management, and secure system engineering strategies. Proven ability to successfully analyze an organization’s critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, align and integrate technology, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and improving customer service offerings.
James is a certified PMI PMP, CAPM, CP instructor and an Adjunct Professor at several schools at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including the MSPM program.
Chastine Lynch
Chastine is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Upskilled Evolution LLC, a SAM-registered, Washington State certified small woman-owned consulting firm specializing in strategic project management and business transformation solutions. With an extensive portfolio encompassing over $600 million in successful RFP responses and federal grant acquisitions, Chastine delivers complex project management expertise across telecommunications, federal programs, and enterprise technology sectors.
Chastine’s consulting practice has enabled transformational outcomes for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies alike. In the public sector, Chastine has become a recognized expert in broadband infrastructure development and federal grant administration. She has secured and managed major NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program grants, and her work with State Broadband Offices on BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program implementation has enabled streamlined federal funding distribution and accelerated nationwide broadband infrastructure development.
Chastine’s approach combines expert-level implementation of hybrid Agile/Waterfall methodologies with specialized expertise in cross-cultural team leadership, stakeholder management across global time zones, software development lifecycle management, and complex regulatory compliance in federal funding environments. She excels at forging strategic relationships with stakeholders, translating complex technical requirements into actionable business strategies, and leading cross-functional teams that consistently exceed performance standards.
Based in Alaska, Chastine brings particular expertise in rural infrastructure challenges, tribal community engagement, and project delivery in remote and challenging environments. Her work continues to drive meaningful impact across telecommunications infrastructure, digital transformation, and federal program implementation nationwide.
As a highly credentialed project management professional, Chastine holds multiple certifications from the Project Management Institute, including Project Management Professional (PMP), Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM), Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC), and Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC).
She also serves as a PMI PMP and CAPM Authorized Training Instructor (ATI) and holds the Six Sigma Black Belt Professional (SSBBP) certification, bringing comprehensive expertise in both traditional project management and cutting-edge agile transformation methodologies.
LuAnn Piccard
LuAnn is an educator and executive passionate about developing project management leaders. Her students benefit from over 20 years of technology-sector experience, including a decade as a senior executive at Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies, and Advanced Energy Industries, where she led complex, cross-functional global businesses.
A PMP since 2007 and active PMI member and volunteer, she served as director and chair of the PMI Global Board of Directors and chair of the PM-GAC (Global Accreditation Center), overseeing project management academic accreditation worldwide. She has also dedicated significant time to nonprofit leadership, including 10 years as a board chair and director for Habitat for Humanity of Anchorage, among 11 other nonprofit boards.
Known for her enthusiasm, collaborative spirit, and commitment to continuous learning, Ms. Piccard holds BS and MS degrees in Engineering/Product Design from Stanford University and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
LuAnn is a certified PMI PMP and CAPM Instructor and serves as Professor and Chair of the Project Management Department in the College of Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Steve Gebert
Steve is a retired Naval Flight Officer with 20+ years of active duty, nearly 3,000 flight hours, and 400+ carrier landings, including combat missions over Iraq and Bosnia. A US Air Force Test Pilot School graduate, he holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering, National Security, and Project Management.
Post-military, Steve spent two decades in executive roles at an Alaskan telecom company, leading departments spanning cybersecurity, network operations, PMO, and compliance, with project portfolios exceeding $200M. He holds an active government security clearance and lives in Alaska with his wife, Kim, and five children.
Steve is a certified PMI instructor in both PMP and CAPM, and holds a Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM).
Rohan Chandna
Rohan Chandna is an experienced project management professional and Agile leader with over 17 years of experience delivering complex technology and transformation initiatives across healthcare, mining, insurance, and the public sector in Canada.
He has led large-scale enterprise programs in roles such as Agile Lead and Scrum Master, working with various organizations. Rohan specializes in Agile delivery, stakeholder management, and building scalable project governance frameworks that improve delivery outcomes.
A PMP-certified professional and active PMI contributor, Rohan has served in leadership roles with PMI North Saskatchewan Chapter and is passionate about mentoring professionals and helping them succeed in their PMP and Agile journeys.
Known for his practical, real-world teaching style, Rohan brings clarity, structure, and hands-on insights to his sessions, enabling learners to confidently apply project management concepts in real environments.
Rohan is a certified PMI PMP instructor.
Leadership & Workforce Development
Grow into the leader you’ve always envisioned and see your team grow. We offer a variety of classes geared toward developing your workforce and empowering business owners, executives, and other leaders who spearhead your team.
Example Training Courses:
- Five Voices Boot Camp
- 1-on-1 Leadership Coaching
- Initial Team Performance Evaluation Workshop
- Organization Growth Plan Assessment
- 2-Day Servant Leadership Seminar
Process Excellence
Reduce waste and maximize productivity with courses geared toward developing better processes for your business. We teach the Lean Six Sigma method and offer workshops to help you identify areas with the most growth potential.
Example Training Courses:
- Lean Six Sigma Belt Certifications
- Process Mapping Workshop
- Value-Stream Mapping Workshop
- Lean Accounting
- Kaizen Events
Project Management
Organize your team and execute projects with confidence. Project management classes take you through each step of successful project management so you can meet objectives with excellence and provide more value to customers.
Example Training Courses:
- PMI – CAPM and PMP Exam Prep Courses
- PMI- Construction Professional
- Agile Project Management
- Programs, Portfolios, and PMOs
- Kanban Workshop
- Organizational Project Maturity and Improvement
Information Technology
Develop a plan for effectively utilizing technology and protecting your business’s data. Our IT classes provide you with a foundation on how to experience a digital transformation that takes your team and processes to the next level.
Example Training Courses:
- IT Risk Management & Compliance
- IT Cybersecurity 101
- Advanced IT Service Management
- ITIL V3 Foundations
- HIPPA Policy Workshop
General Management
Build a strong foundation for your management team and empower them to be effective leaders in the workforce. General management workshops provide the most essential skills for business success and professional growth.
Example Training Courses:
- Meeting Facilitation Workshop
- High-Performance Team Building
- Communication Management
- Value Proposition Workshop
- Lean Performance Management
Find Out More
Our classes and trainings are customized to your business. We tailor our offerings to your location and business model, and we can work with your HR and supervisory team to help manage your workforce training. All of our courses are instructor led and are offered in-person, virtual, or hybrid.