Everyone at InterAction Training has a passion to deliver impactful training that keeps learners engaged. Get to know our professionals!
Vicki Kraai, Chief Engagement Officer
Vicki is the newly appointed CEO of InterAction Training. Previously, Vicki was the Owner/Founder of VK Solutions, a consulting company. Vicki's 25+ years of Community Bank experience started at the family bank in rural Nebraska, serving as a bank teller and eventually becoming CEO. Vicki's many years of banking include credit card lending experience where she was a member of the management team that launched the Cabela's credit card program.
She has a passion for developing people for success in their roles and careers. Clients and program attendees value Vicki's highly engaging "been there, done that" approach to all facets of her training and speaking engagements.
When not traveling Vicki enjoys time at home with her husband and daughters and welcomes meaningful conversations over a glass of wine.
Karen Butcher, CBTP, Head Coach and Pivotal People Trainer
Karen Butcher says her vast career experience prepared her for the roles of Head Coach and Pivotal People Trainer at InterAction Training. Her work diversity includes: High School Home Economics Teacher, 4-H Youth Agent, Mary Kay Sales Director, Training Manager at the Kentucky League of Cities and Director of Training at Whitaker Bank Corporation of Kentucky. She considers earning the Certified Bank Training Professional credential in 2016, one of her top career achievements.
From her time in the trenches, she has seen the need for a new leadership philosophy where leaders hold themselves and their teams accountable and let go of outdated practices.
Karen is a faith-filled woman who is courageous, resilient, and compassionate. She and her husband Gene are parents to five sons, two daughters-in-love, and grandparents to three-year-old Teddy. They live in Stamping Ground, KY where they raise sheep, chickens, and vegetables.
Mandy Peterson, Creative and Digital Experience Director
Mandy Peterson is the owner and designer at Sevn Spero Creations, a freelance graphic design company. Mandy thinks we are all storytellers and stories create community. The experiences we share and the stories we hear are some of the primary tools of learning and teaching. She believes there isn't a stronger connection between people than storytelling, people matter, and creativity goes best with kindness and a smile. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Design from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and serves on the board of American Marketing Association in Lincoln, NE.
A fun part of Mandy's story is her love of all things adventure. She has currently travelled to 18 countries and continues to work on her trips to visit all 50 states. Besides International travel, Mandy enjoys participating in the Nebraska Wine Passport. She never misses an opportunity to connect over a glass of wine.
Heather A. Legge, Chief People Trainer & Presentation Dynamo
Heather Legge is a senior training specialist for InterAction training. Heather is also a certified executive coach, founder of Envision Success Inc, and author of Lead With Moxie.
Since starting her consulting career in 2006, Heather has worked with hundreds of leaders in all sizes of organization (including First National Bank, Salvation Army, Mass Mutual, Metro FCU, Cresa, Wells Fargo, CSG, State Farm, Keller Williams, Fidelity, Farmers Insurance, YMCS, Centris FCU, WIFS)
Previously, she earned her master's in business administration and spent over 15 years in multiple industries transforming organizational performance through business analysis, project management, training and employee development.
Heather is also a recovering perfectionist, data nerd, occasional runner, red wine lover, and scuba diver. She lives in Omaha, NE with her husband, Doug, and their "fur baby", Jetta, a female black lab. She enjoys food, fitness, wine, and travel, and especially when they all happen together!
She is passionate about making a positive impact in her local community and far beyond. She is always engaged in several networking, professional, and philanthropic groups.
Janice Branch, CBTP
Janice Branch has been a Senior Training Consultant for InterAction Training for over twenty years. She is a Certified Bank Training Professional (CBTP) and seasoned presenter that has all the right stuff to wow her audience about the subject matter. Prior to joining InterAction, Janice was the Senior Manager of Training for Consolidated Communications where she managed, designed, coordinated and presented training programs for this multi-state telecommunications company with over 1,000 employees. Whether it is teaching how to coach, manage, lead, negotiate, service, sell or train at every level in an institution or if it is consulting on problem solving and servant leadership, Janice is the go-to person every client wants to hear from.
A native Texan. Janice enjoys many pursuits in addition to teaching and learning, but none more than being a grandmother and tending to her ten-acre home in Montgomery, Texas, just north of Houston.
Melissa Marvin
Melissa Marvin is Chief Service Officer at Bank of Bennington. She has served the financial services industry for over 35 years, primarily in leading and managing sales tied to bottom line results. While she is experienced in financial services consulting for all lines of business, retail banking is a true passion. Past experiences include accountability for the sales and operations of a branch network at a multi-billion dollar holding company, to leading the community bank and credit union division for a global financial services consulting firm.
Melissa is a senior training consultant for InterAction training. Melissa's approach to ensuring the right behaviors are in place to drive results, is about simplicity - 20% theory, 80% application; what you learn today, you apply today.
Carmen Schwab, Chief Inspiration Officer
When you ask Carmen Schwab what gets her out of bed in the morning, her reply is: people! Carmen believes that within every organization are great people with great potential. Her favorite role is helping companies add value to their people, their #1 asset, by investing in them! "A person who feels valued will always do more." Carmen's passion comes through in her high-energy, motivating, engaging and fun style!
With decades of experience in the "people business," she provides customized programming, training, and educate recommendations that get teams excited about their mission and culture! Carmen uses her expertise and inside-out approach to help team leaders lead well, and in helping all members work together more effectively and experience higher morale and engagement, a stronger bottom-line and client advocates.
When Carmen is not creating strong relationships and connections in your workplace, she is doing it in her own! She has lived with her family in Lincoln for 9 years. One of the joys of having family close is celebrating and being their for the growth, Carmen will be a first time grandma in June 2021! As a mother of boys, she can't wait to welcome a baby girl into the family! When she is not spending time with her family and "fur" baby, Bentley, she enjoys the outdoors, travel, reading (she's a personal development and leadership junkie!), working out, and running, Carmen and her husband have even added two new sports in the last year, Badminton and Pickle Ball.
Nan Gesche, MA
Nan Gesche is an energetic speaker who uses experience, insight and some sturdy research, all sprinkled with a little humor, to get people to see themselves and the world differently. Her passion is "Helping people play well together!" Nan provides audiences a chance to ponder and practices different ways of thinking and acting around change, conflict, decision making, communication, and leadership all in hopes of providing more positive outcomes.
Nan has been engaging large and small audiences nationally. She is a catalyst who makes change doable! Her 20 plus years of independent and corporate experience allow her to stretch people's thinking to help them focus on the realities of life and business. She has worked with diverse organizations on projects such as change management, resiliency building, conflict management, as well as working with individuals on conflict management issues. Nan's corporate experience includes Change Enablement Manager, director of Training & Development, Organizational Effectiveness Facilitator, and National Bank Examiner.
Honey Shelton, Consultant Emeritus
Honey is our former CEO of InterAction training. Nationally recognized as an outstanding speaker, over a half million bankers have participated in programs Honey has presented. Her depth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and compelling personality have left a lasting mark on InterAction Training, the firm she founded in 1983. Honey is continuing on in a consulting capacity for the current InterAction training team.