Meet Our Team

Josh is a coach and family business advisor, helping individuals, entrepreneurs, families, and boards of directors maximize impact. Josh is accredited as a Hogan-Certified coach, Gallup-Certified Strengths coach, and an ICF Certified coach. Josh’s background as an entrepreneur, advisor, corporate board member, and third-generation family business owner gives him a range of perspectives to draw from when advising clients. Josh focuses his time on helping family businesses transition leadership from one generation to the next, coaching family members, entrepreneurs, and senior leaders, and supporting talent strategies across organizations. Josh sits on the board of directors at his family’s company, Sargento Foods, as well as a $700 million ESOP auto dealership group. Additionally, Josh runs family executive round table groups for middle-market and large-cap family-run companies, and he is currently a part-time instructor with UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Family Enterprise Center.

Prior to starting Bench, Josh served as a Manager at Deloitte Consulting where he focused on mergers & acquisitions as well as co-designing Deloitte Consulting’s global talent operations.

Josh earned his undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Josh returned to Notre Dame following his MBA to study philosophy and theology in the seminary with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest. Josh and his wife, Meredith have two young children, Henry and Juliette, and live in Charlottesville, VA.

Laura manages and implements all of Bench Consulting’s technical, administrative, and operational needs, in addition to acting in a concierge capacity to Bench clients. She is responsible for coordinating and executing daily business activities, managing special projects, and supporting Bench-led initiatives.

Laura has more than 10 years of experience in various aspects of financial operations, having worked previously as an Investment Systems & Operations Analyst for a high-net-worth asset manager and trust company in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to her work in operations, Laura ran a training and development program for Legg Mason’s Technology Services.

Laura earned her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She currently lives in Oklahoma City with her husband and daughter.

Shannon partners with enterprising families to strengthen and support them on their journey to create enduring legacies.

She has spent her career at the intersection of talent and business and has worked in a variety of coaching and consulting capacities over the last ten years, including career and academic coaching, large-scale corporate transformations, and organizational and executive assessment and development. Shannon is certified in the Hogan Assessments and a Partner for The Predictive Index. She also has experience as a CEO’s Chief of Staff and understands the complex set of challenges around growing and scaling businesses from providing developmental feedback and coaching to hedge fund investors and private equity backed C-suite executives on compressed timelines.

Shannon earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame with majors in Management Consulting and Psychology. She also earned her M. Ed. from Penn State.