Stephany Lane Yarbrough, Ph.D.
i-We Founder, Stephany Yarbrough, earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Union Institute and University in 1991, specifically in the field of Human Development Through the Lifespan. As a theoretician, she proposed a new model of identity development–Boundaries: Identity Formation, Maintenance, and Management. This groundbreaking work was the foundation for her postdoctoral work in Women’s Studies. Yarbrough, over the course of the last 27 years, has systematically researched and formulated a comprehensive body of knowledge about the identity and development of women. This proprietary psychological content is the vanguard of an innovative, transformational, women’s self-development movement.
Dr. Yarbrough has lectured at The American Institute of Medical Education and The Personal Construct Psychology Institute. Stephany produced a play for young women during the United Nation’s 50th Anniversary in San Francisco. In November 2011, through i-We, she produced The Feminine Light in the Middle East Symposium in Los Angeles that was designed to promote the strategic work of i-We, nonprofits, businesses, and unique individuals who realize that women are key to bringing a greater peace to that region.
Stephany is also the daughter of folk singer, Glenn Yarbrough, a founding member of The Limelighters, the voice of The Hobbit and Baby The Rain Must Fall which has inspired her philosophical and artistic sensibilities.
Stephany has nurtured these concepts and innovative ideas for years, her magnum opus. She has listened to a different drummer and the beat goes on!
“A heartfelt thank you to all the developmental family and contributors past and present
who have given their time and talent to help create i-We.”
Susan Brown Borchert
Susan uses her BA in Education specializing in English and History from Rider University to facilitate the development and writing of i-We’s programs. Her most beloved authors include: A.E. Houseman, Jane Austin, Percy Shelley, Robert A. Heinlein, and Ralph Waldo Emerson… who writes, “What you are stands over you the while and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.” For Susan, actions speak louder than words and she lives her faith by proof. She lives her life through simplicity, nature, and acceptance in all of creation – says she has found her home in a traditional faith while recognizing i-We as an extension of that faith to promote women, peace, and harmony.
Susan combines her talents of arts and crafts – cooking, crocheting, embroidering, knitting, designing, painting, and the love of animals to create a cozy home for her loved ones. She has taught home economics to inner-city middle school girls and boys in New Jersey and understands the importance of raising all children in the world to reach their potential.
Susan’s daughter metaphorically in search of her own home, now tentatively seeks her mother’s guidance to the questions about womanhood that she would have had asked her before. Once, she was just “Mom”, the source of all physical comforts, now she is the potential source of wisdom for her daughter’s spiritual and emotional growth. Susan reflects on honoring the truth and lessons of her mother. One lesson that speaks to Susan is that to know oneself and be content prepares us well for the ability to care for others.
Susan cares about others and contributes when needed. she even changes her persona in theatrical productions to care about even more people and all the while, she whistles, sings, and hums traditional tunes and original tunes; she makes her own melody in her life well lived. Wouldn’t you have guessed it, she has recently taken up strumming the ukulele!
James Tucci
James, an inventor and technology specialist, holds a B.S. in Physics, emphasizing in Optical Engineering, and studied motion picture production at UCLA. He is an original founder and chief technology officer of an IT storage solution design company where he is responsible for product research and development. James has worked on over 60 feature films.
As a keen observer of life, James appreciates the magnitude of the i-We vision and brings his expertise in film development, conceptual design, entrepreneurship, and technological know-how. He’s the go-to guy to make things work!
(He also worked for NASA on Project Galileo where he personally built the Star Tracker on the probe. He is also a trained clarinetist, Kazoo and mouth organ player, a runner-up to the 1984 Sabre Olympic Team, and a former member of Mensa International.)
Moustafa Barackate Mohsen
Moustafa, an artist, art director, and web designer, has both a BA in Fine Arts and pre-master’s Degree specializing in Graphics and Printmaking from Alexandria University in Egypt. As an art, graphic and fashion designer since 1997, he has worked in Alexandria, London and Berlin in the real estate, mobile application testing, education and garment industries.
Moustafa is a renaissance man and combines his expertise in computer technology with the soul of an artist. Moustafa’s computer mastery includes knowledge of computer, educational and graphics software, web design languages and database programming. As an artist, his talents include fashion designing, printmaking, engraving, drawing, painting, sculpting, and photography. He is an award-winning artist and grant recipient with 17 exhibitions to his name in Egypt as well as California.
Moustafa in Arabic means “the chosen one” and he certainly is, with humility and focused drive, Moustafa is a man who engenders respect and gratitude. He is a highly valued member of the i-We Family and shares in the vision of i-We appreciating it’s underlying philosophy to heal the world. True to being a renaissance man as a multi-linguist, he is already embracing the world in Arabic, English, French, Russian and German while his sensibilities include learning to play the harmonica from age 7 and loving animated films. His favorite film and musical? The Lion King.
Colleen Bersano
Colleen graduated with an M.S. in Digital Cinema at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, in 2014. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting and explore new things. It is in LA where she had a chance meeting with Stephany and while getting to know her work, Colleen found a home at i-We. She is both proud and ecstatic to be part of a movement that embraces the strengths of womanhood. Colleen hopes her contributions to i-We will encourage women to be their own feminine role models and to create further generations of empowered women.
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, although through summer family road trips she had been to all 48 continental states by age 15, Colleen had amazing female role models. Her mother, in particular, impresses Colleen who, along with being involved in all of Colleen’s activities including soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, girl scouts, and percussion, takes pride in her vast knowledge of varying topics.
Colleen is a musically accomplished young woman has learned to play the drums, piano, percussion and read music as early as age 6. She even once learned to play the pots and pans for a band piece and the following year was known as the “pots and pans girl.” At i-We, Colleen is known as “Fresh Eyes” wise and dynamic, bringing clarity and innovation as an editor, social media content developer, writer, and an all-around organizational maven who adores wigs and hats and dreams of Paris.
Stephanie Colet
Stephanie earned a B.A. in Home Economics: Clothing and Textiles from San Francisco State University and for years worked as an executive assistant writing, editing, and organizing for up to 20 professors at the University of San Francisco. She has a passion for the writing process and is uniquely gifted with the tools of clarification and logical thought.
Although she grew up as a military brat, having the great fortune to live in the Philippines as well as various places on the east and west coasts of the United States, she calls California her home. As an actress, writer, and traveler extraordinaire, she can easily adapt to change and appreciates weaving the tapestries of life–the diversity of people, cultures, and places around the world–into an artistic expression of reflection. Her devotion to this reflection and to recycling leads her to antique stores, garage sales, swap meets, and sidewalk finds where she hears the pulse and richness of life reminding her to return to her childhood hobby of playing the piano.
Stephanie brings her enthusiasm for writing and inexhaustible support to i-We where she invests her energy into a harmonious vision for humanity.
Frank Peek
Frank is a serial entrepreneur, attending the school of hard knocks combined with Business Administration Studies at De Anza College. Peek has beginning at the age of 19 co-founded a stereo store, a silicon valley distribution company in computer technology components – CTC net worth 1.1 M, partnered with a manufacturing company Electronic Memory net worth 1.7 M, founded a custom memory products company for tier one oem with clients such as Cisco, Intel, Gateway, Dell, etc., and gone on to consulting for companies in business development.
Peek is a market maker and specializes in business development, operations, start-up funding and incubation. He has knowledge of Series 7 regulations, IPO, and broker deal experience such as debt structure and financial planning. Peek strengthens the philosophy of i-We by offering his unique perspective of the beginning of silicon valley explosion in the 1980’s where he learned the value of relationships. He honors his relationships and brings relationships to you.
On a personal level, Peek was born into a large family in Philadelphia before moving to California in 1973. We like to think of this transition as a move from a Declaration of Independence to a Declaration of Interdependence. His hobbies include various athletics including being an avid golfer with a little guitar and trumpet thrown into the mix. One of his most endearing qualities is his humor and the fact that he likes to leave a smile on the face of everyone he encounters. All of the i-We family is smiling thanks to Frank!
Jack Nyaga
Jack was born and lives in Kenya. Schooled at the University of Nairobi, in 2009, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in design though his passion for creative arts has been self-taught researching online and listening to the “pros.” He specializes in Prezi, video and photo development which enhances his graphic arts knowledge and expertise.
As far as Jack is concerned, with a mother, wife, and daughter surrounding him, like i-We, he knows that happy women equate to a happy home, town, city, nation and the world. He respects the beauty of the feminine, but for some reason, he finds it challenging to focus on more than two things at a time. But what he does he does well, and who knows what he’ll do next… perhaps he’ll learn to play the guitar!
Deb Augur
Deb studied graphic arts and writing in college and began her career as lead production artist and editor for a national magazine based in Southern California and later become Director of a Las Vegas advertising agency until the late 90s. Since 2001, she has been a full-time web developer and has worked with a variety of clients from multi-million dollar corporations to startups.
Deb feels a special kinship with i-We as she greatly identifies with women’s issues, including confidence, self-esteem, and work-life balance. She now brings her talents to create a visual experience helping women around the world embrace their true value and joy.
Being a “vagabond” at heart, Deb is well-traveled, living in 11 states and 53 different cities (oh my). When she finally settled down in the beautiful Pacific Northwest she dedicated herself to achieving her longtime dream of owning her own business. Today, she would be the first to tell any wantrepreneur, “Just go for it!”
Michael Station
Michael grew up outside of Chicago and moved to California when he was twenty-five. History and biography were his childhood reading passions. Michael earned an AA degree in Language Arts and a BA and MA in History with a minor in English Composition. He has taught at Butte College in Northern California for more than twenty years with a special emphasis in early American history, multicultural studies, and women’s history.
When Michael reconnected with his friend Stephany Yarbrough after nearly 30 years, he was immediately drawn to the i-We effort and goals. A lifetime of historical interest, reading and awareness had brought Mike to the conclusion that the world needs to recognize a broader place for women–one that embraces the special talents and worth women have always possessed but which are rarely understood. Through i-We, Michael brings enthusiasm to turning ideas into action. Michael is also an accomplished musician with a particular passion for American love songs giving him another unique perspective on and aspirations for relationships happily singing, “They All Laughed.”
Aleya Coolidge
Aleya graduated from Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA with a BA in French Language and Literature. With a keen interest in Theology and Spirituality, Aleya ventured out from her rich Muslim roots through a brief flirtation with existentialism, Buddhism and onto Christianity and beyond, earning her Masters in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Aleya is the proud mother of two very accomplished and willful 21st-century women and has struggled with what it means to be a fully realized woman in a world that emphasizes a male-dominated way of doing things. One daughter is an uncompromising feminist while the other embodies the traditions associated with the adjective “Feminine.” Aleya is a little of both, but her daughters have been raised to honor their own truths and seek their own answers.
For Aleya, i-We is about giving girls and women of all ages a different way of seeing, defining and honoring themselves within the context of their rich cultures and traditions. She has been fortunate to live and travel in various parts of the world. Aleya recognizes the value of women everywhere and was proud to help facilitate the first i-We Symposium The Feminine Light in the Middle East in Los Angeles which was held at Century Plaza Hotel on The International Day For Tolerance.
Aleya’s diverse background as a spiritual scholar, writer, commercial real estate agent, mother, relationship coordinator, and friend to all invests the i-We family with grace and benevolence.
Ken Vitto
Ken was born, raised and still lives within a 50-mile radius in Southern California. He grew up with a hometown mentality and formed many friendships that have lasted over 40 years. His parents taught you never have to lie to get ahead in life and you should always treat others as you would like to be treated. This way of life for Ken proved his parents correct: honesty and integrity have a place in one’s personal life and in business as well. Ken views and supports i-We as a new foundation for integrity.
Ken will never admit he is old, but he did take the first computer class ever offered at his high school. Little did he know that this new contraption, “the computer,” would play a large role in his business career. He was also an early adopter of the Internet. Currently, Ken has been in Internet development and online marketing for over 15 years. His sales and marketing background combined with his Internet expertise lead to a deep knowledge of selling and marketing online. He specializes in Internet Marketing and Management, particularly search engine optimization and pay per click, as well as digital public relations, email marketing, social networking, channel marketing distributor and value added reseller.
Christian Nolan
Christian received his degree from UC Irvine and has been in the field of information technology since 1999 as an IT manager, director, and consultant. He is co-owner of a cutting-edge technology media firm.
A father of a teenage daughter and a good listener to women, Christian knows the relevance of timing and good judgment. As Consulting Information Coordinator, he shares his patience, problem-solving and insightful perspective to keep i-We contemporary–a 21st-century daughter.
A practitioner of meditation, Christian, listens for the time of peace when cyberspace becomes one with the universe.
Kerri McManus
Kerri earned her M.A. in Visual and Media Arts from Emerson College, Boston. She moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter and worked as a production coordinator and associate producer before moving into academia. For over a decade, Kerri has worked as an academic administrator with a focus on internship advising and student services and is a life coach. Kerri brings to i-We a love for discovering women’s stories and how each of these stories connects women to their life purpose.
McManus first met Stephany at a 6:00 AM women’s boot camp in 2008. That boot camp not only prompted Kerri’s first half marathon but led her to a marathon friendship and working relationship with Stephany. It just goes to show that it pays to get up with the sun! A little-known secret, Kerri plays the electric bass and was in a local Boston band in the early 90’s. Kerri nurtures the music within all of us!
Chick Ciccarelli
Chick Ciccarelli is a senior-level executive with over 40 years experience in the ad business. He has structured the selling processes of everything from motion pictures to digital media and helped brand hundreds of products, companies and individuals. Many of his campaigns captured number one market positions. While he has been involved in a wide variety of advertising roles and positions, he is most sought for his work as a Branding Strategist, Campaign Art Director and Web Developer. His current company, WebWizards® services over 150 accounts.
Clients of note include GRAMMY® Awards, Latin GRAMMY® Awards, Songwriters Hall of Fame®, Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, EIF’s GRAMMY® Jam, MusiCares®, the BFCA’s Critics’ Choice Awards®, the Sundance Film Festival®, RKO Distribution®, Hollywood Symphony Orchestra®, WorldPort LA, City of Los Angeles, City of New Orleans and many celebrity accounts.
Chick holds numerous national design awards in both print and web development and was honored by the Smithsonian Institute for his promotional contribution to the historical Voyager flight around the world. He is a member of the National Academy of Media Arts & Sciences, finals judge for the International Business Awards (The Stevies), and a GLG Council Member (world professional learning and expertise network). He attended California State University, Long Beach.
Chick has contributed his considerable talents to designing, web developing, and establishing i-We Online! He is the man with music in his soul!
