About Us
Ned Parks founded the company in 2000 as New Directions Learning and Development after completing a career in the U.S. Army and private business.
In the Army he was a helicopter pilot, classroom instructor and pilot instructor. In the private sector he ran his own business and worked in the manufacturing and service industry. Ned has brought his experience in business, leadership, culture and strategic planning to his clients.
He has added Katherine Burik and Brad Withers to the team.
Ned Parks
Ned has spoken and trained worldwide, delivering over 3,000+ presentations to over 30,000 people since founding Aegis 24 years ago. Specializing in leadership development, Ned works with organizations in the financial management, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors, including Fortune 500 companies, startups, and non-profits. More about Ned
Sue Camulli
Sue has accumulated over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in customer service, inventory management, and telecommunications. She holds certifications in Everything DiSC® and PXT Select™, both Wiley brand offerings.
Katherine Burik
Katherine Burik is an energetic and creative leader with a service focus on human resources. She has specific expertise in strategic planning and coaching leadership teams to improve performance and results.
Brad Withers
For the past 26 years Brad has presented over 2700 seminar days, in 10 countries 46 states and 6 provinces. Brad uses a hybrid of training and facilitation. This creates a dialogue engaging learners. He has an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University. Brad double majored in Business and Philosophy.
Winnie Smith
Her DNA results say she is a Labradoodle; however, her mother is convinced she is a Velociraptor
No matter, she keeps the office jumping when she visits.
Osha Parks and Lacey Smith
Osha is the CHD, (Chief Happiness Dog) Lacey, her friend and co-worker, recently joined the Aegis family as CCD (Chief Cuteness Dog)
Both often work remotely. When Osha and Lacey were in the office, they could be found looking for snacks and seeing if they can disrupt our concentration. They were very good at their jobs.
In memorial we lost our K9 pals in 2025, but have forgotten them
How Do We Add Value?
You will find some examples of what we have provided, how we got there, and the outcomes.
Before we charge you a dime or make a suggestion, we uncover your needs, ask questions, and dig in with you to find what is really needed.
We then determine the proper methods to meet those objectives.
Client Objectives
- Help employees think like an owner
- Enhance business acumen and financial literacy
- Improve employee performance
- Build team trust
- Prepare new managers and supervisors to lead
- Business strategy development
- Improve communication between staff members
Methods We Use
- Leadership training
- Design Thinking
- Table Top business simulations®
- Everything DiSC® Assessments
- 1:1 coaching
- Facilitation
- Strategic planning
- Open-space processing
- Management training
- Staff development training days
- Mediation
- Retreat design and facilitation