Board of Directors
Valerie Biehl
President
ENFJ Preferences
Consultant + Coach of Thrive Purpose–I enable human growth and potential. My foundation in insights into the cognitive functions gives me an uncommon approach to help others reach goals sooner and with fewer resources and derailments than traditional methods. I help professionals develop healthy and resilient mindsets, tap into the depth and breadth of their abilities, and better communicate, partner with, and lead others.
I work with organizations and government entities to quickly and accurately diagnose team dynamics and assess each team member’s unique development opportunities and potential. I help people align their gifts to their work, rapidly develop, and both embrace and leverage the gifts of others. My goal is to enable teams to craft increasingly innovative, strategic, and sustainable solutions to rise to the level of change and challenge they face.
I have an MBA from Michigan State and a BBA from the University of Cincinnati. I served on the International Coaching Federation, Columbus, OH Charter Chapter board for five years as the Director of Marketing and Community Relations. I am an MBTI® and MMTIC® practitioner.
Julie Wright
PTC Coordinator
ENFJ Preferences
I was introduced to psychological type 20 years ago during a team building workshop at work where Judy Robb presented Linda Berens’ temperament model. I was fascinated! I asked Judy how I could learn more about type, and she advised me to join the San Francisco and Sacramento APTI chapters. I took her advice.
When I heard about the MBTI® a couple of different times, I took it as a sign to check it out. When I saw the ENFJ suggestion, it fit like a glove! Immediately I gained insight into why people around me, including my husband at the time, saw things so differently than I did.
Over the years I became active with the chapters, joined APTI at the national level, became a Certified MBTI Practitioner, and a Certified InterStrengthTM Practitioner. I am honored to have received APTI’s Excellence in APTI Leadership Award as recognition for my work with both chapters.
I have many years of experience applying type in a corporate setting as a project manager and corporate trainer. After 30 years in the corporate world, I launched Wright On Your Money, a business focused on personal money management.
Having a community of people who “speak type” is invaluable. I’m excited about the many initiatives that build on APTI’s strong legacy and that strengthen our active community for all who seek ethical and applicable knowledge of psychological type.
Joyce Meng
Director at Large
INFJ Preferences
I am a certified MBTI® Master Practitioner, Master NLP Practitioner, and Gallup® CliftonStrengths Coach. I am a passionate personality typology coach and profiler, and I help individuals unlock their full potential and find true fulfillment in life.
I am the founder of TypeTalks, a community on YouTube dedicated to exploring the fascinating world of personality frameworks such as the MBTI, Jungian Theory, and the Enneagram. My channel focuses on improving our understanding of people with different type preferences through skilled interviews and panel discussions. More than 13,000 people subscribe to my channel.
My M.S. in Human Resource Management is from York University, and I am currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Psychology. I am certified in the InterStrength™ Model with Linda V. Berens. As a coach and profiler, I have helped countless individuals gain insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and unique talents, enabling them to thrive both personally and professionally.
Kevin Kell
Director of Strategic Relations
ENFP Preferences
I am a licensed clinical social worker living and practicing in the greater Chicago land area. I am the clinical director for The Center for Change & Healing, where I provide therapy and supervise the center’s clinical offerings. I received my bachelor’s degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago; I have also earned a master’s degree in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, where I recently received my PhD in the same. I have studied with professional mentors from a wide variety of cultures, traditions, and fields.
My therapeutic approach is based in psychodynamic and depth psychological theories and is significantly informed by theories of type and typology. As Jung wrote, “the shoe that fits one pinches another.” So too is an understanding of type essential in assessing and addressing the various presentations of therapeutic distress. My strengths-based approach works with a client’s typological preferences to identify and develop the gifts hidden within the challenges and trauma. Through this process, clients also learn to de-pathologize those aspects of their type that have been unjustly rejected by their family, society, or self.
In true ENFP-fashion, when I’m not practicing therapy or spending time with my lovely wife and young children, I enjoy a wide variety of hobbies and interests. I am an accomplished leather worker and craftsman, and I make and play Native American style hide drums. I am a classically trained bass vocalist and regularly perform in local operas and other venues. I also am a student of language, with a special passion for Russian. You can find me throughout the greater Chicago area leading drum circles and sharing my love of art, performance, and beauty.
Lauren Albertina
Director of Finance
INTJ Preferences
I first learned about psychological type over 8 years ago while listening to a podcast and have been hooked ever since. I currently work in a healthcare setting caring for critically ill patients, and also serve as a post-graduate program director. I use my knowledge of cognitive functions to empower others to bolster their strengths, better communicate with one another, and ultimately fortify their human potential.
I have a Doctorate of Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy. While my professional involvement has largely been in healthcare, I’m excited to now serve on the APTi board as a Director at Large. It is my hope that I can help make type more accessible and operable in both the healthcare setting and the general public.
Harumi Gondo
Director at Large
ENFJ Preferences
I have ENFJ preferences and am a Personality Type Evangelist. Following my passion for being a Type Community Builder, I founded TypeLAB, a type community, and 16TYPE, a company that specializes in Personality Type.
Before jumping into the world of Personality Type, I taught world religions and philosophy and served as a journalism evaluation specialist. I am the author of Your Personal User Manual Revealed by the 16 Type Assessment which was published by the Japanese publishing house Gentosha. The book has been scheduled for a reprint in February 2026.
After moving to Japan, I was shocked to realize that although I might look Japanese, I did not fit into Japanese society. I returned briefly to the US to obtain my MBTI certification and to equip myself to get along with others in a new country without the appropriate language skills. When I first began teaching NO ONE knew about Personality Type and so I knew I better get cracking to prepare for when the Type Tsunami would hit Japan. Having studied the Jungian cognitive functions with Bob McAlpine, I developed a training methodology that takes into consideration the Japanese collectivist mindset.
In 2018, I founded TypeLAB, a community that supports mothers in their self-development. Through TypeLAB I actively foster community and a culture of “giving back” to society as part of the growth process. I also created a system to become certified and experienced in type trainings and to be eligible to conduct corporate trainings for my company, which I founded in 2022. Through these and other experiences, I have learned that building a business and community requires a mindset of investing into people and community.
Together with the 16TYPE team, I have delivered training programs and lectures for a wide range of organizations including Fujitsu, Osaka University, JAXA, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Mitsui Realty, eBay, Sunstar, Atrae, uSonar, TREEAD, WHILL Inc. (Winner of First Place at the 2025 Startup Awards), Boomi, and Le Cordon Bleu Vantan College, among others. I was also commissioned to support articles on personality type by Shiseido and Dentsu.
I live in Tokyo with my husband and two teen daughters, where I also serve on the board of my daughter’s school PTA.
Dario Nardi
Programs Director
INTJ Preferences
I am a certified MBTI® Master Practitioner with INTJ preferences, trained under Dr. Linda Berens in 1994. Over the years with Linda, I learned a lot, particularly the ethical use of type, the value of quality materials, and core principles of practice such as triangulating to best-fit type.
From 1998 to 2015, I taught at the University of California, Los Angeles in computing and anthropology. My PhD is in Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, and in social science, I taught modeling and simulation of social systems. This included leading courses in group dynamics, personality and neuroscience.
In 2006, I started working with EEG brain-imaging technology, bringing neuroscience to the study of personality. To date, I’ve sat with over 900 people, reviewing their brain-imaging results and often helping them confirm or deepen their understanding of their type and also how they have developed uniquely—brain-imaging is a snapshot of the developed self. I am the CEO of Radiance House (www.RadianceHouse.com), a body-mind publishing and training company. And I offer brain imaging services (www.EEGinsightsLAB.com) all over the world.
My books include “Neuroscience of Personality”, “Jung on Yoga”, “Decode Your Personality”, “8 Keys to Self-Leadership”, “The Magic Diamond”, “Facets of Ayahuasca”, and others, including workbooks with Dr. Linda Berens such as “Quick Guide to the 16 Types in Organizations”.
I believe type, and all of the work of Jung, is a tremendous gift and responsibility, with profound applications that go beyond simple trait measures. I look forward to bringing together professional users from all over the world to keep type active into the coming decades.
Terri Groening
Membership Director
INTJ Preferences
I have been using Jungian type both personally and professionally for over 30 years. Discovering my type preferences was truly formative in shaping my career as an HR professional—and as a coach/consultant.
My encore work has been in career coaching, where I help individuals find the best fit for their type preferences and talents. The name of my coaching company is Kaleidoscope Solutions. Just as the kaleidoscope changes the beauty of its design by shifting perspective, understanding psychological type helps us create more pleasing designs at each stage of our career life cycle.
I have an MBA from Bowling Green State University and a BS from Kansas State University. I am certified in Evidence-Based Coaching from Fielding Graduate University and am an MBTI Master Practitioner. I live in Sarasota with my partner and cat and in our motorhome when we travel to gliding events.
I am very excited to serve as APTI Membership Director and look forward to hearing from each of you what makes APTI meaningful in your life as well as your thoughts on how to continue growing a vibrant APTI community.