Elevate Your Potential Through Coaching
We have served as coaches and coach educators for over 30 years. In that time, we have seen our clients elevate their potential in both their personal and professional lives.
Excellent Coaching Produces Sustainable Transformation That Brings Hope to the World
This is why we have devoted our time to educating coaches who understand the human condition and appreciate all that it takes for sustained change. It is also why numerous organizations have used Blue Mesa Coaching to develop internal coaching capability.
We are a constellation of former senior executives and leaders with experience spanning industries and continents. We have learned that no matter what the goal, obstacle, or conflict, people are the most important variable determining organizational success or failure. Coaching promotes strategic thinking about people – valuing them as human resources. The result is individual and organizational resilience and achievement.
FOUNDERS
Patricia Barlow, MCC
President and Founding Partner
Pat Barlow is a sought-after executive coach and a thought leader in her field, thanks to her MCC credential from the International Coaching Federation and the collected lessons of years spent in business leadership.
The unquestionable result of Pat’s knowledge, diligence, and passion is empowerment of individuals, teams, and organizations to reach their full potential.
Pat has become adept at translating her acquired wisdom into the practical advancement of business and cultural competence for leaders.
As an executive HR leader for both Merck and Citigroup, Pat gathered experience spanning cultures, industries, organizations, and financial climates. She balanced external business objectives–sales, profits, and growth–with the internal conditions necessary for success–skilled leadership, clear objectives, and strong corporate cultures–on six continents.
She has been at the forefront of divestitures and acquisitions, diversity leadership, organizational and team development, strategic planning, labor negotiations, senior executive consulting, and leadership assessment and development. She is pleased to put the broad sweep of her accumulated knowledge at the disposal of her coaching clients.
Pat is the President and a Founding Partner of Blue Mesa Coaching, an executive coaching and consulting firm based in Fort Collins, Colorado, providing executive coaching and leadership training through the creation of assessments and processes customized to allow each client to achieve desired results and growth.
Micki McMillan, M.Ed., MCC
CEO and Founding Partner
Micki McMillan is the CEO and Founding Partner of Blue Mesa Coaching, a global coaching, coach training, and consulting firm. She is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), a past Chair of the International Coaching Federation’s Coaching Education Board, and serves as both a PCC and MCC assessor. She is also a past President of the Association of Coach Training Organizations (ACTO) and co-creator of the Transformational Coaching Program, an ICF-accredited Level 2 coaching education program.
Micki serves on the Board of Directors for the Auto Club Group (ACG), a multi-state AAA affiliate serving 14 million members.
Blending deep coaching expertise with proven business acumen, Micki helps organizations drive measurable results, accelerate change, and sustain leadership effectiveness. Under her leadership, Blue Mesa Coaching has supported executives and teams across industries, with clients including Merck & Co., The Coca-Cola Company, Yale School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Entergy, DTE Energy, Trinity Health, Centura Health, Colorado State University, and Royal Dutch Shell.
Her career began in education before she advanced into executive leadership, ultimately serving as a Gas and Electric Distribution Executive with full P&L responsibility. Her domestic and international corporate experience—spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia—gives her unique insight into the challenges senior leaders face, as well as the organizational dynamics, values, and motivators that drive performance.
SENIOR ASSOCIATES
Abby Veliquette, Ph.D., PCC
Dr. Abby Veliquette is a seasoned coach, educator, and facilitator, specializing in leadership development and mindset resilience. She partners with executive leaders and teams to help them achieve peak performance and holistic wellbeing.
With over 20 years of experience in teaching, coaching, and leadership development, Dr. Veliquette has worked with leaders across diverse sectors, including technology, financial services, startups, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and food and beverage. She has successfully led initiatives focused on cultural transformation, communication process improvement, and employee wellbeing. Abby has also designed and facilitated training programs, courses, and retreats for thousands of participants in government, education, and healthcare. She is a senior faculty for the Transformational Coaching Program.
Previously, Dr. Veliquette was a Teaching Professor in Communication Studies and Business Management at Colorado State University, and she spent a decade working in the nonprofit sector, where she played a pivotal role in creating and managing a volunteer program for a large nonprofit, overseeing volunteer training, recruitment, retention, curriculum design, and ongoing supervision.
Her expertise includes executive coaching, where she helps leaders develop emotional intelligence, improve communication, strengthen commitment, resolve conflicts, and navigate leadership transitions. She also supports teams in enhancing cohesion, managing change, and building resilience.
Dr. Veliquette’s scholarship includes six peer-reviewed journal publications in human resource development, strategic planning, and team building. She has advanced training in Positive Intelligence and is certified in DiSC and the ALLI-Map 360. In 2017, she was honored with one of Colorado State University’s Best Teacher awards. She holds a Master’s in Organizational Communication and a PhD in Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change, both from Colorado State University.
Jason Veliquette, MA, PCC
Jason Veliquette is an accomplished Leadership Coach, Consultant, who empowers senior executives and teams to lead with clarity, trust, and long-term effectiveness. A specialist in transformational coaching, Jason partners with organizations to build resilient cultures, accelerate team performance, and embed sustainable leadership practices.
With over 12 years of experience coaching senior leaders across industries—including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, government, food and beverage, and high-growth startups—Jason is known for helping executives elevate emotional intelligence, sharpen communication, and lead high-performing teams. His clients consistently credit him with unlocking leadership potential and catalyzing meaningful organizational change.
Jason also serves as Co-Director of the Transformational Coaching Program at Blue Mesa Coaching, where he trains and mentors executive coaches while overseeing faculty development and program delivery.
Earlier in his career, Jason held senior leadership roles at a large non-profit, where he was pivotal in scaling its impact by building cohesive teams and mobilizing volunteer engagement to fulfill its mission.
His expertise spans executive coaching, team development, leadership education, and coach education. He has served on the board of the Association for Coach Training Organizations and is a regular guest speaker at Colorado State University, contributing to its communications and leadership curriculum.
Jason holds a Master’s degree from Denver Seminary and is credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation.
Janna West Kowalski, MS, PCC
Janna West Kowalski brings more than 20 years of experience leading, coaching, and training in government, health, and academic sectors. She currently serves as a faculty member and coach for Blue Mesa Coaching and the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL). Janna is also grateful to coach leaders and emerging leaders to support them in achieving their personal and professional development goals.
Craig Wright MD, ACC
Craig brings over 20 years of experience as a healthcare- and physician-executive to his coaching. He has held several operational and corporate level positions, and now finds passion in coaching leaders to develop personally and professionally in complex environments. He especially enjoys working with emerging and senior level managers who are in growth phases or transitions. Craig is a board certified Family Physician who lives in Portland, Oregon.
Alayna Felder, MBA, ACC
Alayna is an experienced and dynamic HR leader and coach with nearly 10 years of expertise as a business partner, specializing in coaching and advising leaders, and managing retention and engagement. Alayna’s passion lies in helping individuals navigate their thoughts to find their “a-ha” moments. She currently serves as the Sr. Manager of Employee Relations and Engagement at Snooze A.M. Eatery.
