About
Founder & CEO: Tara Bethell, EMBA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, RYT-200
As a fourth-generation Arizonan, Tara is fanatical about investing her time and talents in Arizona’s workforce. A natural connector, Tara brings resources to companies and individuals to recruit, retain, and grow their internal talent. Far from the typical HR person, Tara brings energy and humor to every engagement in addition to solid talent research and tried-and-true strategies from the HR trenches. She values enthusiasm, integrity, and service to others and her passion is helping companies invest in their most important asset, their employees. Her past projects have led to increased employee engagement, reduced turnover, the creation of effective evaluation and professional development plans, as well as implementing culture change initiatives and navigating top leadership transitions.
Before diving into the consulting space, Tara served as the Senior VP of Human Resources & Risk Management at a large nonprofit healthcare organization, where she changed the employee culture from one of essential compliance to a community of engagement. During her tenure, the organization received Holleran’s Highest Honor for Employee Engagement, Phoenix Business Journal's Healthiest Employer for mid-size companies (twice!), the HR Best Practices award from the Journal, and Tara was selected a 40 Under 40 recipient in 2017 for her mentorship work with up and coming leaders.
Tara earned an Executive MBA, with an emphasis in Servant Leadership, from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, with an emphasis in Human Resources, from Arizona State University. She holds both national HR certifications, the Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) and the Society of Human Resources Senior Certified Professional designation (SHRM-SCP). She is a proud graduate of Valley Leadership Institute’s Class 33, the Women’s Leadership Development Forum Cohort VI, and Vitalyst Health Foundation’s Professional Interim Executive Director training.
When not working on Copper Quail Consulting projects, Tara can be found hanging with her husband and adorable yet beastly teenagers, doing yoga, running, reading, and eating at local spots. Her secret weapons are karaoke and stand-up comedy.
Director, Strategy & Operations: Martin Leon Cortes Silva, MBA
Martin is an individual who has been marked by the statement: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou (American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist). Over the years, Martin’s experience in the field of, startups, and traditional business settings has shown him that the result of active hearing and sharing experiences will be reciprocity and genuine support, ultimately forming long-lasting relationships. More wonderfully, cultural, demographic, and economic barriers are banished once people perceive empathy and appreciation towards their unique skills.
Martin has experience working in large-sized companies and startup businesses as an Operations Manager, COO, and founder. He assisted in operations, business development, software integration, software development, recruiting, customer relations, partnerships, and marketing activities. Additionally, he served as community manager in the HR department, planning events and programs for the entire workforce at Freshly Inc. He claims that the role was an eye-opening call to observe the impact that intentional and thoughtful HR programs can have on employee performance and the direction of a business.
Before working in the traditional business world, Martin was a professional soccer player in his native country. He represented the Chilean National Team and competed at the highest level in the Chilean league for four years. Upon retirement due to multiple body injuries, he hung the cleats and started planning his life outside of sports. For this, he searched for scholarship opportunities in the US, arriving at Life University, GA in 2017.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in business administration while being a student leader throughout his three years in the program. Yes, he graduated in 3 years! He was the captain of the Men’s Soccer Team, founder of the Multicultural Student Association (MSA), conducted a research project on food choices at retail stores, VP of Operations for the Campus Activities Board, and was honored as Valedictorian and Student-Athlete of the Year.
Currently, Martin is pursuing his MBA at W.P. Carey School at Arizona State University with a specialization in Marketing and Supply Chain. He is also the Vice President of the Master of Business Administration Association (MBAA) for Academic Success Planning of the Full-time MBA program and mentor for the E+I Institute Entrepreneurship Lab at ASU.
In his leisure time, Martin enjoys exercising, playing sports, meditating, baking, cooking, hiking, and spending time with friends at the pool.
Director, Client Engagement: Hannah Peddle, BS NPLM
Hannah was involved in purpose-driven work long before she earned her undergraduate degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Arizona State University. Before and since her university career, her work has spanned both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors in industries such as construction, aviation, international aid and relief, event production, and community development.
Whether serving as an Administrator, Program Manager, Project Coordinator, or even a Kitchen Manager and Baker, Hannah's can-do attitude, superior organization skills, big-picture thinking, and ability to connect with and bring together diverse groups of people set her apart as a strategic partner and leader. In both her professional and personal life, Hannah orients herself around being a conduit of redemptive entrepreneurship.
When she’s not working with passion driven leaders, you might find Hannah spending time with her husband and family hiking, biking, camping, cooking, baking, reading, trying a new coffee shop, or engaging with her church. She whole-heartedly believes that adventure and new experiences are the spice of life.
Recruiter & HR Coordinator: Shweta Nawkar, MMkt, MHRM
Shweta Nawkar is currently pursuing her Master’s in Human Resource Management at Rutgers University, where she is actively expanding her expertise in talent management and strategic HR leadership. She also serves as the Vice President of Marketing for the RU SHRM Graduate Chapter, playing a key role in promoting HR initiatives and
fostering community engagement.
Prior to this, she earned a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Mumbai, India, equipping her with a strong foundation in consumer behavior, branding, and market strategy.
With over seven years of experience as an HR professional in the private sector, Shweta has successfully led and contributed to various HR functions, including talent acquisition, employee engagement, performance management, and learning & development. She is also deeply committed to organizational development (OD) and has actively participated in several OD networks. In addition, she has volunteered as both an OD practitioner and team leader for various non-profit organizations, contributing to leadership development and change management initiatives.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Shweta is a passionate baker and previously owned a small bakery business in Phoenix, Arizona. She enjoys baking, cooking, dancing, and is a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast.