Our Team

Northern Compass Consulting Team

Dr. Larry Rice | Founding Partner & Chief Engagement Officer, Northern Compass Consulting

Dr. Larry Rice is co-owner of Northern Compass Consulting LLC, which services clients in government, education, and commercial industries. Before beginning his consulting activities full-time, Dr. Rice served as President of Johnson & Wales University, where he also served as a professor, dean, and vice president. During Dr. Rice’s tenure as president, the school’s North Miami campus was ranked number one for diversity in the South and third nationally in the Wall Street Journal/Time Higher Education College Rankings. Dr. Rice has served on the board of directors for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the United Way of Miami-Dade County, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and the Beach Hotel & Lodging Association. He now proudly serves as a board member of the Helios Education Foundation, and the Broward College Foundation.

Dr. Claire Michele Rice, Ph.D. | Founding Partner, Northern Compass Consulting

Dr. Rice’s nonprofit experience includes creating a poverty alleviate manual for the island of the Turks & Caicos’ government. Facilitating planning for the Atlanta Police Department, she was commissioned to conduct training and community development work for USAID through the Florida Agency for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas. She has served as an educator for over 28 years, teaching multiple disciplines as a university professor of sociology and conflict resolution, and has served as a consultant in training, community development, and workshop facilitation for over 29 years. Dr. Rice currently serves as Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Ms. Ruth Rubi | Partner, Northern Compass Consulting

Ruth Rubi is an analytical and decisive business partner recognized for her keen ability to turn around underperforming sectors through financial controls, process improvement, and team development. She serves as Executive Director of Finance Management for the City of Hialeah. Prior to joining NCC and the City of Hialeah, she served in various leadership roles at the University of Miami and Johnson and Wales University as Director of Operations for the North Miami Campus. Ms. Rubi has led and overseen systems implementations, operating and capital budgets of $389M/year and has participated in major contract negotiations that saved the University of Miami over $11M over a 5-year period. In addition, she has developed financial dashboards, financial analyses metrics, benchmarking, and variance reports for senior management’s decision-making process, and has coached and mentored multi-discipline teams through a collaborate management style focused on aligning objectives, staff accountability and individual’s professional development.

NCC Associate Consultants

Dr. Stella Napoles | Consultant Associate, Northern Compass Consulting

Dr. Stella Napoles is an experienced higher education professional with a focus on fostering engagement and inclusion within institutions. Her career has spanned from the clinic to the classroom. Maximizing upon her doctorate in clinical psychology, she was a dynamic professor and an impactful administrator. Dr. Napoles’ last position as the designer and director of the Talent Advancement Program at Johnson & Wales University resulted in a successful retention initiative for diverse and socially disadvantaged students.

Ms. Chinyere Obinna | Consultant Associate, Northern Compass Consulting

Chinyere is a legal professional with over ten years of experience as a barrister and solicitor. She is completing her doctoral studies in Conflict Analysis & Resolution at Nova Southeastern University, Florida. Chinyere has completed master’s degrees in Law, Conflict Analysis & Resolution, and Law & Governance. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Law.

Chinyere has facilitated conflict resolution training sessions for multiple groups and organizations in Florida. She worked as a teaching assistant at the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies, Nova Southeastern University and as a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor. She also served as a facilitator with the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Windsor. Chinyere is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives by imparting knowledge in learning spaces. To this end, she always aims to create a positive and inclusive environment vital for engagement and deep learning.

George Alexakis | Consultant Associate, Northern Compass Consulting

Dr. George Alexakis has had three distinct careers as a small business operator, business consultant, and university administrator and professor. He has been a full-time business and hospitality management faculty member since 1995 and has served as a business and education consultant for more than 20 years. He has taught a wide variety of business and hospitality management courses at the undergraduate and MBA in the following areas: Leadership/Management, Sustainability, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Development, Entrepreneurship, Communications, Customer Service, and Strategic Management. Dr. Alexakis is proficient in Kaltura, Top Hat, and various Learning Management Systems (LMS). He has published 29 business and hospitality discipline journal articles.

Ms. Mary Buckley | Consultant Associate, Northern Compass Consulting

Mary Buckley is the founder of Buckley Consulting Services, LLC., a boutique consulting firm which specializes in internship program development, recruitment, event coordination and project management. Her unique background as an educational consultant, hospitality professional, university professor and business owner attract some of her biggest clients from the cruise to the cannabis industry. As a sought-after internship program designer, Mary’s more than 20 years of higher education experience in experiential education, career services, study abroad programs, and employer relations provides her with a distinct understanding of all three viewpoints: the university, the student, and the employer. This perspective allows Mary to develop, recruit and manage her client’s inaugural internship programs. She draws great joy from facilitating these internship programs and impacting students’ lives and solidifying their career direction. Mary holds an MBA in Hospitality Administration from Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI and recently completed the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate with Cornell University.