Joseph E. Shackford - Founder and Original Content Co-Trainer

Joe earned a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and an M.S. in engineering management from Northeastern. He was the first engineer in GE-Aircraft Engines to complete GE's Financial Management Program course of studies.

Joe began his professional career with Sikorsky Helicopter as a flight test engineer. After three years, he moved to GE-Aircraft Engines. Twenty-five years' experience as a functional manager in worldwide commercial sales and military aviation operations led to his being named the first National Executive - India – for all GE product lines. He managed all of GE's business development operations for India, living in New Delhi from 1986 to 1989.

During this time, he managed business-to-business and business-to-government joint venture, co-production and technology transfer activities involving aircraft and marine engines, power generation electrical energy production, medical imaging equipment, factory automation, plastics, and lighting. Some opportunities involved multi-country, multi-company agreements.

Upon return to the U.S. in 1989, he managed GE-Aircraft Engine's Military Product Support Operation in Lynn, Massachusetts, through the Desert Shield activities and Desert Storm preparation. He encouraged the implementation of customer-centered process management throughout his operation, along with intensive continuous improvement activities.

In January 1991, he joined the Mattford Group as senior partner. A manager who always built his own organizations' performance through relevant skills training, process consultation, and mentoring/modeling, he went on to share his worldwide business experience with TMG clients.

From 1988 through 2018, he served as the sole content co-trainer for the workshop. He kicked back by flying Cessnas, playing golf, dancing, and traveling the world with Kaye, as well as sharing time with four grown kids, six grandkids, and two American Eskimo dogs named Piper Super Cub and Lucas Skybear. Though Joe is no longer training the program, his love of aviation and his commitment to leave things better than he found them continue to infuse everything we do.

Kaye Shackford - Founder, Workshop Designer and Process Co-Trainer

Kaye attended Bennington College and graduated with an A.B. in English Education from the University of North Carolina. Her Masters in Adult Education was with Malcolm Knowles at Boston University. Her Diploma in Advanced Studies in Gestalt Psychology is from the New England Gestalt Institute.

Before joining GE, she worked for a National Laboratory for Higher Education in North Carolina. As associate director for an experimental urban ministry, she produced an issues-oriented TV series for Channel 38 in Durham, North Carolina.

During 12 years at GE-Aircraft Engines, she served as personnel manager for the sourcing and manufacturing technology organizations and as manager of marketplace education and professional development. She designed a Negotiation Skills workshop based on the work of Chester Karrass for GE-AE in 1978. She taught teams of functional managers inside GE to run it. She and they ran it domestically since 1978 and internationally from 1983-89 for over 3000 GE and Snecma people.

From 1986-89 she lived in India, working for GE International, designing and running training programs in Europe and South Asia. These programs included negotiation, communication skills, intensive interviewing skills, effective people management, person-job matching, and strategic account management.

She established the Mattford Group in 1988. When she discovered the work of Roger Fisher and the Harvard Project on Negotiation, she designed the Negotiating Solutions® workshop to help professionals steeped in and good at positional negotiation discover at a deep value and conceptual level the far superior results they could get, now and over time, through interest-based negotiation. As the designer of the workshop, she continues to hone the program to keep it current and useful.

Kaye has written a book addressed to the aviation industry. Its title is "Charting a Wiser Course: How Aviation Can Address the Human Side of Change." She is also the companion of an American Eskimo dog named Piper Super Cub. She serves as the senior process co-trainer of every workshop.

Joe Dunne - Content Co-Trainer

Joe earned an honors degree in mechanical engineering and a post-graduate diploma in business management from the University of Derby as well as an executive MBA from Loughborough University in the UK. He is a recent graduate of the Negotiating Solutions® workshop. He has experienced several life choice and career inflection points and knows first hand how significant this program can be personally and professionally.

Joe began his aerospace career at 16 as an apprentice engineer with Rolls-Royce in the UK. It culminated in his retirement in 2023 as a senior executive at Boeing. During his professional journey Joe accumulated executive leadership and senior management experience in corporate and business strategy and transformation, partnership development and collaboration, as well as product development, program management, customer relationship management, and product support. He has held leadership positions at Rolls-Royce, International Aero Engines and GKN as well as at Boeing. He has lived and worked in the UK, France and the US, and has had high impact project assignments globally, including in Asia, Australia and Brazil. He has established and managed international negotiations and collaborations with airframe and component OEM's, MRO's and airline customers globally.

Joe has served on the boards of organizations delivering community support programs and aerospace related humanitarian relief, as well as for the performing arts. Since his retirement Joe has established his own business practice, providing leadership coaching, consulting and training services.

He and his wife Elena home-schooled their three children. A recent addition to the family is a Golden Doodle puppy named Ralph.

Elena Grigorieva - Process Co-Trainer

Elena brings experience spanning international business, aerospace, government service, and education to the Negotiating Solutions® workshop.

Born and raised in Russia, Elena began her career as an international liaison supporting business development initiatives in post-Soviet Russia. After moving to the United States, she held positions with International Aero Engines, Hamilton Sundstrand (now Collins Aerospace), and the Transportation Security Administration, working in customer service, supply chain management, product development, and acquisitions.

Throughout her career, Elena developed a reputation for building bridges across functions, cultures and disciplines. Whether working with engineers, suppliers, government stakeholders or customers, she consistently found herself helping diverse groups communicate more effectively and achieve shared objectives.

Following the birth of her second child, Elena followed her heart and transitioned into education, homeschooling her children and teaching mathematics in both private and public schools. She is passionate about creating engaging learning experiences that help students build both competence and confidence.

Elena attended the Negotiating Solutions® workshop as a participant in 2025 and now serves as a process co-trainer. Across her work in corporate leadership, government acquisitions, youth education and now adult learning, a common thread has remained: a passion for continuous learning and helping others develop the skills, confidence and perspective needed to be at their best. She lives in Washington State with her husband Joe, their three children, two sweet cats, and a very energetic Golden Doodle.

Office Administration Staff

Mindy Tindle – Webmaster

Mindy moved to Incline Village in 1995 to establish her own secretarial services company. She brought ten years of secretarial and word processing experience with her. For almost four years, The Mattford Group contracted with her to provide program management, office management, and financial management support. She set up many of our systems, processes, and formats. In 2002, she designed our website. She continues to maintain it. She moved on to a variety of short-term executive secretarial and administrative support roles in Reno, Nevada, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, before returning to college to earn an in-depth certificate in desktop publishing. Upon completion of her studies, Mindy returned to Reno in the summer of 2003 with her children, Mollie and Adam. She completed a paralegal degree program, with high honors, at Charter College. She continues to serve as our consultant regarding computer-based program administration and as our overflow program administrator. Among other projects, she created the text design for and formatted 'Charting a Wiser Course.' She enjoys being in close proximity to the recreational and relaxational resources of Lake Tahoe.

Should you experience any difficulty with our website, please let us know at mattford@aol.com or contact Mindy directly at happywithlife2010@att.net.