Meet our team of catalysts
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to far, go together.”
Jon Davis
Jon is a highly sought after facilitator (over 13,000 hours in practice), leadership coach, teacher, community builder, equitable education champion and poet.
As Founder and CEO of Circles, Jon has nurtured a gift for developing leaders, connecting teams, seeing potential, and building programs to exchange ideas and address some of our world’s greatest challenges. He has coached and advised top leaders in public education (including three current and former superintendents), Fortune 500 companies, corporations, the creative industry, non-profits, civic leaders, athletics, and businesses committed to change and social impact.
Over the years, his program partnerships with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Wallace Foundation’s research led to dramatic transformations in the leadership, retention and culture change efforts of executive cabinets, principal supervisors and school leaders.
Most recently, Jon stayed close to his passion for change in education by working at the DC Bilingual School as a substitute teacher and a teacher in their after school program called HIVE. He also served as a Senior Consultant and the Education and Social Impact practice leader for eight years at The Center for Intentional Leadership. His commitment to community service includes the Board of Directors and Board Chair at Communities In Schools of Charlotte, and an advisor to ourBridge for Kids.
He has been named an “Opportunity Champion” by the Leading on Opportunity organization and has advised national groups like The Brookings Institution, Opportunity Insights, Welcoming America and PBS on how to create more equitable networks of social capital and a greater sense of belonging.
Jon has a B.A. from Davidson College and is an intermediate Spanish speaker. He is certified in the WorkPlace Big Five Profile Assessment and the EQi Emotional Intelligence Leadership report. He is a lover of music, coffee shops, cooking for friends and exploring the outdoors with his beloved pup Larry!
Jon envisions a world where every child has access to a equitable and transformational educational experience, so our children lead us into the future. He dreams about a world where all people feel at home.
Samantha Balandimal
Sam is program designer, well-being facilitator mental health advocate, DEI Warrior and soft heart keeper.
As a Program Coordinator with Circles, Sam has a masterful gift at breaking down complex projects and creating high impact session design in a way that maximizes results for teams and leaders.
She also serves as the Associate Director of Executive Programs at Management Leadership for Tomorrow. In this role Sam plans and executes high-level virtual and hybrid executive leadership development programming for diverse mid-career professionals. She is a facilitator and thought leader in how to recognize burnout in leaders and how to make dramatic shifts in mental well-being that increases professional success.
Sam is deeply passionate about helping people untangle the complexities in their leadership keeping them from operating in their full potential. She is a graduate of Liberty University with a Bachelor's in Psychology and from the University of Arkansas with a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a certified enneagram coach and provides life and relationship coaching services to underrepresented communities.
Outside of work, she is most inspired by spending time outdoors, participating in a competitive activity, or connecting with friends while eating good food. You might find her on a hiking trail, kayaking, trying out the newest local restaurant, or planning a trip with friends.
Samantha envisions a world where leaders prioritize empathy and vulnerability, recognizing that embracing our humanity is fundamental to addressing racial disparities and wealth gaps.
