Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer is a distinguished talent and organizational development strategist with over three decades of international executive leadership experience across multiple industries and is the founder of Bentzen Performance Partners and co-founder of The Zeal of the Heel. Dr. Cynthia's expertise centers on her ability to actualize human potential, which was also detailed in her USA Today bestselling book, Now, Near, Next: A Practical Guide for Mid-Career Women to Move from Professional Serendipity to Intentional Advancement.

Dr. Cynthia has a PhD in social psychology, an MBA, is a Board Certified Coach (BCC), and holds a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) designation. Her work with organizations such as Hai Hospitality, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Athena Health, Marriott, Del Papa Distributing, the Sheehan Family Companies, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spans a range of services, including keynote presentations, C-suite executive coaching, and human capital consulting worldwide.

Her unique approach to maximizing human performance has been featured in Improving HR and Heather McGowan's The Empathy Advantage; on The Seismic Shift with Michelle Johnston, This Is Women's Work, Nicole Kalel, The Chris Voss Show, and numerous news outlets; and in the e-Missourian, The Business Journals, The Labor Tribune, St. Louis Public Radio and Catholic Health Association of the US publications.

Her contributions have earned her recognition, including being featured in Ingram's "50 Missourians You Should Know," Becker's "143 Women Leaders of Hospital and Health Systems to Know," a St. Louis YWCA "Leader of Distinction," one of St. Louis's "Most Influential Businesswomen," and a 2024 recipient of "Women We Admire."

Blending her professional and philanthropic passions, Dr. Cynthia lends her time, talent, and treasure to organizations that focus on liberating those who are poor, underserved, or marginalized, including Dreams to Reality and AbleLight.