The Duncan Group, Inc.
OUR TEAM
The Duncan Group team brings the education, experience and skills vital to meeting the human resources needs in today’s global and dynamic business environment.
Michelle K. Oosterwal
Managing Partner
michelle@duncangroupinc.com
Michelle Devlin-Oosterwal has been with The Duncan Group, Inc. for over 27 years. She attended Santa Fe Community College where she pursued a dual degree in Pre-Med and Pre-Law, with a focus on Native American Law; she minored in Photography.
She then attended College of Santa Fe, and continued to pursue Pre-Med, with a focus on Chemistry. Michelle has recently been accepted to Harvard's Executive Education Program.
Her professional career began in Santa Fe, where she actively worked on issues facing Indigenous Populations, particularly in regard to Indigenous Law, American Indian Women's Rights, and working toward facilitating better conditions on reservations. In addition, she became heavily active in Conservation, with a focus on Marine Conservation and Animal Rights and Laws.
Her first role was working at Grey Advertising as a receptionist; she was promoted to Assistant to an Art Director. After working at Grey, she began her career at The Duncan Group, Inc., as a receptionist/recruiter assistant and then worked her way up to Partner.
Michelle's personal pursuits continue to include her volunteer work for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, where she has worked as an onshore volunteer, fundraising for the organization, for over twenty years. She continues to be active with various Animal Rights organizations, and actively writes about issues facing marine life today.
Michelle had the privilege of being mentored by the late John Trudell, Founder of the American Indian Movement. Mr. Trudell was a world- renowned Activist, Poet, Musician, Artist, and Actor. His work included a documentary film titled, "Incident at Oglala" (a collaboration with Robert Redford) and the poignant film and documentary about his life titled, "Trudell."
She has traveled the world and continues to pursue her photography. Michelle currently resides in New Jersey with her two children, Angelica and Francesca, and husband, Marc. They have four dogs, four guinea pigs, seven cats, and a bearded dragon, "Spikey."
Dr. Dale Caldwell
Senior Trainer
drdgcaldwell@gmail.com
Dr. Dale G. Caldwell has been with The Duncan Group for more than four years. He has played a senior role in The Duncan Group’s Training and Consulting practice. Dale graduated from Princeton University, received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate from Seton Hall University. He also completed the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and the Rutgers Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance program.
Dale’s experience includes serving as the Founder and CEO of Strategic Influence LLC, a Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting, a professor and the executive director of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships at Scholastic.
He is the author of eight books including the ground-breaking “Intelligent Influence: The 4 Steps of Highly Successful Leaders and Organizations.” Dale is the President of the New Brunswick Board of Education and the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey (the largest special needs school district in the state). In 2009, he was named the “New Jersey School Board Member of the Year.” In 2021, he won the “Andrus Award for Community Service” as the AARP New Jersey Volunteer of the Year and was Inducted into the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. Dale is in demand as a speaker on issues of leadership, entrepreneurship and diversity and has been a featured speaker at the Princeton and Morristown TEDx programs.
Alexa Vaghenas began working as a Recruiting Associate with The Duncan Group Inc. in May 2023. She graduated from Yale University (’20) with a B.S. in Psychology and as a member of the Education Studies Scholar program, an application-based cohort focused on the intersection of education practice, research, and policy. Her senior Education Studies capstone investigated why self-efficacy is such an important variable impacting student achievement, as well as why teachers should integrate trauma-informed, anti-racist education into their classrooms to better promote self-efficacy.
She began her professional career in mental health & wellness education, serving as the Programming Director of student wellness at the Yale Good Life Center for two years. Alexa is passionate about helping others cultivate authenticity, meaning, and a strong sense of community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, reading, and strengthening her humor skills (also, listening to the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat). She is excited to exercise her emotional intelligence, keen attention to detail, and love for connecting with others in her role with The Duncan Group Inc.!