JC Carter

Founder & Lead Instructor

Captain JC Carter brings three decades of distinguished naval leadership experience to the Leadership Bridge Institute. As a 30-year Navy veteran, Captain Carter has commanded at multiple levels and led diverse teams through complex challenges in high-stakes environments. His extensive military background provides a unique foundation for understanding the critical elements of effective leadership under pressure.

Throughout his naval career, Captain Carter developed and refined leadership principles that translate seamlessly into civilian sectors. He demonstrated this during his six years as head of manufacturing for a chemical additives company. His experience spans strategic planning, team development, crisis management, and organizational transformation. This deep well of practical leadership experience forms the backbone of our proven community-driven programs.

Captain Carter’s approach to leadership development is grounded in real-world application rather than theoretical concepts. He understands that true leadership skills are forged through experience, practice, and continuous refinement. His ability to distill complex leadership principles into actionable strategies has made him a sought-after instructor and mentor for emerging leaders across multiple industries.

Under Captain Carter’s guidance, the Leadership Bridge Institute has grown to serve over 1,000 leaders, maintaining consistently high satisfaction ratings and delivering measurable results. His commitment to excellence and practical approach to leadership development ensures that every participant gains not just knowledge, but the confidence and skills needed to excel in their leadership roles.

Christi Jones-Turner, MLCT, PCC

Lead Coaching Program Manager

Ms. Christi Jones-Turner brings over 20 years of comprehensive experience in leadership development, program management, talent acquisition, mentoring, facilitation, training, and coaching to the Leadership Bridge Institute. As the Founder and Program Manager for the Strategic Systems Coaching Program, she has established herself as a transformational leader who consistently delivers impactful and engaging strategies to accelerate careers and maximize leadership effectiveness and business acumen.

Christi’s unique talent lies in her ability to transition strategy into action, incorporating a holistic approach to her coaching style that values the “whole person,” not just the professional role they support. She creates safe spaces for leaders to explore their full potential, understanding that authentic leadership emerges when individuals can integrate their personal values with their professional responsibilities.

One of Christi’s signature specializations is helping leaders master “The Art of Story Telling” to become more relatable and enhance their ability to reach and connect with any audience. This skill has proven invaluable for leaders who need to inspire, motivate, and influence diverse stakeholders across their organizations.

Her international perspective, gained through five years of living and working in the Asian Pacific region, brings a global understanding to leadership challenges. This experience has enriched her ability to work with leaders from diverse cultural backgrounds and help them navigate the complexities of modern, multicultural work environments.

Credentials & Certifications:

• Executive Coaching Program Graduate – UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
• John Maxwell Leadership Certified Team (MLCT) Member
• Professional Certified Coach (PCC) – International Coaching Federation (ICF)
• Certified in DRiV, EQ-i, and Hogan Assessments
• Degrees in Sociology and Religion

JoEllen Rose

Senior Instructor and Program Manager

JoEllen Rose is a former U.S. Navy nuclear surface warfare officer and senior defense professional with extensive experience leading technical teams in complex operational environments. She has supported fleet readiness, analytics, and process improvement efforts across multiple Navy organizations, partnering closely with engineering and operations leaders to drive measurable performance gains. JoEllen brings a practical, mission-focused approach to leadership development, grounded in real-world experience supporting maritime operations and shore-based engineering teams.

Sunny Chhabra

Senior Leadership Instructor

Mr. Sunny Chhabra brings 23+ years of celebrated leadership, empowering professionals through enhanced productivity, effective communications, and transformative leadership teachings. With a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security, minors in Criminal Justice and Emergency Management from the University of Maryland University College (now Global Campus), and a Master’s in Executive Business Administration from the same institution, Mr.
Chhabra has built an impressive career within the defense sector.

Sunny’s commitment to service began early. In high school, he participated in the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC), which helped him gain a strong foundation in leadership principles and by the time he was in his senior year, he was leading 80 cadets in the program as one of the senior staffers.

After graduating, he joined the Navy in 2003 as a Missile Technician on the USS Maine, supporting Strategic Weapons. He qualified in submarine warfare and completed various technical and leadership courses, developing skills in ethics, values, stress management, quality of life, and communications. Known for his strong work ethic, he led teams on demanding assignments for national security. From 2004 to 2009, he made ten deployments across both coasts, showing reliability and adaptability under pressure. Once he complete his
active duty service, Sunny became a contractor for Strategic Systems Programs (SSP). In this capacity, he acted as a liaison among operational stakeholders in both the United States and the United Kingdom, ensuring effective communication and operational continuity across international lines.

In 2011, he accepted a federal position, continuing his service by streamlining organizational processes, procedures, and policies. His expertise in Lean Six Sigma made him one of the most sought-after Greenbelts in the organization. He later served as Deputy Program Manager for the SSGN platform and contributed to the Missile Branch in a critical fill assignment. In 2014, Sunny
established a group within the Command to address Enterprise Information Management, a first in the organization’s seventy-year history.

In 2017, he became the Deputy for Quality Assurance and Assessments (GS14), fostering improvements for the evaluations program, and in 2022, advanced to his last federal service position as Director for Quality Assurance and Assessments (GS15). During periods when senior leadership was unavailable, Sunny was entrusted to serve as acting Deputy Chief Engineer (Third level supervisor) and as acting Chief Engineer (C-Suite level position), further
demonstrating his reliability and leadership capabilities. In this pivotal role, he leads a team of six Program Managers and a support staff of forty NSWC Corona personnel. His responsibilities encompass contractor and government audits/assessment, database management, root cause analysis, and assessments of Naval Nuclear Deterrence Mission readiness (regulatory). His
division provides critical technical analysis and assessments of the Strategic Weapons System (SWS) for the Office of the Chief Engineer, addressing cost, schedule, and technical aspects to ensure overall program health.

After a distinguished career in federal service, Sunny has recently retired and embarked on a new chapter as a consultant. Drawing upon his extensive experience in leadership, quality assurance, and program management, he now leverages his expertise to advise organizations and support their ongoing growth and development. Sunny is deeply committed to building strong teams and fostering individual growth. He firmly believes that people are the foundation of any organization and that a shared vision enables
remarkable achievements. An innovator and leader, he encourages others to think beyond the status quo, confident that investing in people leads to lasting, positive change.