Project Coordination

I’ve had the good fortune to work with idea-makers who operate professionally within the non-profit, for-profit or government worlds. Often their successes have come through their courage to cross over and build bridges between commonly accepted boundaries that define professional disciplines. In other words, they foster interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary development, or their ideas reflect the next logical step past traditional  boundaries that would not be considered without the attitude of positive audacity. It is my great pleasure to provide consultation during the idea germination process, to assist the translation process from concept to realizable plan, and to coordinate the practical steps on which ideas become a concrete activity, project or program.

I’ve build up my project coordination skills over three decades of work in varied organizational settings and in varying roles, encompassing new product development as well as project management. I’ve worked with:

• the National Endowment for the Arts supported Artists-in-Schools program,
• a start-up retail business in the San Francisco Bay area,
• Battery Street Enterprises, a subsidiary of Levi Strauss & Co.,
• the launching of Dockers™, a major product line of Levi Strauss & Co.,
• a cutting edge management consulting firm in The Netherlands, Koan, and
• cross-continental, inter-organizational environmental sustainability and eco-education programs developed by Radboud University in Holland.

I’m open to all sorts of projects, especially those that are pioneering new possibilities. If you’d like capable hands to help you realize your vision, please contact me. I’d be honored to jump-in.

Thematic Presentations with Facilitated Group Interaction

Often something is percolating within or just along the periphery of a group. Whether this something is felt by only one member, a few or all the members, the percolation is often a sign that something new and important is being formed.

The process of percolation appears to be most intense when a group is exploring alternative thought, innovative practices, new business development or large-scale change. The more a group challenges convention, the more unsettling, but also the more exhilarating, the percolation can be. As part of both loosely and formally established groups, I’ve felt the percolation myself and have pondered, “How does one make that which is percolating clearly visible”? What I’ve found is that under supportive conditions, and with a responsive guide, a group’s collective intelligence enables them to see the percolation in their midst and determine the next steps to take with it. Further, I’ve had the good fortune to serve as this “responsive guide,” helping them to create and sustain the conditions necessary to see and act upon percolating possibilities. In this process, I combine my understanding of group mind and group dynamics with my interest in facilitating group processes and consensus-building. With the insight and energy of multiple perspectives, I stay with a group until it gives birth to a new way of doing business or a new product or conception.

To foster idea percolation in a group, I’m pleased to offer presentations on selected thought provoking themes followed by a facilitated discussion of issues raised in the presentation. I also assist a group in generating constructive responses and next-steps plans to resolve (or at least contribute toward the resolution of) the issues that have percolated up. The outcomes from these dialogues also often include an improved sense of collaboration, community and commitment-to-actions within the group. Don’t hesitate to contact me to see how I can support your group with the percolation and follow-up process. I am working on presentations for the following themes:

1. A Relational Approach to Empowered Leadership: a priority for women and people of color
2. Radiance: from inner self to outer leadership
3. Inclusive Mentoring for Inclusive Leadership for mentees and mentors
4. Multicultural Leadership to build a vibrant Workplace Community
5. Communal & Expressive Leadership Practices
6. Stepping into your own unique Leadership Presence
7. Managing Disturbing Emotions at Work and in Life
8. Plot your Path with the Career Advancement Compass
9. Eco-Psychology: how eco-awareness can help sustainability initiatives to succeed

Price

I will gladly specify a price based upon a mutual understanding of the goals, scope and scale of your project. If you have project that needs coordination or you wish to explore a thematic presentation with follow-up, please contact me and we can proceed through a simple “discover and confer” process.

Eco-Education & Facilitation Experience
Lead learning circles, conducted trainings and presentation to raise awareness, build social connections and increase leadership effectiveness. Gathered and facilitated multi-stakeholder groups focused on sustainability visioning.

Some past project coordination programs
-Rhine River improvement initiative led by provincial government together with university specialist, focused on complex waterway changes to reduce flood risk, improve ecosystem quality and strengthen the social-system and local commerce.
-“Sustainable Development of Urban Deltas” interdisciplinary academic exchange led by University of Nijmegen, Honors Program and Portland State University, Institute of Sustainable Solutions.
-“Sustainable Development of Deltas” Bachelors Honors Program conducted by University of Nijmegen with field research to explore the opportunities and barriers to ‘green business’ in the Mississippi Delta (New Orleans).