Facilitation is the art of making visible that which has been less visible: about people, norms and behaviors, questions and histories so that we might see one another or an issue anew, which is the definition of respect.

My instinct is to always ask What are the differences in our personal experiences of life, how do we see things differently and why? Understanding and leveraging the differences between us, not the search for similarities, is what makes collective action possible. All of my facilitation is grounded in my own inquiry into power, class, privilege, race, gender, urban v. rural, and understanding how these differences play out in groups, communities and places.

20 years of experience has taught me that facilitation is at least half about listening and half about fearlessly acting upon what I’m hearing. I rely on extensive interviews to build curricula and agenda that respond directly to people’s experience. Listening and courage is at the core of all my work. My clients are communities, coalitions, governments and organizations, and my work is focused on healing community divides through civic dialogue, learning journeys to the borders of organizational experience, transforming conservation and co-creating unique conferences.

Types of Facilitation I Offer

Facilitation Examples

  • National Parks Conservation Association Board Dialogue on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

    October 17, 2019

    A challenge I presented to the board of the National Parks Conservation Association to make modern conservation about belonging, respect, and most importantly reconciliation. I argue that as conservationists, we have a responsibility to figure out our part in the great work of reconciling the two original sins of slavery and genocide.

    Read more

  • The Case for Land Justice

    May 2020

    New York State Land Trust Conference

    A presentation I gave at the New York State Land Trust Conference about how land access relates to power and self-determination. Given that indigenous people and POC have systemically been removed from land in this country while conservation groups have amassed land, conservation organizations have a responsibility to repair these relationships and restore land sovereignty for native people. 

    Read more

  • First Light Learning Journey

    October 2020

    First Light is a bridge between conservation organizations and Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac Communities who seek to expand Wabanaki stewardship of land. We aspire to reciprocity: our goal is to expand Wabanaki access and stewardship of land for prosperity and to create a stronger conservation movement that includes and reflects Indigenous expertise and perspective. All will benefit from this, and it all begins with the land.

    Read more

  • Try on their Boots: making allies in Western Maine

    Try on the Boots project  exists to build relationships and understanding through a deeper, more substantive engagement of citizens around their differences in a community grappling with potent changes that arise from a transition from forest products to tourism industry and the influx of residents from other places who often have larger incomes and different life experiences.  

    Read more

  • Geography of Hope, California 2018

    I was asked by Black Mountain Circle to help them transform their popular annual Geography of Hope Conference toward a more inclusive and interactive gathering that brought together generations, ethnicities, world views to consider resilience in nature.

    Read more