Guest speaker for the University Forum Lecture Series, which provides opportunities for university students, faculty, and staff and for people in the surrounding region to hear some of the most stimulating speakers in the country.
The Better Food Policy Fund launched as a participatory grantmaking fund, with inclusive governance at its core. This case study shows how I designed board development and facilitated the Independent Advisory Committee, building trust, shared leadership, and decision-making practices that reflected the fund’s values.
The Wave Effect was a seven-month collaborative leadership development program. With reflective practice, trauma-aware facilitation, and emergent design, participants shifted from cautious leadership to collaborative, adaptive approaches, building resilience, confronting power, and embracing systems thinking to shape healthier community patterns.
This course, which I was invited to develop, offers valuable insights and practical tools for local government staff and officials seeking to build stronger relationships with their communities. Participants explore collaborative approaches to foster trust, improve communication, and create a greater sense of shared purpose.
As a guest speaker at the University of Minnesota, I shared how participatory methods shape my work - from the design of the Better Food Policy Fund to the creative use of visuals as tools for facilitation and storytelling. We explored equity and justice, lessons learned from missteps, and practical advice for those beginning their journey with participatory approaches.
I co-presented "Embodied Leadership: Navigating Trauma for Greater Belonging" with renowned transformative lawyer J Kim Wright at the Leading With and Through: Fostering a Sense of Belonging Conference. We shared practical insights into the embodied practices that help leaders navigate and recognize trauma - working from the inside-out - to build trust and increase performance in their teams.
Following an on-campus shooting at the University, I, along with colleagues Ann DuPre Rogers and Kim Wright, was invited to speak with faculty, staff, and MPA students about the need for trauma awareness in the local government profession.