curriculum vita

written overview of life’s work or trajectory

This is a draft and partial list of my research and professional experience in sustainability.  Please also check posts forthcoming in Sustainability Lifestyle Blog.

Founder/Executive Director/Educator (2008 – 2010) (2016 to present)

Economics for Peace Institute

Port Townsend and Boulder, Colorado (econ4peace.org)

Mission: Economics for Peace Institute, a nonprofit, works globally through research, economic development and education to build peace, to foster sustainability, and to restore the Earth’s natural systems. The Institute’s work is measured by its social benefits, its economic fairness and its ability to preserve ecosystems for future generations.

Vision: The Institute promotes participatory research and participatory ecotourism. The Institute brings into focus two essential drivers of sustainable economic prosperity: community well-being and ecosystem stewardship.

Highlights include:

■ Establish the Guild for Social Fieldwork

■ Designed and delivered a USDA Forest Service funded training on participatory research

■ Retool to partner with emergent organizations, community groups and existing institutions.

Roster Member Facilitator 2008 to present

U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution ecr.gov
USIECR is a federal agency established by congress to prevent and resolve policy and/or implementation disputes. Presented two workshops at bi-annual USIECR conference in May 2010.

– Web 2.0 versus Participatory Research for Citizen Engagement

– Appreciative Inquiry for ECR Practitioners

Senior Analyst / Special Projects Manager
Climate Change Mitigation Strategies | Research Lead 1989 – 1993

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Researcher/Facilitator (2001 to 2006)

Gold Hill Community Trails Workgroup, Gold Hill, Colorado

Facilitated participatory research workgroup and a mediation process to resolve issues over access to local trail system while ensuring multi‐jurisdictional coordination (USFS, BLM, Boulder County, Gold Hill Town Meeting, bike recreation advocacy groups, and private property owners). Wrote and published “Community Trails Mediation Guide” after conducting research on local environmental history, options to resolve landowner issues, and GPS mapping of trail system and ecological resources. Facilitated trail workshops and trained local facilitators and citizen science teams. Published in Association for Conflict Resolution Quarterly‐Environment and Public Policy Sector in the Winter of 2008.

Researcher/Facilitator: Rocky Mountain Research Fellowship (Summer 2004 – Spring 2005)

Rocky Mountain National Park and Rocky Mountain Nature Association, Estes Park, Colorado

Conducted study of cultural attributes of stewardship. Study involved qualitative survey, interviews, transcription, thematic coding, report and presentation. Approved to interview staff, volunteers and visitors by National Park Service Institutional Review Board (IRB). This research utilized appreciative inquiry (AI), an organizational development tool, and was published in the AI Practitioner, London (2005).

Principal (2007 – 2008)

Calathus LLC, Southwest US

San Juan Basin Triple E Initiative (Energy, Environment and Economy): Performed assessment and process design for EPA CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) project for Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments. Coal-fired power production, air quality, water quality, water scarcity and uranium are contentious issues. Stakeholders included BHP Navajo Coal Company, PNM Energy, oil and gas producers, local ranchers, Navajo Chapters, opponents of Desert Rock power plant, San Juan Citizens Alliance, New Mexico Environment Department, Arizona Public Service and City of Farmington, NM. Process built on previous initiatives for regional sustainable development on the Colorado Plateau (NM, UT, CO, AZ). Produced “Field Guide to San Juan County,” a well‐received report which synthesized air and water quality studies along with planning directives from federal, tribal, state and local government.

Local planning projects: Facilitated opening session of food sustainability workgroup (25 attendees) in Animas River corridor, NM ■ Mediated dispute between Durango City Council and La Plata County Commissioners (CO) over city boundary and zoning; heralded in local paper as first agreement in years.

Animas Watershed Partnership: Through EPA grant, coordinated formation of the “partnership” and established initial guidelines for workgroup process. Wrote first draft of watershed management plan to address 303(d) listing of Animas River. Project involved collaborative leadership training, citizen engagement, research and grant writing. Stakeholders include Southern Ute Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, New Mexico Environment Department, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Cities of Durango and Farmington. This region saw initial testing of hydraulic fracturing until NM established regulatory ‘pit rule’ framework to compensate for 2005 federal legislation pre‐empting EPA oversight.

Dialogue on Implementation of Arizona Water Settlement Act (AWSA) Co-facilitated with Dr. Carl Moore a stakeholder dialogue on priorities for the management of the Gila River. Stakeholders included residents of Silver City, ranchers of Catron County, centuries old Hispanic farming population, Center for Biological Diversity, Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Reclamation, and State of New Mexico. Sandia National Laboratories provided logistical support. Convened by New Mexico Governor Richardson.

RELATED SOCIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Farm Manager (2010 to 2015)

White Buffalo Farm, Inc., Paonia, Colorado

Manage communications and business development for Colorado’s oldest organic farm (est. 1974). Focused on capacity building to improve financial viability in the face of changing markets and climate. Currently matching investors to farm village model built on investor driven holding company receiving rents from farm operating company, nonprofit and farm artisans.

Volunteer Mediator (1997 –1999)

Community Mediation Services (CMS), City of Boulder, Boulder, CO

Co-mediated landlord-tenant, parent-teen, neighbor-neighbor cases. CMS was a national model for community-based mediation for resolving disputes in the areas of landlord/tenant, roommates, neighbors, seniors, parent/teen, teen/teen, victim/offender, community groups, schools, inter-employee for non-profit agencies, City of Boulder, race and cross-cultural relations, and human rights.

Team Building Facilitator/Trainer (1998 – 1999)

Challenge Program University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

The Challenge Program is an experiential, activity-based team building program. Guided participants and groups in learning about themselves and how they work together. Through outdoor and indoor problem-solving activities, facilitated exploration of organizational issues such as team dynamics, communication, goal setting, and trust.

Graduate Student Instructor, Organizational Behavior and Management (1999)

Dept. of Organizational Psychology, University of Michigan School of Psychology, Ann Arbor, MI

Taught experiential learning exercises for 60 students. Graded papers, quizzes and tests. Guided students in their projects to support organizational change objectives at local companies.

INTERNATIONAL AND NONPROFIT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Researcher/Facilitator UNEP Agenda 21 Pilot City Assessment (Fall 1999 – Essaouira, Morocco)

Designed and conducted participatory assessment of Environmental Action Assistance in UN Environment Program (UNEP) to implement Agenda 21. Agenda 21 is the first international accord to target participatory sustainable development and was established in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Other achievements were the Climate Change Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Researcher/Facilitator: USAID Reinvention Process (Summer 1998 – Washington DC. and Bolivia): Provided assessment of organizational development efforts. Investigated team and customer focus resulting from then Vice President Gore’s “Reinvention of Government initiative.” Researched at USAID mission (La Paz) and at Chalalan Ecotourism Lodge (San Jose de Uchupiamonas) – a project of Conservation International. This lodge is the first collaborative ecotourism initiative implemented by a NGO and serves to offset losses to local people for the creation of Madidi National Park on the border with Peru.

Environmental Statistician 1989

PTI Environmental Services, Boulder, CO and Bellevue, WA
Client base included potentially responsible parties, PRPs, in CERCLA superfund sites in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Dispersed team relied on Arc-Info Geographic Information Systems, G.I.S., and remote modem-based, data file transfer protocols.

EDUCATION

M.S. Natural Resource Policy 2006

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Thesis and Practicum: Attempted Mediation of A Local, Historic Wildland Trail Dispute – Searching for Incentives and Options with Participatory Action Research. Literature Cited

B.A. Economics 1989

University of Colorado, Boulder
Honor’s Thesis: Modern Organic Farming | An Economically Viable Solution to Environmental Degradation and the American Family Farm Crisis

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Certificates in Facilitation (2009), Appreciative Inquiry (2005), Participatory Learning and Action (1999), Mediation (over 150 hours of training from 1996 – 1998), and Citizen Participation (1997).

Facilitation for Successful Public Planning workshop, New Mexico First, a bipartisan regional planning body. Workshop led by Dr. Carl Moore, The Community Store (Santa Fe) – 12 hours (2009)

Appreciative Inquiry, Dr. Marleny Munoz, Calgary University, Calgary, Canada (2003 – 2005)

Participatory Learning and Action workshop: Francoise Coupal (lead consultant in participatory evaluation at United Nations). Mosaic Institute, Ottawa – 5 days (1999)

Mediation workshops: Boulder Community Mediation Services (35 hrs. under auspices of CDR Associates-Boulder), Colorado Lawyers for the Arts (20 hrs), Conflict Management Systems and Negotiated Rulemaking, University of Denver (40 hrs. each), Consensus Building, Univ. of CO-Denver (40 hrs – Todd Bryan, PhD), Zena Zumeta, Esq. (8 hrs – Detroit), and Sandy Cook, Colorado Council of Mediators (10 hrs).

Citizen Participation workshop and Systematic Development of Informed Consent workshop by Dr. Hans & Annemarie Bleiker. Institute for Participatory Management and Planning – 3.5 days each (1997)

ADVISORY BOARD EXPERIENCE

Advisor: International Advisory Board – World Appreciative Inquiry Conference, Kathmandu, Nepal (2009)

Advisor: Technical Advisory Board – Engineers without Borders USA., Boulder, CO (2003 – 2004)