SD Facilitation & Consensus Building

Strategic Planning for the Town of Dauphin Island (AL) to Attain Sustainable Economic Development & Environmental Protection (January - December 2007). Five E's Unlimited is assisting the Town of Dauphin Island in developing a long-term strategy and implementation plan for community development that creates a more hazard resistant community able to balance economic development with environmental sustainability. The consultant services include (1) reviewing existing documents and statutes applicable to future development, (2) providing stakeholder sustainability awareness and inventorying all stakeholder place-based interests, values, practices, and future vision, (3) conducting community asset identification via public consultation processes, (4) developing visual frameworks of historical and current conditions that will influence changes in environment, community development, and cultural views, (5) planning and designing management strategies through public participation, including the visualization of possible futures and related timelines for progress, and (6) promoting implementation of a management strategy and measurement processes. During the final phases of the project we plan to work collaboratively with the Planning Commission and others in identifying how this strategic planning process can be integrated into the Island’s Comprehensive Plan. In addition, we will collaborate with official entities responsible for Island governance to identify areas of future cooperation that can result in improved opportunities for gaining needed financial resources. Consultanting partners in this contract included Gene Martin of the University of Washington, Seattle WA and Mary Mullins of the Bellwether Group, Mobile, AL. Contact: Nannette Davidson, Planning Commission, Town of Dauphin Island, AL 36528. tel: (251)861-5525, ext. 25. e-mail: ndavidson@townofdauphinisland.org.

Community Sustainable Development Assistance, Lake Tahoe (CA)-Northern Nevada (September, 2006). Served as a member of a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Communities by Design program. Conducted a week-long charrette designed to help the communities of Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Reno, and Carson City assess their strengths and weaknesses with regards to water resources, land-use, transportation, energy, and economic development. Conducted a series of workshops to develop the background on issues, seek stakeholder input on core values and important concerns for the future, and provide recommendations for the communities to proceed in a sustainable fashion. Strongly recommended to the different communities that they begin to plan on a regional basis since they are very closely linked by a common watershed, transportation corridors, commerce, and labor force. Affordable housing was also a significant issue to all communities involved in the assessment. My leadership in water quality issues provided a strategic process for the involved communities into the exploration and design of Low Impact Development (LID) policies for future development guidance in the region. Contact: Peter J. Arsenault, Stantec Architecture, Inc, 2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road, 2nd Floor, Rochester, NY 14623. tel: (585)413-5305. email: parsenault@stantec.com or Richard Licata, Professor of Architecture, Truckee Meadows Community College, 5250 Neil Road, Suite 301-G, Reno, Nevada 89502. tel: (775)750-8852. e-mail: rlicata@tmcc.edu.

Community Sustainable Development Assistance, Guemes Island, WA (June, 2006). Served as a member of a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) for the American Institute of Architects, Communities By Design program. Conducted a week-long charrette process designed to help the Guemes Island community assess their choices and issues and define a path toward formulating strategies and solutions in their commitment to planning for a sustainable future. Team research and public consultation focused upon five community objectives that included: preserve the island’s rural character; conserve water and protect the quality of the island’s sole source aquifer; resolve transportation disagreements; protect wildlife and shoreline habitat; and increase island energy independence. Community participants commented that the sessions were far more valuable in examining the bases of their prejudices, wishes, and positions than they had expected. “One of the things that really impressed me was how many different voices and people, who often disagree, were brought together in this process,” said one participant. “Having all their input has made us all aware that we do have a community with a common vision. It’s made us all energized and hopeful about our future.” Team work assisted the community who was anxious to take charge of its future, especially with regards to controlling growth that’s compromising the Island’s rural legacy. The week’s work created the blueprint that the Island will recommend as its sub-area plan to document much of the philosophy, direction and tools that will eventually be adopted as the Island’s land-use plan by Skagit County. My leadership on community water issues assisted participants with identifying alternatives for regulating water use and providing alternative water supply by imagining seven potential futures for the Island’s development. Identifying water supply and quality problems associated with each of those potential scenarios provided the community an opportunity to develop solutions to each of those problems, resulting in an action plan. Contact: Ms. Erica Gees, Kuhn Riddle Architects, 7 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002. tel: (413)259-1621. e-mail: egees@kuhnriddle.com.

South-Sea Datcomm, Inc. and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). (March-September, 2005) Advised private sector and government on sustainable community development in the Niger River Delta region, Nigeria (West Africa). Designed and developed programming that would implement an NDDC Master Plan for the rapid, even, and sustainable development of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Advised the Partners for Sustainable Development Forum (PSDF) on the principles and tools to use in implementing sustainable community development actions for the 9 States of the Niger Delta Region. Designed a process which outlines the minimum human and logistics capacities required in each directorate of the NDDC in the light of anticipated responsibilities for guiding implementation of the region’s Master Plan. Developed instruments and procedure for testing all Master Plan programs and projects, including the NDDC’s defined Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) for social, economic and environmental sustainability. Facilitated Participatory Regional Assessment (PRA) activities to build human capacity in target communities for sustainable revitalization action programs, emphasizing equally economic, environmental, and social justice issues. Provided guidance on processes for the monitoring and evaluation of projects designed and implemented under the NDDC Development Master Plan. Designed and implemented communications and advocacy projects to ensure sustained stakeholder confidence and participation in the NDDC sustainable community development plan implementation. Advised public and private stakeholders on the design of a Sustainable Technology Industrial Park (STIP) that emphasized principles of industrial ecology and eco-efficiency and stressed the importance of business attention to the triple bottom line. Contact: Mr. Uzo Nduka, Director of Consultancy, South-Sea Datcomm, 11 School Road, Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. tel: 0805-265-3435. e-mail: southseadatcom@yahoo.com.

Cultural Tourism DC, Washington, DC (July, 2004). Provided group facilitation for a group of 25 workshop participants representing different organizations and governmental agencies in Washington DC that work to promote cultural tourism. Used Technology of Participation (TOP) methods to facilitate the efforts of workshop participants in strategic planning toward the implementation of policies and actions that would grow cultural tourism in the Shaw area of inner-city Washington, DC. Contacts: Ms. Kathryn Smith, Executive Director, Cultural Tourism DC, 1250 H Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 - tel: (202)661-7581; e-mail: ksmith@culturaltourismdc.org or Ms. Lori Dobson, Project Manager, Cultural Toursim Dc, 1250 H Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 - tel: (202)626-1149; e-mail: ldobson@culturaltourismdc.org.

Shaw Main Streets, Washington, DC (January - October 2004). Provided group facilitation services to Shaw Main Streets, a community-based, non-profit organization devoted to the commercial revitalization of the 7th and 9th Street corridors of Northwest Washington, DC. Facilitated the work of volunteer committees using Technology of Participation (TOP) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methods to develop projects that would promote economic revitalization and equitable community development in an historic, culturally diverse area of the District’s urban environment. Designed and conducted several Open Space Technology workshops to obtain community-wide input on Shaw Main Street’s programming for its 5 year strategic plan. Contact: Mr. Matthew B. Comstock, Chair, Board of Directors, Shaw Main Streets, Inc., 638 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 - tel: (202)942-0156: (202)365-0911 (cell); e-mail: comstockm@sec.gov.

International Countryside Stewardship Exchange, Cold Spring, NY (October 2003). Served as a member of a Countryside Stewardship Exchange team sponsored by the Glynwood Center (Cold Spring, NY) and the Countryside Exchange Institute (Manchester, UK). Part of my role on the team was to facilitate the conduct of community capacity building meetings to assist participants in carrying out community asset assessment and sustainable development planning around the issues of economy, social improvement, and environmental protection for Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland. Contact: Jayne Daly, Director of Programs, Countryside Stewardship Exchange Inst., Glynwood Center, P.O. Box 157, Cold Spring, NY 10516 - tel: (845)265-3338. e-mail: jdaly@glynwood.org.

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Washington, DC (January 2003). Served as a technical facilitator/mediator to CAST. Provided design and facilitation to three breakout sessions of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology’s Workshop on "Biotechnology-Derived Perennial Turf and Forage Grasses: Criteria for Evaluation" held in January 2003. Led the dialogue of more than 100 workshop participants discussing the state-of-the-art and possible criteria to be used for evaluating environmental safety and potential benefits and risks of these grasses relative to traditional varieties. Contact: Ms. Cindy Lynn Richard, Program Coordinator, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), 505 Capitol Court, NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20002 - tel: (202)675-8333; ext. 12. e-mail: crichard@cast-science.org.

St. Peter’s Parish Council, Washington, DC (June 2003 & June 2004). Assisted the 15 member St. Peter’s Parish Council in their development of a community vision, as well as programmatic goals for the Parish over the next 5 years using Technology of Participation methods. Followed this effort with the facilitation of a parish-wide workshop (27 participants) that employed Open Space Technology (OST) for participants to identify new programs for implementation over the next five years. Contact: Ms. Susan DePlatchett, Professional Development Schools Coordinator, 2304A Benjamin Building, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20772 - tel: (301)474-0866; e-mail: susandep@comcast.net.

Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada (February - September 2002). Served as one of two lead consultants to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (British Columbia, Canada) in their development of a Comprehensive Sustainability Plan. Work involved extensive facilitation of public consultation processes, the interviewing of governmental staff and integration of agency perspectives and policy into the overall consultation process, and the development of a final report that provided the framework for future planning of the municipality with regards to issues of sustainable development. A copy of this report, stating the outcomes of this community outreach effort, can be found at “Whistler It's Our Future”. Responsibilities in this effort included working to develop community consensus on sustainable destination resort community characteristics and criteria for evaluating futuring scenarios for the community and government to use in evaluating and choosing their preferable alternative future. Assisted the public in understanding issues surrounding sustainability and how methodology should be applied to the key economic development issues facing the community. Responsible for guaranteeing the public's considered opinion was recorded through the use of effective facilitation processes. Contacts: Mr. Mike Purcell, General Manager of Planning & Development, RMOW, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, VC V0N 1B4 - tel: (604)935-8160. e-mail: purcell_m@rmow.whistler.bc.ca. or Ms. Becky Zimmerman, Principal, Design Workshop, Inc. 1390 Lawrence Street, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80204 - tel: (303)623-5186; e-mail: bzimm@designworkshop.com.

National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC (May 2002 - February 2003). Served for nine months as a Sustainability Conference Planning Committee Member, assisting the National Council for Science and the Environment in the planning of their 3rd Annual Conference (January 2003) entitled "Education for a Sustainable and Secure Future." Designed and facilitated a conference breakout session that involved 40 participants working on the specific task of defining a "Strategy for a National Public Communications Campaign on Sustainable Development." Contact: Dr. David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment, 1707 H St., NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20006 - tel. (202)207-0004. e-mail: david@cnie.org.

Sustainable DC (SDC), Washington, DC (September 2001 - January 2004). Served as a facilitator for this non-profit organization in the conduct of several different activities. Facilitated several Board of Director’s workshops on strategic planning efforts. Also designed and facilitated a community workshop hosted by Sustainable DC where 47 community stakeholders explored the value of employing sustainable development to plan and implement public works projects in Washington, DC. Developed the format and agenda for a series of "Sustainability Dialogue" forums held in the Spring-Summer of 2001 by SDC and facilitated their conduct. Contacts: Dr. Mark Starik, School of Business & Public Management, Environmental and Social Sustainability Initiative (ESSI), George Washington Univ., 203 Monroe Hall, Washington, DC 20052 - tel: (202)994-5621; e-mail: essi@gwu.edu. or Ms. Janet Bearden, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC - tel: (202)564-6245. e-mail: bearden.janet@epa.gov.

National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC (January 2001). Designed and facilitated a two-day Conference Workshop on "Sustainable Communities" to gather collective participant agreement on the science and information delivery needs required to advance concepts of sustainable communities via National Science Foundation research initiatives and Federal Legislation proposals. Contact: Dr. David Blockstein, Senior Scientist, National Council for Science and the Environment, 1725 K St., NW, Suite 212, Washington, DC 20006-1401 - tel. (202)530-5810. e-mail: david@cnie.org.

Heartland Center for Leadership Development, Lincoln, NE (September 1998 - January 2000). Facilitated community training programs for community capacity building, telecommunications and information technology, land-use planning and sustainable development, and conflict resolution for the Kellogg Foundation funded Managing Information in Rural America (MIRA) Program. Contact: Ms. Vicki Luther, MIRA Program Director, Heartland Center, Lincoln NE 68508 - tel: (402)474-7667. e-mail: lbv229@aol.com.

Creede/Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, Creede, CO (January 2000). Provided community conflict training in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, during 2000. I worked with seven communities in southern Colorado, as part of the Kellogg Foundation's Managing Information in Rural America (MIRA) Program, to explore areas of conflict resolution toward developing sustainable economic development that guaranteed natural resource and diverse community cultural protection. Contact: Ms. Liz Ebel-Louth, Executive Director, Creede/Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, Creede, CO 81130 - tel: (719)658-2374. e-mail: creede@amigo.net.

South Mountain Area MIRA Community Cluster (MS), Duck Hill, MS (December 1999). Work involved Community Development Programming through training and workshops on managing change in communities, using telecommunications technology, community capacity building, geographic information systems, and the conduct of community-based research. Contact: Ms. Drustella White, Coordinator, 307 Main St., Duck Hill, MS 38925 - tel: (662)565-2478. e-mail: alfowhite@aol.com.

Warren County (IA) Economic Development Corporation, Indianola, IA (June 1999). Contracted services included telecommunications technology training and environmental consulting on sustainable agriculture design, problem-solving for smart economic development issues, and rural land-use assessment. Guided rural sustainability by design of integrative strategies for social, economic, and ecologic concerns. Assisted in evaluation of land-use and urban sprawl related to an adjacent metropolitan region. Contact: Ms. Susan Judkin, R/CPDF Project Manager, IA Department of Economic Development, Des Moines, IA 50309 - tel: (515)242-4780. e-mail: Susan.Judkins@ided.state.ia.us.

New River Valley MIRA Community Cluster (VA), Blacksburg, VA (November 1998). Work involved facilitating community capacity development and training in telecommunications use. Contact: Mr. Andy Morikawa, MIRA Steering Committee, 1505 Westover Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24060 - tel: (540)951-0090. e-mail: andym@swva.net.

International Countryside Stewardship Exchange, Cold Spring, NY (October 1996). International consulting as a multi-discipline, team member. Provided community outreach meeting facilitation and technical assistance on community-based natural resource management, watershed resource conservation, sustainable rural economic development, fisheries and aquaculture activity expansion, advancement of value-added fisheries processes, rural village revitalization, eco-tourism development, coastal ecosystem protection, and cultural asset evaluation, for NGOs and governments of the Dumphries-Galloway Machars region of western Scotland. Contact: Ms. Judith M. LaBelle, President, Countryside Stewardship Exchange Inst., Glynwood Center, P.O. Box 157, Cold Spring, NY 10516 - tel: (914)265-3338.

State of Louisiana, Department of Environment, Baton Rouge, LA (January 1993 - June 1994). Served as lead consultant on an 18 month public consultation project, providing design, facilitation, and mediation services to the EPA and the State of Louisiana for an EPA National Estuarine Program on the Barataria-Terrebonne estuarine ecosystem (coastal Louisiana). Facilitated the collective input of over 100 stakeholders and governmental officials and resolved numerous conflicts of cultural, economic, and environmental issues that resulted in the development of a “Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan” for this estuary. Assisted in stimulating and directing the collective work of a number of different teams (equally composed of citizens, scientists, and governmental representatives) that were formed to focus on the various sectors (economic, social, environmental) important in developing a comprehensive strategy for resource conservation and economic development implementation. Contact: Mr. Steve Mathies, Director, BTNEP Program Office, Nicholls State Univ., P.O. Box 2663, Thibodaux, LA 70310 - tel: (504)447-0868.

The Town of Exmore, Exmore, VA (January - August, 1997). Provided contracted services as a planning consultant to the Virginia Eastern Shore Town of Exmore (USA) in their preparation of a Five Year Comprehensive Plan. Facilitated community organizing and public participation in revision of the Town's existing plan and wrote the final document. Provided information technology training and conflict resolution in support of the Town's public hearing process toward the implementation of plan proposals. Contact: Mr. David Scanlan, Town of Exmore, Town Council, P.O. Box 647, Exmore, VA 23350 - tel: (757)442-3114.

Great Lakes Program, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (May 1989 - October 1990). Designed and facilitated an 18 month scientific inquiry by 85 international scientists, governmental officials, industry representatives, tribal council elders, and community group members on the topic of human health risk from exposure to toxic chemicals in the Canada US Great Lakes Basin. Designed the public/scientific consultation process and facilitated key forums that focused upon remediating conflict and developing consensus. From this work I edited a monograph on the results of seeking consensus among the various stakeholder groups (Human Health Risks From Chemical Exposure: The Great Lakes Ecosystem, published in 1991). Contact: Dr. Jack Vallentyne, 36 Longwood Rd. North, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 3V4 - tel. (905)527-4068; e-mail: Vallentynej@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.