2006 Conference

Holocaust

World War II: Japanese Americans Interned and Returned to my school. Started questioning government actions.

Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1944

In newspapers’ job ads: male and female jobs listed

USA Segregation

South Africa

Cold War: Threat of the Bomb — Duck and Cover

Civil Rights Movement

Restricted access to housing for Jews, Catholics & Blacks.

Eisenhower’s warning about Military-Industrial Coalition.

Hope

Individuals Asserting themselves

Cold War conflicts

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Active Civil and Human Rights Work

Freedom schools — Highlander SNCC

Vatican II Opens

“The Feminine Mystique”

Beatles

Students’ Free Speech Movement

JFK Assassination

Malcolm X Assassination

Paleminterris Opens

Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace Corps

Vatican Council II

Civil Rights

Model Cities

Vietnam War and Antiwar

Civil Rights

Sgt. Pepper

Draft Resisters League

Sit-ins

Chicano Movement

National Student Association

CIA Controversy

Marches Protesting War

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination

French Students Strike

Silent Spring — Rachel Carson

RF Kennedy Assassination

Kent State Shootings

Schools, University shut down by demonstrators

Stonewall

USA landed and walked on the moon

Vietnam Moratorium

Born Jewish

1948 Birth

Child of single parent who taught me to respect all people — wanted fairness for all people

Mother disappears

Youngest in family: debates at dinner — how to have a voice??

Korea UVA

Debating in high school

1951-1955: warned what not to do in relationships

Deep conversations on the monkey bars

1949 birth

Birth/Creation of Israel — 1948

First experience of Robts Rules. Wow. I want to organize.

Met Martin Luther King Jr.

Heard Bob Dylan

Honors Program Seminars

Began decade in Germany in International community

Father was born

Married

I was born dialoguing and grew up deliberating…D/D is an instinctively human, especially female habit.

California Fair Housing Initiative Debate

College admin not listening to students: need to be heard.

JFK inspires me “Ask not what your country can do for you — but what you can do for your country.”

Joined community and anti-war group that was full of exemplary participation by all

I was born — Kay Toronto

Michael McDevitt Born

“FSM” Free Speech Movement — Berkeley

Challenged by Bob Dylan to think for myself

8 years old: marching listening to dialogue in my home: parents involved in civil rights movement.

36 year-old priest started to listen to his kids

Born — Lindsay Ottarip, Canada

Father was born

Married and pregnant

Peoples’ park getting gassed

U. Michigan delegate to NSA

Became aware of new possibilities of how we talked about community

Studies in lit-polit-soc movements in college

Got fired for anti-war activity

Got divorced

Did report on Gandhi which opened my eyes to the capacity of clarity of purpose and commit to change society

Got married

Participated in “encounter groups”

Facilitated civil rights/business owners dialogue /prevent race riots

Found myself in Atlanta on the day of MLK funeral

Worked in RFK campaign and found new vision in America. Birth of my commitment to Civic Life at age of 18.

Joined the Start of Inner (Democratic) College Movement

Learned from work in South Bronx about “2 languages and 2 cultures”

Bob Dylan — voice of protest

Got married: moved from being single to dialogue

Got married

Worked with Larry Halprin on “Citiwalks” workshops

Impending Draft

Born

Started Small Group Discussion at College

Sitting in community circles with Natives in Amazon River Basin Left USA for 30 years.

High school student strike peace commencement

Homo sapiens discover circle!!

Plate writes dialogues

Personal dialogue with friends

Martin Buber’s mother disappears — the start of his philosophy of dialogue

Kurt Lewin

League of Women Voters techniques in nonpartisan communication

Teach In’s Debate Club: Hootinannies

Interracial Dialogues

Carl Rogers’ Transpersonal Psychology (and Maslow)

Dialogue and Deliberation: yes, Carl Rogers

SDS: Student power

Free school movement

Roger, Maslow, Perls: Human Potential Movement

Kuhn’s structure of scientific revolutions

Community Dev. Corps Dialogue

Group Dynamics courses at Harvard University

Beyond war

Community Discussions about war

1st amendment/ Freedom of Speech Issues

Esalen

Feminist consciousness raising groups

Civil Rights Movement

Race relations dialogues in college

College found students wanted “a voice”

Gestalt with Fritz Perls

Hippie Movement

Withdrawal of support becomes a realistic change strategy — sit-ins

Vietnam

NEPA passed — requiring public participation in environmental decisions

Encounter groups — T-groups

Vietnam moratorium

Underground churches emerge in Detroit

Mandatory bussing to integrate US public schools.

Cambodia Invasion

Students Strike

BF Schumacher: small is beautiful

Human potential!!

Participatory Management — corporate

Participated in helping manage black out and war with Pakistan

Change Washington

Est. in San Francisco

Watergate and War

Yom Kippur War

Coup in Chile

Gays and Lesbians more open

June: AHP meeting: humanistic psychology conference

Vietnam War

Environmental Issues

War

Hope from the 1960’s

Rock ‘n’ Roll Music

War Demonstrations, Riot

“Philosophy for Children Movement” recognizing the need for empowerment of children as fully persons, thinkers and actors in the world — reasoning.

UN Conference on Women

Women’s Movement with Ecology — lots of Systems thinking related to people and movements

Boston — Desegregation Order –

New York — parent-control, multi-racial in the schools — became very solid across the extreme racial divides of that time.

Melting away of the peace movement

Women Movement: Consciousness-Raising Groups

End of Vietnam War — Peace Debate — DC

War over??

Hostage Crisis (Iran — US)

Raging debates about English only in CA (Senator Hyakawa)

Prop 13 in California: the Tax Revolt that starved school and other government agencies

Citizens Party — Barry Commoner/Winona La Duke presidential campaign.

Anti-nuclear movement/ pro-solar/alternatives

Cold War

Iranian Revolution

Teaching psych of men and women

Student

Teaching psychology of the family (systems thinking)

Consumer activist

Organized Vietnam study groups in Stanford dorms (earlier high school strike)

Kent State — campus student strike

Joined League of Women Voters

Back from Vietnam: figuring out how to do discussions better

Had a child — conversations around philosophy and existentialism

Teaching Interdisciplinary Seminars

Started participating in church youth group — basically became an ongoing communication skill, group encounter workshop

Protested Vietnam War, end of draft, dodged draft

Wife and I worked in group process to discover ourselves, each other, Earth, God

Transcendent and radical conversation with Tony Hodgson at 1 ACE — sitting on a floor

1st women’s group

Conversations around different cultures

Bangladesh war and Independence — my first consciousness of violent conflict and the beginning of consciousness of how pre-judgments shape the possibility of that kind of violence.

Second son born

9-5-72: born!!

Started practicing “D & D” in a version of the day — basically, engaging employees in matters and decisions that affected them.

Conversations with teachers for change

Issue organizing — Alinksky approach — became frustrated

Participated in governing board meetings as elected student representative — was a very frustrating experience.

Born 8-25-72

Teaching group dynamics

Decided to go to law school in 6/75

Working on prayer and retreats

5th grade student started circle work for a full year in class — talking about anything and everything.

Met Daniel Berrigan at the U of M, Winnipeg — opened up world of theology, social protest and poetry

First Arab/Jewish Dialogue groups in Israel.

“Watergate” is my bedtime story

Born 6-11-73

Anti-war activity on national scale.

Awareness trainings

Farm Workers: Si se puede

AMI: American Indian Movement

Teenage rebellion—no one listens

Vista Volunteer — working with Native Americans — eyes opened

Worked with Quakers cleaning wilderness campsites

Published on social construction of knowledge

Seeing workplace democracy in action

Met my wife — lived in intentional community for 3 years and learn and live the importance of dialogue values fully

Spiritual exploration

Study of developing consensus process with AUSTIN community project.

Developed business curriculum for University of Phoenix

Took 1st “enlightenment intensive” 3 days of paired dialogues with meditation process and realized “listening” was about being present to the other and also listening to myself in a deeper way.

Worked on organizing employees into a union drive — started sharing perspectives

Developed as a management consultant — exposure to applied behavioral sciences

Started attending Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, a seminar-based program

Married

Married — chose to live in dialogue-heavy small town

I was born into a family active in dialogue and civic actions

Phil Yoly meeting: Discernment

Asked my boss if we could have better meetings

Took labor law course — became fascinated by workplace democracy and ways of resolving conflict

Participative management project at a major bank; at end everyone in group was proud of “their idea”

Experienced community profoundly

Born

Started work with San Francisco County Mediation Program. It’s all about “Voice, Recognition, and Empowerment”

Graduated with degree in Environment Science; thesis on urban community gardening

Saw “The Naked Civil Servant” in Calcutta

Formed San Diego Center for Appropriate Technology

Formed the Gung-Ho Collective to study collective self-reflection, co-ops and social change

Discovered the Handbook to “Higher Consciousness” — began to answer the Big Question: What’s It All About? Moved to commune to explore

Lived in/Worked in a collective

Economic/Peace Conversion Projects in CA: “Bombers to Buses”

1st daughter born

I listened to myself deeply and my world altered profoundly

Course in miracles groups — depth connecting

Married a creep lawyer

5-19-79: I was born (still counts as a Carter baby)

Started working with local government collective bargaining

Graduated: MSW degree

Graduated law school 6/79

First son born

Community organizing — growth

Family therapy

Gestalt Groups

Peoples Law School Collective

Hutchins School of Liberal Studies started seminars

Created diverse groups for cultural understanding

Maslow

Women’s circle -women’s center

Believing in value of people’s input

Gordon Thomas — group centered leadership

Rogers freedom to Learn

Active listening

Retreats

Sex Education based on values and communication

Gay-Straight dialogues

Conference on Participative Management

Monster Manual on Group Process.

Movement for a New Society process workshops

Ithaca University — Edu. Justice

Sensitivity training — Bob Tannenbaum (was in one of these)

Malcomn Knowles — The Adult Learner, A Neglected Species

Adult learning — student centered approach — experienced approach

The Clash and the punk rock movement political/social expression through movement

Creative initiative

Adversarial Time

Work with Families and couples as therapist around conflicts and their resolutions

Interactive personal growth process

Institute for Local self-reliance

Env. / Energy / Business / Debate / Discussion

Foundation for Global Community

Reaganomics begins

My first time voting, ma s a freshwoman in college — Reagan elected. Devastated.

Reagan

Kwang-Ju massacre in Korea — democracy movement in Korea — anti-American sentiment on the rise

Intro of PCs

AIDs

Moral Majority

Federal funding for community access video

Superfund

Cold War — nuclear threat between US-USSR

Reagan — diminishes public service (govt.)

MAC

UN Conference on Women in Mexico

Chernobyl

Perestroika

Major backlash against feminism in the US

Bush (1) Administration and continuation of federal retrenchment of social policies and citizen outreach

U.S. “culture wars”

Berlin Wall comes down

Rise of Email and voice mail

Lama Prieta Earthquake

Iran-Iraq war winds down — groundwork for Iraq invasion of Kuwait and beginning of permanent US military presence in the Middle East

Worked for Gov. Lamm in Colorado, rethinking how to deal with growth issues, reframing the issue

Documented process by which city councils in Boston area that were grappling with allowing companies to do bioengineering in their communities.

Born with Cleft Pallet. For two years I couldn’t speak and began to understand very quickly how important communication is.

Moved to US from mainland China

M.A. in Education from USC

Participated in “Beyond War” workshop on nuclear weapons at the church I grew up in Colorado. Began noticing anti-nuclear protests at Rocky Flats.

Developed SW PKG for public housing in collective effort with multiple entities sharing their best knowledge — along with ex wife (see 1983)

Moved to Poland. Discovered my new roots. Witnessed solidarity movement. Dialogued with various perspectives.

Began living communal lifestyle — and studying new forms of psychotherapy and holistic healing.

2nd daughter born

Saw the disconnect between peace movements and arms builders — became knowledgeable of Harvard Negotiation Project

MBA—SA

Graduation from Cal—Conservation of Natural Resources

Graduated Harvard — decided to enter field of OD — moved to graduate program in SF, CA

Worked with Natalie Rogers and learned person-centered approach

Quit MIT to work in Peace Movement.

Read “I and Thou”

Went to social movement meeting in Mexico that did not live up to its democratic claims

Completed bilingual (Spanish) teaching credentials

The Bridge Called My Back — Andre Lorde, Adrienne Rich: woke up to power and politics via feminism.

3rd daughter born

Sold SW PKG for public housing around us. Finished project-recognized drift

Began working in the conflict resolution field after practicing law for 10 years

Divorced

Facilitated youth leadership conference — 400 high school students

Working with Interaction associates in SF

As an organizational change agent — realized wisdom lies with ordinary people and started to facilitate rather than advise

Entered the field of mediation and discovered the importance of talking through conflict.

Started working Superfund Community Involvement — making it up as we went

Teaching in Schools — recognizing the need for dialogical pedagogy

Went to Soviet Union with IPPNW and met with the “enemy” face-to-face. Active in Beyond War Movement

Ryan was born

Promoted to corporate world where collaboration not valued

“unity” experience interconnected everyone with larger universe.

Discovered synectics and other creative problem-solving workshops and techniques for collaboration and innovation

Father’s death 10-19-85

Mediation training — began mediation practice

Came out as a dyke.

Living in Japan living as a “minority”

Married in San Diego — moved to Miami

Left teaching and started working at TCHC

Grad school — opened my eyes to the world

First daughter born

Divorced to emerge from cocoon

Took mediation training in LA

Great Peace March across US — self-organized, leaderless/leaderfull, 400 people in mobile community, changed my life and beliefs about what was/is possible

Graduated from law school — environmental focus, work with citizen groups

Shared governance in Nursing

Got Elected

Teaching participatory approaches to international and community development

Experienced community of healing

A Holocaust survivor came to speak to my English class — opened me to the world beyond my family’s / tribe’s suffering

Graduated high school — began canvassing in L.I. for funding for environmental issues

Broyhill Leadership Conference over summer before freshman year in college — possibility despite uncertainty!

ICA Facilitation Training initiated by conversation while Cajun dancing

I turned 8 years old in 1988 — cool, right?? (Me Too!!)

Eracism started in N.O.

Therapy!!

Questioned Professors’ skepticism about participatory democracy and social divisions, and was questioned right back.

Holotropic Breathwork: Power of silence

Began working with poverty issues and seeing the structural issues which kept individuals from rising out of circumstances of poverty.

Began working in large scale change in my org. (state of CA)

Participated in quasi-group therapy “self-discovery” process — learned a kind of intimate dialogue

1989 earthquake — lost everything — realization to do healing work in the world

Attend high school with experiential learning model

Work in Public Art as a “forum” for community engagement and dialogue

Started working with the new Study Circle Resource Center

Mediation conference

Left public sector labor law practice to teach at Indiana University and become mediator

Second daughter born

Mediation training

Junior in UC Berkeley Peace and Conflict Studies. Took first community mediation training. Came out of shell — very transformed. Met my future wife.

Jewish Korean Dialogue

MG Taylor Corp. forms to “reinvent the way we work” through integration of environments, tools and processes. MGTAYLOR.COM

Dialogue about nuclear / solar / alternative energies and military connections / alternatives.

Kettering Foundation starts deliberative politics work — precursor to National Issues Forum

Reagan Arms Buildup. Renewal of Cold War after 1970’s detente

Jane Vella founds “Jubilee Popular Education Center” (later becomes Global Learning Partners) teaching “dialogue education” approach for adult training / development

Publication of Ben Barber’s “Strong Democracy”

Spent year in Consensus Class talking through all issues.

National Storytelling Association??

Hewlett Foundation established a grant-making program in conflict resolution to support the theory and practice f dealing more effectively with differences

Taught communication skills

Superfund requiring public involvement — mostly traditional public meeting formats

Founding of Touchstone’s Discussion Project, FKA CZM Press

David Bohm was leading D. Group in London and also conversing deeply with Krishnamurti about the process.

NIF 5th anniversary

Tried to open legislative process to include more public

NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) publishes book on public art and community engagement practice

The Public Conversation’s Project launched!!

Iron curtain crumbling — end communism

Gulf War started and ended

Peace Accord — end of war in El Salvador

Balkan Wars

Ross Perot, third party attempt, alters election laws

El Salvador Peace Accords

Creation of ICPIC (International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children)

LA uprising

UN Earth Summit ends in disappointment due in part to lack of US involvement

Clinton first elected

Oslo Accords

Clinton fails to follow through on campaign promises (e.g. health care)

Operation Rescue takes over San Jose clinic in summer

Beijing International Conference on Women’s rights

Rwanda genocide

Christian Coalition

Contract with America

Peace Dividend?

Rabin Assassinated

Boston Women’s Health Clinic killings by John Salvi: 2 killed, others wounded

South Africa: End of apartheid — transition to ANC

UN Conference on Women in Beijing

Dayton Peace Agreement

Bosnia

Newt’s Contract with America

Stock Market Crash

G-8 occurred in Denver

Clinton re-elected

TANF Passed — changed “welfare as we know it”

Guatemalan Peace Accords

Clinton Race Initiative

Monica Lewinsky

Moveon.com established

Zapatista Uprising

Explosion of the Internet — global community / organizing

Social enterprise emerging in CBO Sector

WIA passed — the opportunity for community…

Kyoto Treaty??

First election in post-conflict Bosnia

Clinton impeachment effort

Trend to work at home

New “tech language”

Politics is very polarized

High-tech — global connections

Corporations who were cutting edge brought in “personal / professional development”

Social responsibility gained momentum (e.g. World Business Academy conferences such as that in India ‘96)

Protests shut down WTO summit in Seattle

Millennium predictions

Y2K

Dot com burst

Age of internet

Global economy

Millennium anxiety

Went through 1.5 years of chemo for Hodgkins and realized that my past 10 years of working in Washington, DC were meaningless in being able to engage the affected public in policy decisions. Left for Oregon

Attended a prejudice-reduction conference at my high school — Lamden, Connecticut

Completed Masters I International Development Education

Graduated high school

First attended socialist summer camp: community, alternate education, leadership skills for next 12 years

Fell in love with my opposite

Multi party democracy in Nepal

Participated in Communmity-Building workshop in San Mateo County

RE-elected

Husband died

Found national issues forums

Lived in rural Paraguay; no electricity, running water, nothing to do but talk and listen.

Breakthrough crisis ? power of self-help, circles of peers, Implem. Future search in org.

Worked at Compusetre on Forum development bringing people together in topic based dialogue

Created series of town hall meetings for NV Secretary of State to drive election reform

Discovered Green Circle NCCJ Program — diversity training

Parents’ divorce and formation of two very different families

Alan died of AIDs

Met amazing professors (Titus Bender) and students at Eastern Mennonite College. Joined social work field

Became a teen hotline counselor — learned active listening skills

Attended Ecology Summer School

Daughter born

Read “What Color is your Parachute” and decided to explore conflict resolution and urban diversity cross-sections as field of work

Woke up to the human and process dimensions of the economic justice and local systems change issues I was working on. — via Sam Kaner, Community at work and Group facilitation skills

Founding of the TAOS Institute

Lots of Money — Intense consumerism

Public policy—democracy — doctoral dissertation ? people/public

Began working with Dr. Nawel El Sandami (Egyptian activist)

Participated in a race dialogue in a large mega church in Texas -changed my life

Small group wilderness experience

Leadership grant — Bill Isaacs reports and work. Moved to Battle Creek from Ohio

Volunteering in Nepal (NGO)

Got my first email account

Co-Chaired elementary school PTA group to bring parents into the school with their kids for “parent ed” and ended up facilitating exciting programs.

Co-facilitated and co-designed for second Bretton Woods Learning Organization Conference with Peter Senge

Went back to University at age 40

Heard conference presentation that connected policy and public participation

Worked on Prop186 campaign in California. — single payer Health insurance

Participated in pro-UFEI prop-choice dialogue sponsored by search for common ground — realized I could respect and care for my “enemy”

Joined sustenance strategies, inc.

Involvement in multicultural Center as a student of color on predominantly white campus

Left International Business and began environment education studies and ran up against anti-corporate feeling s from fellow students

Started natural evaluation of USPS workplace mediation program

Gave away furniture and material things to live more simple life helping families/people in need. Moved from home to home — still live that way!! No regrets!!

Came in contact with philosophy of Martin Buber

Global Learning Partners Dialogue Education Course with Dr. Jane Vella

Experienced Dialogue while training as a Spiritual Director

First exposure to people-based development training: awakening of creative and participatory approaches to development

Entered St. John’s College, Annapolis

Began to conduct facilitation and planning sessions with educators

NSEE “All of politics” experienced

Selected to participate Kettering Foundation and Kellogg Leadership program on co-deliberation model

PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding

Helped plan G-8 in Denver

Worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina — saw the worst outcome of failures to do constructive communication

Facilitated for the first time

Worked in China, realized and practiced dialogue across cultures

Introduced to conflict resolution by high school teacher and mediated conflict between peers.

Participated in my first community-building workshop (M. Scott Peek) in England

Left corporate America and returned to academia

Workshops in dorms about homophobia

Started Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute — got Hewlett funding to do field and applied research

Got tired of all my friends calling each other “wack” because of political disagreements

Grad school (SIT) course on conflict transformation

Public conversations project: (Time Abortion Dialogues and PCP “Leaders” Abortion Dialogues)

Joined MG Taylor and learned their collaborative approach to transition management

Discovered Appreciative Inquiry

Joined the World LADE

Began work in corporate culture change field

Came out as bisexual — engaging with fluidity of sexual identity

Started working in community radio

Dialogued with Palestinian young men in Beirut Sa’char Israel

Discovered open space and tasked with designing a tech computer lab learning environment using it!!

Took mediation training/ conflict resolution

Working in Ecuadors’ Amazon — Sustainable micro-business development — connect locals with corps.

Would the League of Women Voters Like to take on community conversations about education??

Joined Pioneers of Change network which introduced me to dialogue and living systems theory of dialogue

Completed spiritual direction practicum

Participated in Reconciliation Walk in Syria, Lebanon and Turkey — Western Christians apologizing for Crusaders to Muslims, Eastern Christians, Jews. Dialogue and understanding developed at reconciliation. Impacted me greatly

Tech vs. communications D&D

Made a digital story about violence in my family and realized the power of this process for individual and collective and social transformation

Made the decision to seek ways to address organizational toxicity — accessed training in the field — this began my quest to become established in the field of mediation

Found St. Johns College. Read great books and began asking and discerning fundamental questions

Working for Kettering Foundation

Participated in HH the Dalai Lamias Synthesis Dialogues in Dharamsala

Got my MSW in Community Organizations

Discovered Deliberate Democracy

I was hired to work for PCRC in San Mateo County CA.

Moved to Austin Texas and found kindred spirits in D&D community

Experiential learning and service learning blooming

Humanitarian Interventions:

• South Africa Truth and Reconciliation

• Peace Accords

• UN/OAS develop units for dialogue

• Trials for war crimes

• End of wars in Latin America

Daniel Yankelovich coming to public judgment

Scott Peck’s book Different Drum stimulated community-building efforts

Founding of National Community Building Network — national network of people/communities addressing poverty, racism, disenfranchisement through “community building”

Went to my first Open Space Conference with H. Owen

Nearly died and learned of the New Science of Biology that re-directed my life—discovered Bruce Lipton, PhD.

May 9th, 1993: “Wisdom Council” concept conceived

First TAOS Institutional Conference in New Mexico

International Association of Facilitators Founded

Bretton Woods Learning Org. Conference

Carolyn Lukenmeyer founds “America Speaks”

NIF 15th anniversary

PCP Abortion Work

Focus of anti-poverty work shifts — at least in concept — to neighborhood change and resident “empowerment”

Learned about work of Tom Atlee

Bunker and Alban publish “Large Scale Interventions”

Clinton’s Init. on Race

Started Forums Institute for Public Policy and developed Informed Contemplative Dialogue

Took Socrates Café Training

NIF is about 20 years old

Gutmann and Thompson — Democracy of Disagreement

Hal Saunders writes “Public Peach Process”

Took Future Search Training

Took Framing Issues workshop with Harris Sokolor in 2000 something

California first 5 Commission (formerly Children and Families 1st commissions) mandated public participation for allocation of $$ toward community needs

October 2000: start of second Intifada

2000 US election

Conflict: election results in turmoil: Supreme Court decides winner

Global Assertion

September 11, 2001

US invasion of Afghanistan

GW Bush takes office

GOP Requires both Houses

Committee rules changed to limit discussion

Enron Meltdown

It is increasingly understood and felt that we are amidst a profound ecological/environmental crisis. This is shifting the spaces that people feel called to within themselves to open up to dialogue and deliberation. (as well as to how they show up)

Invaded Iraq

“Mass extinction” of species phenomenon is increasingly recognized: 6th in Earth’s history — but 1st time caused by another species (humans)

Major questions about integrity of election system

Conflict: Another close election (presidential) and Re-election of Bush

EU expansion

Tsunami

Hurricane Ivan

Many get “turned off” by the animosities and polarized positions of the political atmosphere

With major traumatic events — 9/11, contested election of GW Bush, invasion of Iraq, polarized media, natural disasters, fear of terrorist, re-election of GW Bush, moves against environment — the climate of fear results in reduction of dialogue across our culture. At the same time, fear-based behavior on the part of leaders means the need for dialogue is seen and increases.

1st Canadian Dialogue Conference

Earthquake in Pakistane

Hurricane Katrina

First woman president in Liberia, Africa!!

NCDD San Francisco

Israel/Lebanon war

US Midterm (November) elections

Took dynamic facilitation class — started meeting with Tom Atlee and others twice a month about dialogue and deliberation, facilitation, etc.

Attended a compassionate listening session in my synagogue (October 2000)

Foundation for Global Community meetings on important directions led me to dialogue and conversation café

Traveled throughout Latin America for most of year realizing and learning about different cultures and beliefs

Maoist war intensified in Nepal—personally affected by events in profession and social field.

Traveled to/ worked in post-Soviet Central Asians as Peace Corps volunteer

Met Tom Atlee

International Association Facilitators Conference

Met Michael McDevitt

Attended a workshop of dialogue practitioners from Latin America — very moved and wanted to help their work

Came to PCRC and met my mentor, Patricia Brown

September 11, 2001

UVA — started sustained dialogue frustrated by race relations

Graduated with MSW (Masters of Social Work): trained in Group therapy and many other organization learning / group dialogue tools. Also got new job at Kellogg Foundation

Discovered extreme programming and the Bay Area XP group

Changed jobs from McKinsey to IFDK (consulting firm specializing in DRD)

Begin graduate school in a “liberal” environment (coming from Brighton University)

I attended St. John’s college — seminar style great, books college learning through conversation

Intern with OAS and came to the realization that there “had to be a better way” — I quickly learned that D&D was that “better way”

Dissertation research on a fractured community where dialogue rarely occurred

Introduced to NVC

Learned through community organizing that bringing people together to talk was more effective in making change than confrontational tactics

Founded Jewish Dialogue Group in Philadelphia

Began Gateway to Conscious Evolution based on work of Barbara Marx Hubbard on to be a Guide and Mentor

Mediation Training

Brown and Williamson and RJ Reynolds tobacco Company begin dialogue

Learned about consensus in practice in Denmark

Get laid off from my corporate job

Got involved in “Phlia Dialogue on Citizenship” in Vancouver

Introduced to Appreciative Inquiry at graduate school (School for International Training, US)

Got involved in a rights conference in a remote area of Nepal

Started SSU OD Program

Joined a sustained dialogue group at UVA where I was frustrated by race relations, despite my college’s efforts to “embrace diversity”

Feb 2003: Thought of Orange Band

Began dissertation on interethnic dialogue

Referendum A in Colorado

Tapping into dialogue through jobs! (New Institutions forming)

Joined dialogue makers network at Simon Fraser University

Attended NCOD Conference

Began working with an indigenous peace-building department NGO in Afghanistan on community reconciliation

Discovered that dialogue process works better than conflict

6/04: Began exploring “embodied mediation” with open-ended community dialogue that followed

11/04: hired by People’s Place / CCJ restorative justice program

NEEDED the dialogue director job for a living; now I am LOVING the job as a living!!

Facilitated dialogue on health care in Alaskan Village so they could share their wisdom with others

01/04: started researching impact of drastic deliberation

9/04: enrolled in Dialogue class for requirement in conflict mediation certification

1st heard of AI

Joined a study circle made up of teachers, parents, and students.

Joined institution on common good

Read Isaacs Dialogue

Founded Spirit in the Arts

Did my Honors’ thesis on community participation and bridging communication gaps.

“came out of the closet” as a conservative in a liberal graduate program — wonderful! Discovered there is a real alternative to the culture wars

Exposed to the NVC

Peacemaker training

Learned how to “facilitate”

Joined dialogue network

3/05: NVC study : I talked to enemies our hearts opened

4/05: Learned of Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues initiative -applied for Clark University to participate

12/05: Received Ford Foundation Grant

2/05: joined Orange Band

7/05: Became Director f the Dialogue Project with Community Mediation and Interfaith Cooperative Ministries

Decided to Study CAR

Took my first mediation course at community boards

Girl Scout National Convention “Open space for 700″ I was trained and worked at Open Space

Participated In diversity dialogues

Lead 1st Open S[pace in my tech community

10/7/05: Launched brain jams

Got involved in Jewish-Muslim dialogue

Discovered Value of “Hallway” Conversations

Took Masters Course in Facilitation

Presented at C2D2 Conference

Presence workshop with Otto Schamar

2/06: took power of Dialogue workshop with Public conversations project

Took first formal facilitation intensive workshop

Met Leah Lamb

3/06: took 3 day facilitation workshop and started really learning about the field…I’m not alone!!

Spring 2006: worked to create “culture of dialogue” on campus through dialogues, meetings with community

Jan: First community organize job — Voices and Choices

May: Camp Well Stone

Organization al learning meet Earthcare Discover NCDD

Found Mentor!!

Political Awareness Intern!!

Completed Master’s thesis in Dialogue Models

Finished Dissertation!! Started teaching again

Involved in Forum Theatre Dialogue.

Met my cutie!!

Bought my first home

I fell in love for the first time at age 52

First NCDD conference

Attended first NCDD conference

Attended first Canadian conference in Ottawa

Heard about D&D from Carolyn at America Speaks

May: took over as executive director of city forum

Get train to be a facilitator!!

Younger people getting involved in D&D with lots of energy and hope!!

Designing, aggregating, organizing the Youth Dialogue Project—a 9 month dialogue for 18-25 year olds from New Zealand, US, Cyprus, Denmark and South Africa.

Facilitator my first student only circle in Sherwood

Graduation from High School ?

Moving the D&D field from the implicit to the explicit

Graduation from High School

Graduation from PhD

Graduate from UC Berkeley

Trained as a facilitator by Beverly Daniel Tatum in Study Circles Methods and processes

Participated in congregations building community housing issues public meeting — Fort Collins, CO.

11/2000: using PICO Network organizing model (www.piconetwork.org)

AMERICASPEAKS.ORG and others at National Civic League 1000 Conference in Washington DC (11/8/00)

September 11, 2001

Too much hostile polarization in the world

Trained in learning partners/ Human Dynamics and Systems Thinking Tools

Training Ageles Arner

Facilitating Consensus Circles

CAAG Futures Alliances

A Hopeful Sign: Rotary International (32,000 clubs in 168 countries with 1.2 million members) established a two-year Fellowship Program supporting g 60-70 Fellows from around the world each year to study Peace and Conflict Resolution

Hewlett funds some D&D work through 2004

D&D First Contemplative Dialogue: 4-days, Intensive. Burlingame, CA

Went to Future Search workshop — began to adopt model for Congregations

VVH: severe violence dialogue program launched

Founded nonprofit

Facilitated a “deepening circle” which involved practices of deep listening

Founded global facilitators service corps

1st NCDD Conference

Formal efforts towards Mormon-Evangelical Dialogue begins? 1. Robert Millet and Gregory Johnson (Baptist) travel across the nation

2. Stephen Robinson and Bloomberg publish a book

Terry AMsler, Hewlett Foundation advocates systematic evaluation of D&D by Hewlett ADP Theory Centers

March—launched Orange Band

Trained as an anti-racism facilitator

Met Sam Kanerat an ASTD meeting — sparked interest in working with people (citizens)

Evangelical Leader Ravi Zacharias invited by President Gordon B. Hinckley to preach in the tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ in Salt Lake City to a packed crowd

Heard Tom Altee speak in San Francisco

AI in Miami

Learned about eh Institute on the Common Good and their contributions to the field and 2004 NCDD Conference at Regis University

FGDs with illiterate women in remote rural areas of Nepal

Indiana University starts research on America Speaks

2004 NCDD Conference — Denver

9/2005: Delaware First Restorative Justice Conference

11/05: Took Non-violent communication workshop with Marshall Rosenberg

C2D2 Conference in Ottawa (October)

4/05: Ford Foundation launches Difficult Dialogue initiative

truthmapping.com released (online deliberation too!)

George Lacoff verbage on politics and environment.

Took 2nd Non-violent communications workshop

25 anniversary of Kettering Foundation PPS — NIF

Will graduate from University of B’ham, England (with a PhD)

Colorado State Unversity center for public deliberation founded

March 2006: Fist “Liberal Conservative” Intergroup Dialogue Course started (at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) unsure about other universities (Dr. Joycelyn Landrum Brown Supervisor)

Speciesalliance.org is founded to help address Mass Extinction phenomena

First pan-European Citizen Deliberation with randomly selected citizen from all 25 Member states

World Forum — Justice, religion and conflict resolution 2/1-2/4 2007 in San Francisco

Student only study circles in Sherwood High School

Repealing Prop 209