Tag Archives: expert on call

Randal Joy Thompson

Randal ThompsonFor over thiry years, Randal Joy Thompson has expressed her passion for helping people around the world achieve their dreams through a career in international development.  She has advised senior government officials on key policy changes, assisted local non-governmental organizations establish themselves, organized interest group coalitions, and worked in small rural villages and large urban centers on a variety of development challenges in India, Cameroon, Morocco, Nicaragua, Mongolia, Romania, Ukraine, Kenya, Albania, Bulgaria, and Bolivia.

For the last two years, she has helped staff at the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation in Baghdad, Iraq enhance their management skills and understanding of the global economy.  She facilitated an Appreciative Inquiry with ministry staff during which the group drafted a preposterous proposition which expressed their dream for collaborative teamwork and a democratic, flat organizational structure.  The group made serious individual and group commitments to achieving their proposition.  Randal also taught course in cross-cultural communication and protocol for ten ministries in Iraq.  She is now serving as Chief of Party on another project in Baghdad, responsible for monitoring and evaluating the US government project portfolio and conducting sector studies to support their future strategy.

Randal has been a keynote speaker at several conferences, including the first and second International Women’s Conferences held in Romania in 1998 and 1999.  She delights in inspiring her audiences to see their potential to achieve their dreams and work together on common opportunities to change their personal and social worlds.  She combines humor with serious calls to action. She is particularly interested in helping organizations change creatively through the application of appreciative approaches.   She is President and CEO of an organizational development consulting company in Reno, Nevada, “Getting to Excellence.”

Randal works with government, private sector, and non-profit organizations as well a common interest groups.  She especially enjoys working with women’s groups and organizations.   She also delivers training in international development and how to effectively work in a globalized economy and cross-cultural communication.

Randal has her BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley; her MA in Philosophy and MBA from the University of Chicago; and her MA in Biblical Exposition from Capital Bible Seminary.  She also has a Certificate in Organizational Development Consulting from Georgetown University and a Certificate in French Civilization from the Sorbonne.  She has been certified by Company of Experts as an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator.

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Specialties:

  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Change Management
  • Collaborative Decision-making
  • Facilitation
  • Keynote Speaker
  • Organizational Assessment and Development
  • Program/Project Development & Management
  • Program/Project Evaluation
  • Strategic Planning
  • Team Building
  • Visioning and Futuring

Managing Professional Relationships at Work

Title: Managing Professional Relationships at Work

Location: Online Workshop

Date: January 11 – 29, 2009

Register: Click here

Description: Do you have a mix of all four styles going on your at your workplace? For example, a co-worker may appreciate the data. Your annual proposal has 25 pages, but that may not be enough information. Other co-workers may want you to get to the bottom line – Yesterday. Or you may work with someone who values an unhurried appointment with a focus on close relationships and peace, and perhaps someone else will want a fast pace with plenty of interaction and please do not be boring!

The good news is you can improve upon your relationship building skills. You can begin to understand the techniques but the real learning is OTJ (on the job)—practice in real-life with ongoing learning, coaching and feedback. Boosting your relationships, along with learning your style and comfort zone leads to improved professional relationships yielding a significant ROI! Learn More>

Foundations of Style: Behavior and the Bottom Line – webinar

Webinar: Foundations of Style: Behavior and the Bottom Line

Location: Webinar – Online

Date: November 19, 2009

Start Time: 2:00 PM (EST)

Register Now: Click here

Description: Using the Social Styles model as the foundation, this workshop provides an introduction to four personal tendencies: Analytical, Driver, Amiable, and Expressive. Through this awareness, participants are more prepared to understand, and adjust, when interacting with others.

While it is true that “we are who we are”, the ability to adapt our style of communicating and interacting is essential for achieving the results we desire. Learn More>

Strategic Planning with Appreciative Inquiry for Colleges and Universities – Webinar

Webinar: Strategic Planning with Appreciative Inquiry for Colleges and Universities

Location: Webinar – Online

Date: November 12, 2009

Start Time: 2:00 PM (EST)

Register Now: Click here

Description: Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to planning and positive change that has been used successfully in colleges, communities and organizations all around the world. It is broad-based, highly participative, and energizing. It builds new skills in faculty and staff, develops new leaders, encourages a culture of inquiry, and helps create shared vision and purpose for your college by building on your core values and strengths. Perhaps most importantly-it leades to action, commitment, and results. Learn More>

Website: Center for Appreciative Inquiry

Ellen Grondine

Ellen Grondine

Ellen Grondine is the Dean of Law, Education and Social Professions at Northern Essex Community College in Lawrence and Haverhill, Massachusetts.  She has also held administrative positions in the K-12 public education arena specifically related to curriculum and instruction and has extensive teaching experience in both early childhood and special education.

Ellen is an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator, a Process Management Trainer and a member of the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) team of trainers.  Her expertise in strengths based team building, her understanding of tools for critical analysis, and her work in building effective inter-group coalitions have been instrumental in academic and strategic planning, divisional training and goal setting, and her community outreach efforts on behalf of the college.  She has facilitated collaborations among the college and veteran’s service agencies, community partnership councils and public school settings by providing workshops, program development and resources.  Her work within the K-12 setting also includes the design and implementation of Appreciative Inquiry teacher training as a means of strengthening parent-teacher relationships and facilitating communication among public school administration and community members.

Ellen earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University in Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Science from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Specialties:

  • Academic Master Planning
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Community Building
  • Community Building & Community Partnerships
  • Continuous Process Improvement
  • Curriculum Development
  • Developing Enthusiasm in Teaching or Training
  • Process Improvement
  • Strategic Planning

Christopher Szecsey

Christopher Szecsey

Christopher Szecsey (pronounced “say-chay”) has over 38 years of worldwide experience across more than 48 countries in capacity-building of individuals, teams, community groups, organizations, & projects. For the past 15 years, he has worked as consultant, trainer, & facilitator with international nonprofits & local nonprofits (NGOs) as well as with government & multilateral agencies in the USA & around the world.

His international clients include: the Center for Disease Control in Ethiopia, Carter Center, World Wildlife Fund, American Red Cross, Save the Children, CARE, PACT, PATH, Family Health International, Pathfinder, Counterpart International, The Asia Foundation, FAO/UN, UNDP, & UNICEF as well as international consulting firms, foundations, & government agencies. Prior to consulting, he served nine years as a Country Representative/Field Office Director for Save the Children/US on three international assignments in Asia & the Pacific Islands; two years as a Project Director for UNDP in Nepal; & three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador.

His USA clients, mostly in the Northern California, include: the Volunteer Center & its Nonprofit Resource Center, Community Action Partnerships, West County Community Services, Santa Rosa Symphony, Habitat for Humanity, RECOURSE, Restorative Resources, Sonoma County Repertory Theater, Next Generation, Lifeschool, Osmosis, Southwest Community Health Center, La Luz, foundations such as Levi Strauss & West County Healthcare, school districts, & local city & county government agencies.

Key areas of Christopher’s consulting experience include building the capacity of the nonprofit sector around the world including in the USA; providing technical assistance, training & facilitation in collaboration/partnerships; organizational assessment & development, leadership & team strengthening;  program assessment, design, planning, & management; & board & staff development as well as work with local government agencies.

Christopher has significant experience & skills in training & facilitation with boards, senior staff, & diverse stakeholder groups, using learner center participatory, interactive, & collaborative learning processes to ensure client & stakeholder involvement, engagement & ownership for positive change efforts.

He has served on the board of three nonprofits as well as the chair of one, and as a nonprofit executive director. He graduated from the University of the Pacific/Callison College, and successfully completed the Executive Certificate Program in Global Change & Social Innovation/Appreciative Inquiry, Global Excellence in Management (GEM) Initiative, Case Western Reserve University. His three languages are: English, Spanish, and Indonesian.

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Specialties:

  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Board Training & Development
  • Community Development/ Mobilization & Community Partnerships
  • Consulting
  • Facilitating
  • Facilitator Training
  • High-Impact Strategic Planning
  • Leadership Training & Development
  • Management Training & Development
  • Organizational Assessment
  • Organizational Development
  • Participatory Learning
  • Participatory Management
  • Partnership Building & Strengthening
  • Program/Project Development & Management
  • Staff Training & Development
  • Team Building
  • Visioning & Futuring