Tag Archives: Service learning

Cheri Torres

Cheri-Torres1

What might be possible if community and organization members were fully engaged and using their strengths to collectively achieve shared visions?

This is the question that motivates Cheri Torres and has her focused on collaboration. Given current global challenges, Cheri uses strengths-based organizational design practices to help clients respond effectively to increasing levels of complexity in their environments and growing demand for innovation and change. Her strategy is to expand collaborative capacity in communities and organizations using Appreciative Inquiry, Sociotechnical Systems Design, and Experiential Learning.  She does this by partnering with her clients to intentionally design workplace environments, multi-stakeholder conversations, organizational systems and individual and team training to maximize value for all stakeholders.

Her experience has taught her that systems and events that are intentionally designed for collaboration elicit our inherent collaborative capacity, regardless of our differences in background, views, or values. Expanding that capacity through lessons and intentional practice leads to increasing competence in thinking and working together with joy and creativity, resulting in sustainable innovation and ever-evolving excellence.

Cheri believes people are capable of extraordinary contributions when given the opportunity; consequently, she works with organization and community leadership to design for full engagement, and she provides strategies for people to expand their capacity to take advantage of new opportunities.  Her training and coaching programs are uniquely designed for immediate and long-term impact, focusing on changing workplace practices rather than people.

Cheri has worked in education, healthcare, manufacturing, service industries, government, military, and community services thoughout the United States as well as in Mexico, Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain. She has trained thousands in the practice of Appreciative Inquiry and Experiential Learning and she has authored or co-authored numerous articles and books, including Dynamic Relationships: Unleashing the Power of Appreciative Inquiry in Daily Living, The Appreciative Facilitator, and From Conflict to Collaboration. In 1996 she co-designed a patented, award winning, innovative portable challenge course training using Appreciative Inquiry, which is used in hundreds of schools, community youth programs, military training programs, and corporations around the world.

Cheri holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Collaborative Learning from the University of Tennessee. She also holds an MBA, a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, Level II certification in Spiral Dynamics Integral, and training in the Sociotechnical Systems Design Process.

Hire This Expert >

Specialties:

  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Appreciative Process
  • Collaborative Decision Making
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Leadership
  • Learning Styles
  • Management Development
  • Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
  • Service Learning
  • Team Building

Nicholas Holton

Contact Information:

Address:
610 W. Rose City Road
Rose City, MI USA 48654

Email:
nick.holton@kirkland.edu
holtonn2006@yahoo.com

Phone:
Work: (989) 275-5000 ext. 412
Home: (989) 685-3290

Skype: NicholasHolton

Website(s):
Beechwood Communications

Social Media Networks:
LinkedIn

Working Portfolio:
Download Resume

Nick Holton_Profile Pic 2013

Nicholas Holton has worked as a professional educator his whole career. First as a math instructor and now at a community college as an Associate Dean for General Education, Nicholas has been a leader in innovation by design. His workshops have visited four continents, and include strategic planning, appreciative inquiry, service learning, and engaged learning techniques. He is sought out as an invited speaker and his keynote and other presentations draw an international audience. Nicholas’ appreciative inquiry teams work with small nonprofits and whole community colleges. He conducted an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Workshop (AIFT) in Perth, Australia and his clients are located all over the world including: Scotland, Chile and India. His professional passions include anything that helps people improve the human condition. He is committed to this also in he personal life as he sits on several nonprofit boards and volunteers regularly at community events.

 

 

  • Appreciative Inquiry Consulting & Training
  • Board Training & Retreats
  • Faculty Development
  • Grant Writing
  • Keynote & Plenary Presentations
  • Large-Scale Summit Design
  • Leadership Development & Training
  • Non-Profit Services
  • Organizational Development
  • Service Learning
  • Small Business Consulting
  • Strategic Development
  • Student Leadership Training
  • Workshop Facilitation

Presentations:

  • Community College: Is it right for you?
  • Incorporating Service Learning Into a Traditional Curriculum
  • Indicators of Engaged Institutions
  • Myths Of Service Learning
  • Reaching Out, While Reaching In
  • Rural Service Learning: Special Obstacles and Great Opportunities
  • Service Learning On A Shoestring
  • Service Learning: What Works And What Doesn’t!”
  • Tech Prep and Service Learning: A Natural Combination
  • Top Ten Issues Related to Successful Service Learning Experiences”
  • Using Appreciative Inquiry To Transform Your Teaching

Appreciative Inquiry Summits:

  • Campus Compact Presidential Summit: Facilitator
  • College Wide Strategic Planning Summit
  • Great Start Collaborative Strategic Planning
  • HeadStart Strategic Planning
  • National Rural Service Learning Summit
  • National Summit, Event facilitator
  • Service Learning Advisory Board Strategic Planning
  • Strategic Planning, COP Collaborative

Workshops:

  • Appreciative Inquiry Strategic Planning Workshop
  • Appreciative Inquiry Team Building
  • Appreciative Inquiry Team Building Workshop
  • Developing Our Strengths: Appreciating Our Differences
  • Faculty Course Design Workshop
  • Faculty Workshop on Service Learning

Keynote:

  • Reframing The Social Contract in Higher Education

Webinars:

  • Issues in Rural Service Learning

International:

  • Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT), Co-trainer
  • Creating High Performance Teams Using Appreciative Inquiry
  • International Service Learning: Guatemala & Nicaragua
  • ACTS Academy (Bangalore, India)
  • American Association of Community Colleges
  • Central Michigan University
  • Community College National Center for Civic Engagement
  • Company of Experts
  • Georgia State Government
  • Great Start Collaborative
  • Houston Community College
  • Kirtland Community College
  • Lake Superior State University
  • Macomb Community College
  • Michigan Campus Compact
  • MSU Extension
  • North East Michigan Community Service Agency
  • Northern Essex Community College
  • Northern Michigan University
  • Oakland Community College
  • Ogemaw County Humane Society
  • Rondo Tree Service
  • Rose City Greenhouse
  • Rural Alliance for Service Learning
  • Rural Community College Alliance
  • Smart Schools Foundation
  • St. Clair Community College
  • University of Alaska
  • “I have known Nick since 2009, and was fortunate enough to take part in an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT) that he tutored. The four days of the AIFT were both inspiring and exciting, and Nick made the training relevant to the wide variety of participants. I have also followed with interest Nick’s service learning program, and am impressed that all of his students think so highly of him.” ~ Anne Tierney, Senior University Teacher at University of Glasgow
  • “Mr. Holton, as I have addressed him for the last 27 years, was my high school math teacher who became what I consider my mentor. Five years ago, as I did some grant writing for his company, he thought it was time I called him by his first name. I just couldn’t due to the enormous amount of respect I have for this man. His motto has always been learn more, better yourself, and hopefully as a result make the world a better place. This is what he encourages, inspires, and aids others to do, whether they are students, business associates, or friends. I feel privileged to have been all three!“~ Michelle Jacobs, Independent Consultant, Electrical & Controls Engineers at Match Point Controls, LLC

Sue Tsuda

Sue Tsuda

Sue Tsuda has experience in the complementary arenas of local government and community colleges. Sue has served in staff positions in local government ranging from intern to city manager in Oregon and California. She also has served as an appointed and as an elected official including city council. Her experience in education includes coordinating programs in CalWORKs, Workforce Development, Student Support Services, career and transfer planning, providing instruction in student success, life skills, workplace skills, career planning, tutor training, history, and government. She also is a successful grant writer. Land use planning and economic development are particular areas of interest.

Ms. Tsuda has her Masters degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelors degree in Political Science from California State University, Fullerton. She also has a certificate in Urban Planning from University of California Extension, at Irvine and post-graduate work toward another Masters Degree in Urban Planning at Cal-Poly, Pomona.

Sue came into local government as a volunteer with the League of Women Voters and later went to work in the field she loves. Her greatest compensation is the opportunity to help others help themselves. The day she was hired as the first Town Manager of Yucca Valley, CA, the town experienced a 7.6 earthquake. The silver lining was the law that allows a fast track to formation of a Redevelopment Agency that is useful as an economic development tool.

Ms. Tsuda’s career has provided broad experience in both local government and community college issues and opportunities.

Hire This Expert >

Specialties:

  • Adult Learning
  • Building Teams
  • Career Development
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Coalition Building
  • Community Building
  • Community Development and Community Partnership
  • Continuous Learning
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Dealing with Difficult People
  • Economic Development
  • Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn
  • Goal Setting and Time Management
  • Government relations/ lobbying
  • Job analysis and design
  • Mentoring
  • Reaching consensus
  • Service Learning
  • Spirit in the workplace
  • Teaching at-risk students
  • Training