I’m dusting off my training and facilitation hat and now providing these services through ECOS.

In my past lives, I’ve provided services to private and public businesses, groups and organizations around diversity and cultural competency issues.

Over the years, I’ve found that individuals and organizations mix up “diversity training” and “cultural competency”. Diversity is descriptive and an “add-on,” to organizations or an intellectual pursuit for individuals. Cultural competency is about individual and/or organizational change – unwinding learned socialization tapes – and integrates diversity into the day-to-day organizational operations or personal practices. Diversity can be book-learned, cultural competency is ongoing, difficult, but rewarding work about including people unlike ourselves into our personal or organizational lives.

Cultural competency cross cuts ALL disciplines. I’ve had past lives in domestic violence prevention and positive youth development. I live in cohousing community which sometimes are reft with conflict and adapted my approach to community development.

I’ve been a member of the Boulder Arts Commission community grant reading panel. Over the course of two grant cycles, I’ve noticed that arts and cultural organizations are no different than other groups. They all want to outreach to diverse communities and evolve their organizational structures to better reflect a changing society and expand their organizational reach. As such, I’m adapting my protective factor approach for arts and cultural organizations through cultural competency.

CURRENT and RECENT TRAINING, WORKSHOPS AND FACILITATIONS

• National Cohousing Association regional conference in Boulder, CO – Intensive workshop on how communities can write their story in ways that reflect community member values. April 20 – 22, 2018
• National Cohousing Association conference in Nashville, TN – three training sessions May 20 – 21, 2017
  • In communities, there generally are few if any consequences to hold members accountable. Here’s a presentation you can download about my conflict resolution and accountability approach.
  • There’s lots of talk about diversity these days in our divisive social culture. How can cohousing be a catalyst? Here’s a presentation you can download about how cultural competency can help communities become more diverse.
  • Telling your community story in a concise manner is a challenge. Here’s a presentation about how to use the basic three-act structure to tell your community story as an elevator speech.
• Led a three day retreat. Download the presentation “Dealing with Diverse Personalities” for CoHousing USA in Arcosanti, Arizona, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2016
• Presented “The Spirit of Culture” workshop at the CoHousing USA Aging Better Together: the Power of Community conference in Salt Lake City May 2016

PAST FACILITATIONS – 2001 – 2010

• Boulder Valley High School Multi-Cultural Action Coalition
  • Boulder Valley School District LINK high school mentor program
  • Cultural competency panelist for the Boulder Summit on Social and Economic Justice
• Provided Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation facilitation for the year-long implementation of the Denver Foundation Expanding Non-Profit Inclusiveness Initiative which includes developing policies and procedures. Coordinate EIIN among RMHDC Diversity Committee, including three housing developments in Denver, Lakewood and Arvada.
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence National Conference – “Empowering domestic violence victims, survivors and thrivers to make social change happen through culturally-competent, asset-based non-traditional ally building”
• National Practitioners Conference on Civic Engagement – “Youth Violence in the Contexts of Development Assets, Risks and Protective Factors” New Orleans, Louisiana
• When Assisting Domestic Violence Victims” – Denver Colorado
  • Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance Statewide Conference – “Organizing for Social Justice: Empowering Victims of Violent Crime Against Women to Advocate for Social Change” – Keystone Colorado
  • ACY Summer Institute – “Spirit of Culture Cultural Competency for Youth Service Providers” – Denver Colorado
  • Denver Great Kids Head Start – cultural competency trainer for year-long facilitation process among all staff members

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Boulder Arts Commission community grant panelist – I’m into the second season reading arts and culture grants. December 2016 – Present

Cohousing Association of America – Board Member, Rocky Mountain Region: Currently am the 2016 National Conference Program Chair for event in Nashville, TN May 2017.

City of Boulder Community Affordable Housing Working Group – Appointed by Boulder City Manager as a member of city Study Group charged with developing recommendations maintaining the current affordable housing stock May – October 2015.

City of Boulder Planning Board – Former City Council appointee to seven member board charged with implementing and enforcing city land use, zoning regulations, Developing long-range planning tools for public utilities, transportation, health and human services, parks and recreation. 1999 – 2004.

City of Boulder Human Relations Commission, Past Chair – Former City Council appointee to five-member commission charged with the enforcement and administration of the city human and civil rights ordinances. HRC also works with groups to encourage community intercultural interaction through the annual cultural celebration grant program. As a member of the Technical Review Committee, evaluated the Human Services Grant Fund proposals. 1995 – 1999

Hate Crime Prevention and Training Program – Trained the city of Boulder Mediation Service facilitation team. Completed the first training the trainers program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. methods to use neighborhood and other community groups to prevent bias-related crime. 1999.

U.S. Civil Rights Commission Wyoming Advisory Committee — Federal appointee to statewide committee that advises the commission on a variety of western – states related issues, including inequities in state government hiring practices, discrimination in education opportunities. 1983 – 1990.