Nationally recognized consulting practice assisting public, private, and nonprofit organizations to work in partnerships to design, implement, and evaluate collaborative community and systems change in a variety of fields. As a result of this work, people and their organizations across the United States have gained valuable insights about the nature and usefulness of collaboration. They also have increased their proficiency through user-friendly methods and strategies for working together effectively on a wide range of issues. This work, guided by a strong vision, has substantially fostered collaborative change that can build bridges from service to justice. It also has promoted mutual respect, mutual learning, and mutual accountability for results as guiding principles for community and systems change collaboration.

Provide advice on collaboration principles and practices useful for companies and organizations desiring improved and more creative ways of working together internally and with others. See www.bigmuse.com

Serve as MARPHLI faculty for workshop on community and systems change collaboration.

Assisted in creation of training materials, curriculum for leadership institute seminars, and offered recommendations about the overall development of the CHLP. Served as faculty for CHLP seminars on community and systems change collaboration and collaborative leadership in public and community health settings.

Created and directed the Public/Private Initiative Project on multi-sector collaboration supported by 14 foundations that conducted research and created new models for multisector collaboration as well as new graduate-level courses on multisector collaboration, the policies and practices of philanthropy, and nonprofit governace. The Project also created and facilitated policy forums and partnerships on a variety of community issues, including affordable housing, minority education, adult vulnerability, community development, hunger and homelessness, and the arts among others. As a result of this work, significant contributions were made to the emerging field of community-based collaboration, including defining terms for working together and models of power-sharing that were adopted extensively across the country by institutions and community-based organizations.

Responsibilities included grants administration, special initiatives in education, the arts, and human services; innovative program development; grant reviews and recommendations for the board of directors; and extensive community outreach and information sharing. As a result of this work, the foundation gained greater respect and trust among widely diverse community organizations and individuals; gained insights about how to better integrate traditional grantmaking with more collaborative approaches to addressing community needs and building on community resources; and was assisted in the creation of several highly innovative grantmaking initiatives, including rural community development, minority education, neighborhood self-help, affordable housing, and job creation/small business development.

Responsibilities included grants administration, special initiatives in education, innovative program development; working with community advisory committees; and grant reviews and recommendations for the board of directors of the foundation and its client foundations. As a result of this work, the foundation gained greater respect and trust among widely diverse community organizations and individuals; implemented its first proactive, multi-year community-based grantmaking initiatives in literacy, minority education, and independent secondary school capacity development; and was assisted in substantially improving the design and implementation of grant administration and review processes.

Directed a partnership promoting access to higher education for people and communities in the inner-city of Saint Paul who did not have easy/appropriate access to it. My work involved developing the capacity of the Consortium to deliver college level classes in locations and formats that were most likely to meet the needs and respond to the aspirations of people of color and/or with lower-incomes to improve both their lives and their communities. The work of the Consortium was carried forward for additional 13 years by Oneida Education Center (see below)

Founded and co-director an inner-city education center that provided college and adult basic education (GED), and arts classes under the control of a community-based, nonprofit board of directors. It effectively and strongly insured community self-determination and respectful, shared decision-making with the University of Minnesota, three Saint Paul area community colleges, the Saint Paul public school system adult education program, and arts organizations all of which provided classes at Oneida and throughout the inner-city of Saint Paul. Oneida took over the work of The Saint Paul Consortium in 1975 (see above). Oneida closed in 1988,18 years after it was founded, due to the incompetence of its director at that time, but not because of a lack of community demand for and appreciation of its programs.