My passion for the intersecting points of education, multi-cultural issues, training, communication and leadership development comes from a deeply rooted place, my own experience. My mother is African and Native American and my father is Irish. Growing up I was often faced with questions or statements like, "What are you?" or "Is that your sister? You don't look anything like her!" This experience manifests in divergent ways for people, whether it be race, gender, age, ethnicity, orientation, identity, ability or some combination but issues often arise when communication is involved at a interpersonal, organizational or community wide level.Without effective communication we cannot grow and develop as individuals, organizations, communities or as leaders.My professional experience thus far has been about opening up lines of communication among seemingly diverse and potentially disparate groups around the world. I've watched firsthand in the hills of Rwanda as former bitter enemies work to weave their nation back together from the horror of genocide through open and robust communication and dialogue. I developed a series of programs at Bowdoin College entitled “Discussing Difference” which allowed for the diverse student body to talk more openly with each other, the faculty and administration. As the Associate Director of Admission at Thacher I traveled to communities around the world, from the Navajo Nation, rural China, South Central LA, urban Seoul, downtown San Diego and up to the Tenderloin in San Francisco and Oakland. In my time at FleetBoston Financial,I worked closely with the North American Indian Center of Boston to foster new relationships and establish closer ties with the community. I'm excited about tough conversations and issues that need frank and open dialogue. Amazing things can happen when we are open enough to take that difficult first step. Please feel free to contact me at benjaminrfarrell@gmail.com.