Tracy Chaplin Email and Phone Number

The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) bring together community and University knowledge and resources to drive sustainability in four focus areas: agriculture and food systems, clean energy, natural resources, and resilient communities. We support local projects through five regional boards made up of community members and University faculty and staff. We also support multi-region food systems work across Greater Minnesota and provide energy programming through the Clean Energy Resource Teams.

Co-Nexio is a woman-owned business offering collaborative leadership training, design, and facilitation of strategic engagements, innovative program design, and executive coaching. My team and I employ a dynamic weave of learning, reflection, dialogue, and applied practice to support purpose-centered organizations through times of complex change. Working at the intersection of land, water, and community, my goal is to awaken our memory of the interconnectivity between human beings and natural systems, restoring equity and integrity in the social and environmental structures we build, creating conditions for transformation to emerge at personal, social and systemic levels. (formerly Blue Heron Associates, LLC)

Stoneweaving is inspired by Mizuhiki (水引), an ancient Japanese art form using a special cord to tie intricate basketry knots, and its symbolism of unity. Now combined with my love of Lake Superior stones, knots, and black ash basketry, this art form has evolved into “Stoneweaving”, part of my daily meditation practice with spirit guiding each creation. Natural materials from the Lake Superior shoreline ground this creative practice in respectful relationship with the land. The stones determine the weave, each one uniquely shaped by time and the waters of this inland sea, then woven and accented with materials native to this area including black ash, buckskin leather, birch bark, driftwood, and natural fibers.

With a team of facilitators called “hosts”, I design and guide critical dialogues in multistakeholder engagements. When issues are explored in a way that allows all perspectives to be shared in a safe environment, the possibility arises to find solutions that no one person came into the room with. This way of working with emergence, transparency and shared purpose creates true ownership and, since people support what they help to create, it offers a way forward together when the complexity of the issue has no predictable solution. The Art of Hosting is an approach to leadership that scales up from the personal to the systemic using personal practice, dialogue, facilitation and the co-creation of innovation to address complex challenges. We teach underlying theories and capacities of participatory leadership using an experiential, practice-based training format, through dialogue using Open Space, World Café, Theory U, Appreciative Inquiry, Circle, and others methodologies.Past trainings include Sweden, Japan, Vietnam, Europe (various), and US. Currently building and stewarding a community of practice in northern Minnesota.

I lead a collaborative team of lecturers and Ph.D. students in hosting a co-creative learning environment for a 10-month international master’s degree program in strategic sustainable development and leadership in complexity. A racially and ethnically diverse group of 50-60 students per year joined from 25 countries, with a 30-year age span and a diverse range of academic and professional backgrounds. I guided strategic development of the program and courses, designed and delivered new courses/trainings, provided pedagogical oversight and development, served as senior lecturer/educational facilitator, and developed/designed collaborative opportunities for external training through independent contracts. “Our program is designed to create conditions for transformation in our students, to develop the personal leadership capacities needed to energize change, while deeply integrating the scientific foundations for sustainability into practice-based group project experiences.” During this tenure, I co-designed and taught a course in a new master's degree program at Brunel University in London called Sustainability, Entrepreneurship & Design.

Provided training and coaching in The Natural Step framework for strategic sustainable development for a new non-profit organization, with 20 clients in two, one-year cohorts. Clients included municipal government, university, public school, construction, hospital, hotel, restaurant, and others. Provided leadership, organizational development, grant writing, event design & planning, and administration. Coordinated all aspects and provided training, facilitation, and coaching to clients. Developed curriculum, case studies, marketing, events, and college internship. This position was hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Superior, fiscal sponsor, as Associate Outreach Specialist.2011 Lake Superior Bi-National Forum - Environmental Stewardship Award recipient

Provided leadership, direction, and coordination of education efforts in support of sustainable business development and job creation in the green economy on behalf of the Northern Center for Community and Economic Development. Acted as liaison, coordinating with community interests, business development organizations, and the state’s network of Small Business Development Centers. *This limited-term, half-time position was created by the fiscal sponsor to utilize my available time when a budget overage extended my work with Sustainable Twin Ports Early Adopter Project for 6 months at half time.

Provided training, leadership and management for youth and adult volunteers in Cheboygan County 4-H. Developed and implemented new programs for youth with emphasis on youth mentoring, environmental & aquatic education, after-school programs for low-income communities, local food systems, teen facilitative leadership, and teen leader advocacy on state environmental policy. Initiated and co-created a multi-stakeholder regional partnership on aquatic education that is still active and funded today. Served as a core member of a state-wide leadership team, teaching facilitation skills to MSU Extension faculty. 2007 Michigan Alliance for Outdoor Environmental Education, Special Award Recipient

Designed, developed and co-directed a non-profit education center on 212-acres, focused on sustainable living and nonviolence. Co-created and provided leadership to multiple projects including 26 sustainable agriculture demonstration projects, youth-at-risk & college internships. Developed experiential programs in sustainability, team building, systems thinking, problem solving. Initiated, funded and brought leadership to local entrepreneurial ventures including a 17-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, a 12-farm cooperative state-licensed Mobile Poultry Processing Trailer, and a permaculture greenhouse. Provided administration, strategic planning, organizational development, membership, grant writing, financial management.

My career began in the field of experiential, environmental education at various outdoor education centers around the U.S. Positions included instructor, curriculum developer, program coordinator, staff trainer and director. Topics included ecology, living history, environmental awareness & stewardship, team building, problem solving, leadership, etc. Formats included 30-day wilderness stress-challenge trips, 5-day residential camps, and day programs. Audiences ranged from middle school to youth-at-risk to executives. Details are available on request.