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Team

Our group consists of a diverse group of skilled professionals with proven project delivery experience across a range of sectors and geographies. We bring our process skills and content knowledge to that of your community and/or organization, partners and stakeholders, working alongside you to achieve incredible things.

Our Purpose

The fate of our planet and people everywhere depends on rapidly addressing the linked issues of climate change, biodiversity, equity, and social well-being.

We help organizations focus and take rapid action on these huge challenges by collaborating effectively with others.

Our work crosses borders, sectors, and levels, with a strong focus on dialogue, emergence, reflection, social capital, and organizational capacity-building.

Principal

Our well-known Strong Engagement Method for Collaborative Action has been pioneered, defined, applied, and proven in hugely diverse settings over the past 25 years.  Vince Verlaan is a recognized thought and practice leader in this area, driving projects and policies forward at every level from global to site-specific, building capacity, inventing new tools, and offering customized training.  Focused, determined, reflective, confident, capable of “stepping into your shoes” to help build the trust, understanding, insights and partnerships needed for effective initiatives.

Associates

We have assembled a set of highly skilled and experienced people and firms ready to serve the engagement needs of people, organizations and communities using collaborative action to drive change.

Olfa Meijri, International MBA student (North Africa, Europe, North America): skilled project management professional and entrepreneur with extensive private sector, government, and non-profit experience.  Fluent in four languages, prepares Tunisians for overseas employment and education, accomplished speaker, facilitator, now pursuing part-time MBA in change management, inclusion, and sustainability.

Drew Boshell, Masters of Development Planning (North America, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Australia): hugely experienced field project manager in global health, education, environment and community development, founder of imagine1day.org. Skills in advocacy, staff training, awareness, education, fund-raising and value-added partnerships

Hoang Ngoc Giao, Ph.D., International Law and Political Science (South-East Asia, North America). Former lecturer at University of Ha Noi Law School, former vice-director Continental Shelf Committee, Government of Viet Nam.  Respected environmental lawyer, national aid program manager, regional strategy coordinator, negotiator, researcher.

Katie Hamilton, MA Leadership, MA Communications (North America). Founder and Lead for Tavola Strategy Group, public relations and communications superstar, strategic planner, change management guru with extensive non-profit, government, and private sector experience.  Seasoned professional supporting or leading project teams, trains others in best practice for communication, engagement, strategy and change.

Paul Johnson, independent designer, working across design and illustration (UK). Internationally-recognized corporate brand, logo and image development specialist, with diverse graphic design skills and portfolio.  Also supports economic development efforts with small scale, local, private sector firms.

Barlet Hamzai, web developer and designer (Macedonia). Skilled, creative, efficient, and cost-effective strategist and developer of interactive websites and back-end support systems.

Glen Hearns, Ph D., environmental consultant, project manager, trans-boundary water management expert, activist, and gentleman farmer (North America, South-East Asia, Central Asia, Africa, UK.)

Allies

These firms offer special services and skills to build and sustain the capacity of organizations, communities and networks. We add to this list as we work with new colleagues and clients, always flexing to deliver the greatest value and impact.

Tavola Strategy Group – Katie Hamilton

The W Group – Kent Waugh

Volo Athletics – James Milligan

Sustainability Ventures – David Van Seters

Ocean Blue Consulting – Sandra Bicego

Municipal Natural Assets Initiative – Emanuel Machado

The Beacon Collective – Dani Vachon

UpLift Engagement Communications – Leanne Buck

Activists

We are inspired by all thoise leading change processes around the world, as they strive to meet our greatest challenges.  Exceptional groups include:

Trying to achieve great things? Want increased impact?
Ready to take on the "wicked problems" of our times?
We can help you and your team by increasing focus and collaboration, both internally and externally.
Whatever the challenge or opportunity...
use engagement to help you "figure it out together"!