• Honor the 12 year history and accomplishments of Regional Partnerships.
• Examine existing strengths and how they position VARP to move to the next stage of organizational maturity.
• Address the multi-layered question of what they want to sustain: themselves, their partnerships or the communities they serve.
• Generate a number of ideas that could catalyze new approached to their work and funding.
• Use the synergy of the group to develop ideas into proposals and to grasp the implications and work involved with these new directions.

• An ability to recognize and trust their intuition as a valuable source of information
• A deeper awareness of visible and invisible patterns of human interaction.
• An awareness of complex influences that impact the quality of interaction needed to get things done.
• Using holistic frameworks for seeing the big picture and thinking through critical short and long-term implications of decisions and actions.

• Enlarged view of leadership beyond traditional Western models
• Richer understanding of the human dynamics of individual & organizational change
• Resourced with most current sustainability tools available
• Theory experienced in action with local service learning project
• A developed sense of own personal leadership styles
• Contacts with key sustainability leaders in Vermont

• VT Campus Compact
• VT Forum on Sprawl
• Chittenden Solid Waste District
• Association of Vermont Recyclers
• Vermont Earth Institute
• Alliance for Climate Action
• VT Agency for Natural Resources

• Invite knowledge and expertise regarding engagement for the purpose of catalyzing change
• Explore and expand upon this knowledge
• Enhance what invitees have to offer in their ongoing work

• New ideas to improve your organization's engagement efforts
• Richer understanding of your role in building leadership capacity in target communities
• Improved relationships with your Change Partners
• Larger connection of Community Catalyst organizations for networking needs
• Forum findings to share with other Community Catalysts

• Identify and explore existing sustainability efforts and how and if they encompass the sustainability spectrum (social, economic, environmental).
• Identify ways to motivate and support individuals and groups to work towards sustainability.
• Verbalize and describe concepts of sustainability.
• Synthesize and apply sustainability practices through a final project.
• Reflect on personal leadership approaches and challenges.

Strategy Development and Implementation Retreat (2 days) for Midwest Child Care Association

• Identify emerging challenges and opportunities facing MCCA
• Develop strategic framework, long-term planning parameters and success indicators, and immediate/mid-term action plans critical for MCCA to sustain itself going forward
• Determine core competencies needed to “get to the future” and plans to increase internal capacity

• Organizational framework developed by the participants during the two workshop days (framework, strategies, action plans and progress measures)
• Expanded understanding among participants of themselves and their organization as a result of authentic, probing dialogue
• Value of Strategic Engagement Framework (©SLI) adapted for MCCA, enabling flexibility for responding to information/perspectives that emerged in dialogue

April 2006

Presentation: Sustainable Communities

Hinesburg Community Leaders, Hinesburg , VT

Spring Semester 2006

Grad/Undergraduate Course: Leadership for Sustainability

• Introduce (and use as a workshop framework) holistic People Engaging in Sustainable Change Framework (©SLI) grounded in sustainability leadership principles and capabilities relevant to Pueblo leaders who engage others in conversations of change
• Present a holistic sustainable strategy development framework, the Helix Management Model (©Natural Capitalism Solutions, Inc.), for finding and capitalizing on interconnections among independent strategic initiatives that can influence shared sustainability objectives
• Clarify Sustainable Pueblo's identity, purpose, and role within the larger Pueblo community, and develop strategies for sustaining themselves as an organization
  

• Sustainable Pueblo action plan developed by members (strategies, actions, timetables and progress measures)
• SP members' clarity of purpose generated in authentic, probing dialogue
  

Contact Mary Ferdig, phone 402-393-5360 or
Contact Christopher Juniper, (720) 278-1763

Sustainability Leadership Workshop: Redefining leadership for a Sustainable Future presented at Fort Carson Community Sustainability Conference: Progress through Partnerships

• Present an approach to leadership, principles and capabilities, relevant for people engaged in sustainability challenges
• Work with whole systems frameworks to illustrate the process of generating direction and outcomes with others
• Enhance participants’ skill level in practicing from this approach

Sustainability Implementation and Leadership for Facility Managers, presented at the International Facilities Management Association Conference

• Present an approach to leadership, principles and capabilities, relevant for facility
• Present a whole systems framework, the Helix Model (© Natural Capitalism Solutions, Inc.) to illustrate interconnection among strategic business activities
• Challenge facility managers and others in related fields to embrace the role of “sustainability leader” in their organizations

• Paper: Sustainability Implementation and Leadership for Facility Managers

October 2005

Presentation: Insights and Opportunities from a Civic Engagement Collaborative Study

Leadership for Sustainability: Collaborating within Institutions and Communities Workshop within the 2005 Keystone Summer Institute

• Assess regional sustainable development challenges
• Explore approach for engagement leadership, principles and capabilities
• Apply a framework for developing a holistic picture of complex sustainability issues and strategies to address them

Presentation: Sustainability Leadership in a Complex World

Grad/Undergraduate Course: Leadership Power and Communication

Sustainability Leadership Workshop for the Fort Carson 2004 Annual Sustainable Communities Conference

• Present an expanded perspective of sustainability leadership
• Invite participants to explore this expanded perspective in the context of their leadership challenges

Presentation: Leadership for Sustainable Development, an Emerging Idea

Center for Self-organizing Leadership Conference, St. George, UT

Workshop: Sustainability, Making the Business Case

Graduate Management Course: Sustainability Development; People, Profits and the Planet

Benedictine University, Chicago , IL