Education

My career in education has given me the experience to develop training techniques appropriate for adult learners.

Adults learn experientially. They need to see how they can apply their skills and knowledge to new challenges. They also want real examples of what has worked, and what has not worked.

My experience as a teacher has always involved guiding learners to discover their own way of understanding, including:

• Teaching mathematics with blocks and sticks to children in the Philippines and training teachers in experiential methods
• Engaging with college students wanting to understand how Anthropology can help them to understand their city
• Persuading juries
• Helping young professionals understand how to use their skills on nonprofit boards
• Facilitating interactive workshops for board members and Executive Directors
• Designing a practicum on Consulting seminar for the Milano School for Nonprofit Management

Board Governance is in some ways a counter-intuitive phenomenon.  Volunteers who have been successful in their lives are asked to apply their skills within an entirely new organizational and cultural context.  Effecting this transition requires helping them to understand and appreciate the unique nature of their role.

My workshops provide experiential challenges, including problem solving, deciding how to make board meetings engaging, motivating a colleague to make a charitable contribution, etc.

I also draw from my experience to suggest board management structures that are effective, explain the legal responsibilities and expectations of boards, describe how planning works, and explain the financial information that boards need to have.