Biography

Teresa purple jacket

Focus:

My work is dedicated to growing healthy and resilient communities and organizations. Tapping into our innate power and wisdom to move generatively toward healing, wholeness and brilliance. I work with teams, organizations, and individuals using a participatory leadership, and dialogic organization development approach to change. I actively work with leaders from all walks of life and encourage them to engage with the changes they care most about. 

I help groups develop their skills, insights and strategies from a foundational understanding of N.E.A.R  Science (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACE’s – Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Resilience) to help create health for all ages.  I believe that community capacity building, from the view of Epigenetics, is essential– we are all impacted by the environment we grow up in and our family history. We can recondition our neurobiology as we understand the brain, the impacts of toxic stress, and our capacity to exercise our whole brain intelligence more often.

My consulting business, Emerging Wisdom, partners with many other individuals and networks to support powerful projects and training events. I have been a founding steward of two global leadership communities: The Art of Hosting, and The Berkana Institute’s From the Four Directions. Therefore, I am blessed with a diverse set of talented friends, learning partners, and teaching & facilitation colleagues. 

Background:

Consulting through my own business, Emerging Wisdom, and previously with the Berkana Institute, I have extensive experience building healthy and resilient communities and organizations.  My current work follows a career in the high-tech industry, as an internal leadership and organizational development consultant, and manager of a training department.

Since 2003, I have been part of a multitude of efforts across Washington state and nationally connected to the emerging understanding of trauma, the brain sciences, and resilience.  These efforts include: working with the Family Policy Council, training mid-level managers at DSHS on strategies to become trauma informed, facilitating the Statewide Early Learning Symposium on ACE’s and the Brain Sciences, facilitating the first N.E.A.R Sciences Global Thinktank,  facilitating strategic planning for the ACE’s Public, Private Initiative, providing training on participatory leadership through public and private offerings of The Art of Hosting, working on projects including Benton-Franklin Counties’ effort Breastfeeding for Success, Tacoma Community Foundation Youth Against Violence, Association of Washington Cities Economy Innovation Lab, Quinault Indian Nation Strategic Plan, facilitating a 9 month learning lab for Vermont Accountable Communities of Health,  and two regional Climate Summits.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

Authentic Leadership In ActionCasey Foundation

Center for Ethical Leadership

Disciples of Christ

El Paso Dept of Health

EPA

Evergreen School

Financial Planners Association of America

First Alaskans Institute

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

Fraser Valley Presbytery

Global United Methodist Church

Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

Hope Community Center

Institute of Noetic Science

Klamath Falls Rural Health Initiative

Leading from the HeartMicrosoft

Montana Tech

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

National Park Service

Navajo Nation

Providence Healthcare

Quinault Indian Nation

Society of the Sacred Heart

United Way of Thurston County

University of Nebraska – Rural Futures Institute

University of Washington

Viterbo University

Voices for Illinois Children

Waldorf Schools Association

Washington Family Policy Council

COMMUNITIES WE WORKED WITH TO OFFER ART OF HOSTING SESSIONS AND LAUNCH AOH COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Boston, Massachusetts (3)Calgary, Alberta

Chicago, Illinois (3)

Denver, Colorado (2)

Edmonton, Alberta (2)

Louisville, Kentucky

New York City, New York (2)

Olympia Washington

Ottawa Ontario (4)

Salt Lake City, Utah (2)

Santa Rosa, California (2)

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Seattle, Washington (3)

Springfield, Illinois (2)

Tampa Florida (2)

Vancouver, British Columbia (annual)