Our mission:

We provide excellent training and facilitation services, helping people work together to create participatory organizations and revitalized communities.

Who we are and what we value:

We are a consortium of trainers, facilitators and consultants operating in the greater Sacramento region who promote participatory leadership and facilitation. We are on the leading edge of change in designing, delivering and training people on simple, yet highly productive group leadership processes. We specialize in imparting a unique method of facilitation called the Technology of Participation (ToP ®).

Our staff have reached the highest level of professional certification from Institutions such as the International Association of Facilitators, Institute of Cultural Affairs, and the International Association of Public Participation.

We are committed to modeling our values of respectful dialogue, inclusive participation, collaborative action and community building.

Our Team

One of the most valuable benefits of working with the Sacramento Professional Facilitators team is the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that they bring to your training. Each member of our team is a professional facilitator in a diverse variety of community, professional and organizational settings.

• Heidi Kolbe, M.A.
• 827 Brass Court
• West Sacramento, CA 95691-2846
• tel (916) 481-4488
• Heidi -at- KolbeCompany -dot- com /  www.KolbeCompany.com

Heidi Kolbe motivates and energizes a group for action by leading productive meetings. With over twenty years of facilitation experience, Heidi brings extensive expertise in assisting groups through meetings to achieve results and move forward in a collective manner. Heidi serves clients in organizational development, planning, meeting facilitation, and training. She also trains facilitators to the master’s level and is certified by:

• International Association of Public Participation
• International Association of Facilitators
• Institute of Cultural Affairs in The Technology of Participation
• Meetingworks in Electronic Facilitation
• National Center Associates in Dispute Resolution
• Organization Transition Management by Dr. William Bridges
• National Consulting and Training Center in Team Building
• Hermann International in Brain Dominance

Heidi holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Organization Development and a BA in Government. Heidi is an adjunct professor for Golden Gate University where she teaches courses in organizational development and strategic planning. She is credentialed as a community college instructor and has taught courses in court administration and management. She has published a chapter titled “Reshaping a Judicial System” in the book Government Works: Profiles of People Making a Difference.

Heidi clients include numerous government organizations, both at the state and local levels. Heidi has facilitated in excess of 1600 meetings from 5 – 400 participants each. Heidi skillfully uses a variety of tools when facilitating including a “meetingworks” electronic meeting system.

Heidi is active in the community in non profit activities involving community development. She provides consulting services to community based organizations on a pro bono basis.

Prior to operating her consulting business, Heidi was a department manager and administrator for Sacramento County where she developed expertise in land use planning and court administration.

• Nileen Verbeten
• 3701 McKinley Boulevard
• Sacramento CA 95816
• Tel (916) 705-1203
• nverbeten -at- gmail -dot- com

Nileen Verbeten comes to facilitation following years of operations experience in in operations management, advocacy and planning. Nileen has worked with organizations of all types and sizes in developing and implementing strategic plans, action plans, holding difficult conversations and managing conflict. Clients have included state agencies, professional associations, museum, service organizations, medical groups, small practice physicians, medical specialty societies, charities, environmental organizations, and educational institutions, among others. She has facilitated groups of five and fewer to groups with more than 120 participants.

In addition to facilitation skills, Nileen specializes in data analysis, strategic planning, program design and evaluation, report development and change management. She has leveraged an extensive experience in operations management to help organizations productively engage stakeholders toward creating a shared vision.

Nileen is a Certified ToP Facilitator, certified by the Institute of Cultural Affairs in The Technology of Participation. She is a Qualified ToP Trainer and holds licenses with two virtual platforms – supporting collaborative work at the national and regional level. Nileen holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. In addition to her facilitation and consulting work, she is an experienced public speaker, active in community development and presently serves on two non-profit boards.

Nileen is certified by:

• Institute of Cultural Affairs in The Technology of Participation

• Bill Davis
• WRDavis Collaborative
• P.O. Box 1019
• Davis, CA 95617
• tel/fax (530) 758-1269
• bdavis -at- WRDavisCollab -dot- com

Bill’s experience includes project management and consulting for high-tech firms as well as the facilitation of boards, work teams, and ad-hoc groups consisting of community and business leaders. Beyond strategy development, Bill’s practice focuses on designing support structures that enable groups to carry out and implement goals and strategies. Bill earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Davis and a Master of Planning degree in Enterprise Development from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

Bill is certified by:

• International Association of Public Participation
• International Association of Facilitators
• Institute of Cultural Affairs in The Technology of Participation

Guest Trainers/Facilitators

• Marilyn Oyler
• Partners in Participation
• 602-468-0605
• 602-460-8843 mobile
• 602-296-7482 fax
• marilynoyler -at- cox -dot- net

As a staff member of the ICA for 40 years, Marilyn Oyler was part of ICA’s pioneering efforts in developing inclusive collaborative methods. She facilitated the collaborative development of the nationally recognized Technology of Participation (ToP®) Series and coordinated the ToP Trainers Network to deliver the ToP series. She has extensive experience in facilitation, training, consulting, curriculum design and program development with very diverse groups, including 14 years in other countries.

• Jo Nelson
• ICA Associates
• 416-691-2316
• jnelson -at- ica-associates -dot- ca

Jo Nelson has lived the concept of enabling consensus formation and enhancing group motivation for many years in many different countries. Her dynamic facilitation style has endeared her to her clients and colleagues. Jo specializes in enabling people with diverse perspectives to communicate effectively. She not only teaches across Canada, but she is also available to consult with you and your organization on your individual needs.

• Jane Stallman
• Stallman Communications
• 510-532-2695
• jlstallman -at- aol -dot- com

Jane Stallman, Senior Partner, Center for Strategic Facilitation and ICA mentor trainer, specializes in complex facilitations that include multiple stakeholders and participatory data gathering and analysis. Jane has an MBA, Claremont Graduate School and an MA in Urban Studies, Occidental College/CORO Foundation. Jane is a certified IAF and ICA facilitator.

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