Environment Audits and Pollution Prevention
For the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,
facilitated a "Stakeholders Meeting" with over 100 environmental and
industry representatives to obtain feedback for the Department's ISO compliant
Environmental Audit and Pollution Prevention Project.
National Conference on Small Group Research
Worked with a group of nationally renowned small-group researchers to
identify and describe the various theoretical perspectives in small group
research. The group developed a proposal for a Year 2000 conference on small group
research.
Venture Capital Planning
Geocapital Partners, a venture capital firm specializing in information
technology companies, asked me to facilitate their annual review meeting in the
spring. I joined them again in the fall to facilitate their strategic planning
meeting.
Post Office REDRESS
Mediated a workplace dispute for the Postal Service under their REDRESS
program
Training or Policy?
Worked with the NYS Department of Transportation, Office of Equal
Opportunity, where needs identified by management for supervisory training were
examined and emerged instead as needs for policy clarification.
Training Delivery on the NYT
Facilitated a joint meeting of the NYS Office for Technology and the New
Technologies for Workplace Learning Workgroup to identify potential training
programs that could be made available through the state's soon-to-be-announced
fiber-optic network, the New York Network (NYT).
Tenure, Teaching Load, and Dean-Department
Relations
At the Linwood retreat center overlooking the Hudson River, 25 department
chairs and administrators of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College
at New Paltz met to work toward uniform tenure-review criteria, an equitable
teaching-load policy, and improved relations between the departments and the
Dean's office.
Equalization Rates
The NYS Office of Real Property Services is responsible for establishing
"equalization rates," rates that establish tax equity in situations
where properties of equal value have different assessments because they are
located in taxing jurisdictions that assess at different rates. Secondary uses
of equalization rates produce some complex side effects which were explored at
this internal meeting.
Birders, Bicyclists and the Bay
The Rockaway Gateway Greenway, a multiple-use recreational path designed by
the National Park Service, was proposed to pass through the Jamaica Bay
National Wildlife Refuge, a major stop-over for migratory birds and part of the
Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City. Late in the design-approval process
the proposal met with major opposition from birders and other environmentalists
who formed "Save Our Sanctuary" and delivered petitions in opposition
to the planned development. Amidst technical controversies and interpersonal
acrimony I facilitated a meeting with representatives of local business and
civic, cycling, environmental, and local and state government organizations to
explore and understand the bases for the conflict and build a basis for a
revised proposal.
The Largest Merger in NYS History
The merger that created the new Office of Children and Family Services was
the largest in NYS history. Working together for three days with
representatives of the Department of Civil Service, OCFS staff developed a
strategy to consolidate Civil Service titles and establish equitable salaries
for positions with similar responsibilities but which evolved differently in
their historical agencies.
In conjunction with Public Interest
Breakthroughs Inc.:
A Shared Front End for Human Services
For New York's Human Services Modernization Project, helped facilitate a
meeting with County Social Service Commissioners and other local government
officials to gain their comments and insights regarding the Draft Strategic
Plan for a "shared front end" for human services.
State-Local Government Collaborative System
Development
Facilitated theNorth Carolina Human Services Automation Summit
meeting, involving 40 state and local government human services officials. They
developed a process for collaborative development of automation projects.
Provided support to the New York State
Office for the Aging
on a range of projects, such as:
Importance vs. Performance
Facilitated the second Management Advanced Planning Session for the New
York State Office for the Aging Executive team.
Evaluating Information Technology for
Service Delivery
Completed an evaluation of the Aging Services Network - a program to
integrate telecommunication technologies in service delivery - funded by the
National telecommunications Infrastructure Agency.
Which Data?
At this conference staff identified client and program data that should be
retained by the state office for program management and policy analysis.
Strategic Direction for CBS
Worked with senior staff to examine critical alternatives for the future of
the software, systems and overall direction for the Client Based Service
Management System.
Facilitation Training Curricula
Revised two of our group facilitation training curricula: "Group
Facilitation - Process Skills Practicum" for individuals without prior
facilitation experience, and "Improving Group Effectiveness," a more
advanced course that focuses on group behavior and intervention strategies.
New York State Facilitators Day
Sandy was invited to be a presenter at the first New York State Facilitators
Day sponsored by the Governors Office of Employee Relations. His presentation,
"Thinking on Your Feet," was greatly aided by contributions from
subscribers to the Electronic Discussion on Group Facilitation.
Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications
Journal.
Sandy assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief for this journal, published by
the International Association of Facilitators. If you have any interest in
subscribing or in submitting an article for the journal visit the journal web site.
The Electronic Discussion on Group
Facilitation.
In 1999 we averaged approximately 900 subscribers in 32 countries and 9
posts per day. The quality of recent discussions has been astounding. To take a
peak visit www.albany.edu/cpr/gf/