About Me

I have been working with organizations developing innovative responses to complex issues for thirty years in Europe and Canada:

  1. An investment advisor in Poland’s Foreign Investment Agency (1990-91).
  2. The Foreign Assistance Coordinator for Grants in Poland’s Ministry of Privatization (1992).
  3. The Mission Coordinator for the United Nations Development Program’s first regional economic development initiative in Eastern Europe (1993).
  4. Coordinator of the Waterloo Region’s Opportunities 2000 project, a “prototypical” collective impact initiative that won provincial, national and international awards for its multi-sector approach to reducing poverty (1995-2000).
  5. Executive Director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) (2000-01).
  6. Vice President, Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement, and the Executive Director of Vibrant Communities Canada (2002-2011).

In 2011, I established Here to There Consulting Inc. to work more directly with groups working on tough issues – such as poverty, homelessness, academic achievement and community safety — in Canada, the United States and beyond.

“It’s easy to come up with new ideas: the hard part is letting go of what worked for two years, but soon will be out of date.”

– Roger von Oech

 

“Innovation – any new idea – by definition will not be accepted at first. It takes repeated attempts, endless demonstrations, monotonous rehearsals before innovation can be accepted and integrated by an organization. This requires courageous patience.”

– Warren Bennis