Call Jim at 312.922.9920 x 8
Jim is a facilitation and training expert specializing in the fields of citizen and employee participation, strategic planning, change management, organizational learning and long-term systemic change. His career in community and organizational development and leadership training spans 40 years and a dozen countries. He has inspired more than 70,000 people in his seminars and workshops. During one period of his career, Jim led economic development workshops for nearly 100 of Chicago's neighborhoods. He has a broad knowledge of organizational design, and a big piece of his work is facilitating change.
Jim publishes and lectures widely. His editing credits include two books, Participation Works: Business Cases Around the World and Government Works: Profiles of People Making a Difference as well as several published articles. He has lectured on numerous topics, including personal and organizational change, self-managed teams, the culture of participation, and the recovery of civil society.
Prior to founding Millennia, Jim served for nearly 30 years with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a United Nations–recognized private voluntary organization (PVO), where he focused on local community development worldwide. Jim is a graduate of DePaul University, with a master's degree in integrated professional studies and a concentration in organizational transformation. Jim serves on the adjunct faculty for DePaul University's School for New Learning and recently was chosen as secretary of DePaul’s President Club Advisory Council.
Jim’s passion for effective group facilitation propelled him to help launch a professional association to meet the field’s growing needs. Now the International Association of Facilitators is active in 30 countries, with a membership base of close to 2,000. Jim is currently working with DePaul University to establish a Certificate Program in Group Facilitation in their division of Continuing and Professional Education.
In Jim’s own words: “Driving for change has always been a big theme for us, especially when it’s done in a participatory fashion. It’s natural to run into resistance, but it’s greatly eased, eliminated, lessened when change is thought through rather than foisted on the organization. I like asking: What are the barriers to change? How do we unwittingly perpetuate them? How can we alleviate them?"
