Heidi Kolbe, MA, CPF, CTF, MTT

Profile

Ms. Kolbe has over 30 years of organization development, training, strategic planning, and facilitation experience.  Heidi has a unique ability to call forth group wisdom for the purpose of restoring health and vitality to the organizations she works with.  Her creative and engaging style coupled with effective and practical methods ensure organizations recognize results immediately.

Employment History

• CEO, Facilitator – Heidi Kolbe and Company, Inc.
• Human Resources Consultant – Cooperative Personnel Services 
• Deputy Director – County of Sacramento
• Organization Development Specialist – Sutter Health
• Adjunct Professor – Golden Gate University    
• Chief Administrative Services Officer – County of Sacramento

Competency Areas

• Leadership Development and Employee Relations

Organization development services, employee involvement, critical incident debriefing, consensus building, employee surveys, coaching, 360 degree leadership assessments and leadership development.

• Meeting Design and Facilitation

Creatively design and facilitate large and small group meetings, retreats and critical planning sessions.  Facilitation services for sensitive or controversial issues, team-building, mediation and conflict resolution for individual and group disputes. 

• Organizational Strategy

Whole systems change, strategy development, policy development, organization assessment, business & strategic planning, return on investment studies, organization change, interventions and transition planning.

• Training and Development; Training Delivery

Leadership Development programs. Compassionate communication training (non-violent communication) and critical conversations.  Trainer of Trainers in the Technology of Participation (ToP) Facilitation Methods, Strategic Planning, and Organization Change Implementation programs.  Train facilitators to the master’s level in all aspects of meeting facilitation. 

• Project Management

Facilitator and trainer for collaborative action planning and implementation projects.  Large scale collaborations involving multiple stakeholders.

• Stakeholder Engagement

Community outreach, public participation and policy development.

Education

• Master’s Degree in Organization Development – University of San Francisco    
• Bachelor’s Degree in Government – California State University, Sacramento
• Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics – California State University, Sacramento

Professional Associations

• International Association of Facilitators (IAF)         
• National ToP Trainer’s Network
• Sacramento Organization Development Network
• American Society for Training and Development
• Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)

Professional Certification and Awards

• Certified Facilitator – International Association of Facilitators (IAF)
• Mentor Trainer – National ToP Trainer’s Network
• Certified ToP Facilitator –  Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)
• Hermann Brain Dominance 
• Certified Public Participation Specialist – International Association of Public Participation

Publications and Presentations

• Government Works: Profiles of People Making a Difference    
• Navigating the Meeting Jungle
• Leading People Through Change
• Making Change Work for You

Project List

• Strategic Road Map and Issues Resolution; California Fuel Cell Partnership – designed and facilitated with multiple stakeholders the development of road map that successfully launched the pre-commercial phase for light duty vehicles. Facilitated issues resolution for Heavy Duty Fuel Cell Trucks and California Fueling Infrastructure.
• Juvenile Funding Priority Setting; California Juvenile Justice Commission – Designed and facilitated meetings to analyze needs for juvenile prevention funding and determine consensus on where funding to target funding. Resulted in consensus recommendations.
• Local Leaders Facilitation Training; California Department of Health Services – Designed and administered facilitation training for local Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) implementing agencies on facilitating community collations, actions planning and strategic plan implementation. Delivered 32 custom trainings in 2 years and other facilitation mentoring programs. 
• Town Hall Meeting Facilitation; Universal Health Services  – Designed and facilitated large public meetings on highly controversial issues of building a mental health facility.
• McClellan Base Environmental Clean-up; United States Air Force – Worked with the Environmental Clean-up Team to facilitate public meetings of the Restoration Advisory Board. Partnered with Law Enforcement to create safe space for orderly discussion.
• Strategic Planning; California Raptor Center – Designed and facilitated strategic planning process with multiple stakeholders which resulted in stronger partnerships and increased volunteer and funding support).
• Marketing Plug-in Electric Vehicles, California Plug-in Vehicle Collaborative  – Designed and facilitated session with over 100 attendees to create key marketing messages and innovative ways to market Plug-in Electric Vehicles.
• Foresthill Community Development; County of Placer Economic Development Commission – Designed public meeting process for rural community needed a common vision and strategies to revitalize their community. Eighty-five community leaders agreed on a common vision, direction for the future and three priority strategies to implement greater prosperity.
• Reading Partners Program Development; United Way California Capital Region – Developed and facilitated implementation of strategic plan to create a reading mentoring program using AARP senior volunteers in 15 schools within four Sacramento Region City School Districts. Engaged multiple stakeholders including United Way representatives, School District Superintendents, Curriculum Specialists and AARP representatives in planning and monitoring the roll-out of the program.  First year student assessment data demonstrated improved reading levels by students and high volunteer satisfaction.
• Pathology Department Issues Resolution; UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine  – Designed and facilitated issues resolution meeting with Veterinary Medicine Department Chairs and the Pathology Department resulting in strategies to address critical issues.  Six-month follow-up showed significant progress made in strategy implementation.
• Conversations that Work; California County Auditor’s Association – key note presentation at state conference.
• Involving Non-traditional Stakeholders in Public Policy; National Association of City and County Health Officials – presentation at national conference.
• Developed and facilitated community engagement process for the development and preservation of 3000 acres Royal Gorge Property; Truckee Donner Land Trust – Process included community survey and analysis of data with over 600 respondents, four large public meetings with 50 – 140 attendees each, and focus groups which resulted in a community consensus for the use of the property.
• Organization assessment, leadership development and strategy planning; California Secretary of State – Completed organization assessment & employee surveys, communications, team-building and leadership development interventions.
• Facilitator Training; Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) – Trained more that 1800 facilitators in consensus techniques, participatory strategic and action planning, dispute resolution and participatory event design.  Serve as an instructor for the facilitator masters program and a host for the international training of trainers.  Mentor trainer and one of 22 nationally certified ToP facilitators.  Founded Sacramento Professional Facilitators.  Served on the National Board of Directors for ICA.  Served as facilitator for several Global Conferences in South America, Japan and Africa.
• Strategic Planning, Request for Results Grant Award Processes, Community Outreach, Retreat Facilitation; Placer Children’s and Families Commission (Placer First 5) – Facilitated and prepared three three-year strategic plans that outlined protective factors, investment strategies and sustainability guidelines. Designed and implemented three Request for Results processes to fund grants for children’s programs. Designed community forums in each city in Placer County for data gathering for the strategic plan. Facilitated annual Commission retreats.
• Employee survey & assessment, team-building, strategy development, culture and change management, customer service and communications training; Radiologic Health Branch – Department of Health Services – Developed strategic plan and implemented quarterly monitoring traffic report.  Conducted electronic survey for employee input into strategic plan.  Chartered Leadership Team with regular team tune-ups.  Provided training in The Culture of Effectiveness, Customer Service and Communication Preventions and Interventions.  Provided Herman Brain Dominance profiles and training for staff.  Team building and conflict resolution for managers and staff.
• Consensus building on best practices; California Attorney General and Medical Board of California – Conducted research with subject matter experts on best practices to provide statewide consistency in investigation and prosecution.  In the process of writing a “Best Practices Operations Manual” to guide the processing of Health Quality Assurance cases.
• Facilitated Evaluations, Training and Coaching of Facilitators; Placer First 5 – Facilitated periodic real time learning conversations with partners (grantees), funding representatives and the community of interest to review of performance data, to analyze data to provide evidence of achievement of outcomes and continuous improvements. Trained, coached and managed a team of facilitators and recorders to provide services at approximately ninety learning conversations annually to evaluate outcomes and performance data of grantees. 
• Community Outreach; Consumes Preserve Management Plan – Provided facilitation services to the Steering Committee and Working Group in development of a Management Plan for the 40,000 acre Consumes Preserve.  Facilitated community meetings in surrounding communities and with the preserve volunteers to gather input for the plan.
• Leadership Training; Non-Profit Leadership Academy – Provided training in effective meetings and communications for the Non-Profit Resource Center’s Leadership Academy.
• Facilitated Discussion; Cooperative Personnel Services – Designed and facilitated national organization of 230 employees.  Trained 22 breakout group facilitators to host breakout groups. Meeting helped employees connect more deeply with the organization’s history; assessed to what extent the values are being lived, and developed a set of standards to bring the values to life.  Used electronic meeting system.
• Cross cultural conflict resolution; Sacramento Mutual Housing – Mediated conflict between residents in two languages. This self-governing low-income apartment complex is living in harmony today.
• Public Participation on Road and Bridge Construction; City of Sacramento Public Works Department – Coordinated and facilitated public input process and environmental hearings for alignment, design and construction of Arden Garden Connector in City of Sacramento.  This is a major roadway today.
• Organization development and reorganization; California Department of Justice (DOJ) – Conducted electronic meetings at DOJ locations to gather baseline data and suggested improvements for the legal division. Facilitated extensive input from staff on recommended changes. Resulted in a statewide improvement process including a large electronic meeting (50 computer stations) with the DOJ legal staff and all the Chief Counsels of each state department.  It also resulted in department reorganization and process improvements.
• Organization Alignment; Sacramento Superior Court – Worked with the leadership team to design and facilitate the annual management team retreat.  Facilitated a historical scan of the court system for the quarterly supervisors meeting.
• Training, Policy Development; Science and the Law Statewide Meetings – Designed and facilitated three regional meetings for the California Judicial Council to make recommendations on how the judicial system should be changed given advances in science and technology.  Trained a team of facilitators and recorders to work with leading scientific and judicial experts.  Used the electronic meeting system for development of recommendations and priority setting. 
• Large Meeting Facilitation; Department of Health Services – Designed and facilitated large statewide meetings to implement public health improvement policies and funding plans in areas such as contract management, maternal child health, domestic violence, injury prevention, lead poison prevention, bio-terrorism preparedness, physical activity, nutrition, aging, and school health. We worked with 14 independent state health programs to consolidate contracting process to conduct a pilot to break down silos of categorical funding of health programs. Gathered information from multiple programs. Published manual on guidelines for developing and evaluating Requests for Proposals for health programs.
• Controversial Issues Resolution; Tahoe Truckee Unified School District – Designed and facilitated monthly meetings for a special task force of teachers, administrators and parents charged with researching and recommending school integration and performance improvements.
• Customer Service Training; Jury Education Management – Presented training in Customer Service and the Judicial Code of Ethics for the annual meeting.
• Stakeholder Outreach and Consensus Building for Mandatory Boater Education; California Department of Boating and Waterways – Designed and facilitated statewide meetings to gather information on Mandatory Education for California Boaters.  Developed and set priorities for components of the proposed legislation.  Facilitated meetings for various boating interest groups and legislative advocates to develop legislation package.
• Return on Investment Study; Placer First Five – Worked in partnership with Evaluation Works to develop study to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning conversation model for First Five Placer.  Developed survey to measure satisfaction, learning, impact, usefulness and return on investment.  Administered, analyzed and presented findings to Commission.
• Policy Development; National Judicial Forum on the Future of Self Represented Litigation – Worked with planning team to design national meeting with broad based representation (including two chief justices) from multiple states. Meeting resulted in the publication of research findings and recommended future strategies to improve court access for the underserved as well as an action plan for implementing improvements in many states.
• Stakeholder Input; Unified Family Court Action Planning and Implementation – Worked with Napa and Riverside Superior Courts planning teams to design community stakeholder input process & Unified Family Court program. Lead facilitator for public meetings to collect/discuss due process issues, and disseminate information regarding the California Unified Family Court mentor project. 
• Policy Development; National Forum on Domestic Violence – Facilitated a national forum comprised of domestic violence experts and advocates as well as members of the judicial system and attorneys to develop strategies for court response to difficult judicial issues. This motivated the California Administrative Office of the Courts – Center for Judicial Education and Research to host a similar meeting to develop California’s court response to domestic violence.
• Public Participation; California Department of Boating & Waterways – Facilitated public meetings and Environmental Hearing regarding control of aquatic weeds in Sacramento San Joaquin Delta.  Facilitated information gathering and advisory meeting with various representatives of law enforcement, regulators, water craft manufactures and surfing industry representatives to determine issues and concerns around tow-in surfing on the California coast.
• Guidelines Development; Municipal Service Review Guidelines – Facilitated meetings in various locations around California for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Used the electronic meeting system to gather information for developing the Municipal Service Review Guidelines, which have now been published and are in use by Local Agency Formation Commissions.
• Court Community Focused Strategic Planning – Assisted one-third of the California Superior Courts in development of strategic plans. Provided consulting, facilitation of planning and community meetings, preparing written plans and implementation efforts including the construction of two legal services centers.  One of these centers (Calaveras) recently won a KLUPS award.
• Conflict Resolution; Community Colleges Design Review and Construction – At the request of the Governor, designed and facilitated three meetings with 42 representatives from the California Community Colleges and the State Architect for the purpose of designing an architectural review process that will meet the needs to improve existing and build new community colleges in California.  The task force reached consensus on twenty-one improvements that are now in the process of implementation.
• Curriculum Development; National Judicial College – Facilitated National Judges Forum on applying therapeutic justice techniques to general assignment courts. Team designed and facilitated multi-day program.  Lead facilitator and electronic meeting coordinator.  Resulted in curriculum development for the college.
• Mediated Discussions and Consensus Building; City of Sacramento North Natomas Planning Advisory Group – Facilitated and mediated discussions between planning staff, developers and environmentalists to recommend development guidelines for major addition to the City of Sacramento that houses thousands of residents and commercial businesses.
• Facilitated Planning; Solano Habitat Conservation Plan – Facilitated steering committee meetings for the development of the Habitat Conservation Plan to preserve 124 threatened and endangered species in Solano County.
• Action Planning; Napa Superior Court – Facilitated the working group to develop the Napa help resources system and web site.  Napa is one of only four courts statewide selected as mentor courts to develop these resources.
• Leadership Assessment and Coaching; Department of Toxic Control Substances – Developed and administered 360 assessment process for the participants of the Leadership Academy.  Provided one-on-one coaching to each participant.
• Employee Involvement and Training; Monterey Superior Court – Facilitated leadership retreat, communication, team building and dispute resolution.  Provided training for all staff meeting in communications and brain dominance.
• Facilitated Discussion; Los Rios Community College – Facilitated an electronic meeting to gather information from the construction industry representatives on how the community colleges could support education and training.

Client List