(916) 481-4488 [email protected]

Dennis Jennings

Profile

Dennis Jennings is a professional facilitator and trainer who assists individuals and organizations seeking to successfully navigate the challenges and the opportunities of a continually changing environment.  He is particularly skilled at designing processes to meet the situation and needs of the organization’s he serves.  As a facilitator Dennis creates a safe environment for individuals to share differences and to find common ground.  As a trainer he seeks to demonstrate that facilitation skills are accessible and can be applied by those open to learning them.

Dennis designs and delivers in-depth training in the Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation methods and skills and provides facilitation services for government, corporate, education and nonprofit organizations. With 25 years of experience, Dennis is a Mentor Trainer who coaches other facilitators and trainers.

 Employment History

  • Principle, Facilitator, Trainer – Facilitation Services Chicago
  • Certified Facilitator/Mentor Trainer -Technology of Participation (ToP) Network
  • Senior Consultant- Institute of Cultural Affairs
  • Co-Director Community Development in rural Western India, Institute of Cultural Affairs
  • Regional Coordinator, Town Meeting public participation program, Institute of Cultural Affairs
  • Counselor and Administrator of vocational training with the developmentally disabled, Japanese American Service Committee

Competency Areas

 Meeting Design and Facilitation

Dennis designs and delivers programs in Strategic Planning and Implementation, Mission Development, Public Participation and Team Development.  Dennis has extensive experience facilitating with government, not for profit, educational and business organizations.  He is particularly experienced in designing and delivering Strategic Planning and Implementation with board, staff and stakeholders related to these organizations.  He is experienced in designing customized processes to fit organizational situations.

Public Participation

Dennis has also facilitated Public Involvement Processes to gather relevant input from stakeholders to inform future planning for programs and services.

Facilitative Leadership Training

Dennis is a lead instructor of the Technology of Participation (ToP)® Facilitation Training Series.  He delivers public and in-house training in the unique participatory facilitation approaches of the ToP Training Series.  Dennis has served as an instructor of the Mastery of Technology of Participation (MToP), an advanced year-long program for those who wish to incorporate ToP Facilitation Approaches into their profession or practice.

Certification Coaching and Assessment

Dennis has also served on the national task force that developed Competency and Skill Criteria for ToP® Facilitators.  He is a Certification Coach, Mentor Trainer and Assessor in the Technology of Participation (ToP)® Approach who trains other ToP facilitators and trainers.

Education

  • M. of Div – Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary – Evanston IL
  • B.S. in Education -Eastern Illinois University – Charleston IL

Professional Associations

 Technology of Participation (ToP) Network

Professional Certifications

  • Certified ToP Facilitator – Institute of Cultural Affairs
  • Mentor Trainer – ToP Network

 

List of Clients 

Health Sector

  • University of Illinois School of Public Health Mid-America Center for Public Health Practice
  • Chicago Department of Public Health HIV AIDS Public Policy and Planning Division
  • HIV Chicago Area Planning Council and CDPH STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention Staff
  • Cook County Department of Public Health
  • Indiana University Department of Family Medicine
  • Ohio Domestic Violence Network
  • Virginia Department of Health, Commonwealth of Virginia, District Representatives
  • Department of Health District 10 Ludington MI
  • University of Illinois Doctorate in Public Health Leadership Program
  • Ingham County Health Department

 Private Sector

  • Equity Residential Information Technology Division
  • Harley-Davidson Financial Services
  • Farm Credit Service of America/Frontier Farm Credit
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Williams & Works Engineering Consultants

 Education Sector

  • Office of Quality Improvement University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers NACRO
  • Chicago Public Schools High School Demonstration Project
  • Chicago Public Schools Problem Solving Facilitators
  • University of Illinois Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts & Sciences
  • Alignment Rockford in Support of Rockford Public Schools
  • Rockford Public Schools District 205 College and Career Readiness
  • Belvidere School District 100

 

Government Sector

Training and Planning and with multiple municipalities, recreational park districts and local government organizations.  This is a representative list

  • Village of Woodridge
  • Village of Clarendon Hills
  • Lindenhurst Park District
  • Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMA)
  • Illinois Department of Human Services/Prevention First
  • Illinois Department of Transportation
  • Illinois Student Assistance Commission

NonProfit Sector

  • AARP
  • National Elder Law Foundation
  • Health & Disability Advocates
  • SWAN Library Services (System Wide Area Network) online consortium catalog for libraries
  • Council for a Parliament of World’s Religions
  • Mary Crane Center Early Childhood Development
  • Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI)

Foundations

  • HealthPath Foundation of Ohio
  • The Pokagon Fund
  • Council of Michigan Foundations
  • Fremont Area Community Foundation
  • Fetzer Institute
  • DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative
  • Sisters of Charity Foundation
  • Leadership Initiatives Support Corporation

Community Development

  •  Southwest Solutions Vista Partnership Program
  • Southwest Solutions BasicNeeds Program
  • Rogers Park Inter Religious Partners

International Non-Governmental Organization

  •  The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
  • Dennis served as consultant with The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease where he facilitated Strategic Planning.  He also served on the core faculty for the International Management Development Programme, where he provided training in facilitation skills and strategic planning with health professionals and managers of non-governmental, governmental and private agencies who focus on lung health in poor and middle-income countries.

Public Participation

  • Evanston IL Lakefront Visioning Process Focus Groups City of Evanston Parks, Forest & Recreation Department  Sub contracted by Hitchcock Design Group – Architectural and Landscape Design Firm
  • Illinois Department of Transportation Eastern Bypass Community Advisory Group   Sub contracted by H.W. Lochner with whom we worked in collaboration
  • City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Neighborhood Planning Process
  • Subcontracted by The Institute of Cultural Affairs-ICA in partnership with Sasaki Associates, Inc – Architects, Landscape Architects and Planners