Facilitation: Abernethy Elementary School
“Tasha worked closely with us at Abernethy on two very important projects. The first project was highly successful due to all the interviewing of the stakeholders that Tasha did before we all sat down together. This research to gather insight and opinions helped Tasha to not only form the questions for the work but also to help us come to a mutual conclusion that was satisfactory for all. It was a difficult situation with many different players that came from several directions that made this situation a particular challenge. It was Tasha’s ability to bring us together that made all feel included and heard.
“The second project was one of no winners, prioritizing budget cuts. However, Tasha was able to turn this negative process around by having us first focus on what we value and reminded us all that those qualities would not be going away. Everyone understood the difficulty in the result but also felt valued due to the process.
“I highly recommend Tasha.”
~Tammy Barron, Principal, Abernethy Elementary School, Portland Public Schools
Transition Management: National Community Land Trust Network
“Tasha helped guide us through a difficult transition between Executive Directors. She was pragmatic and efficient at completing day-to-day tasks, while also visionary and holistic in posing strategic questions that enabled us to make the right choice for our next hire. Her skillful use of consensus decision-making was critical to her success with our organization.”
~Lisa Byers, Board Chair, National Community Land Trust Network
Team and Individual Coaching
“My first experience as an interim executive director of a grassroots nonprofit organization was daunting. One of the best decisions I made during my first month was to hire Tasha as an executive coach.
“Initially she supported the staff as a team coach and effectively helped us identify positive communication strategies and planning processes, always from a place of compassion and curiosity. Several months later Tasha and I continued working together in an individual coaching relationship. In this capacity, we engaged in conversations and exercises that empowered me to stay centered and grounded in the details of my role, while also maintaining big picture perspective.
“I have had the opportunity to work with many effective coaches, consultants and facilitators over the course of my career, but Tasha’s calm demeanor matched with her personal commitment to developing the individual as well as the team is unique and compelling.”
~Rebecca Channer, independent contractor and consultant
Facilitation and Strategic Planning: Local Food, Gardening and Education
“Tasha is great at bringing a community with various strengths and perspectives together to identify shared goals and pathways to success. She creates and maintains a productive environment for all partners to share their concerns and challenges, and is adept at holding a group together through conflict and into resolution.
“I have worked with Tasha twice. The first time Tasha was hired to write a strategic plan and develop the values and mission statement for a school garden education project. Tasha was well organized and thorough in identifying numerous community perspectives and teasing out the core values and inherent community vision about the project. Her work laid a foundation that has continued to serve the program’s expansion through the last five years.
“The second time was to facilitate a complex community conversation between a diverse set of community partners with opposing positions and communication challenges. The situation required a quick historical assessment of the program and partners followed by a shepherding of partners through a productive discussion of identifying shared goals while maintaining the core programmatic values, all the while keeping clearly defined ground rules.
“Tasha has a deft hand at group facilitation, which often leads to quick and thorough consensus.”
~Linda Colwell, founder and consultant, eat.think.grow, school food and garden education
Facilitation of Strategic Planning: Kol Shalom
“Tasha led our board through a day of strategic planning activities. Even the most skeptical (of spending time on process rather than action) members were very pleased with Tasha’s ability to help us define our goals and set priorities in line with our values. She also kept us on task and was always clear about what she, and we, could accomplish.
Tasha is extremely intuitive and we felt that in a very short time she understood our dynamics and concerns. With her guidance, and with tools she provided, we were able to craft a workable plan of action for the board. We enjoyed spending the day with her and left very impressed with her abilities.”
~Roberta Hellman, Board Member, Kol Shalom, Portland, Oregon
