Experience, Training,
and Why Credentials Matter (And Don't)
I'm certified in the things that require it. But the real qualifications come from 20 years of practice, failure, learning, and showing up again.
Permaculture Background
Formal Training
- Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC), 2005, Peter Bane & Keith Johnson, through Indiana University at the Lazy Black Bear in Paoli, Indiana
- Advanced Permaculture: Teacher Training, 2006, Peter Bane, Andrew Goodheart Brown, Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, Basalt, Colorado
- Regenerative Livelihoods, Gaia University
- Diploma, Education, Permaculture Institute of North America, 2014
- Diploma, Site Design, Permaculture Institute of North America, 2016
Facilitating PDCs & Permaculture Workshops
- Teaching PDCs since 2005 (21 years)
- Trained ~500 students in permaculture design
- Guest instructor at Maya Mountain Research Farm, Belize; regular instructor at Indiana University
- Workshop facilitation at Global Earth Repair Conference, North American Permaculture Convergences, regional permaculture gatherings
Design Experience
20+ years of permaculture design work
Projects range from urban yards to 100+ acre farm schools
Specialties: Cold-climate design, water systems, food forests, integrated animal systems
Focused on Midwest bioregion: intimate knowledge of growing conditions, native plants, regional challenges
Notable Projects
- 100-acre farm school, Arizona - integrated water systems, student and instructor housing, class rooms, orchard, etc.
- Neighborhood redevelopment, Indiana - participatory design process with 20+ members
- Homestead & farm redesign, Indiana - from bare land to functioning polyculture in 5 years
Organizational Development & Facilitation
Sociocracy Training
- Sociocracy training with Sociocracy For All
- 10 years learning and practicing in Sociocracy For All Network ([2016-present])
- Daily practice: circle participation, consent decision-making, selection process, feedback and more
Facilitation Training and Organizational Development
- Certified Facilitator with Sociocracy For All
- Conflict mediation certificate with Community Justice and Mediation
- Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Training, O'Neill
- Nonviolent Communication Training
- Experience with restorative circles, consensus
- Experience with founding, developing, and leading formal and informal nonprofits and small businesses
Facilitation Experience
- 15+ years facilitating group processes
- Settings: nonprofits, cooperatives, neighborhoods, land projects, educational institutions, regional institutions
- Types: strategic planning, board retreats, design charrettes, conflict transformation, governance transitions, vision development
- Group sizes: 5-150 people
- Approaches: consent-based decision-making, council circles, Open Space, World Café, design charettes
Thought Leadership
Editorial Experience:
- Editor, Permaculture Design, 2014-2021
- Published 20+ articles on permaculture, community, governance
- Interviewed dozens of practitioners worldwide
- Curated content at the intersection of ecology and social systems
Writing & Speaking:
- Conference presentations at Heartwood Forest Council; Global Earth Repair Conference; North American Permaculture Convergences; Regional Permaculture Convergences; Earth Charter conferences; regional Bioneers Conference, and more
- Podcast guest on the Permaculture Podcast (Scott Mann)
- Previous academic work in US History and Religious Studies
Years of synthesizing practitioner knowledge taught me to see patterns across thousands of projects.
Nature Connection and Ancestral Skills
Attention and presence are learnable skills, and nature connection is how we develop them
Training:
- Tracking and Awareness + more at Tracker School, New Jersey, 2012 to present
- Art of Mentoring, 2014
Personal Practice:
- Daily sit spot practice since 2017
- Active tracking practice
- Ancestral skills: fire by friction, shelter building, plant identification, nature awareness
- Ancestral skills: weaving, fiber arts, bow making, etc.
Integration Into Teaching:
- Every PDC includes observation, sit spot practice, awareness skills leading into tracking
- Advanced Program features more in-depth practices
- All consulting work includes nature connection practices where relevant
- Belief: Attention and presence are learnable skills, and nature connection is how we develop them
Other Relevant Experiences
Professional Background Before Permaculture:
- Graduate work in US History and Religious Studies
- Experience community organizing in urban and rural nonprofits including domestic violence work; forest protection work
- Small Business certifications; nonprofit management certifications
Awards/Recognition:
- Hellbender Award, Heartwood, 2011
What Matters More than Credentials
The Real Qualifications
20+ Years of showing up
Credentials tell you I have training. They don't tell you I've failed at projects and learned from them. They don't tell you I've sat through hours of contentious meetings and learned to hold space for conflict. They don't tell you I've watched my own designs succeed and fail and studied why.
integration that's lived, not theorized
I didn't dream up this integration approach in a planning session. I lived it. I spent years designing permaculture projects that failed because of people problems. I spent years facilitating organizations that couldn't connect to their mission.
Humbled by Nature
The more you study nature, the more you realize how little you know. I've been observing ecosystems for 20 years and I'm still a beginner. The land humbles you constantly.
Commitment to practice, not performance
I sit every morning and pay attention. I track. I participate in peer learning groups. I read constantly. I stay a student.
Emergent monarch in our forest garden