Professional Staff

Sam Kaner PhD
Founder and Executive Director

Sam has been a practicing organization development professional since the early 1980s and he founded Community At Work in 1987. He is the senior author of Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making. In 2006, Sam was named “one of the world’s leading experts in collaboration.”

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Nelli Noakes MBA, MPA
Partner and Senior Consultant

Nelli has been a practicing systems change consultant since the year 2000. She joined Community At Work in 2013. She is much sought after for her skillful approach to the diagnosis, design and facilitation of multi-stakeholder collaboration.

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Sarah Fisk PhD
Senior Consultant

Sarah has been an organization development consultant since the mid-1990s, and a practicing facilitator since 1988.  She became formally affiliated with Community At Work in 1997.  She is highly respected for her skills in diagnosis, design and facilitation of participatory processes, especially when challenging group dynamics are present.  She is a co-author of Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.

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Lenny Lind
Senior Associate

Lenny has been an organization development consultant since the late 1980’s. He became affiliated with Community At Work in 1991 and has been a Senior Associate since 2017. Lenny is an expert in designing and facilitating virtual meetings — especially for large group collaboration, with hundreds or even thousands of participants. He is a co-author of Facilitators Guide To Participatory Decision-Making.

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Todd Erickson M.A.
Online Digital Specialist

Todd has worked for over 25 years at the intersection of technology and group process in support of collaborative thinking and decision-making. He has supported more than 2,500 collaborative meetings and conferences – working with government, corporate, philanthropic, and community organizations, including numerous cross-sector collaborations. As an Associate with Community At Work since 2019, Todd has been indispensable to our acquisition of online competencies.

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Paul Barrie, M. Mgt, ACMC, MAICD
Australian Associate

Paul has been a practicing facilitator since 2002 and organization consultant since 2015 with a specialization in individual and team leadership. He has been working collegiality with Community at Work since 2019 and formally affiliated in 2023. He is known for his seasoned, skillful facilitation and teaching, and his profound commitment to putting participatory values into practice.

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Operations Staff

Wayne Yu
Logistics Coordinator

Wayne has been with Community At Work since late 2021. As logistics coordinator, he oversees workshop registration, workshop support, and facilities upkeep. He also finds time to undertake upgrades of various back-office systems, and he provides invaluable real-time support during key consulting engagements.

Wayne earned his B.A. in economics at Rutgers University in 2021. During his time as an undergraduate, he interned at the State of California Controller’s Office, and at a small venture capital firm in New Jersey. Additionally, he’s an accomplished Eagle Scout. His eagerness to contribute and his aptitude for problem-solving add a wonderful layer of logistical benefits for our staff and our clients.

 

 

Alexandra “Zim” Zimbicki

Workshop Coordinator

Our beloved Zim is moving to Australia in July 2019. During her 3 1/2 year tenure with Community At Work she has supported more than 75 workshops — first as logistics administrator and more recently as the registrar and coordinator of all public workshops.

Prior to joining Community At Work, Zim graduated magna cum laude in a B.A. in Religious Studies. Going forward, Zim intends to found an event- planning practice in Sydney, and if all goes well she will continue to support Community At Work in the Asia-Pacific region.