Dennis Boyer retired from full-time work with IF in July 2020, but is continuing to work and advise part-time as a Fellow Emeritus on a few select projects.
Before joining IF in 2004, Dennis practiced law for thirty years. He worked in government, labor organizations, and non-profits. He is a graduate of West Virginia University’s College of Law and has specialized training in public administration, public management, labor relations, and conflict resolution. He has served as an arbitrator in consumer, commercial, and non-profit matters.
Boyer’s IF portfolio has included projects related to regulation, humanitarian assistance, national security, democratic practice and process, and sustainability and resiliency concerns. He has conducted joint projects with colleagues Adolf Gundersen (Energy), Shannon Wheatley Hartman (Freshwater and Agri-culture), Ieva Nottorno (National Security and Defense), and Natalie Hopkinson (Future of Philanthropy). He is currently collaborating on other joint efforts with Suzanne Goodney Lea (Retirement), community development (Pete Shively), and Shannon Wheatley Hartman (public conversations on gun policy).
Boyer has facilitated over 80 discussion series utilizing IF discussion guides and has led many other discussions based on other materials and topics chosen by community organizations. He has “partnered” with a number of other groups that have public engagement efforts, mostly on water issues.
He lives on his farm in southwest Wisconsin but splits his time seasonally in coastal Oregon and Mazatlan, Mexico.