Congratulations to the newest cohort of Certified Collaborative Discussion Coaches, who completed the Interactivity Foundation’s virtual Collaborative Discussion Coach Training held July 13–17, 2026!
Over the course of five days, this group of educators, mediators, facilitators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders explored how collaborative discussion can strengthen classrooms, communities, and workplaces. We are proud to welcome them to our growing network of Certified Collaborative Discussion Coaches.
Meet Our Newest Coaches
Rachael Afolabi (New York City) – A senior learning, technology, and innovation leader, Rachael specializes in instructional design, user experience, and human-centered learning. She has led learning and workforce technology initiatives for global organizations, with a focus on immersive and experiential learning.
Tricia Driscoll (Rhode Island) – Executive Director of the Center for Mediation & Collaboration Rhode Island, Tricia is a trained mediator with more than 25 years of experience helping individuals and groups build positive communication and leadership skills through mediation, de-escalation, and conflict resolution.
Bridgette Grab Lawrence (Maryland) – President & Training Coordinator of ECHOES, Bridgette is a lifelong early childhood educator who spent three decades teaching and running an accredited preschool. Today she trains fellow early childhood professionals across her district.
Kristie LeBeau (Newark, Delaware) – A Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware working with the SNF Ithaca Initiative, Kristie is an educational sociologist whose research explores the role of public schools as public goods that help sustain and advance democratic life.
Hayden Mauk (Madison, Wisconsin) – Creative Director of the Interactivity Foundation and an Emmy Award–winning television producer, Hayden is a storyteller by trade who has spent his career building trust and helping people find and share their own stories.
Jennifer Milcarek (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) – A Program Director and instructor at Duquesne University’s School of Business for more than 22 years, Jennifer leads the Investment Strategy Institute and teaches in the Finance and Financial Planning programs, following a career in banking and nonprofit management.
Julie Mowrer (Hilo, Hawaiʻi) – Director of the Center for Community Engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Julie has built her career connecting campus and community, earning her EdD with a research focus on community engagement in higher education.
Staci Offutt (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) – Director of the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship at Duquesne University, Staci runs the Duquesne New Venture Challenge and mentors founders across the hardware, software, and life-science sectors.
Chelsea Profit (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Director of Impact and Operations at Living Room Conversations, Chelsea has spent eight+ years in the bridging and dialogue space, helping people connect and understand one another across differences.
Damon Isiah Turner (Wilmington, North Carolina) – A consultant and facilitator with Know Agenda Consulting and Managing Director of the Know Agenda Foundation, Damon advises organizations on strategy, facilitation, and grant writing, with a focus on equitable development, civic engagement, and democratic processes.
Ashley N. Watson (Geneseo, New York) – An Assistant Professor of Communication at SUNY Geneseo, Ashley oversees the Diversity & Inclusion Community Educators (DICE) program and specializes in intercultural learning experiences, bringing her research and grant-writing skills to nonprofits across sectors.
Learning by Doing
Throughout the week, participants immersed themselves in the Interactivity Foundation’s Collaborative Discussion Toolkit—a free collection of more than 50 ready-to-use discussion activities and lesson plans designed to strengthen collaborative discussion skills and mindsets.
The toolkit is organized into five modules: Introduction, Creative, Critical, Culturally Responsive, and Civic Collaborative Discussion. Each day focused on one module, giving participants the opportunity to experience the activities firsthand before reflecting on how to facilitate them in their own settings.
The Interactivity Foundation’s Director of Education, Jes Friedrichs, led this weeklong experience with a team of guest trainers:
- Rhonda Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Sustained Dialogue Institute.
- Kirsten Isgro, Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Communication Studies at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh.
- Tim Shaffer, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and Director of the SNF Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware.
- Lydia Smith, Associate Director of Student Engagement at the Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue at Emory University.
- Don Waisanen, Professor in the Baruch College, CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and author of Improv for Democracy.
Every day, participants jumped in to experience multiple activities from the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit at lightning speed and then pulled back to debrief how they might use the Toolkit in their classrooms, communities, and workplaces. Participants also had time each day in working groups—organized based on their area of practice—to network, apply what they learned in the training, and begin to outline potential certificate programs they could offer in their communities.
As certified coaches, they are now able to offer certificates in collaborative discussion to the students, community members, and colleagues where they work.
Reflections From the Cohort
Participants commented on the versatility of what they learned:
“This was an amazing training with many excellent, easy-to-use techniques that could be put into practice in a variety of settings. I highly recommend it!!”
They appreciated the hands-on facilitation each day:
“The facilitation with different trainers from different perspectives, as well as the high level of engagement was really effective. One of the best Professional Developments I’ve done!”
“Jes and the guest trainers have a wonderful energy. They are passionate and clearly care about their materials and the group as individuals.”
Perhaps most importantly, participants felt they could apply what they learned to their own context:
“This training taught me new activities to engage participants in thoughtful discussion about important topics. The activities are easy to understand and were presented in a way that will make it easy to replicate.”
“This was a truly energizing training experience. I am leaving the program feeling highly motivated to revamp my classes and incorporate so much of what I learned.”
“There is no substitution for experiencing these well-designed and thoughtful tools with a dynamic group of people! It supported and accelerated my plan to incorporate a collaborative discussion certificate into a college course and it helped generate so many new ideas for positively impacting my specific community in my day-to-day operations.”
We are grateful for the energy, curiosity, and generosity these attendees brought to the week. We look forward to seeing how these new Certified Collaborative Discussion Coaches continue building stronger discussions—and stronger communities—wherever they serve.
Stay Connected
Stay in the loop. Subscribe to our free newsletters or visit the Interactivity Foundation website for more information on upcoming coach trainings and workshops:
