JANE ADAMS & ASSOCIATES:
Facilitation, Training & Consulting
PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS

Specializing in the methods of Appreciative Inquiry and Solutions Focused Problem Solving, I provide facilitation, training and consulting services to:

• Create effective, high-performance teams
• Facilitate consensus decision making and cooperative problem solving
• Plan and facilitate meetings, conferences and innovative workshops
• Improve internal communications
• Develop strategic plans
• Review and “valuate” organizations and programs
• Implement new strategies and decisions resulting from reorganization
• Start up new projects
• Train staff in new skills, practices and policies

I have 25 years experience working with over 100 public interest organizations, and have a Masters Degree in Adult Education. For 10 years I worked with four Ministries of the Government of Ontario providing start-up program planning (Advocacy Commission & Pay Equity Commission); internal organizational development consulting (Ministry of the Attorney General); policy development (Ontario Women’s Directorate); and leadership at the Director level (Pay Equity Commission).

Training workshops include:

• Solutions Focus Problem Solving and Consulting
• Distance Management with Self-Reliant Teams
• Transition/Change Management
• Learning Plans
• Consulting Skills
• Team Building & Communications
• Organizational Reviews
• Communities of Practice

Examples of Recent Experience in Public Interest Organizations

• "I am certain that our event not only worked but solidly demonstrated how much we have accomplished as a unified group. It was an excellent vehicle for discussion, sharing ideas and creating future possibilities. I'm a happy camper and I want to thank you for your creative energy and ideas, something I will completely trust you on in future!"
  
  - Program manager, Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto

• "The board of directors of the Toronto School of Art hired Jane Adams to coordinate and facilitate a strategic planning process to determined the school’s priorities over the next three years. Over a six month period, Jane organized a series of meetings between the coordinating committee (comprised of faculty, students and board members) and the board of directors which culminated in a half-day community forum. Throughout the process, Jane demonstrated strong organizational skills and presented a dynamic style of leadership for directing the diversity of groups that would deliver constructive results.
  Jane keenly understood the objectives of the board and was sensitive to the needs of the participants throughout the process. Her positive energy motivated many along with her creative approach that helped resolve difficult challenges with humour and calm."
  
  - Executive Director, Toronto School of Art

• District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board, to design and conduct an Organizational Review
  
  "Jane Adams navigated our organization through a large scale review that involved the whole organization. Due to her enthusiasm, forthright manner and impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in organizational development, the project was an overwhelming success from start to finish."
  
  - Chief Financial Officer, PSDSSAB

• Huron County Health Unit, to design and deliver a 8-day Team Development process
  
  “Jane has an amazing ability to quickly understand a group’s culture and issues. She facilitated our Team in dealing with some tough issues – but in a very positive way focusing on what each of us brings to the Team. She inspires people through her hard work, commitment and genuine desire to see them reach their goals.”
  
  - Manager, HCHU

• Hemophilia Ontario, to design and facilitate regional Workshops and Conferences
  
  “It was truly a pleasure to work with Jane Adams. Her warmth and positive outlook had a tremendous impact on the overall success of our Conference. Thank you so much! She did a fantastic job with us, and really helped us pull it all together.”
  
  - Board Chair, Eastern Ont Region, Hemophilia Ontario

• City of Toronto, Public Health, to design and facilitate a Retreat with the Board of Health and Senior executive
  
  “Thank you so much for the wonderful work you performed …(Senior Executive) have an increased sense of support by - and appreciation for - the Board of Health members. You have very well honed facilitation skills, but you also demonstrated very sophisticated sensibilities regarding the social, economic and political context in which we all work.”
  
  - Director, Public Health, City of Toronto

• Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto, to facilitate contentious Decision-Making and Problem Solving meetings in a range of cooperatives with highly diverse memberships
  
  “Jane Adams is the best adult educator in Canada.”
  
  - Executive Director, Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto

• Interval House of Hamilton-Wentworth, to provide Conflict Resolution and Training services
  
  “Jane was contracted to facilitate sessions…of team development and conflict resolution, and to transfer facilitation skills to front line counselors (for peer mediation and peer meetings). In all of this Jane was very successful. The reports from staff were all positive, both the content and delivery of the material.”
  
  - Director, Interval House of Hamilton Wentworth

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, to design and facilitate Strategic Planning, Transition Management workshops, and Business Process Mapping, with two departments – Communications and Marketing and Product Development - and the Eastern Ontario region.

• City of Toronto, Shelter Housing and Support, to provide Conflict Resolution for an interagency dispute
  
  “Thank you for all your truly exceptional work!”
  
  - Co-ordinator, Homeless Initiatives, Shelter Housing & Support

• City of Toronto, Public Health, to facilitate (over 6 months) the Program Redesign and Planning of the city-wide delivery of sexual health services
  
  “Jane is an excellent facilitator who played a key role in keeping our project on track and making sure it was completed on time. She is skilled in group decision making and fostering group dynamics. Jane has a wonderful sense of humour and optimism.”
  
  - Manager, Public Health, City of Toronto

• City of Toronto, Waste and Emergency Services, to design and facilitate Problem Solving sessions involving and Senior Management Team – including Commissioner – of the Works Best Practices Program and CUPE 416 Executive
  
  “We brought Jane into a situation in which the management and union representatives were having difficulty in communicating with each other around a number of difficult issues. Jane’s facilitation opened up the communication channels and allowed the parties to have meaningful dialogue on the concerns of each party.”
  
  - Director of Organizational Transformation

• Family Youth and Children’s Services of Muskoka, to design and deliver a 2-day Appreciative Inquiry training for the management team: Providing Optimum Leadership
  
  “Jane was a delight to work with, leading us through some very interesting and useful learning. The team building impact of the learning experience for a new management team was excellent and almost as valuable as the content of the workshop - very positive, worth the time and resources.”
  
  - Program Manager

• Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office, Ministry of Health, to design and facilitate a Planning Conference
  “Your contribution got us off to a great start in identifying the internal/structural issues we need to address. The issues and an approach could not have been developed without your help. I really appreciated your honesty and openness. Taking the time to ask us for input and being open to our suggestions made the days a success.”
  - Operations Manager, PPAO

• Huron County Health Unit, to design and deliver a Solutions Focus approach to Dealing with Crises
  
  “The value of this workshop was in providing a constructive framework for the Health Unit staff to use in personal and work related situations. The process is forward thinking, positive and definitely "solution focused". Feedback from staff has been that the time spent was extremely worthwhile, that they appreciated the positive focus, and that the process will be very useful not only in daily life but also dealing with future crises.”
  
  - Director, Huron County Health Unit

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janeadams@sympatico.ca