National Network of ToP Trainers

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Sioux City, IA

Deb is a certified professional facilitator with more than twenty-five years of experience in facilitation, board and corporate training, and community collaboration. A graduate of the University of Iowa and a former elementary and middle school teacher, Deb blends a rich background from her work with educational, private, government and not-for-profit sectors with solid facilitation skills to help groups communicate and work together effectively. Deb’s expertise in facilitation, training and consulting covers a wide range of arenas, including strategic planning, project design and evaluation, team building, process design, executive coaching and leadership development. She is also an experienced facilitation skills trainer, coach and mentor. Deb is professionally affiliated with the International Association of Facilitators and the ToP® (Technology of Participation) Trainers Network, has served on its national Board of Directors, is principal of Prairie River Partners training consortium, and is a founding partner of Great Plains ToP Facilitators. Deb and her husband Randy live on a small acreage in the Loess Hills outside Sioux City, Iowa, where they enjoy their native prairie restoration project and a rather noisy family of productive chickens.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Chicago, IL

Dennis Jennings is a professional facilitator who assists individuals and organizations seeking to successfully navigate the challenges and the opportunities of a continually changing environment. He is particularly skilled at designing processes to meet the situation and needs of the organizations’ he serves. As a facilitator Dennis creates a safe environment for individuals to share differences and to find common ground. As a trainer he seeks to demonstrate that facilitation skills are accessible and can be applied by those open to learning them. Dennis designs and delivers programs in Strategic Planning and Implementation, Mission Development, Public Participation and Team Development.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Richmond, VA

Erima Fobbs, MPH, CPH, is President of Collective Health Impact, LLC, a strategy consulting company, and a Strategic Doing (TM) Practitioner. She brings over 20 years of extensive cross-sector experience to her ToP consensus workshop, action planning, and strategic planning facilitation and training practice, and routinely infuses ToP methods and processes into strategy development, project management, and evaluation. She enthusiastically promotes ToP Methods and has encouraged numerous individuals to become trained and utilize the Methods for honest and respectful community engagement and inclusive planning and problem solving. Erima served as a member-at-large on the ToP Network Board in 2020.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Sacramento, CA

Heidi Kolbe is a highly skilled, nationally recognized Facilitator and Project Consultant specializing in public policy formation. She creates team alignment with multi-disciplinary and multi-sector stakeholders to enable them to accomplish great things together. She has served all levels of government for 28 years. Heidi holds professional certification from all three national entities certifying facilitators. She is author of a chapter on reshaping the California Judicial System in the book Government Works: Profiles of People Making a Difference.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Apprentice Trainer - Chapin, SC

Holly Hayes is the President and founder of Iron Sharpens Iron.  She is unique in the facilitation and coaching community due to her more than ten years in academic and non-profit settings, coupled with extensive experience in local communities. Holly’s extensive training, compelling experience, enthusiasm and undeniable passion create a synergy that helps her bring organizations to new levels of understanding and action. Holly employs a unique approach to her work and braids diverse fields together in order to offer a richer, more comprehensive approach.  Once Holly discovered that her zone of genius integrated the fields of facilitation, improvement science, and community organizing, she was able to design more meaningful portfolios for her clients. 

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Minneapolis, MN

A premier facilitator and OD practitioner, Irina guides teams through strategic planning, change and engagement initiatives. Irina also teaches the art and science of facilitation. Born in the USSR, Irina spent the first half of her life in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine. She moved to the US in 2002 and co-founded the Institute of Cultural Affairs Ukraine. Irina delivers lively, inspiring experiences for communities and organizations.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Qualified Trainer - Green Bay, WI

Jen Schanen-Materi has facilitated and trained diverse groups including the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force, Great Lakes InterTribal Council, and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Jen integrates ToP facilitation methods into her classroom at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to create a safe and participatory learning environment. Jen presently serves as BSW field coordinator and lecturer in the Social Work Professional Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Jen is an APSW (Advanced Practice Social Worker-Wisconsin), and received both her Masters and Bachelors of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Previously, Jen worked at a grassroots nonprofit, serving primarily Native American children and families. Jen coordinated domestic violence, sexual assault, and teen pregnancy prevention and outreach efforts—both in direct practice settings with youth and community, and in program development and evaluation capacities. Jen has also worked alongside survivors of domestic violence and adults with disabilities.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF), Assessor, and Mentor Trainer — Madison, WI

Mentor Trainer - Austin, TX

John D. Baker is the founder of Core Factors, an independent consulting firm that focuses on critical economic, workforce, education and social issues that affect the resiliency and economic vitality of communities and regions. John has provided organizational consulting for over 35 years primarily with government and the nonprofit sectors. His work has entailed a large spectrum of workforce and economic development agencies, community colleges, mayors’ and governors’ offices, enabling them to respond to changing needs within volatile environments. His international consulting clients include the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UK Commission on Employment and Skills. Throughout his career, John has worked on a variety of initiatives involving regional economic development, career technical education, workforce diversity, reemployment strategies for laid off workers, youth employment schemes, welfare to work programs, coordinated community transportation, immigrant integration into the local workforce, as well as unique programs serving individuals with disabilities. John is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Qualified Trainer - Sioux Falls, SD

John Beranek is an experienced facilitator, executive coach, and strategist with 30 years of expertise in leadership development, strategic planning, and professional growth. As the founder of Intersections Consulting, he specializes in hosting leadership and professional development cohorts that foster collaboration, engagement, and results. Trained in Integrity Selling, John brings a people-centered approach to communication, sales, and leadership. His work in strategy and systems change goes beyond consulting—he builds trust, motivates action, and equips clients with the tools to create lasting impact. ToP methods are foundational to his approach, ensuring every session leads to clear, actionable outcomes.

To schedule a conversation with John, www.intersections.group , email john@johnspeak.org or call 605-310-3226.