National Network of ToP Trainers

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Qualified Trainer - Homestead, FL

Laurie Dougherty is a mentor and trainer who enables people to lead effective meetings, actionable plans and strategies in government and nonprofit associations. Through online and in person training and intensive support, she shares proven tools such as Technology of Participation (ToP) Facilitation Methods as well as best practices in conducting meetings. Building on her 26 years of experience as a nonprofit executive, she helps organizations craft strategies and design online learning and tools using current technologies such as AdobeConnect, Articulate 360 and Blackboard.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Qualified Trainer – Springfield, VA

Librada Estrada is an independent consultant with over 20 years of experience in coaching, facilitation, and training. She works with non-profit, public health, governmental, and corporate organizations to help individuals and teams enhance leadership capabilities, build consensus, and foster inclusive collaboration. Librada designs interactive, participatory processes in both English and Spanish.

Prior to launching her consulting practice, Librada spent over a decade in the public health sector at the national level, developing, implementing, and evaluating programs related to leadership development, workforce development, and public health preparedness. She blends this rich background with advanced credentials—including Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Trauma Informed Certified Coach (TICC), and Certified Equity-Centered Coach and Leader—to bring a deeply people-centered approach to her facilitation work.

As a Certified ToP Facilitator and Qualified Trainer of ToP facilitation methods, Librada integrates ToP processes into strategic planning, action planning, and consensus building with clients ranging from grassroots community organizations to federal agencies. She co-leads the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BBIPOC) Community of Practice and the Professional Development Workshops for the national ToP Network. Librada holds a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University and a BA in Psychology from Boston University.

Contact her at librada@libradaestrada.com

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - East Lansing, MI

Lindsay is an experienced meeting facilitator with over a decade of experienced working with multidisciplinary groups, assisting them with goal setting/action planning, and creating an engaging environment that allows for consensus building. She has worked with professionals from both the public and private sector to help them work towards gaining common vision and achieve their goals. Lindsay is known for working with challenging groups to conduct needs assessments, system’s analysis and work together to co-create actionable recommendations for improvement. Lindsay is also an experienced public speaker and trainer, presenting at national conferences on a variety of topics relating overall system change and how to engage with communities. Lindsay is a graduate of Michigan State University with both her bachelors and masters in Social Work. She is licensed by the State of Michigan in both clinical and macro level social work.

Mentor Trainer - Nashville, TN

Liz Allen Fey is CEO of Strategy and Leadership, LLC. Her formal training is in social work and she received her BA in Sociology from Miami University in Oxford, OH and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. Her work ranges from helping organizations create sound strategy through good assessment and planning to coaching both established and emerging leaders, along with providing skill development in leadership areas. Liz has helped hundreds of companies and organizations create and implement strategic plans. She understands process, the human side of companies and the need to have actionable plans. She has coached hundreds of leaders to become stronger leaders and managers. She brings her sense of humor and sound facilitation and coaching skills to every engagement.

Certified ToP Facilitator and Trainer – Durham, NC

María Teresa Gastón, PhD, is an organizational psychologist specializing in facilitation of participative strategic planning. She supports multi-sector leaders and teams through process design and facilitation, teambuilding, and coaching in English and in Spanish. She is a Certified ToP® Facilitator (CTF) and licensed ToP® trainer based in Durham, NC. 

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Seattle, WA

Mike Beebe launched Leadership for Change consulting in 2004 to pursue his passion to build "leadership skills today for a more just tomorrow." With over 25 years experience directing several youth and young adult programs, serving on non-profit Boards, and volunteering in the community, Mike brings his real life experience into his training, facilitation and consulting with non-profits, government agencies and corporations that share Mike's wish for a more equitable world. Mike embraced ToP Facilitation Methods as an effective and fun approach to engaging participants across differences such as race, class, gender, and more. Mike's services include but are not limited to facilitation skills training, supervisory skills training, diversity, equity, and inclusion training (See his work with F.A.C.E. Consulting Collaborative), and meeting facilitation. More info is available about Mike and Leadership for Change at leadershipforchangeconsulting.com

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Qualified Trainer - Norcross, GA

Ms. Murphy has six years of experience as a skilled Facilitator and Facilitation Trainer. She has a passion for helping non-profit and government leaders and their team/groups communicate effectively, think strategically, and work collaboratively using methods that lead to change and action. Ms. Murphy designs and delivers interactive workshops and meetings to achieve desired outcome and change management by helping organizations align with their values, clarify goal, and identify and overcome obstacles to change. Additionally, as a Public Health Practitioner, she has 11 years of experience in coalition building and community engagement, designing and implementing programs, health education, and program evaluation.

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Dublin, NH

Nancy Jackson, MSW, CTF is principal consultant and owner of Gammy Bird Consulting. She is a certified ToP facilitator and focuses her work on helping organizations in transition – those experiencing a change in key leadership, contemplating a merger, or developing new strategy for growth or focus. Nancy has conducted 40 executive transitions, over a dozen mergers, and strategic plans of varying scopes for 25-30 organizations. She also trains approximately 200 people annually in ToP methods. For 18 years she was a nonprofit executive co-director of a New England based intermediary organization.

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

Ms. Verbeten is a certified ToP facilitator and ToP mentor trainer in Sacramento California. Underlying her Technology of Participation experience are 30 years’ work in health and social service operations, including operations management, performance improvement, policy and program development, an MSW and MBA. She came to ToP in 2008 while working with small physician practices to improve patients’ health outcomes. She found ToP approaches provided a way to engage physicians and staff in exploring the use of health information technology. The methods enabled conversations to occur at a concrete level that piqued interest and helped practice teams imagine a different future that addressed many of their concerns. Ms. Verbeten has designed and facilitated sessions with community organizations, health care providers, state agency personnel, schools and state and local professional and advocacy groups dealing with issues of all types. Since 2016, Ms. Verbeten has served as faculty, co-developer and coordinator of Technology of Facilitation training for SNAP-Ed leaders throughout California through collaboration with the California Department of Public Health. She recently became adjunct faculty for the Education and Organizational Leadership program of the Gladys L. Benerd School of Education at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento.

Rachael Mizuno, Qualified Trainer - Chicago, IL

"I help leaders and organizations elevate their programs and gatherings—driving higher engagement, stronger decision-making, deeper affinity, and lasting loyalty to their mission."

Rachael has a nonprofit background with vast experience in participatory facilitation, global volunteer engagement, and resource mobilization. She is the founder and principal of Swanzuno Strategies LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to building momentum and strategies for clients working to make the world more joyful, participatory, and just. A few of Swanzuno Strategies’ current and former clients include the Global Business Coalition for Education, UNICEF Youth-Led Action Initiative, UNICEF USA, HTI Catalyst Network, Rocket Social Impact, the Building Equity and Alignment for Environmental Justice Fund, Snow City Arts, Embark Strategies, and the Global Breastfeeding Collective.

Rachael is a qualified trainer of the Technology of Participation Facilitation Methods course and a member of the ToP Network Board. rachael@swanzuno.com