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National Network of ToP Trainers

Our national network of skilled and experienced ToP® Trainers train over 4,000 people each year on ToP Facilitation Methods.

If you would like to connect with a particular trainer, or if you are interested in learning more about the journey to become a ToP Trainer, submit an inquiry through the Contact Us button.

Trainers appear alphabetically by first name. Use your browser's search function to find a particular trainer.

Nileen Verbeten

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.

Rachel Moore-Beard

Apprentice Trainer

Nashville native Rachel Moore-Beard graduated from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga with a degree in Theatre & Speech. She began working for Strategy and Leadership, LLC in 2006. Over the years, her role has grown and shifted to include a variety of responsibilities, including content creation, materials development/design, coaching and facilitation work. In 2007, Rachel joined Nashville Emerging Leaders, where she has provided support and program administration for 11 years. Additionally, she has worked with Alignment Nashville in the America’s Promise expansion initiative and Academies of Nashville launch. She also works as the Culture Cultivator at Made In Network, where she guides and supports the start-up in building a strong foundation for staff. Rachel is currently pursuing a Coaching Certification from Coach Academy International. Additionally, she is an Apprentice Trainer with the Institute of Cultural Affairs. She was a member of the Center for Nonprofit Management’s inaugural Collective Impact Learning Community.

Ren (Stacey) Daraio

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

Opening up spaces where multiple perspectives, divergent points of view and orientations are supported and encouraged are just a few of the reasons Stacey stays motivated to work in facilitation. Of the many roles she has inhabited: organizational leader; program developer and implementer; project manager; instructional designer; actor; director; therapist, she receives her greatest joy being in a room of people dedicated to realizing a common goal and supporting that endeavor. She has been using ToP methods for many years in communities dedicated to improving the lives and outcomes for youth, in large scale collective impact projects, in non-profit, government and corporate settings. She spends her time in San Francisco, CA with her wife, two children, dog and cat. She is a yogini and mindfulness and reiki practitioner.

Robert Quintana Hopkins

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

Robert Quintana Hopkins is an organizational development consultant who uses highly participatory and collaborative processes to promote learning, team building, team performance and positive change in organizations and communities. He helps teams clarify their direction, develop implementable strategic action plans and collaborate effectively together. He has served as both an internal and external consultant and draws on over 20 years of leadership and management experience. Robert has successfully  partnered with government agencies, nonprofits, universities and community based organizations. He is currently earning a PhD in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Robert serves as Chair of the national ToP Certification Team that coordinates the assessment and certification of new Certified ToP Facilitators and is a member of the Board of the ToP Network. Robert is a Senior Partner at the Center for Strategic Facilitation. Learn more about Robert and CSF at www.strategicfacilitation.com.

Robin Rifkin

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Qualified Trainer - Melrose Park, PA

Robin is a Certified ToP Facilitator and Qualified Trainer through the Institute of Cultural Affairs-USA; a certification earned by less than 100 facilitators nationally. Robin lives in the Philadelphia region and consults for-profit and non-profit organizations as a facilitator for systems change, policy development, advocacy, evaluation, peer learning, strategic planning, project visioning, planning, implementation and materials development. Robin has a BS and MS in food science and nutrition, and is trained in multiple collaborative community engagement, facilitation, evaluation and planning methodologies, including ToP, Future Search, Collaborative Leadership, Appreciative Inquiry, Systems Thinking, Theory U, Human-Centered Design, and communications and advocacy strategies. Robin is a Certified PA Keys Trainer, an expert in Health Literacy, with thirty-five years of experience developing and directing projects in the public health and non-profit setting. See more at her business website: meetingintentions.com

Samantha Sainsbury

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

Samantha currently trains, facilitates, and supports administration and operation at Collaborative Connections, a Chicago-based non-profit that supports groups to create new ways of working together and plan for their future through facilitation, training, and participatory design. Her key multi-year projects in Chicago include managing a cross-community education project to develop culturally-specific energy messages with partners in three communities, engaging residents in the Uptown community in a planning process around sustainability as well as coastal education, and organizing and facilitating cross-community partnership within a grassroots sustainability network. She previously served as Treasurer of the Institute of Cultural Affairs International Board from 2019-2021 and holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies from Northwestern University.

Seva Gandhi

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

Seva Gandhi has been in the field of community development as an organizer and facilitator, locally and abroad, for the past decade. She received her Master's in Social Work (MSW) with a focus on community organizing and nonprofit management from the University of Michigan. Seva supports organizations and initiatives working on social change through her organizational development consulting, facilitation, and training. Seva’s own work focuses on community engagement, environmental justice, and anti-racism. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Asset Based Community Development Institute, and on the leadership team of CROAR, Chicago Regional Organizing for Anti-Racism. Seva’s interests involve food sovereignty, riding her bicycle, crafting, and cooking.

 

Shawn Sorrell

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

Shawn Sorrell is the Diversity and Equal Justice manager works for Hennepin County, MN Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation. Utilizing ToP methods since 2015, began the certification journey in 2017, obtained certification in TFM and Trainer certification in 2019. Completed Strategic Planning, Approaches to Environmental Scanning and Virtual Facilitation Online workshops. Formerly worked as an HR Consultant in the Hennepin County Diversity and Inclusion Division, facilitating many sessions using these methods. Also served as a Youth Rehabilitation Counselor and Adult Correction Trade Instructor for the State of Delaware Department of Corrections. Formally studied sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, Chemical Engineering and psychology at Drexel University and is a native of Baltimore, MD. Spent several years working with community groups and religious organizations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, cultivating violence prevention programs and mentoring youth from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Sherry Johnson

 Certified ToP® Trainer 

 Sherry Johnson (she/her/hers) invites clients into transformative   processes through her firm, Cultivate Strategy. With a background in   arts education, community organizing, and volunteer coordination,   Sherry understands the power of a clear, compelling, and shared   purpose as a baseline for personal and organizational development.
  A trainer, facilitator, and complexity coach, Sherry specializes in   working with resistant populations, stressing inclusivity and candor.   She primes groups for success by facilitating data sharing from   multiple perspectives, in accessible formats. Sherry enjoys i     incorporating current brain science research into her practice, aiming to engage intuition and promote mindfulness in group settings.
Sherry is certified in using and training ToP® Facilitation Methods and applying the Diamond Inclusiveness Assessment™. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Education from the University of St. Catherine.

Stephanie Ahles

Certified ToP Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer - Las Vegas, NV

Stephanie is a highly qualified and experienced facilitator and trainer who excels in participatory engagement. She is a certified ToP Facilitator, mentor trainer, and certification assessor through Institute of Cultural Affairs-USA. She has experience working with organizations across multiple sectors and jurisdictions and brings more than 20 years of experience working in county government. She specializes in leadership and organizational development, change and project management, and strategic planning. Stephanie is the founder of EmpoweringYOU in Las Vegas, NV and is professionally affiliated with the ToP® (Technology of Participation) Trainers Network. Her unique ability to motivate and inspire groups through participatory processes consistently delivers great results. She has an MA in Public Administration and a BA in Psychology and Social Work.

 

 

 

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