Collaborative Governance

Stephen Greenwood is the Director of Training and Academic Services at the National Policy Consensus Center in the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University, recognized as one of the nation’s most prolific university-based centers for advancing innovative, collaborative approaches for addressing public issues. In his current position, he has designed and led collaborative governance and leadership training both nationally and internationally. He is also the lead for Portland State University’s online Graduate Certificate Program in Collaborative Governance and teaches the graduate-level class, “Foundations of Collaborative Governance.” Laurel Singer is the Executive Director of the National Policy Consensus Center in the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. Since joining NPCC in 2006, Laurel has served in several leadership roles, including directing NPCC’s Oregon Consensus, Oregon Solutions, and training programs. For close to 30 years, Laurel has served as a champion for the use of collaborative decision-making and problem-solving. Her work as a private practice mediator for over 16 years focused on designing, convening, and facilitating collaborative process to address complex public policy across a wide range of issues. She is currently a founding faculty member in PSU’s fully online graduate certificate in collaborative governance. Wendy Willis is the founder and Director of Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a statewide civic engagement program of the National Policy Consensus Center in the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. Wendy also serves as the Executive Director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, a global alliance of leading scholars and organizations working in the fields of deliberative democracy, public participation, and civic engagement. Wendy is also a widely published poet and essayist, writing frequently about American democracy and civic life. Her most recent book, These are Strange Times, My Dear, was released in 2019.

Section 1: Definitions, Context, and Dynamics 1. Definitions and Descriptions 2. Collaborative Governance in a Constitutional Context 3. Typologies 4. Fundamental Dynamics of Collaboration Section 2: Framework and Process 5. Assessment 6. Designing and Organization 7. Deliberation and Decision-Making 8. Implementation and Adaptation Section 3: Skills to Improve Collaborative Governance 9. Strengthening Collaborative Governance Groups 10. Individual Leadership Tools 11. Conclusion