Presenter: David Plumb, Consensus Building Institute

Course Information:

This 3-hour interactive workshop will help local municipal officials deal effectively with controversial issues (among themselves and community wide), offering strategies to transform conflict into constructive conversation and problem-solving.

The session will:

-             Explore why some issues are so challenging for local governments today in Maine

-             Introduce practical strategies and approaches for working with high conflict situations

-             Include exercises in which participants will work together to practice designing approaches and applying them to real-life situations

About the Presenter:

David Plumb is a Portland-based senior mediator at the Consensus Building Institute (CBI), with experience managing complex development and public policy issues in Maine and a variety of environments in the United States and abroad, including Nigeria’s Niger Delta and across South America. David is CBI's Director for Latin America and also co-leads the organization’s Corporate Community Engagement practice. In Maine, he’s guided the work of the Maine Climate Council and more recently the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap, as well as facilitating South Portland’s Clean Air Advisory Committee, among other projects. Prior to joining CBI in 2008, he directed the Sustainable Business Practice at Search for Common Ground. He also spent eight years working as a financial journalist and correspondent, mostly for Bloomberg News. 

Cancellation Policy:

Cancellation notification must be provided in writing. Cancellations received before 3/22/23 will be assessed a $15 administrative fee for processing. Cancellations received after 3/22/23 will be charged 50% of the course fee. Any cancellation received the day of the event will be charged the full registration fee.