This PNODN Community Gathering will be conducted live via Zoom. The zoom meeting details are included in your emailed confirmation and sent out the day prior.
At our core, PNODN is a community. We are brought together by our shared passion for helping people thrive and organizations achieve more by unleashing the human potential within them.
Whether you think of yourself as an OD person or not, if you share this passion, we think you’ll love connecting with the amazing people in this community.
Once each month we dedicate this gathering to the purpose of building community, helping you make connections that add value to your life in friendship, support and business collaboration.
This is not your typical networking event where you share your business cards and well-worn elevator pitch.
This is about making authentic connections with people in our local community with whom you share this passion for people and fascination with the human dynamics of organizations.
Each time we gather we’ll offer topics in line with our quarterly theme and guidance to make conversation easy. We’ll often use breakouts to give you a chance to talk with each other in small groups. And you’ll have the freedom to take the discussion in any direction that works for you and those gathered with you.
We will share and stick to a set of guidelines that support our shared commitment of creating a safe environment in which everyone is valued and respected. Nothing will ever be forced – you can abstain at any time.
The gathering is free of charge and everyone is welcome.
About Your Host
Justin Navetski, PNODN Director of Community, will be your host. Justin continues as part of a team convening PNODN members for the last several years.Justin brings well-being theory, OD first principles, and experiential learning to his work. Combining design work with use of self, he strives to build containers where people can bring themselves to the forefront.
COST:
No charge
AGENDA:
5:30 Welcome and Topic Introduction
5:45 Conversation / Discussion Groups
6:15 Come together and/ or rotate to new rooms
6:45 (optional) Linger to talk informally if you choose
Online registration is encouraged so we can plan for the gathering accordingly. And walk ins are also welcome.
Consider joining PNODN - members savings over the course of the year are substantial!
Melissa Renau Cano, PhD
Today, services routinely cut across departments, tools, and teams. Yet the people responsible for delivering them often feel siloed, overwhelmed, or disconnected, leading to inefficiencies and employee burnout.
This interactive workshop introduces service blueprinting as a practical and participatory method to visualize internal workflows, build cross-functional alignment, and create the shared understanding necessary for improving the employee experience. While rooted in service design, service blueprinting is a powerful tool for OD professionals looking to bridge silos, surface invisible dynamics, and support systemic change.
Participants will explore real-world examples and engage in hands-on activities, including guided exercises and ready-to-use templates. You'll leave with a new method for uncovering hidden complexity and fostering collaboration across teams.
Learning Objectives
1. Learn how to use service blueprinting to make employee experience visible across departments and systems.
2. Gain tools for facilitating blueprinting workshops that actively involve staff and frontline teams.
3. Walk away with a practical framework to identify and address structural pain points affecting service delivery and team well-being.
About Your Facilitator
Melissa Renau Cano is an explorer, dot connector, and systems thinker passionate about transforming complexity into actionable insights. With a PhD in Internet Studies and a background in civic tech, public policy, and social innovation, Melissa brings a creative, analytical, and human-centered approach to improving programs, services, and policies.
She has partnered with organizations across the US and Europe to drive research-informed change, co-create user-centered solutions, and align services with both human needs and strategic goals.
5:45 - 6:00 pm Join Zoom Meeting
6:00- 8:00 pm Training
Please be aware that our trainings could be recorded or photographed.
Speak Inarguably: Leadership Communication for Psychological Safety and Team Engagement
Christopher Arnold
We are holding this event again, this time especially for PNODN members. Don't miss your second chance to register for this popular workshop!
Workplace conflict can arise even when everyone involved has the best of intentions. What's commonly considered "professional communication" encourages leaders to express arguable opinions as inarguable facts. When combined with positional power, this style of communication creates a psychologically unsafe environment. In response, colleagues feel the need to defend, explain, and raise their voices to feel heard -- increasing the chances of an unproductive conflict. Alternatively, colleagues can go silent and disengage from work. Both strategies -- silence and violence -- create an unhealthy work environment.
When leaders speak arguably, they get resistance. When leaders speak inarguably they get safety, engagement, and results.
As the founder of Care Deeply Consulting, Christopher Arnold has curated a community of leadership coaches who want to see every leader be a force for positive change in the world. Together, they develop high-performance workplace cultures for people-first businesses by transforming all levels of management into highly-skilled leaders who drive employee engagement and greater business results.
As a leader in the conscious business movement, Christopher has served as President of the Board for the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center and as an organizer for B2B B Corps.
5:45 - 6:00 pm PST: Join Zoom Meeting
6:00 – 8:00 pm PST: Training
Lovette Jallow
Please join PNODN in welcoming Lovette Jallow, all the way from Sweden! Lovette's work has earned national and international awards for leadership in anti-racism, neurodiversity, and systemic inclusion, spanning government, education, and civil society.
This special 90-minute lunchtime session challenges the assumption that working with women -- especially racialized, neurodivergent, and system-disrupting women -- is what makes inclusion difficult. The real challenge lies in organizational systems built on dominance, compliance, and erasure.
I’ll explore how patriarchal workplace norms selectively uplift sanitized versions of marginalized women while punishing leadership, boundaries, and refusal. Using frameworks rooted in matriarchal governance relational intelligence, strategic refusal, care-based accountability I’ll offer OD practitioners tools to redesign environments that are not just inclusive, but structurally just.
Learning Objectives for this Session
1. Identify how traditional workplace structures are shaped by patriarchal and ableist norms.
2. Analyze how underrepresented women are systematically excluded, co-opted, or punished.
3. Examine matriarchal governance principles as models for structural care and leadership.
4. Apply equity-centered strategies to organizational development.
5. Develop interventions that no longer require marginalized women to assimilate in order to survive.
About the Presenter
Lovette Jallow is a nine-time award-winning author, strategist, and global speaker specializing in neurodivergence, anti-racism, and structural equity. A Black autistic woman with lived experience across West Africa and Europe, Lovette brings a rare combination of critical insight, applied systems thinking, and lived expertise to institutions seeking to move beyond performative inclusion.
Her work spans sectors including humanitarian coordination, neurodiversity consulting, and cultural policy reform offering institutions tools to confront how race, disability, and power are embedded in diagnostics, education, and organizational design. She is the founder of Black Vogue, a platform that challenged the Eurocentric beauty industry and reshaped public discourse on racial representation in Scandinavia. Rather than a lifestyle project, Black Vogue served as a structural critique of how Black women are erased, regulated, and pathologized—insights she expands in her published books, which are now used in academic and policy contexts.
Lovette is also the founder of Action for Humanity, an independent humanitarian initiative working across Sweden, The Gambia, Libya, and Lebanon to support refugee repatriation, anti-racism education, and advocacy for marginalized neurodivergent communities. Her lectures have been delivered at universities, international summits, and corporate institutions addressing how white supremacy, ableism, and structural neglect define mainstream inclusion frameworks.
She does not deliver awareness talks. She offers systems critique, evidence-informed tools, and strategies rooted in justice not compliance. Her work affirms that true inclusion requires not just access, but structural accountability.
11:45am - 12:00pm Pacific Time: Join Zoom Meeting
12:00- 1:30 pm Pacific Time: Training
Learn more about Lovette: https://lovettejallow.com/
This purpose of this workshop is to provide participants with a toolkit to harness organizational tension as a capability and not a hindrance. In this dynamic workshop, participants will learn to navigate and leverage the natural polarities within their organizations, transforming potential conflicts into innovative solutions.
Key Objectives:
* Understand and Identify Polarities: Participants will use polarity mapping to visually capture the benefits and challenges of remote versus in-office work, identifying the underlying tensions that impact team dynamics.* Embrace and Process Tensions: Through interactive exercises, attendees will apply facilitation techniques to equip them to engage in open, productive dialogues where diverse viewpoints are not only heard but valued.* Implement Both/And Thinking: We will explore how to move beyond either/or solutions by developing a hybrid work model that incorporates the strengths of both remote and in-office arrangements, ensuring flexibility and collaboration coexist.* Iterate and Improve: The workshop will emphasize the importance of continuous feedback and adjustment to refine work policies in response to changing team needs and organizational goals.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Framework for tackling organizational challenges that do not have a single "solution"
2. Working experience of how to apply the framework
About Your Facilitator:
Chris Lewis is an accomplished organizational development practitioner with over 25 years’ experience at the intersection of business strategy, operations excellence and human potential. Chris holds an MSOD from Pepperdine University and currently is a consultant with Unify Consulting's Organizational Effectiveness Practice.
6:00- 7:00 pm Workshop
The Inner Shift: Reclaiming Creative Power in a Culture of Pressure
Maria Alexandra Ramirez
Session description to come!
4:45 - 5:00 pm Join Zoom Meeting
5:00- 7:00 pm Training
Prevention through Appreciative Community Engagement
Michael Emmert, EdD
How can systems move toward partnering with the communities they serve?
In this session, Dr. Michael Emmart introduces PACE: Prevention through Appreciative Community Engagement - a practical, strengths-based framework for rethinking system-community relationships. Drawing on Appreciative Inquiry, positive sociology, and prevention science, PACE invites system partners to build on community strengths, shift outdated dynamics, and collaborate more effectively with impacted communities in support of lasting, positive change.
Designed for organizational development professionals, this talk offers new tools and mindsets to support meaningful, future-focused change.
1. A fresh framework for understanding and improving community engagement.
2. Insight into the kinds of organizational mindsets and practices grow relationships with impacted communities.
3. Tools to consider in helping your team move from reactive fixes to proactive collaboration with those you serve, regardless of your role.
Michael Emmart, Ed.D. is a founding member of the Institute for Just Outcomes through Conversation, which is housed within Case Western Reserve University’s Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit and has served as executive director since its inception. He also serves as a professor within Keuka College’s Division of Criminal Justice and Social Work. His speaking and research centers on the value of incorporating positive, inquiry-based conversations in our families, communities, and workplaces.
Michael’s professional interests center on strengthening the connection between communities and the systems intended to serve them. Drawing on frameworks such as Appreciative Inquiry, positive nonviolence, and community-engaged prevention science, his work explores how institutions can meaningfully engage with impacted communities to promote well-being and resilience. He is particularly interested in designing and evaluating initiatives that build collective efficacy, foster authentic partnerships, and shift power toward community-defined visions of success. Through his teaching, research, and practice, Michael is committed to developing practical, strengths-based tools that support positive systems change and deepen community voice in policy and service delivery.
Michael and his bride, Jodi, live in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Central New York, where they raised six children and are enjoying an ever-growing number of grandchildren.
5:00- 6:00 pm Training
Psychological Safety and the Neuroscience of Workforce Agility
Jacquelyn Bergmann Mastriani, EdD, MAT, CSM, SHRM-CP
Session description and learning objectives are being worked on! Come back soon!
Jacqui is a coach, a trainer, and OD guru and a great partner to OD. In addition to her paid work, she had filled a variety of roles with the national ODN, including Conference Chair and Director of Education.
Why this session matters:
In the pursuit of operational excellence, we often overlook one of the most powerful instruments of change: the body. Marissa Mosunich's professional journey began in the structured world of operations—until she realized something essential was missing. Inspired by the practice of Relational Whole Body Focusing and the writing of embodied activists and organizers, Marissa began weaving body awareness and social justice into her professional path. She returned to school for Organizational Development and now works at the intersection of systems, people, and purpose.
Through this personal transformation, she recognized that when she slowed down and truly listened to her body, she became more attuned to her own needs—and more empowered to make meaningful changes in her work, organizations, and communities. These insights now shape her belief that embodiment is an essential tool for Organizational Development practitioners promoting equity, connection, and socially aware transformation.
What to expect in this session:
In "The Body Calls: An Exploration of Embodied Activism and Its Relevance for the Practice of Organizational Development," participants will:
Explore how embodiment can support employee-led and justice-focused organizational change
Discover the overlapping values, principles, and possibilities shared by embodied activism and Organizational Development
Discuss practical applications and future directions for bringing embodied approaches into OD work
Session structure:
This interactive workshop will unfold in three parts:
A presentation that introduces foundational concepts of embodiment and embodied activism
Breakout session for small-group discussion and reflection on embodied activism and Organizational Development
A guided whole-group brainstorming session on OD values and practices, inspired by embodied activism
Come ready to dive in. You’ll leave with new ideas, frameworks, and embodied perspectives to deepen your Organizational Development practice and support transformative systems change.
Learning outcomes:
Familiarize oneself with the presence of embodiment in contemporary activism and social change movements.
Begin to discover how embodiment coupled with employee agency can inform and inspire organizational shifts.
Identify practical applications and directions for bringing embodied approaches into OD work.
Marissa Mosunich is an operations professional, former industrial engineer, and organizational development consultant.
Through her company, Operate Well Consulting, Marissa helps teams bring clarity, flow, and alignment to their operations. She brings a unique blend of systems thinking and human-centered organizational design, shaped by both real-world experience and academic training. She seeks to ignite change through her writing, community involvement, and organizational development practice.
Marissa lives on the Central Coast of California with her family. She loves people, music, poetry, and nature—and is always up for a good walk or deep conversation. She holds a master’s in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate University, a master’s in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and a bachelor’s in Music and Mathematics from Northwestern University.
6:00- 7:30 pm Presentation
7:30-8:00 pm Discussion
Ananda Valenzuela
How do we as consultants most efficiently and effectively facilitate organizational change management processes? In a context where there are long-held assumptions about the "right" way to hold power and decision-making, how do we help build lightweight, effective governance structures? This session will offer learnings from years of structure and culture change work, often with organizations wanting to explore options beyond traditional hierarchy. Actionable tools and processes will be shared, and participants will be invited to share their wisdom.
Ananda Valenzuela (any pronouns) provides interim executive director leadership, facilitates organizational transformation, and coaches values-aligned leaders. He is passionate about nourishing joyful organizational cultures, supporting equitable self-management, and building liberatory practices. They have served as interim executive director at multiple organizations, provided capacity-building support to nonprofits for over ten years, and currently serve as Practioner-in-Residence at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. Ananda grew up in Puerto Rico and slowly made her way across the United States, holding a variety of consulting, governance, and activist roles along the way.
Session description coming soon!
Dr. Bossard helps organizations and communities unlock the collective wisdom within, identify their unique core strengths, and engage the whole system in achieving results they can be proud of! Her motto is: together we really can transform great challenges into great opportunities!
6:00- 7:00 pm Training
We say we want transformation—but do we design the space for it? As we face the challenge of change, this session invites a new perspective: What if the physical environments we create are just as important as the conversations we hold? Organizational development professionals and transformational leaders often focus on mindset, culture, and systems, but we frequently overlook the silent collaborators in transformation: the physical environment, sensory cues, and spatial rhythm. These elements profoundly shape how people feel, think, and engage. Drawing from interior design, neuroscience, and real-world experience in high-performance and high-stress settings, Kristin York Brennan highlights neurodivergent needs as visible expressions of universal human truths—drawing from inclusive design and behavioral science to bring these insights into the practice of transformational leadership. Participants will explore how spatial elements affect regulation, trust, creativity, and insight. They will leave with tangible practices to assess their own environments (and those they help shape), a renewed understanding of the role physical space plays in transformation, and a deeper ability to support meaningful change—whether in a moment, a meeting, or a long-term engagement.
As a participant, this session is for you if…
• You’re ready to stop saying “I’m not creative” and start owning your power to support transformation with accessible and inclusive spaces
• You want to design more intentional physical and psychological conditions for insight and action
• You’re curious about how environment and sensory experience shape trust, creativity, and learning
1. Understand how sensory and physical environments influence psychological safety, creativity, and insight in transformational work.
2. Reframe neurodivergent needs as design guidance that benefits all humans, supporting inclusive and effective transformation.
3. Apply neuroscience-informed design principles to assess and intentionally shift the environments where you support change.
Kristin York Brennan is a strategist, facilitator, and human-centered designer with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of spatial experience, organizational systems, and transformation. She holds a BS in Interior Design and an MBA from Virginia Tech, along with certifications in facilitation (Georgetown ITL) and advanced applied neuroscience coaching (KCI).
Her career spans creative studios, federal agencies, and complex organizations—where she’s tackled everything from workplace strategy and change management to culture transformation and leadership development. This diverse path gives her a unique ability to connect spatial, behavioral, and cultural dynamics into a cohesive whole.
As the founder of Studio B Collaborative, Kristin helps individuals, teams, and leaders reimagine their environments—physical and organizational—not as passive backdrops, but as active catalysts for insight, creativity, and growth. Her curiosity about how space shapes experience has driven her cross-disciplinary work, blending systems thinking, creative process, and practical tools into transformational outcomes.
When she’s not designing environments for transformation, she’s likely brainstorming wildly ambitious projects—or getting schooled in advanced negotiation techniques by her eight-year-old daughter.
A believer in the power of unexpected metaphors, Kristin once built an enterprise experience office and internal comms strategy using insights from The Happiest Toddler on the Block—proving that even toddler psychology can transform how grownups lead, listen, and engage.
5:00- 7:00 pm Workshop
Heart Centered Leadership ~ in honor of MLK
Derick Carter Leadership Coach | Workplace Well-Being | Cultural Change Agent
We're so excited to be hosting Derick! Session description coming soon!
Coming soon!
"PNODN" is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
PO Box 46107, Seattle, WA 98146
