Method Development Consultants

Jonathan Dudding is Director of International Programmes in ICA:UK (www.ica-uk.org.uk) , a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. By working directly and with partners, ICA:UK seeks to build capacity & capability for participation and partnership, both nationally and internationally, through methods and approaches based on the Technology of Participation. These include: facilitation – helping people to be involved in bringing about change; training – equipping people with the skills, knowledge and methods to participate and to help others be involved; consultancy – providing expertise and guidance to help with collaborative change; projects – designing, implementing and supporting projects to promote participation; and action research & development – exploring and testing new ways of involving people effectively.

Dr. Wilfried Graf is research fellow at the Institute for the Sociology of Law and Criminology in Vienna and at the Center for Peace Research and Peace Education at the university of Klagenfurt (Austria). He is co-founder and co-director of the “Institute for Integrative Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding” (IICP) in Vienna (www.iicp.at). Dr. Graf is a researcher and trainer on conflict transformation and peacebuilding approaches. He has co-developed a specific approach to “integrative conflict transformation”, taking into account the social-psychological, systemic/societal and intercultural dimensions of conflict transformation and peacebuilding, based on an intellectual and methodological journey from the structuralist approach of “Transcend” (Johan Galtung) to the constructivist approach of “Complexity Thinking” (Edgar Morin) and the interactional approach of “Interactive Problem Solving” (Herbert C. Kelman).

Gudrun Kramer is currently working for the “Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit” (GIZ), heading the “Social and Cultural Fund for Palestinian Refugees and Gaza Population”. She was co-founder and co-director of the “Institute for Integrative Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding” (IICP) in Vienna. She has vast practical experiences with supporting peace processes and facilitating dialogue projects especially in Sri Lanka, Israel-Palestine, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Another focus was the reconstruction of 3 villages after the Tsunami in Sri Lanka’s war-torn areas. Ms Kramer is a trainer and lecturer on conflict transformation and peacebuilding at numerous universities. She has co-developed the approach to “Integrative Conflict Transformation”.

Jay Rothman, Ph.D. is President of ARIA Group (www.ariagroup.com) and Director of The ARIA Institute for Creative Conflict Engagement and Cooperative Action at the University of Cincinnati. He has been an academic/practitioner in the field of conflict resolution for the past 25 years. In the course of his career, Jay has worked with diplomats, business executives, opposing leaders of embattled communities, union leaders, school boards and superintendents, community activists and students around the world. He is a teacher, trainer and student of the art and science of conflict engagement and he has developed and taught two cutting edge methodologies for conflict engagement and collective visioning. Jay has lectured and taught around the country and the world, presented at many conflict resolution conferences and workshops, and is the author of numerous articles and books, including Resolving Identity-Based Conflict in Nations, Organizations and Communities (Jossey-Bass, 1997).

Brandon Sipes is the President of RE-Frame, LLC and a Senior Consultant to The ARIA Group (www.ariagroup.com).  During his career, Brandon has engaged with identity conflicts in the United States and around the world, leading to an understanding of the ways in which identity can be utilized for both division and unity. Research and practice in identity (and specifically religiously motivated) conflict has taken him to Northern Ireland, Croatia, Bosnia, France, Germany, Israel and the West Bank. His work has included organizational visioning, conflict mediation and workshop facilitation, and facilitator training and development. Brandon received a BA in Christian Education from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University in 2001.  In 2005, he began graduate studies in Theology at Xavier University.  While there, he discovered a passion for analyzing what he calls the “beauty and danger inherent in religions.”  This led him to focus his studies on violence and conflict which contain religious components.  Brandon received the Brueggeman Fellowship while at Xavier, allowing him to travel internationally and conduct research leading to the publication of his thesis, “Sacred Rage and Sacred Hope.”

James Wiegel has been involved in the facilitation and training of groups concerned with organizational and social change on 6 continents.  Mr. Wiegel is regarded as a highly skilled facilitator and a passionate trainer.  Over his career, Jim served on or led facilitation and training teams in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Korea, The Marshall Islands, The Netherlands, The Palestinian Territories, The Philippines, The United Kingdom, The United States, and Zambia.  Mr. Wiegel is a Founding Member of the International Association of Facilitators, and has served as Organizational Futures Chair, presented at their global conferences, and facilitated Board retreats for the Association.  Jim served as staff for the Institute of Cultural Affairs for over 35 years.  During that time he was one of the pioneers who developed and refined ICA’s well-established Technology of Participation (ToP®) methods. Jim is currently a member of ICA International and has served on the USA leadership team of the ToP Trainers Network which offers training in ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP®) methods across the US.  Locally, Jim is an Associate with Partners in Participation, LLC and part of the technical assistance network with St. Luke’s Health Initiatives.  Currently living in Tolleson, Arizona, USA, Mr. Wiegel works with organizations, schools, government agencies and communities on request.