About Us

Beth Zemsky MAEd, LICSW comes to her work out of her continued commitment to engage people in learning activities that move them to understand and act to resolve critical social and cultural issues. Building on best practice approaches, Beth specializes in intercultural organizational development and intersectional movement building with organizations working towards social change and structural transformation including foundations, non-profits, educational, health, faith-based, and social change organizations. Learn more

Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid will serve as lead consultant.  Nehrwr (pronounced "nay-wah") Abdul-Wahid is a highly sought after consultant, trainer, and facilitator of what he describes as “much needed empathetic and compassionate dialogue with the goal of being more effective in how we work with and across our differences.” His work focuses on building leadership skills by tapping into the diverse talents of individuals and their work-teams. Learn more

  julius erolin has more than 20 years of experience helping individuals

and organizations leverage the value of differences to achieve better results and improve performance.  He founded Erolin Solutions (US) in 2009 and is now based in Dundee, Scotland, UK.  He continues to work with clients in the US and throughout the UK including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Learn more

LaDonna Redmond is an activist that has worked on several initiatives  that have created greater access for community residents.

LaDonna co-founded a substance abuse treatment facility, Sisterhouse.  Sisterhouse is dedicated to the recovery of women. 

LaDonna successfully worked to get Chicago Public Schools to evaluate  junk food, launched urban agriculture projects, started a community grocery store and worked on federal farm policies to expand access to healthy food in low-income communities. Learn more

Joayne Larson is a certified coach who focuses on intercultural competence to promote diversity, inclusion and equity goals. She grew up in rural North Dakota with a healthy dose of curiosity about the broader world. She got her first taste of experiential learning via a college semester abroad in Ecuador and hasn't settled for boring trainings ever since! After graduating with a BA in International Relations, she joined the Peace Corps serving in the Russian Far East. She recently returned to Minnesota bringing management experience from a variety of multicultural settings spanning three continents. Learn more 

Kamyala Howard is the Founder and CEO of “WE’RE DIVINE”, President of khowardconsultingllc, and Co-Founder of African American Community of Practice. Ms. Howard has over 22 years of experience working with non-profit and private agencies creating innovative models that assist with organizational cultural change, dismantling barriers, program design, strategic planning, leadership development, direct clinical practice, and building intercultural relations.

Ms. Howard received her graduate degree.  Learn more     

K.C. Atha, M.A. is the principal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) strategist and facilitator at Sembramos. She founded Sembramos, an organization that helps socially conscious leaders develop holistic solutions that lead to transformational change.

Her approach includes a holistic EDI audit that surfaces the operating culture and disconnects in an organization. She also facilitates workshops that provide the skills needed to reimagine and uphold the equitable and liberated workplace we all deserve.

K.C. has been advising a wide range of clients based in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East since 2006. She earned her Masters of Arts in International Administration with an emphasis in cross-cultural perspectives. She also earned bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Sociology. As an entrepreneur, community organizer, and consultant, she has fine-tuned her ability to work in dynamic environments with diverse, international audiences. K.C. is uniquely qualified as she has worked as a congressional staffer on Capitol Hill, a grassroots organizer, a human rights reporter in Jerusalem, and is deeply passionate about partnering with conscious leaders aiming to challenge the status quo in service of making the world a better place where all people get to thrive. Learn more

Kai Stowers is a scientist turned consultant and coach who partners with you to build high-performing, effective, and inclusive teams.  Kai is a long-time mindfulness practitioner and coach who has personally experienced the transformation that comes with intentional development, healing, and growth work.

Kai is a lifelong learner and explorer. He began his career as a chemist, deeply fascinated by science and the opportunity to save lives by developing novel therapeutics. Over time, he became increasingly fascinated by the human side of organizations, how individuals grow and develop, and how leaders and teams can evolve toward greatness.

Kai’s learning adventures include taking up ice skating and hockey as an adult, and his more recent, pandemic-era hobby of learning to play the cello. Kai knows that big, audacious challenges require patience and the ability to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, right alongside the ability to find joy, humor, and connection in the journey. He brings this spirit to all his client engagements.

Some of Kai’s social identities include being white, queer, and transgender. He has worked and lived as a female and now navigates life as a male, giving him a unique perspective on how gender and gender bias affect people, their teams, and where we see (or don’t see) potential. Learn more

   Tracy Duran, MFA is the founder of IDEATE Collaborative, LLC. Through her work in the community, she found her passion for intercultural development as she recognized the need for people and organizations to build a foundation of understanding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Tracy is passionate about leadership and organizational development through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and an authorized DiSC partner. 

As the Director of Studio Arts, Community Access, and Inclusion at the Des Moines Art Center, Tracy began her journey as an Interculturalist and DEI Practitioner. She provides vision and strategic leadership for programs that link the Art Center’s studio and community education classes to the museum and community through the development of innovative programming. In addition to her work in education, Tracy provides vision and leadership for the organization’s inclusion efforts as they strive to be a cultural resource for all in the community. 

Through both volunteer and professional experiences, Tracy has worked with various non- profits and programs that serve marginalized and underserved populations in the community. Tracy has dedicated her life to empowering youth and began mentoring kids at the age of 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where her identity and experiences were shaped. She is a daughter, mother, sister, aunt, artist, and active volunteer. She holds a BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an MFA from California State University, Fullerton. Learn more

Monica King has worked as a trainer, facilitator, and professional development leader for almost 15 years. She has developed and facilitated numerous equity and inclusion trainings for area non-profits, and served as co-chair on her previous organization's Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee. She is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and has conducted over 100 IDI sessions with people at all levels of an organization, including VPs at Fortune 500 companies. She has also done numerous group trainings using the Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS) tool.

Monica identifies as a cisgender, white, 42 year old female who lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two elementary-age sons.

Omkar Sawardekar, MSW, LICSW, is a Therapist, Trainer, Intercultural Coach, and Organizational Consultant. Omkar supports his clients to live into their respective missions more holistically by integrating the lenses of identity, culture, mental health, and trauma. Driven by the tenets that the relational container is the foundation for transformative change and that the most impactful practices grow from interdisciplinary methodologies, Omkar is committed to working collaboratively to promote culturally-responsive approaches. Throughout his work with individuals, groups, and organizations, Omkar is drawn to addressing the most complex cultural and systemic challenges. 

Dr. Aaron W. Voyles has over 14 years of professional experience in higher education, housing operations, teaching, development, and crisis management. Dr. Voyles earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and his Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Dr. Voyles holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.  

Dr. Voyles identifies as a white, cisgender, heterosexual male. His research on gender has been featured in journals such as Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education and The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education.

“Who do we Choose to Be?

This is the question the drives Athena and her work. Throughout her 20+ year career in the non-profit and philanthropic sector, her effort to leverage her experience and expertise and align her personal values with mission-driven organizations has led her to engage in deep, meaningful work at the intersection of organizational development and capacity building—where those ideas intersect with authentic leadership, intercultural organizational development, healing from trauma, and emotional intelligence. Essentially, she is a champion of the idea that is it not just “what we do,” but also “how we do it.”

As both the president of a woman-owned, minority owned business, and as an executive coach, Athena brings deep leadership and management experience to all of her client engagements. 

Athena identifies as a cis-gendered bi-cultural 46 year old female who lives in St. Paul with her husband and two teenage sons. Learn more

I love working with people from across the ethnic, political, and economic spectrum. I am a bridge builder, able to connect diverse perspectives in various environments and I apply this skill to my work as I build a practice around cultural competency. As a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), I can help leaders work toward their goals of creating more equitable, effective organizations. My passion for working on cross-cultural projects fits in well with my heart work. Learn more

  Sara Schonwald is a dynamic facilitator, trainer, listener and coach. Her practice of leadership and consulting centers the belief that we're all connected to each other, and that it is our collective opportunity and responsibility to work together for justice and peace. She's a trainer and design team member of the Blandin Foundation’s Community Leadership Programs and a member of One Ummah Consulting. She is also the founder of ... Learn more

Mary Jo Wimmer has been providing direction, problem-solving and leadership development to businesses, churches, non-profits and communities in rural Minnesota for 30 years. As principle of Trillium Leadership Development, she provides professional training and consulting in the areas of organizational development, board development, strategic planning, leadership and management training and intercultural competency development. She is a Qualified Administrator with the Intercultural Development Inventory and is certified to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Learn more 

Born and raised in the Midwest by two white women, I had the unique experience of growing up in an all-white community as a biracial child who was perceived by others as black. My journey navigating life in this complex world of race, culture, and ethnicity while working simultaneously through my own complicated racial identity development led to my passion of educating and training around issues of intercultural competency, social justice, and anti-oppression work. I am currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, hold a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and have over 15 years of facilitation experience.

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Amy Batiste, EdD is the Founder and Catalyst in Chief of Creative Catalysts, a Minneapolis-based consultancy and network of creative change-makers who collaborate with clients to activate transformative action in groups, organizations and communities.

Amy has been a creative change-maker for over 25 years in corporate, higher education and nonprofit leadership roles. She earned a doctorate in human and organization development at Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in public communication at The American University and a bachelor’s degree in communications at Trinity University. Learn more

Namita has over ten years of experience in the areas of intercultural communication, language training and instructional design. Her areas of expertise include cultural differences between the United States, India and France. Namita holds a Master's degree in Second Languages and Cultures Education with coursework in Human Resources Development and Leadership, from the University of Minnesota. She has held positions such as Intercultural Lead, Project Manager, Training and Content Specialist, in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. With experience working on three continents, in both public and private sectors, Namita offers an unmatched international perspective. Learn more