Partner Organizations

Do you have a BIG idea that needs help to bring it to life? Along my personal journey I’ve identified and brought to reality many BIG ideas that are paths forward for the United States. If you’re reading this, likely you have discovered a path, too. What could we do together? 

BIG ideas I've initiated, partnered & advised on:

• American Future to add everyday people’s voices to the future narrative. 
• Bridge Alliance where hundreds of organizations became a pro-democracy ecosystem.
• National Week of Conversation to provide a central annual event that promotes healthy engagement instead of toxic division.
• Living Room Conversations to provide do-it-yourself conversation guides for understanding people with differences.
• Inter-Movement Impact Project to connect several aspects of democracy work together.
• The Fulcrum is a news platform that covers democracy reform efforts at state and national levels.
• Bridging Movement Alignment Council  which is a network of more than 500 "bridging divides" organizations.
• JEDI Fellows (DEI initiative) to assist the pro-democracy ecosystem be representative using a four-fold diversity model of the United States. Four-fold diversity includes ideological, generational, gender & race/ethnicity representation.

How I bring a BIG idea or vision to reality:

• Employ deep listening for underlying assumptions, blind spots and hidden assessments.
• Guide purposeful conversations to ground dreams into action plans.
• Network with people, sources and ideas that can be additive or collaborative to your idea.
• Challenge conventional wisdom and channel missing voices. 
• Communicate diplomatically, especially on tough topics.
• Develop expertise with tech tools for project management like Google Drive, Zoom, Slack and others.

How can I help you? 

What others say about me:

David Nevins, Chairman of Bridge Alliance: I had the pleasure of working with Debilyn for 8 years’ as co-founders of The Bridge Alliance.  Debilyn’s ability to think creatively about big ideas that few of us have considered or explored before is quite remarkable.  The terms creative and problem solver are bandied around a lot these days but few people I have met can think about complex issues in an unbiased and logical manner so that innovative solutions can be found.  Add to this her ability to then communicate these complex ideas and solutions to others in a clear, concise and collaborative manner has resulted in countless successes in the years I’ve worked with Debilyn. 

Joan Blades, Co-founder of Living Room Conversations: We were true partners on the creation of Living Room Conversations and subsequent growth. We used an iterative process to identify challenges, experiment with possible solutions and popularize the use of Living Room Conversations guides. This open-source resource is now used in faith communities, schools, libraries, clubs and living rooms nationwide and around the world. 

Pearce Godwin, Founder of Listen First Project and Leader of Bridging Movement Alignment Council: The only thing bigger than Debilyn’s vision is her heart. I have been immensely blessed by Debilyn’s wise counsel, shrewd strategic thinking, and gentle challenging of my preconceived notions for nearly a decade. No one has made a greater impact on my personal growth and our collective successes than Debilyn. We would not have accomplished a fraction as much without Debilyn’s belief in my big idea and her guiding hand every step of the way.