It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about “We.” Working together as one.
What people are saying…
Thank you so much for doing such a great session for us today. The information was excellent, and clearly very much needed by learners. You are a terrific presenter and facilitator. Was glad to be able to watch you, up close, in action.
-Deb Levinthal, DPM, Executive Director, IPMA Interstate Postgraduate Medical Association
The Wisdom Council was an innovative way to think about an intent in an out of the box way while holding safe space for myself and others to explore aspects of our life and world.
— Sara Martin, MD
I have known Dr. Dawn Ellison since 2012. She was introduced to us at the CTSI as a competent facilitator with an interest in healthcare innovation. We found her two weeks before the first of four events that she facilitated for us that year. We were gathering 140 healthcare innovators from across the state. She assisted us in developing the purpose of the event and skillfully hosted an event in which 140 innovators (many of them competitors) held 20 conversations on topics of their own choosing. New relationships and collaborations were formed.
We continued to work with Dr. Ellison as she chose various tools to meet our evolving needs for events. Her knowledge of the healthcare field, tools of participative processes as well as relaxed presence served us well.
We found Dr. Ellison to be reliable, prompt, transparent, and easy to work with. I recommend her without reservation.
—Sheila Riggs, DDS, MS, DMSc
You have been tremendously supportive, and have expertly guided me through a really difficult time. You have brought me to a place where I can better advocate for myself due to the clarity I now have regarding my values and need for work-life integration. I am truly grateful for you and how you helped me.
-Gregg Shivers, MD
Dawn has had significant impact on my clinical practice. Although patients have always been the primary focus of my practice, I realized that at times when I thought I was advocating for them, I allowed my interactions to get in the way of their care. I now look for ways to enhance my communication with colleagues to better my patients lives. Although this sounds simple, Dawn was the key to making this happen.
—Marc M.
Dr Ellison was referred to me by a colleague at the Bush Foundation during the summer of 2012 when I was seeking a highly skilled facilitator for an advisory committee I was about to establish. The advisory committee was charged with making recommendations to our School Board to promote positive school climates, free of harassment. This advisory committee has come to be known as the Anoka-Hennepin Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force and is made up of students, staff, parents, and other community members. The members of the task force are representative of the 13 cities that make up the Anoka-Hennepin School District, located in the suburbs just north of Minneapolis. Taskforce members that align politically with the far left and the far right are represented and the work of the task force is highly scrutinized by our community.
Working in partnership with Paula Forbes, Dawn Ellison has successfully facilitated these task force meetings for the past two years. Due to the success of our first two years, we have recently enlisted the facilitation services of Dawn and Paula for the third year.
They work tirelessly to create inclusive conversations, where all voices are heard.
From the start, Dawn and Paula established group norms and protocols which have carried through each meeting. Knowing that not all individual members would agree on everything, they were able to make the group see the value in collective wisdom and that can only be achieved by truly listening to one another. One of my favorite phrases that they have used is “when you begin to judge, stop and wonder.”
Dawn and Paula work seamlessly as a duo, playing on one another’s strengths. Together, they hold the perfect balance of theory and action. Utilizing the many tools of the Art of Hosting, they have catered each meeting’s activities to the task at hand. I am very grateful for their work with our School District, and would recommend their services for any organization working to address controversial or groundbreaking topics.
—Jennifer Cherry, PhD
HR Executive Director Anoka-Hennepin Schools
Such an incredibly helpful session. Thanks for the support and wisdom!
-Sarah Smitherman, MD
Dawn started as my job coach but now I consider her my job & life coach. She listens in a nonjudgmental fashion she holds me accountable but empathizes when appropriate and has a wide range of resources & tools to help me understand why I react and feel the way I do.
She opens my mind to look at my interpretation of a situation from another point of view.
I’m learning to adapt & break the habit of destructive thought processes making me happier not only in my work place but also my personal life. I can’t thank Dawn Ellison enough for the positive impact she has had on my life.
Melissa Miller, MD
I wanted you to know I have appreciated the time I have spent with you along with the feedback. I have learned a lot about myself in the short amount of time we spent together. I will be able to use all the tools you have given me to continue to grow.
—Kristina Gross
Certified Nurse Practioner-Pulmonology|Genetics
I feel so much gratitude for your vision, hard work, and presence at ENRICH. I learned more about your many talents and passions, and you brought a warmth and energy to the meeting that was so valuable.
I hope we get a chance to work together somehow in the future, as I always learn so much from you.
—Craig Roth, MD
On behalf of the whole section of General Internal Medicine at the Minneapolis VAMC, I offer heartfelt thanks to both of you for hosting our section retreat.
Your skilled facilitation of our discussion would have been enough to ask for, but in addition, you gave us such meaningful teaching on ideas that were of equal value as the chance to gather and connect with colleagues.
The Circle Practice concept resonated – it worked, it felt different than our usual way of coming together as a group, and it has the potential to reshape the way we meet and relate as a group in our day-to-day work life. Likewise, I hope the practice of Open Space meetings spreads to our working meetings. It felt natural to allow people to name the issues and then gravitate to the ideas that are meaningful to them.
Personally, I am delighted by the principles of the Open Space: that whoever comes are the right people, whenever it starts is the right time, whatever happens, is the only thing that could have happened, and when it’s over it’s over. For a person who feels compelled to plan obsessively and tries to control every detail, this is a revolutionary and freeing idea and one that I’m going to try to implement in my larger life as well as at work!
Lastly, the Community of Practice diagram was enlightening, particularly the idea that where relationships intersect with work lies sustainability. There are no larger institutional supports or structures for developing relationships at work like there are for billing, coding, documenting, teaching, researching, administrating. Time and space for relationships at work will only be made through our own intentional efforts, so thank you for calling our attention to it.
It was a very valuable day for us. Thank you for your guidance and wisdom.
—Kim Olson, MD VAMC
I want to thank both of you for facilitating our retreat. Great job! I feel positive about the work we accomplished last night and I am committed to keeping the momentum moving forward.
On a personal level, I appreciate the opportunity to experience this approach to working with and within a group.
I look forward to our ongoing work together.
—Pat Hart, APRN, CNP
Lead Neonatal Nurse Practitioner St Cloud Hospital|CentraCare Clinic
Dr. Dawn Ellison has done a tremendous job as a facilitator for the “Immigrant Physician Summit: Mobilizing Resources to integrate foreign-trained physicians into Minnesota’s healthcare workforce”.
She came with the recommendation from the Bush Foundation and did an excellent job. She met with our organization several times and prepared for the workshop in detail. As a facilitator, she kept the summit well balanced, while at the same time allowing all participants to be involved.
Her style of communication placed everyone at ease. As a result, the summit was a great success and we harvested valuable inputs resulting in great outcomes.
We also attended the Open Space workshop offered by Dawn, which was very valuable and we learned more about the Art of Hosting. We plan to use Open Space for our workshops in the future as this style of gathering provides all participants to be involved in the discussions. Dr. Ellison is a professional when it comes to the Art of Hosting. It was an honor to have her as a facilitator for our summit and I feel that it would be an advantage to have her on any team and she would prove to be a valuable asset.
—Mimi Oo
Program Director/Coordinator New Americans Alliance for Development
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From Dawn:
I love working with people who care so deeply about their work! Sometimes they want a thought partner, an accountability coach, or someone who can illuminate blind spots that are blocking progress. I enjoy helping you embrace your agency so that you can enjoy this wonderful field that you have worked so hard for or move onto other work where you can contribute and grow.
Those who want to grow their collective agency have exciting challenges that call for participative approaches that leverage diversity and lead to better decisions. Their excitement for these methods is contagious.