Collaborative Group Dynamics

About Megara Kastner
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Professional Experience

Coach/Mentor/Counselor – municipal government city manager, directors, mid-level managers; non-profit executive directors, board members; special district managers and executives; healthcare providers; corporate executives; adults experiencing life transitions.

Trainer/Teacher/Presenter – Trainer: leadership development for emerging and experienced leaders in business, non-profit, education, healthcare. Teacher: at the university, community college and high school levels. Presenter: groups from 5 to 300 in leadership, change, communication, teambuilding, life transitions.

Teambuilding Facilitator/Coach – customized team building sessions in state and municipal governments, non-profits, corporate business, education, healthcare. Strategic planning and succession planning specific.

Mediator – specializing in workplace transformative mediation between co-workers, supervisor and direct reports, work teams and boards of directors, inter-government issues.

Experience at a Glance

Coach/Mentor/Counselor- 25+ years
Trainer/Teacher/Presenter - 30+ years
Teambuilding Facilitator/Coach - 30+ years
Mediator - 30+ years
Manager/Supervisor - 20+ years

Professional Employment

  • Consultant – an Employers Association working with association member companies as a trainer, coach, mediator, consultant, strategic planner,
  • Entrepreneur – creating, managing own consulting firm in mediation, facilitation, teambuilding, training, coaching
  • Non-profit agencies – founder, executive director, development director, program development, volunteer manager
  • City Governments – middle management, workplace mediation, public policy facilitation, training, coaching, neighborhood resources/community building, recreation programming
  • Federal Government Contractor – Senior Executive Service (SES) employees in leadership assessment centers and coaching
  • Universities and Community Colleges – instructor, program coordinator, housing manager, student advisor, supervisor
  • Secondary schools – teacher and counselor
  • Resort Industry – ski instructor, swim instructor for both able-bodied and disabled students
  • Residential camps and ropes courses – director, trainer, facilitator, counselor

Personal Résumé

Education:

Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies – Colorado State University
M.A. in Recreation Administration – University of New Mexico
B.S. in Recreation Leadership – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Megara Kastner

Professional Certifications:

Mediator in Colorado and Washington – 1989.

New Ventures West Integral Coach – 2016

Matrix Leadership Institute Facilitator/Trainer – 2004

Skillscope 360 Coach – 2013

360 Profilor coach – 2013

Situational Leadership Trainer – 2015

Radical Collaboration Facilitator/Trainer – 2014

Communicating in Difficult Situations Facilitator/Trainer – 2015

Denison 360 Assessor and Coach – Individual and Team – 2021

Challenge Ropes Course Trainer – 1996

 

Trainer Specialty Areas:

Leadership Development

Effective Communication – Creating High Feedback Cultures

Teambuilding – A systems/wholistic approach

Conflict Resolution

 

Facilitation Specialty Areas:

Creating effective intragroup communication

Conflict resolution between full teams and between teams

Strategic planning

Succession planning

 

Worked With:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Kiersey Temperament Sorter

Appreciative Inquiry

Learning Communities

Design Thinking

Non-Work Time

During my non-work time, I love to be outdoors as much as possible. In the summer it’s camping, hiking, biking, and paddle boarding. In the winter it’s skiing and snowshoeing. An ideal trip away includes a road trip in my ’97 VW camper van with the dog, friends, and family up into the mountains.

As soon as COVID is over or normalized, I hope to be volunteering with the Poudre School District, the City of Fort Collins mediation program, and serve on a couple of Boards of Directors.