We are so excited to welcome this round of Facilitator Trainees who are in the process of completing their Facilitator Certification! We are so lucky to have the opportunity to welcome these new members with diverse backgrounds from around the world, into our community.
Chidy Lasbrey Martins- Lagos, Nigeria
Chidy is a seasoned professional in conflict resolution, with a focus on mediation, conflict management, and negotiation. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in Preventive Diplomacy and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes. Throughout his career, Martins has demonstrated leadership and commitment in his roles at the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) in Nigeria. As the National Director of Training, he spearheaded initiatives that improved the quality of mediation training programs, contributing significantly to the professional development of mediators across the country. In his capacity as Director of Marketing and Membership Drive, Martins strategically expanded the institute's reach and membership base, enhancing its visibility and impact in the mediation landscape. His involvement as a member of the Governing Council of the Imo State Multidoor Courthouse further underscores his recognized expertise and relevance in conflict resolution beyond the confines of the ICMC. Chidy Lasbrey Martins is widely regarded as a respected figure in the field, known for his practical approach and substantial contributions to the advancement of conflict resolution practices.
Cindy Duong- Malaysia
Cindy is passionate about working with people who want to live a meaningful life while having the career they want with
more peace and joy. She brings the diversity of her life, corporate experience,
coaching training and coaching experience since 2011 in partnering with her clients to build “Mental Fitness” through mindfulness practices.
Since 2011, Cindy has coached many corporate leaders across industries including Oil & Gas, Food Manufacturing, Healthcare and Education Sectors.
Prior to coaching, Cindy had over 20+ years of working experience with The Royal Dutch Shell. She joined the company in Melbourne Australia and worked in Information Technology support, project management and lead a team for six years. Then she was assigned to various regional and global IT management roles on expatriate assignments where she lived and worked in The Netherlands, UK, Singapore and Malaysia over a period of 14 years.
Cindy is Chinese, Vietnamese born, Australian Citizen and now lives a simple life in Malaysia. She enjoys spending time with her husband, “Zooming” with her mum and friends, trekking, exercising, playing with her dog, meditation and coaching as a way to cultivate a meaningful
existence.
Eligar Sadeh- Breckenridge, Colorado
Eligar (Eli) Sadeh, Ph.D., is an Aerospace Professional since 1982. He is a TEDx speaker, and CEO and Founder of Astroconsulting International LLC and the non-profit Astropolitics Institute where he engages in consulting and educational programming. Eli serves as Chief Editor of the academic journal Astropolitics, which covers human factors related to the space program. He is a Professor and STEM educator. Professional experiences include work with NASA, the aerospace industry, and numerous universities. Eli’s leadership in aerospace and seminal publications helped revolutionize the way we think about space exploration. Further, Eli has been a peace activist since the 1980s addressing the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. He was a group leader of the Arab-Jewish Dialogue Program at Hebrew University, which started in the 1960s. This program is aimed at addressing the dehumanization that occurs between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, and engages in social, cultural, and political programming. Eli was a group facilitator at Neve Shalom’s Arab-Jewish Dialogue Program, now called the School of Peace. This program employs an empathetic based model focused on listening to the narratives of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. He served as a facilitator with Tikkun's Network of Spiritual Progressives. This network addresses issues of social injustice. Eli was a group leader for J Street in Colorado focused on educational programming and political activism to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Also, Eli served as a community facilitator to address conflict though Restorative Justice practices through the Boulder Housing Coalition and Bloomington Cooperative Living. Both organizations are non-profits that support intentional community living. He has led groups through the circling model focused on love and compassion in addressing social injustices. Eligar empowers programs, projects, and people across academic, industry, government, and non-profit sectors.
Lama Abuarqoub- Palestine
Lama has spent her life and career working with young people, both with her own five children and as a teacher for more than 20 years. Lama believed her role as a teacher went beyond the curriculum. She encouraged her students to always express themselves safely and freely and broached tough discussion topics like politics, culture, and social issues. She lives in Hebron, Palestine, and brings years of activism experience building bridges between Palestinian, Israeli, and American communities.
Raquel Garcia- Detroit, Michigan
Raquel works on environmental issues in Detroit with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision. Born in San Antonio, Texas, she moved to Detroit in early 1992 and has been in Detroit ever since working in higher education and electoral campaigns. Raquel has focused on community outreach and engagement, enjoys being active in neighborhood activities, and sits on several community boards. She has been studying communication and racial justice for 10 years and is excited to earn the Compassionate Listening credentials as a facilitator. She is passionate about leadership development in the youth of Southwest Detroit and working on policies and ordinances that improve neighbors' lives.
Rev Kim D Wilson- Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Kim was introduced to Compassionate Listening in 2017 when Leah Green offered the introductory course on Zoom for the first time. She has since taken a number of other CL courses. Kim is an ordained minister in the Unitarian Universalist tradition and has been serving congregations as a parish minister since the late 90s. She incorporates Buddhism, humanism, yoga and naturalistic theism into her spiritual practices. Kim is an active member of Coming to the Table, an organization devoted to bringing together descendants of enslaved people and slave holders to heal from the legacy of US slavery. She has taken trainings with the Circle of Trust with the Center of Courage for Renewal, Mindfulness Meditation with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, Surviving Storms with Mark Nepo and numerous other programs with a focus on centering in the heart and developing the Fair Witness. Kim is a former co-host of an interview-based talk show on the local public radio station called, “Lehigh Valley Discourse: Building Bridges of Understanding Across the Lehigh Valley.” She has a B.S. in plant science and has been a devoted organic gardener and environmentalist for many years. She was a writer for the national magazine, Organic Gardening, and a biologist for several environmental consulting firms prior to obtaining her M. Div. degree.
In her spare time, Kim enjoys gardening, hiking, camping and spending time with family.
Trowa Bui- Los Angeles, California
Trowa Bui is a 39 year old male who works as a wounded healer for Healing Dialogue and Action, based in downtown LA. As a restorative justice organization, they walk with all who are harmed by violent crimes. Their mission lies on the foundation that when people come together to tell their stories within a safe space where they are caringly listened to, transformative healing occurs that can tilt our world towards one of love and equality. He says coming into this training, and learning the things he is learning, with such an amazing cohort is an unbelievably amazing experience. He was formerly incarcerated and earned his freedom after serving 20 years in the California Department of Corrections. He got himself to a place where he became bitter, resentful, and cruel, and saw the behavioral and social consequences of that. Today, He chooses to live as virtuous a life as possible where he assumes many responsibilities because he diagnosed this manner of living to be his protection from ever becoming cruel and corrupt.
Cheryl Sheinman- Illinois
Cheryl Sheinman was trained to facilitate dialogue via ‘the way of council’ at the Ojai
Foundation in California, while working on her doctorate in Jungian, archetypal and liberation psychology. In grad school she focused in on authentic (women’s) voice, collective trauma (the Israeli- Palestinian conflict), genocide and witnessing. She has conducted dialogue groups on religious values, interfaith issues, death and bereavement, participating in the transformative power of shared
experience when people speak and listen from the heart. She has been a hospice volunteer for over 15 years, most recently tending to the bereaved.
She is a poet and writer with published work on dialogue, Jewish values, trauma, gun violence and social justice. She is originally from Calgary, Canada and has lived in several US cities. Being a dancer and recent transplant from Miami, Fl she survives the Illinois winters (where she currently resides), by practicing to move like a penguin on the ice…a different kind of dance!
We are excited to extend an invitation to individuals who are passionate about fostering Compassionate Listening skills to apply for a spot in our 9-person cohort starting this fall.
This program is for leaders and experienced facilitators who want to embrace Compassionate Listening as a skill set and life-long practice, and join an international community of facilitators. You can learn more about our facilitator certification program by visiting our Facilitator Certification page.
The deadline for applications for the fall cohort is July 15th, 2024.