who is the marker ninja?

The most common question I hear in meetings is “how do you do that?” With more than 20 years’ experience as a facilitator, graphic recorder, and strategic visualizer for complex, multi-domain projects, I bring a ‘wow’ factor to conferences and strategy sessions. When you add in my knowledge of project management, strategic communication, design thinking, lean and agile ways of working, and team development, you get the multi-skilled “Marker Ninja” – A nickname given to me by a client who saw me jumping around with markers, paper, and an agenda to guide a 30-person team toward a multi-year vision. 

A ‘win’ for me is when my clients succeed. That fuels my passion for productive, well-designed and well-facilitated meetings that include all attendees’ voices. As an IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator, I blend my toolkit of proven methods with a client’s desired outcomes and knowledge of the attendees to create a meeting experience – not just a “meeting” – that unlocks new possibilities. Think of it as “sticky notes on steroids with everyone involved,” as one of my clients says. 

I help organizations and leaders who need expertise in visioning and strategic planning, change management, team development, focus group implementation, design thinking, and strategic communication. I partner side-by-side with organizations addressing tough dilemmas in higher education, government, the private sector, and the non-profit world. I have supported 27 U.S. Federal agencies, and worked in higher education and with non-profit organizations for more than 20 years in the U.S and around the world.

If you are looking for meetings and outcomes that are different from what you’ve seen before, I invite you to try my ‘special blend’ of proven facilitation methods with visual templates, mind-mapping, whiteboard exercises, and hands-on strategy mapping. It’s worked well for me and clients working in systems engineering, IT and information sharing, cyber security, higher education, data governance, model-based engineering, public health, environmental sciences, military intelligence analysis, STEM workforce development, major systems acquisitions, space, and aviation.

My greatest joy is serving as an innovator for high-performing teams. This has led to deep trust, and high result and high expectation relationships to develop vision, strategic planning, team performance, and communications deliverables.

I have a Master’s degree in Public Relations from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor’s in Organizational Communication from Hope College. I have contributed to several books on visual facilitation, and am writing books on wellness and wellbeing, enabling trust within teams as a competitive advantage, and visual facilitation methods for strategic communication and strategic planning, respectively.

When not sketching out clients’ big ideas, I enjoy time with my wife and two adult sons. I compete in track and field, make really good cheesecake and margaritas, and like long drives in my old Porsche along the California coast. I am continuously working to blend my Midwestern U.S. roots and sensibilities, East Coast drive and go-getter-ness, and West Coast innovative spirit.