Kathy Germann and associates have offered our services in conflict resolution, diversity issues and team development to a broad range of clients since 1982. Here are what some of them have to say about their experiences of our work.

Business
Education
Government
Health & Human Services

Business

“Kathy is the most professional (and fun) consultant that I have ever worked with. She has the ability to integrate her inclusive approach with assessment data and business goals to drive the instructional design. The result is a meaningful learning event with the potential to transform people — delivered with compassion and a splash of fun.”
—Perron W. Nicholas, TDS Telecom, Business Improvement Team

“Kathy and Vida led our group through a variety of creative educational activities that helped us develop life-long skills in how to handle conflict situations both at work and in their personal lives. I would strongly recommend The Art of Conflict Transformation to anyone seeking a class that goes beyond the standard “management” fare in this area. Kathy and Vida bring new and valuable insights by presenting the information in a way that not only “thinks outside the box”, but results in real and substantial personal growth for all attendees.”
—Mike Bestul, CIO, UW Learning Innovations

“Faciliting by Heart has given the participants from my company skills and takeaway materials that are immediately applicable. The effect has been tremendous personal and professional growth. There has been a positive ripple effect in our organization among the people we work with. ”
—Rob Van Nevel, Learning & Development Manager, Lands’ End

“Kathy facilitated my first Diversity training seminar several years ago. She helped expand my understanding and definition of diversity past race and gender. Her facilitation style and knowledge of the subject is very conducive to learning. I have since hired her to facilitate diversity programs at Oscar Mayer and co-facilitate a citywide training session for the Equal Opportunity Commission. She has had my respect and friendship from our very first meeting.”
—H. Wayne Canty, Sr. Human Resources Manager, Kraft Foods

Education

“Some workshop facilitators really have their craft down and know how to put on a wonderful show — then there are a very few who understand the art of training. It’s clear that Kathy Germann has that gift. I took Kathy’s diversity workshops to fine-tune myself as an instrument for this work. Because of the depth of Kathy’s commitment and her mastery of how people change and grow, the workshops have helped me do exactly that. A lot of my work has been with Indian elders. Borrowing from their vocabulary, I would say that Kathy has ’medicine’.“
—Rodney Horikawa, Coordinator, Campus Community Partnership, UW-Madison

“I hired Kathy to train groups in schools — staff, students, building services workers, administrators — and she always responded with amazing creativity and insight. Her classes and workshops were always so much fun, and so informative and growth producing for me. Kathy is a facilitator/trainer who consistently reaches all types of people — I know of no group uncomfortable with her style — she fosters curiosity, desire for growth, and openness.”
—Nancy F. Young, MMSD Psychologist and Mediator, Private Practice Family Therapist

“I highly recommend the Art of Conflict Transformation Workshop for any group interested in learning an effective method for responding to conflict that increases trust and communication in relationships. In the four years that Kathy and Vida presented this workshop, participants commented that it was one of the most valuable workshops they attended during their teaching career — both personally and professionally. They also mentioned how much they enjoyed Kathy and Vida's humor, comfortable presentation style, and unique approach to the topic of conflict resolution.”
—Delaine Moe, Coordinator, Student Assistance and Wellness, Racine School District

“Kathy developed and implemented Unlearning Racism and Unlearning Homophobia programs for Malcolm Shabazz City High School, an alternative high school with an extremely diverse population of students. She developed a school-wide model that used both students and staff as leaders. Kathy quickly established herself as a facilitator of ideas and was also able to generate a great deal of enthusiasm among staff and students. As a workshop presenter, she was warm, humorous and at the same time able to comfortably deal with sensitive and sometimes angry issues. Her knowledge and skills have had a lasting impact on the school.”
—Steve Hartley, Director of Alternative Programs, Madison Metropolitan School District

Government

“In thirty years of being employed in state government, I have never seen this kind of positive response to a training. Kathy helped the group feel comfortable with differences. The training served as a wake-up call and it got to the bottom line regarding diversity — it’s not only acceptable, it’s the right thing to do.”
—Ron Semmann, former Deputy Secretary, WI Department of Natural Resources

“Kathy tailored a training session for our organization designed to create awareness of, and the need for, diversity. She has the ability to take a sensitive, cultural topic and create an experience that challenges existing paradigms. Kathy creates a learning environment using the appropriate combination of lecture, class discussion, and experiential activities in which adults can discover and critically examine the basis for their assumptions, and the behaviors that result from them.”
—Randy Stark, Training Director, WI Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Law Enforcement

“I have greatly enjoyed working with Kathy — not only is she 'fun', but she knows her stuff. Her strategy in introducing diversity issues into the workplace is par excellence! Kathy can lead your work force into a better understanding of 'difference' and how we all are 'different' in our own ways. I heartily recommend Kathy’s work to you both as a former government official and now as a member of the clergy.”
—Rev. David Couper, Rector, St John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Retired Madison Chief of Police, 1972-1993

Health & Human Services

“Kathy provided an outstanding program in conflict resolution at the annual State Podiatric Medical Conference. Initially met with skepticism by members more used to non-participatory lectures, the post conference comments described a program that proved very useful to members in their private practices. The program was informative and entertaining. It has enabled me in my personal practice better means of working with patients not always amenable to the ideal prescribed treatment plan. Patient visits are more win-win using the techniques she taught. I recommend the program highly.”
—Alan Kalker, DPM, Assistant Clinical Professor, Dept. of Surgery, UW Hospital

“Over the past 10 years, Kathy has presented over 80 workshops under my auspices through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Continuing Education Program. Participants in every one of the workshops have rated them as outstanding or exceptional. The often long emotional comments have indicated how people have been touched and moved to action by Kathy’s teaching style, understanding of people, sense of humor, and her compassion and caring for people.”
—Raymond Kessel, Ph.D., Professor, Medical Genetics and Professional Development and Applied Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Facilitating By Heart is the best integrated series of workshops that I have attended. The facilitators have unique styles that bring together people from diverse backgrounds into an uncommon learning and growing community. ”
—Deborah Thies, Executive Director, Birth to Three Connections

“The Art of Conflict Transformation training provided by Kathy and Vida is challenging, fun, and relevant to a variety of circumstances. Attention is paid to the variety of learning styles present in any group, and incorporates opportunities to learn in large and small groups, as well as individually. They tailored a follow-up workshop that helped staff to practice what we learned on work situations that we identified as conflictual and challenging. The training has raised our collective expectations of how we, as a group, approach conflicts in the workplace.”
—Kim Turner, Executive Director, Options in Community Living

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