Consulting that balances

Idealism & Pragmatism

for Intentional Communities & Cooperative Groups

I have over 25 years experience with forming, developing, and established intentional communities, cooperative & community businesses, networking & movement-building organizations & coalitions, and community organizing.

This has given me a basis of familiarity with all aspects of what it takes to create & operate cooperative organizations of all kinds. It has also given me an understanding of key intersections between & within a groups vision & purpose, culture & relationships, and systems & structures.

I help groups see the big picture & the nuance, uncover & address underlying dynamics, develop shared understanding, and move forward together. I bring technical expertise around areas such as legal & financial management. And I bring an analysis and awareness of power, privilege, oppression, and trauma into all of the work I do. 

What I Offer

Specific Services

  • 360° “Integrity Audits” - Aligning Purpose, Culture, & Systems

  • Workshops, Presentations, Facilitation, Mediation & Retreats

  • Strategic Planning & Organizational Development

  • Contracts, Foundational Documents, Policies

  • Capacity Assessments & Financial Analysis

  • Event Design & Organizing

Picking My Brain

I’m available for one-off sessions, to help you clarify where you’re at, brainstorm possibilities, and/or get technical on particular issues.

I also offer short series of sessions, which may include presentation & facilitated discussion, on one or more areas you’re working on.

Packages

If you’re interested in something comprehensive or on-going, let’s talk! I love getting under the hood with groups to help them address their situation holistically and systemically.

Testimonials

“Sky gave an immeasurable service to our five year old community through a deep dive over the course of four months. Sky audited our governance, our culture, and our finances, and gave us feedback that is helping us course correct and align with what we are accountable to. Sky is kind, direct, very insightful, and quite the ‘community whisperer.’”

Cassandra Ferrera, Landwell Community & Center for Ethical Land Transition

“Sky facilitated two key and potentially contentious meetings for us in the final steps of passing a new leadership and labor system. They blew us away in how they were able to see, hear, and reflect what was being said by each participant who was speaking on the proposal, while keeping the meeting on topic and keeping track of where we were in the process. They are one of the most gifted facilitators I’ve ever seen.”

- Tanha Luuvas, LMFT, Valley Oaks Village Cohousing

“As our long-term consultant, Sky was professional, compassionate, insightful, knowledgeable about community issues, and modeled excellent leadership skills. They were collaborative, open to feedback, and wasted no time!”

Kirsten and EJ, The Goodenough Community

My Experience

  • Intentional Communities

    • Member, Twin Oaks Community

      • Board of Planners; Process Team; Child Board; Plumbing Manager; IT Team; Conference Site Manager

    • Member, Cesar Chavez Student Housing Co-operative

    • Board of Directors, Ecovillage Charlottesville

    • Member, Woodfolk House Collective

    • Member, Valley Oaks Village Cohousing

    • Short-term resident, Tryon Life Commuinty Farm

    • Live-in consultant, Landwell Community

    • Short-term resident, Euclid Manor Coliving

  • Organizations

    • Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC)

      • Executive Director

        • Effectively served as Development Director and Communications Director concurrently for periods of time

      • Board of Directors

      • Independent contractor

        • Policy development; Fiscal sponsorship; Project Manager

    • Delegate, Federation of Egalitarian Communities

    • Staff Facilitator, PEACH (inter-community healthcare fund)

    • Co-founder, Global Ecovillage Network of North America

    • Member Representative, New Economy Coalition

  • Events

    • Manager, Twin Oaks Communities Conference

    • Manager, Twin Oaks 50th Anniversary Celebration

    • Co-founder, organizer, West Coast Communities Conference

    • Organizer, Arcosanti Convergence

    • Program Design & Facilitation, Southwest Inter-Community Summit

  • Community/Cooperative Businesses

    • Management Team, Twin Oaks Community Foods

    • Founder, Co-owner, Alexander House Inn & Hostel Worker Co-op

    • Founder, Co-owner, C’ville Foodscapes Worker Co-op

    • Co-founder, The Next Big Step

  • Community Organizing - Charlottesville, VA

    • As an active member of the larger community, I organized formally and informally with variety of organizations and efforts, including Food Not Bombs, Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation, Quality Community Council, cooperative business advocacy, Occupy Charlottesville, Transition Charlottesville, neighborhood gardening groups, and more.