MARK SPAIN
I was born in the Snowy Mountains, grew up in Cooma and live in Canberra. I am learning to be a steward of the country I live in. I have 3 young adult children and see one of my important leadership roles as a father. My purpose is bringing humanity and nature back into balance and harmony. I'm a co-designer and collaborator in action learning projects like the Canberra City Farm, SEE Change (Society, Environment, Economy) , Presence in Nature, Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy and becoming a zero emissions ACT. As part of Global Learning, I co-design and deliver innovative approaches to leadership development and culture change for business, government and community. My work is focussed on transforming business, society and self by building capacity for deep innovation. I love collaborating with people to build capacity for self-organised positive transformation that regenerates life. |
JANE GELTCH
I am a participatory process practitioner and a student of the new paradigms emerging across the world for a more connected, compassionate future. Hosting groups in co-creating new ways of organising and working together forms much of my work in the world. My underlying intention is to host space for people to come together in ways which recognise and respond to our interconnectedness with each other and the Earth. I love hosting and nourishing others on their path as they host and nourish me. |
STEVE RYMAN
I am a nomadic practitioner of meaningful conversations. Sometimes I’ve been called a Sacred Outsider as I travel the world, asking questions, listening to and sharing stories, witnessing life’s unfolding, and offering myself and my gifts where I can contribute. But most of all, I am continually learning what it means to be authentically human and how to be more present in all situations. I worked 35 years in American healthcare facilitating innovation, collaboration and change processes, and developing high performing work teams. For the past decade, I have practiced the Art of Hosting Conversations with a particular interest in frontier areas of the world (India, Africa, China, Vietnam) where I can support newer practitioners in their learning and capacity building and their development as communities of practitioners. Having never been to Australia, I will be bringing deep curiosity and a desire to experience the richness of a new continent and culture. My journey and my learning have been sustained and enhanced by personal practices including mindfulness meditation, Aikido, pilgrimage and deep connection with the natural world. |
JANET SALISBURY
I have lived in Canberra for over 33 years, am a mother and grandmother, businesswoman, and supporter of many community groups and activities. I am a passionate advocate for dialogue in our public discourse as a way to create understanding and collaboration across different perspectives. I am a member of the Canberra-based group A Chorus of Women who give voice to matters of concern at the heart of our communities through artistic expression (primarily song) and public conversations. I was the initiator and facilitator of Chorus’s Canberra Conversations series (2009–2014), which combined artistic expression with the principles I had learnt through Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter training to create opportunities for citizen-led dialogue, particularly about local development and environmental issues. I initiated this training course in the heart of Canberra to foster further opportunities for dialogue and collaborative decision making about the complex issues we face. |
MEL GELTCH
I grew up, lived and worked in the Riverina, NSW and currently live in Brisbane, my base as a collaborative organiser, designer, host and harvester of work that matters. I am passionate about unleashing the potential of people to do our best work in the world, and amplifying sustainable organisations, communities and systems where everyone is a valued contributor. My experience in communications, engagement, events and change enriches my practice, and I am at my best when learning and co-creating with others in complex spaces and with wicked problems. The principles and practices of the Art of Hosting and self organising human systems, are the cornerstone of the way I work and live. I’m a co-founder of a collaborative enterprise of people working in public participation and the transformation of organisations and communities. Campfire Coop is a supportive platform for doing purposeful work that benefits people and the planet, and for practicing a more human way of doing business. |
DAVID NEWELL
My passion lies in supporting people to realise and activate their full potential - individually, and within groups and organisations. For the past 25 years I have worked within regional and rural communities, supporting individuals and organisations who are working towards environmental and social sustainability. This work has focused on building the capacity of people to collaborate well and co-create wise actions. I first participated in an Art of Hosting training in 2010, and since that time have used the practices and way of being in all my work. I continue to explore the “Art” of this way of creating collective meaning, understanding and action. My work in the world includes hosting men’s circles and leading contemporary rite of passage camps for boys. I am also a student of shamanic healing practices. I am a founding member of Campfire Co-op, a collective of hosts, facilitators, practitioners and learners. |
MICHELLE CROZIER
I have worked and played in the human service sector, supporting and serving people for over 20 years. I have experience in service management, academic research, project management, facilitation and consultancy, as well as lived experience, as a parent of children with unique needs, at the hands of different service systems (e.g. health and education). My calling is to work with people who are curious about each other and changing the way things currently get done in organisations and the world. I believe that meaningful conversations are the key to unlocking wise action to reform workplaces, communities and systems for a more creative, curious, tolerant and compassionate world. I am an Art of Hosting practitioner, and am continually drawn to and amazed at the power of processes, like circle practice, that invite people to bring their best authentic self to result in lasting positive changes. I am a founding member of Campfire Co-op, a collective of hosts, facilitators, practitioners and learners. |
LYN STEPHENS
I come to this training with the hope that it will generate something interesting and new for those who attend, and in the heart of the nation. My entrée to Art of Hosting comes largely through my connection with two other members of the hosting team, Janet and Mark. This goes back several years and involves various projects and ongoing attempts to encourage deep conversation in our community. The experience I bring is derived from my early career as a social worker in mental health, followed by management roles in the public service, then organisational development consulting mainly with NGOs in the ACT – along with the all the learning that can emerge from decades of family life. I am open to the possibilities that this training may bring and look forward to meeting the people who will share this journey with us. |
Ellie Nguyen
My parents named me Hường, but I'm also Ellie. I was born in Hanoi (Vietnam) 24 years ago and have been living here ever since. My country has gone through tremendous changes within that time, and so have I. I was in a deep place of confusion and disconnection as a university student. After 4 years in 2 different universities, I understood it wasn't for me. However education is still in a important place in my heart. So I joined Knowmads Hanoi, an educational organisation that helps create a supportive learning environment and empower young people who want to make positive change. Art of Hosting practices are at the core of everything we do, from running our organisation to designing our programs. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of this training in Canberra, and hope deepen my practices as well as contribute what I have witnessed and practiced in the emerging field in Vietnam. Can't wait to connect, share and learn with everyone there. |
Anne-Laure Romanet
I was born and raised in Paris, where I studied European business and started my career in the corporate world. After five years in this world, and while I was on a 10-month mission in Vietnam, I met a community of people that was asking themselves the exact same question I had been asking in my mind for years: "how can we develop collaborative working cultures, where people and business can thrive?". I got fully engaged in the organisation of an Art of Hosting Training in Hanoi to explore this question further, and finally decided to quit my job and stay in Vietnam to keep deepening my practice within the community there. I now work for Knowmads Hanoi, an education organisation that designs learning experiences for personal development, sustainability and collaboration. It will be my very first stay in Australia, and also the furthest away I have ever been from my home country. |