Faculty
Terry Amsler, M.P.A., is the director of the Collaborative Governance Initiative for the Institute for Local Government. Amsler has worked for the Hewlett Foundation and served as the executive director of the Oregon Dispute Resolution Commission and San Francisco's Community Board Program. He is an experienced mediator, facilitator, trainer and program developer in the field of conflict resolution.
Susan Carpenter, Ph.D., is a mediator, trainer and writer in private practice. She has spent the past 25 years developing and managing programs to reach consensus on public issues, resolve public controversies and develop common goals and visions at the local, state and national levels. She currently works with organizations and groups to build capacity for collaboration and conflict resolution.
Susan Christy, Ph.D., CMC, is a professional speaker and corporate consultant specializing in leadership, change management, customer services and team building. Before starting her own business, she was vice president of a training firm in San Francisco, a psychology professor and a TV talk show host. She serves on the board of directors at the Institute of Management Consultants, the California Institute of Integral Studies and Keep Your Freedom, Keep Your Dreams.
Ken Davis, M.A., is a program manager of Conflict Resolution Associates in Ohio and has extensive training experience in mediation, facilitation and conflict resolution. He also serves as a court program consultant and trainer, and as group facilitator in nonprofit organizational disputes.
Elvia García-Ayala is the program manager of Community Mediation Services, City of Davis. She has 15 years of experience in the field of community mediation in a number of areas, including program development, training, mentoring and coaching, mediation, facilitation and community education and outreach.
Larry Hoover has more than 30 years of specialized experience in public employment issues. He is the sole proprietor of Mediation Associates, specializing in mediations in both higher education and public employment.
Carolyn Penny holds a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of San Diego. She has an extensive backgro8und in conflict resolution issue-framing, meeting design, facilitation of multi-stakeholder decision making, strategic and organizational planning, mediation, facilitation of public engagement processes, training, and analysis and writing. Her clients have included private-sector companies, community grassroots efforts, nonprofit organizations and public-sector agencies. With a Certificate in Land Use and Environmental Planning from UC Davis Extension, Carolyn has facilitated problem solving on a variety of issues—including water use, transportation, land use, education, public health, the environment and quality of life.
Elaine Fukuhara Schilling has been a leader and consultant in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, higher education and government. As such she has focues on developing competencies of managers and leaders; building more productive and accountable work teams and environments; evaluating programs and services; and creating competency-based leadership programs. She is a former manager of training and development at UC Berkeley and at a large financial institution. In addition, Schilling is on the faculty at San Francisco State University, where she teaches human resources management courses for the College of Health and Human Services.
Linda Ziegahn, Ph.D., is an associate with Common Ground: Center for Cooperative Solutions at UC Davis Extension. Prior experience includes teaching on the faculties of Antioch University and Syracuse University in the fields of Adult Education and Intercultural Relations, and working as an educational consultant for the U.S. Agency for International Development in southern Africa. Her consultant and research interests include managing intercultural conflict, and developing intercultural curriculum in both face-to-face and online teaching environments.
