Login
Common Higher Ground Workshop
Keystone’s Common Higher Ground Workshop helps professionals in all sectors develop strategies and build skills for effective decision-making and problem-solving within and beyond their organizations.
Many pressing problems cannot be solved sustainably by one person or party. The workshop is designed for leaders and emerging leaders who need to build a shared vision in the face of apparent differences, whether within a single organization, between organizations, within a community, or across society.
Participants will learn collaborative skills and strategies to increase effectiveness at reaching across silos, convening effective teams, and listening and responding to colleagues, constituents, communities, and other stakeholders. The workshop features learning and practice for each crucial stage of collaborative decision-making, and guides participants in building a toolkit of responses to difficult or sensitive situations.
By the end of this workshop, participants should:
- Feel confident in assessing whether a problem is appropriate for collaboration, and in discerning whose participation is necessary for success.
- Know how to prepare for a challenging discussion and be ready for a range of potential outcomes.
- Feel practiced at generating and refining options on the way to workable solutions.
- Have a toolkit of strategies to deal with difficult personalities and tactics, and to work through impasses and misunderstandings.
- Understand common breakdowns in communication and professional relationships and how to get them back on track.
Dates and Times
The online workshop will take place from January 28 – February 13, 2025, including 6 two-hour sessions over the three-week span.
- In North American Mountain Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00pm – 3:00pm
- In North American Eastern Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Registration
Click here to register for the Common Higher Ground workshop.
Other workshops and trainings offered by Keystone
- Adaptive Facilitation: Crafting durable solutions to complex problems is for those who want to help diverse groups work through complex problems and build working relationships from a disinterested, process-focused, perspective.
For more information about the Common Higher Ground Workshop, or to inquire about scheduling a workshop in your area, contact Jonathan Geurts, jgeurts@keystone.org, (720) 295-9842.
Hear directly from some of the participants of the Common Higher Ground workshop in the episode of the Keynotes Podcast below.
About Keystone Policy Center
Keystone Policy Center is a trusted non-profit organization founded in 1975 to drive actionable, shared solutions to contentious agriculture, environment, energy, education, and public health issues. Keystone is recognized by public, private, and civic-sector leaders throughout the United States for independent, collaborative problem-solving approaches that offer a proven blueprint for progress and collective impact. Keystone’s trainers have tested theory with years of real-world experience building multi-sector collaboratives and facilitating public engagement.
Brad Sperber is a Senior Policy Director at Keystone Policy Center, providing expertise in collaborative decision-making — including facilitation, mediation, public and stakeholder engagement, and issue assessment — locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. He has more than 20 years of experience designing and facilitating dialogue and research processes that assist public, civic, and private sector organizations in solving complex shared problems. His project experience spans public health and healthcare, education, human rights, agriculture, energy, and the environment. Clients include the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Asian Development Bank, and the Louisiana Department of Education. He holds a M.Div from Harvard University and a B.A. in history and religion from St. Olaf College.
Jonathan Geurts is a Project Director at Keystone. His focus on public and private land management has connected agricultural supply chains – from farmer to retailer – on sustainability principles, engaged communities on joint needs for adjacent public lands, and helped land and water planners problem solve for a water scarce future. He holds a M.A. in conflict resolution from the University of Denver.
Readings and Resources
See what Brad and Jonathan are Reading
To download a free list of resources that our trainers have found the useful in understanding collaborative decision-making and facilitation, and sign up for notifications of future workshops, click the button below (please check your spam filter or any quarantine email folders after submitting request). If you do not receive the resource list, please contact Jonathan Geurts at jgeurts@keystone.org.
Effective March 1, 2025, Thomas J. Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, became the first Chief Executive Officer for the World Food Prize Foundation. In this new role, Governor Vilsack is focusing on expanding the Foundation’s global network, and will further position the Foundation as a leader in addressing global food and nutrition insecurity, continuing his lifetime of public service.
Shelby Coffey III is a distinguished journalist, media executive, and thought leader whose career has helped shape the landscape of American news and public discourse. Over several decades, Coffey has held some of the most influential roles in journalism, including serving as editor of the Los Angeles Times, executive vice president of ABC News, and deputy managing editor of The Washington Post. His editorial leadership extended to key roles as president of CNN Financial News, editor of the Dallas Times Herald, and U.S. News & World Report.
Jerry Steiner has spent 40 years involved in agriculture following growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm. He began his career with Monsanto, in multiple business leadership roles. From 2003-2013 he served as a member of the Executive team, as the company’s Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs. He led the company’s global Government, Public and Industry Affairs teams across the 70 countries where Monsanto conducts business. This experience got Jerry connected to the Keystones centers work in agriculture. Key among his responsibilities were shaping the company’s public policy and building partnerships aimed at helping farmers around the world produce more food, while conserving valuable resources like water and energy. Two unique partnership that developed under his leadership were drought tolerant corn with 5 African countries, CIMMYT and the Gates foundation, and a building a sustainable business model in Brazil with the value chain leading to significant multi-company investment and soybean varieties that can protected themselves.
Jennifer Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy, leading a team of nearly 6,000 staff working in more than 80 countries and territories tackling the dual crises of the 
Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first Black Member of Congress in Colorado history. In December 2022, Rep. Neguse was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), becoming the first Coloradan to serve in a senior elected leadership role in the House in over 85 years. He serves on the Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees, and was also appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to serve as one of four Democrats on the prestigious Rules Committee. Rep. Neguse serves as Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, which he previously Chaired in the 117th Congress.
Llewellyn King was born in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He went into journalism as soon as he turned 16, stringing for Time magazine and United Press in Africa.
Steven Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo North America, overseeing a more than $48 billion business that spans PepsiCo’s Foods and Beverage operating units. His leadership encompasses more than 125,000 associates and over 900 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Steven joined PepsiCo in 2001 as part of PepsiCo’s acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company, which he joined in 1997, and has held leadership positions of increased responsibility since.