Brandon WilliamsCraig Ph. D.

Berkeley, CA

Association Building Community (ABCglobal) Inc. 501(c)3

President   2001- 2010

Executive Director   2001-2004 

Co-founder   1999

Co-Director, Guardians of Peace project

Past Director and Project Manager, Saving Sounds program

• Facilitation of an intentional, distributed community dedicated to developing the Process Arts (the field of group process study, design, and facilitation) and opening doors for local community initiatives. Facilitation of over ten years of circles and meetings, from founding through incorporation, inclusion and leave-taking of members, life transitions (births, weddings, deaths), three offices in Oakland, San Leandro, and Berkeley - over 1500 hours
• Co-facilitation of weekly public co-creative space in downtown Oakland - over 60 hours
• Co-created community building facilitator training for 10-20 participants in a remote location
• Co-facilitation of Dedicated Weekly Group - over 100 hours
• Co-facilitation of monthly community building circle - over 300 hours
• Co-facilitation of creative alliance groups with other organizations including Artship, Citizen Deliberative Councils, more
• Community mediations for ABC members - over 100 hours
• Professional mediation between associated members and external entities as a substitute for legal proceedings - over 100 hours
• Development and implementation of the plan and vision of the Council (Board) with strong cooperative leadership
• Documenting organizational history (audio and written recording) and reinforcing institutional memory through auto-critical processes
• Origination of the "process arts" idea, development as the name of the field, and facilitation of growing use
• Remote location leadership and team direction, whole project responsibility
• Assembling Board of Directors for initial founding and co-creation of articles of incorporation, organizational structure, donors, offices in downtown Oakland and Berkeley CA
• Created and maintained all web design and online community-building infrastructure, wifi and PC network, email listserves and groups, online presence through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tribe, LiveJournal, WiseEarth, etc.
• Initiated and coordinated relationships with parallel mission organizations/groups: Aikido of Berkeley, Epworth UMC, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, Nexus For Change
• Deployed by contract to create the position of Executive Director of Aiki Extensions, an international organization coordinating martial arts for peace
• Support and development services provided to local group-process professionals
• Seminars and workshops created, promoted, and delivered
• Project planning, facilitation, and presentation services donated to local non-profits: First United Methodist San Leandro, St. Paschal Baylon Church, San Leandro Unified School District, among others
• Ongoing relationships with local businesses and professionals towards cultivating Community in all aspects, developing opportunities of mutual benefit as well as the life and work of each individual
• Accessible leadership with boundaries, innovative and dedicated to co-creativity, and always only human - i.e. ready to delegate and rest

Aiki Extensions Inc. (AE) 501(c)3

AE contracted ABC so that I might create an AE administration and the position of Executive Director       2008

• Direction of an international network dedicated to understanding the martial arts as peace practices and extending the "arts of peace" metaphor 
  • beyond the training environment in the form of process arts and
  • into concrete projects to benefit those most vulnerable and in need in African and South America
• Co-creation and implementation of the Strategic Plan and vision of the Board with strong cooperative leadership
• A clear overview of all projects with an eye to coordinating diverse international teams of volunteers
• Membership recruitment, conflict process development, and creation of resolution strategies
• Documented organizational history and reinforcing institutional memory through auto-critical processes
• Hiring and/or supervision and co-creative training of staff in Berkeley CA and Chicago IL offices
• Created Member Wiki and member-centered technology including universally accessible lists serve
• Coordinated maintenance of all web design and online infrastructure, wifi and PC network, email listserves and groups, online presence.
• Initiated and coordinated relationships with parallel mission organizations/groups: Harmony In Action Brazil, Awassa (Ethiopia) Youth Campus, Aikido of Berkeley, member dojos

Moving On Center School for Participatory Arts and Research (MOC) 501(c)3

• Administrated international program with worldwide in-house and associate (contract) faculty
• Coordinated all operations under the supervision of Co-directors in Oakland, CA and New York, NY
• Executive Assistant to Executive Director
• Event planning and coordination
• Liaison to facility and residents council, mediation and dispute facilitation,
• Employee hiring, management, firing process, and all Human Resources functions including payroll and tax reporting, institution insurance, more...

Courses Offered

Areas of Process Expertise and Research Emphasis

• Comparative-Critical Studies in Religion, Mythology, Psychology, and Culture 

• Development of the Process Arts

• Peace and Conflict Facilitation

• Peace Environment Community Building

• Violence in Communication, Organization, Governance, and Culture

• Religion, Nationalism, and Terror

• Contemporary Social Movements based on Inclusivity

• Interdisciplinarity of the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

• International Justice and Humane Rights

• American Mythologies of Justice, Democracy, and the Politics of Economic Development

• World Citizenship and Globalization

Original Methodologies (trademark):

• Associative Inquiry - AsIn^®

• Healing Friction - HF^®

• Martial Nonviolence - MNv^® - bodymind conflict facilitation training for individual and group conflict that is physical, intangible, and systemic
  

• Flexibility In Adversity Training - FIAT^®

Certifications in Existing Methodologies:

• Community Mediation – State of California, Marvin Schwartz J.D.

• Aikido, Martial Art of Peace, 4^th degree black belt, Instructor

• Community Building Facilitator – Leadership Training, Foundation for Community Encouragement (F.C.E.) – M. Scott Peck M.D.

• Children’s Theater, History of Theater, Musical Theater, Voice, Improvisation as Social Action – Dallas Theater Center

• Tomatis Listening Therapy - trained in Monterrey, Mexico and Dallas, Texas

Formal Recognition

Recommended for and inducted by Huston Smith into the Pacific Coast Theological Society at the Graduate Theological Union

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Websites and Public Blogs

• http://culturesmith.com
• http://processarts.net
• http://williamscraig.com
• http://mythofpeace.com
   

Dissertation

The Myth of Peace: a culture of peacemaking, the process arts, and the emergence of a global communitarian mythology

Group events

REFERENCES

Ed Correia                             President, Founder, Sagacent Technologies (408) 391-7141 ecorreia@sagacent.com

Richard Page                         Owner, Conference Recording Service (510) 527-3600 richard@conferencerecording.com

Kayla Feder                           Founder/Chief Instructor, Aikido of Berkeley (510) 601-9999 kaylasensei@yahoo.com

Odette Lockwood-Stewart     Pastor, Epworth U.M.C., Berkeley (510) 524-2921 revodette@lmi.net 

Paper or PDF letter available 

Huston Smith                        Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Syracuse University; Visiting Professor of Religious Studies, University of California, Berkeley; Professor of Philosophy at M.I.T.

Additional Skills and Qualifications based on duties performed

• Coordinating logistics of training events, seminars and conferences.
• Security for public facilities and events
  • Barton Protective Services for Byron Nelson PGA Golf Classic
  • Doubletree Hotels security PBX and surveillance
  • NOW Youth Concerts Dallas TX

• Crisis Management experience
  • Solo staff member during 48 hour emergency recovery during 30 person student group return from Europe to United States, includes long delays and health issues
  • Physical conflict intervention in adult male-male, adult male-female, juvenile and youth altercations and human-animal violence
  • Apartment building unit gas explosion, evacuation of special needs tenants, communication with authorities and rescue personnel, calming counsel
  • Recovery from personal assault with a deadly weapon and battery/theft
  • Extensive personal grief work
• International and National travel 

•  
  • National "walkabout" in a custom converted van, counter-clockwise around the US
  • National Theater tour: 50,000 miles in 234 days, 175 shows performed in rotating repertoire of 2 full length and 2 one act plays - 41 states covered
  • Grand Caymans, Denmark, Greece, France, Austria, England, Germany, most of Italy, several trips into Mexico for work and mission

• Tracking and documenting training course preparation and implementation
• Identification of and communication with trainers and participants in public conferences
• Drafting appeals and invitation letters and other connective correspondence
• Development and analysis of training needs assessments & evaluations
• Preparation of training course proceedings and CEU certificate workshops
• Training for apprentices and volunteers in a highly disciplined setting
• Facilitating domestic training events and workshops
• Project startup process design and tracking
• Facilitation of annual work plans or team-building sessions
• Training & Facilitation of direct hires and volunteers in creating database of training materials and information, and in creating informational and marketing material.
• Modest foreign language proficiency in Spanish, slight background in Latin and Italian
• International work experience in Rome, Italy (University Resident Assistant and food Service Manager) and Frederikshavn, Denmark (free lance photo journalist); Mexico, esp. Monterrey and Michoacán/Erongaricuaro
• Regional Familiarity: most of Texas, especially Dallas and Mason Counties; California, esp. SF Bay Area and Berkeley; Ashland, Oregon; Burlington, Vermont
• US Citizen with valid passport

Encouragement and critique excerpted from professional evaluations

• Exceptionally organized, dedicated and flexible with a strong sense of personal honor and good humor
• Ideal project manager
• Occasional difficulty managing energy effectively, slightly project obsessive, especially when working alone
• High level proficiency and rapid learning curve in data related and technical applications
• Language skills outstrip mathematics and statistics handling
• Easy facility with non technical solutions, different learning styles, and soft skills approaches
• Very strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Born teacher, presenter, trainer, and performer
• Energetic and enthusiastic - collaborative team focus, waits before becoming directive and sustains motivation
• Very comfortable working in a fast paced and sometimes intense work environment - also ready to match slower paces

Other Work

• Elder woman with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, brain tumor, chemical sensitivity

• Personal care, technology assistance and training, all cleaning and errands, repairs, transportation, extensive duties as assigned
• Negotiation of landlord tenant issues, parking permit, building issues, bureaucracy and paperwork
• SEIU Local 6434
   

Aikido of Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

• Yondan (4^th degree black belt), aiki training since 1990, 2yr live-in apprenticeship with world-renowned teacher. Deep understanding of conflict and sustainable, mutual preservation.
• Instructor and demonstration partner with Kayla Feder Sensei, 6th dan, dojo cho (school founder).
• Private lessons given and test preparation for dojo members.

Nexus For Change Conference 2009  -  Planning and Technology Teams

Nexus For Change Conference 2007  -  Planning and Technology Teams

Repertory Theater of America    Rockport, TX        

Moonstruck Theater                            Dallas, TX                 

Dallas Children's Theater             Dallas, TX            

Pegasus Theater                                        Dallas, TX          

Theater On The Hill                            Cedar Hill, TX        

DALLAS THEATER CENTER                                  Dallas, TX