Search Results for: Wasserman

Ilene Wasserman, Ph. D

Ilene Wasserman, founder and president of ICW Consulting has over 30 years of experience in Organizational Consulting, Strategic Planning, Change Management, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching. As Vice-President of a major consulting firm and founder and President of ICW Consulting, Ilene helps leaders and teams throughout organizations leverage multiple dimensions of domestic and global diversity by enhancing communication and collaboration. Ilene’s approach is appreciative, based on the principles that we transform organizational cultures through engaging the whole system.

Ilene has served a consulting coach with senior executives and board of directors of Fortune 100 companies, socially responsible businesses, health care institutions and institutes of higher education. Consultations have also included designing retreats for leadership teams and developing internal work teams. She has also led large strategic change initiatives. In addition to consulting and coaching Ilene has taught courses in leadership, organizational consulting, leading diversity, organizational communication, emotional intelligence and cultural competence, and group dynamics at the graduate level.

Ilene received her PhD from the Fielding Graduate University in Human and Organizational Development. She also holds Masters degrees both in Counseling Psychology and Social Work from Washington University and a B.S. from Cornell University in Human Development. In addition to her formal education, Ilene is trained in Future Search, Gestalt, and Appreciative Inquiry. has conducted foundational and advanced workshops in Appreciative Inquiry.

Ilene is a Senior Fellow of the Wharton Leadership Institute, a Fellow of both the Taos Institute and serves on the Board of the Lewin Center, serves on the Boards of the CMM Institute and is a Member of NTL. Ilene is active in her community, serving as Chair of the Lower Merion Township Human Relations Commission.

ICW at Global Social Witnessing_Conference.Lab 2021

“The GSW_Conference.Lab 2021 will provide a space where diverse perspectives/experiences from artists, scientists, spiritual practitioners, and political activists will inspire participants to better understand and embody GSW within their mind, heart, and body. Throughout the lab, we will co-create new ideas, strategies, tools, and energy to help us become mature global citizens in our times of disruption and transformation.” (https://www.globalsocialwitnessing.org/#row_gswlab)

Now through March 18, recorded dialogues are available for all conference participants. Listen in as Ilene Wasserman discusses “GSW and Inclusion: How do we go on together?”

Click HERE to learn more and register.

See you at the Academy of Management’s 2020 Annual Meeting

The 80th annual Meeting of the Academy of Management is happening virtually this year, from August 7th to 11th. Ilene Wasserman will be presenting as part of two different sessions, and we’d love to see you for either or both. Register for the meeting and explore the whole program here.

Find us at the following sessions:

From Founders to the Future: A 20/20 Look at Organization Development | Friday August 7th | 10am-12pm EST

In the mid-2000s, scholars were concerned that organization development may have become a dying field. Since then, others have studied a number of developments associated with OD, including discourse analysis, agility, coaching, appreciative inquiry, complexity theory, and dialogic OD, to name a few that surfaced in the late 2000s and 2010s. The emergence of these practices created for practitioners a tension between the legacy of the founders of OD focused on interpersonal relationships, groups and teams, and internal organization relationships, and the requests of clients for assistance in these new areas. Further, practices once part of OD work, such as organization design, coaching, project management, and change management, became the purview of other professionals. Last, the role of human resource professionals was changing from transactional to more strategic engagements in organizations that at times closely resembled OD work.

Both the extension of practices within the field of OD and the wide array of historic OD work now performed by HR and other professionals led to a sense of fragmentation in the OD field. This PDW presents the results of work by OD scholars and professionals during the Founders to the Future Project to both honor the past and recommend a coherent future for the field of OD. In an interactive setting, participants will provide feedback on reports in four areas provided to registrants prior to the conference: vision for the OD field, values for the future, competencies that will be needed, and a dynamic definition of OD.

Bridging Positive Organizational Scholarship and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Friday August 7th | 4pm-6pm EST

This session is targeted to scholars interested in the study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from strengths-based approaches. The aim of this innovative PDW is to provide a forum for researchers to discover new forms of inquiry that will advance research on DEI within positive organizational scholarship (POS). Part of the workshop will include empirical research puzzles presented by DEI experts known for their work in this area. We will feature current empirical and theoretical work that explores positive processes and outcomes associated with diversity in organizations. We will then encourage participation from participants through roundtable discussions and report-outs.

Ideally, participants will be required to pre-register for the session and provide a brief summary on their interests at the nexus of DEI and POS, so that the organizers can assign them to an initial table based on the similarity of their interests of other participants and our facilitators. Participants will be asked to rotate to a new table following each panel presentation to allow cross-fertilization of ideas during the session. We will provide discussion questions for participants to reflect on theoretical, methodological, and practical puzzles they face in their own research and practice in DEI. Further, they will focus on collaboratively brainstorming how adopting a POS lens enhances their study of DEI topics, and how DEI research expands the study of POS. Participants will also consider the implications of empirical research on POS and DEI for individuals and organizations. The session will conclude with a report out on from each table and a summary of future directions presented by the organizing committee.

When does a critical moment become an inflection point?

One significant way we make sense of our worlds is through the structure of stories. And our stories are understood through our frames of reference from family, community, and history. These stories influence what we hear and what we don’t hear, what we tell or don’t tell, and what we chose to edit. Stories are constituted by episodes. And we find grounding in those episodes having a beginning, middle, and end.

We find ourselves now in the middle of a number of powerful episodes that contain critical moments and how we chose to respond is especially consequential to the future we are creating. One of these episodes is the global pandemic and how different geographic regions are dealing with it. Another episode has been ignited by the outrage in response to the murder of George Floyd. How we frame the beginning, middle and end of the episodes that constitute each of these stories continues to shift as the beginnings or roots continue to unfold and the future we are creating is uncertain…

Read the rest of Ilene Wasserman’s post on the CMM Institute blog here

Our Team

ICW Consulting Group is an affiliation of experts and thought leaders in the field of organization development, leadership, team development and strategic processes. We have similar values and viewpoints regarding how we work with clients, and have complementary strengths. Founded in 1998 by Ilene Wasserman, ICW serves our clients by bringing together the best resources for their particular needs.

When you engage with us on a project, we bring together the right subset of our team based on your unique needs and desires.

Ilene Wasserman | MSW, Ph.D. | Founder & President

For over 25 years, Ilene has been on the cutting edge of research and practice in creating inclusive workplace cultures and environments through strength-based methodologies, capacity building, and relational leadership and strategy. She has worked with both private and public-sector organizations to build and strengthen diverse leadership teams, staff relationships, and effective communication strategies to help them achieve their goals. Her areas of professional expertise include Diversity & Inclusion, Change Management, Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Public Speaking, and Group Facilitation.

Ilene is deeply committed to providing the foundation and motivation that sustain learnings with senior leaders, teams and staff long after the consulting relationship has ended. Ilene uses an action learning approach integrating learning and development with her clients’ everyday work.

Ilene is a Senior Fellow of the Wharton Leadership Institute, a Fellow of the Taos Institute, and serves on the Board of the Lewin Center, on the Board of the CMM Institute and is a Member of NTL. She has served on local boards including the Support Center for Child Advocates where she facilitated their strategic planning process, and on the Lower Merion Human Relations Commission where she chaired the Commission from 2014-2018.

In addition to consulting and coaching, Ilene teaches organization development and leadership at the graduate level. and is the co-author of: Communicating Possibilities: A Brief Introduction to CMM, and Peer Coaching at Work: Principles and Practices as well as several articles and book chapters (for a full list of Ilene’s published works, click here).

Jeffrey Branch | Ed.D. | Principal

Jeff has over 25 years of experience as an organization development and effectiveness consultant, executive coach and adult education practitioner. Jeff utilizes inquiry, dialogue and systems thinking to help organizations achieve and sustain high performance. He has worked with multiple sectors including corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

One of Jeff’s key initiatives while serving as a senior leader with a Philadelphia regional healthcare system, included the design, facilitation and integration of Diversity and Inclusion learning modules for all levels of leadership. His role included the design, implementation and facilitation of an action learning curriculum engaging the clinical and non-clinical leadership groups within the system.

Jeff is also on the faculty of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Organizational Development and Leadership (ODL) graduate program, where he serves as Program Director of two Higher Education Graduate Programs; Organization Development and Leadership, and Public Health Management and Administration. A major facet of Jeff’s research and teaching practice includes the intentional design and engagement of mentoring and coaching practices as a multi-dimensional curricular and co-curricular teaching and learning strategy to promote practitioner development.

Jeff is a member of NTL Institute of Applied Behavioral Sciences and the International Organization Development Network (ODN), where he served as a chair of a special project for the Strategic Planning Implementation Team. He has also served as a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). To help facilitate his own immersion experience into the work of diversity and inclusion, Jeff joined the Global Citizens Network in 2006. This organization focuses on preserving the culture of indigenous peoples across the world. His initial experience included weeks of volunteer work with Native-American peoples in the Northwest, United States and subsequent travel to Latin American countries. He expects to continue the work globally with anticipated trips to Africa, South America and Israel.

Elisa Carletti | MOP

Elisa Carletti, an associate with ICW, is an Organizational Psychologist with experience as consultant and trainer in Italy and US. She is passionate about DEI, group dynamics and empowering leadership. She holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Università Cattolica di Milano and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Università di Bologna.

Elisa collaborates on a large-scale networking project which brings together thought leaders in the field of Organizational Development and also serves as Teaching Assistant at Teachers College, Columbia University, at the Practicum in Change and Consultation in Organizations.

Bernardo M. Ferdman | Ph.D.

Bernardo M. Ferdman is a Consultant with ICW Consulting Group and also the principal of Ferdman Consulting. Bernardo, a Board Certified Coach and native Spanish speaker, has extensive international experience. As a university professor since 1986, Bernardo has broad knowledge of theory, research, and practice in diversity and inclusion, organization development, cross-cultural management/leadership, and Latinos/as in the workplace. He has published extensively and regularly makes presentations and conducts workshops for a range of audiences on these topics.

As a practitioner, Bernardo works with organizations, groups, and individuals to improve performance and leadership and to increase inclusion, focusing on assessment, coaching, dialogue, facilitation, and learning in the context of diversity.

Placida Gallegos | Ph.D.

Placida Gallegos, a Consultant with ICW Consulting group, has over 30 years experiencing supporting individuals from all backgrounds, groups and organizations in thriving and achieving optimal outcomes. As a researcher, she has emphasized organizational high performance, leadership development, cultural assessment and strategic change initiatives. In addition to her work with ICW, Dr. Gallegos is the founder of her own firm.

Kathy E. Kram | Ph.D.

Kathy E. Kram, a Consultant with ICW Consulting Group, is the Shipley Professor in Management Emerita at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. Her primary interests are in the areas of mentoring, relational learning, the transition in to retirement, and diversity issues in executive development and leadership. She is a founding member of the Center for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations (CREIO), and served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) 2000-2001.

CONNIE ROSE | MBA, PCC, CAPP

Connie Rose, an Associate with the ICW Consulting Group, specializes in executive and leadership coaching services. Her coaching supports her clients in gaining a new sense of clarity around what they want and how to pursue it. Connie has over 20 years of experience as a trusted advisor to senior executives, top talent and emerging leaders. She is also an executive coach at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and with the Bryn Mawr Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute. She helps leaders expand the scope of their thinking, communicate more effectively, manage difficult conversations successfully, and hold people accountable in a clear, collaborative way.

Tony Silbert | MSOD

Tony Silbert, a Strategic Partner with ICW, has over 25 years of experience in business consulting, organizational development, training design and delivery, positive change leadership development, and coaching. He brings strengths-based and participatory approaches to strategic planning, innovation, leadership development, and culture building.

He is Dean of the Appreciative Inquiry & Strategy program at the National Training Laboratories Institute, teaches in Providence College’s MBA program, and provides leadership development training with the UMass Boston, Center for Collaborative Leadership.

Tony has supported industries across the globe including Healthcare, Financial, IT, Government, Pharma, International Development, Non-profit/Social Enterprise, Telecommunications, and Logistics.

Erin Taylor | MAT

Erin Taylor is ICW’s Client Relationship Manager and a Consultant. With grounding in the tools of formal organizations, anti-oppression movements, and both school-based and outdoor education, Erin’s work and interests focus on using land, food, and facilitation to build and heal people’s relationships with place, identity, and human systems. In addition to her work with ICW she consults independently to nonprofits on both organizational and curriculum development.

Jennie Udell

Jennie Udell is ICW’s Chief Coordinator and Project Manager. She supports all areas related to logistics and billing. Her process-oriented perspective and experience in business management support both ICW’s clients and associates in reaching their goals. Jennie began her career in hospitality, first as a corporate meeting planner then later as a business owner producing meetings and events for a variety of corporate and non-profit clients in the Philadelphia area. Following a passion for creating inclusive environments, Jennie chose to shift her path from hospitality to Organizational Development. Jennie has a BA from the George Washington University and is pursuing an MS in Organization Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gabrielle Wanamaker

Gabrielle Wanamaker, a Senior Associate with the ICW Consulting Group, has over twenty-five years of experience as a management consultant specializing in strategy and leadership development using a DEIB framework. She builds intra-organizational trust to strengthen staff and leadership’s capacity to achieve desired outcomes. With a background in corporate finance and human and organizational systems, Gabrielle advocates co-creating KPIs using a triple bottom line approach by keeping people, profit, and the planet in mind. She is Adjunct Faculty at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is also a member of the Academy of Management and the OD Network.

Jess Wass | MSOP

Jess Wass, an Associate with ICW Consulting Group, is an Organizational Development Consultant, Executive Coach, Facilitator, and Speaker. Her focus is on helping people reach their full potential at work by getting to the heart of what truly drives them and helping ordinary managers become extraordinary leaders. Jess holds a Master’s degree in Social-Organizational Psychology with a focus in Change Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University. She participated in the Executive Masters program where she pursued her degree while working full-time. She has a BSBA in Finance and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis where she was also an Ervin Scholar.