The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A Practitioner's Guide for Leading Large-Group Change

A proven program for organizational change, illustrated with real-life examples from companies and community groups

Dr. James D. Ludema is a Professor of Organization Development at Benedictine University, an internationally recognized organizational consultant, and a Founding Owner of Appreciative Inquiry Consulting, a global firm that includes the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners of appreciative inquiry. Jim has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and has served as consultant to a variety of organizations in the profit, non-profit, and government sectors including BP-Amoco, McDonald’s, John Deere, Ameritech, Northern Telecom, Square D Company, Essef Corporation, Bell and Howell, Kaiser Permanente, World Vision, the City of Minneapolis, and many local and international NGOs.

Bernard J. Mohr is President/Managing Partner of The Synapse Group, Inc., (an international consultancy he founded in 1979 based in Portland, Maine with associate offices in Boston, Washington and Philadelphia). Mohr draws on more than 35 years of consulting in the areas of Organization Renewal and Transformation, Trans-cultural Partnerships, Organization (Re)Design, Change Leadership & High Performance Organizations.

A leading practitioner and innovator in Appreciative Inquiry and Large Group Interactive methods (e.g. Open Space, Participative Design/Search Conferences, Whole Systems Design etc.), he developed North America’s first advanced workshop in Appreciative Inquiry and the first Field Practicum in Appreciative Inquiry.

Diana Whitney, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized consultant, speaker, and thought leader on the subjects of Appreciative Inquiry, Organizational Consciousness, and Spirit in Business. She is the President and Founder (along with David Cooperrider) of Corporation for Positive Change – an international center for Appreciative Inquiry education and consultation. She serves as a founding Director of the Taos Institute – an international community of scholars and practitioners furthering social constructionist thought and practice in leadership, organization development, family therapy and education.

Thomas J. Griffin is Director of Organization and Leadership Development for U.S. Cellular, the eighth largest wireless telecommunications company in the U.S. headquartered in Chicago, IL. Prior to U.S. Cellular, Tom performed similar work at SBC/Ameritech and Texas Instruments. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Organization Development at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. His research and dissertation interests are Large Group Interventions and Organizational Wholeness. Tom was a co-presenter at the First International Conference on Appreciative Inquiry: Accelerating Positive Change presenting on "Designing an AI Summit Meeting for Your Organization."