Harry Webne-Behrman

Harry Webne-Behrman has served as a facilitator, consultant, educator, and mediator for over 40 years. Along with his wife, Lisa Webne-Behrman, he served as Senior Partner of Collaborative Initiative, Inc., a private consulting and mediation firm based in Madison, Wisconsin from 1991-2017. Harry has worked with hundreds of businesses, educational institutions, community groups and public agencies, helping address entrenched organizational and social issues. By consulting with leaders, facilitating large-scale deliberation and engagement processes, mediating interpersonal disputes, and offering educational programs that develop skills needed to address such challenges, Harry has earned a reputation as a valued resource and guide. He maintains tremendous enthusiasm about the importance of learning to work collaboratively to build positive work environments, and offers What Matters at Work courses and consultations in that spirit.

Harry worked for many years with the University of Wisconsin–Madison in numerous roles, including as Founding Director UW–Madison’s HR Communities of Practice Office. In that capacity, he led development of an array of new learning communities and competency-based certification pathways that support professional development of Human Resources staff across the UW–Madison campus. Harry continues to offer professional and executive leadership development courses for UW–Madison through the Center for Professional and Executive Development in the Wisconsin School of Business. He and Lisa also teach advanced dispute resolution courses for the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 2006, Harry received the Wisconsin Association of Mediators Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field, and received a UW–Madison Employee Recognition Award in 2013. In addition to What Matters in This Moment (2021) and What Matters At Work (2020), Harry is the author of The Practice of Facilitation (1998), Guardian of the Process (1994), and co-author of the Working It Out Series (1991-96) in peer mediation and conflict resolution education in schools, and has authored numerous articles on mediation, conflict resolution, and facilitation. Harry and Lisa now live and work in Ottawa, Ontario.