A Message from the Director

Greetings! We’re pleased that you’ve found the Institute and we welcome your attention. As we move into the middle of our third decade, we are continuing to expand the scope and quality of our services, as we continue to learn and grow from the work that we do.

Our work on innovative projects such as the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, the Community-Based Collaboratives Research Consortium, the Superfund Site Renewal Program, the Southern Tobacco Communities Project, and the many other projects and programs we are involved in, demonstrates our mission: to practice conflict resolution and consensus building, to learn from that practice, and to teach and build capacity of others, all in the service of communities that are sustained ecologically, socially, and economically.

While our work takes many forms, it all rests upon certain core values. We know that public decisions are generally better when developed by processes that are inclusive of diverse views, transparent to the public, and responsive to participant needs. Most importantly, public processes should affirm and support behavior that builds relationships of integrity and trust and decisions that are creative, effective and legitimate. Conflict may be harmful, but conflict resolution provides an opportunity to transform civic disarray into civic responsibility.

We often hear that “the public is apathetic.” Our experience says otherwise; citizens actually care deeply about their neighborhoods and communities. People yearn for accessible places to engage one another productively and safely, to learn the concerns of their neighbors and to speak their own concerns. We work very hard to provide such places. We invite you to join us in this effort.

We invite you to browse our website, call us, or come see us to learn more about our work. We would be happy to explore how we may be of service to you.

E. Franklin Dukes, Ph. D., Director