Lieschen Gargano Quilling, Program Associate, is a Facilitator, Mediator and Servant Leader experienced in planning and project management. She thrives on improving organizational effectiveness and promoting constructive multi-stakeholder collaborative processes. Ms. Gargano’s multi-faceted experience with conflict management has created a library of skills for her to successfully engage parties and facilitate collaborative decision making across diverse challenges. The backbone of Ms. Gargano’s experience is in team management allowing her to integrate strong communication and organizational skills in all facets of her work. Select Project Examples Public Involvement for the Pikes Peak Regional Council of Governments, CO Regional Transportation Plan (2013– Ongoing) Co-facilitating public involvement activities for this series of regional transportation plans. This includes identifying and coordinating with a diverse group of stakeholders, including bicycle, pedestrian and trails and open space advocates, special needs and social services representatives, government services and advisory groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and schools. Part of a team planning and coordinating efforts to obtain refined input including designing and facilitating a series of public meetings. NPS Strategic Planning Facilitation on Leasing National Park Service staff from WASO, regions, and specific park units participated in a three day workshop facilitated by CDR Associates to develop a strategic plan for leasing. Ms. Gargano cofacilitated aiding attendees to work through disagreement and developed program goals, objectives and tasks for a 3 year leasing plan. After extensive discussion and multiple reviews, a draft plan was developed with immediate next steps and enforcement mechanisms. Ms. Gargano lead edit discussions and aided in the writing of the final report and meeting summaries. EPA Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Partnership The Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Partnership is one of 18 in the U.S. funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to build community outreach and agency collaboration in Middle Rio Grande federal projects. The Partnership hired CDR to facilitate three informational meetings for the public regarding the public participation process for various federal projects under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Many of these projects take place in Environmental Justice or historically marginalized communities where there is a long history of mistrust and lack of public involvement. Ms. Gargano helped facilitate discussions around the participation process and barriers. Ms. Gargano also produced documents and summaries for each of these meetings. Saint Vrain, Left Hand and Four Mile Creek Watershed Master Plan processes (2014) Ms. Gargano helped plan and organize materials, interviews, meetings and stakeholder input for the development of three watershed master plans which are working with local government staff, elected officials, community groups and watershed stakeholder groups along each of the three creeks. These plans were conducted separately and coordinated across project teams and coalitions simultaneously under tight timelines requiring the utmost adaptability. These Master Plans replaced the old plans which were made obsolete after the September 2013 floods in Boulder County. The results were joint visions addressing future disaster and regional needs around the watersheds. Colorado Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration Quality Improvement Council, CO (2013 – Ongoing) Ms. Gargano co-facilitates meetings of the joint CDOT and FHWA Quality Improvement Council, which ensures programs supported by the Federal Aid Highway Program (FAHP) are being delivered effectively. She helps the group identify and prioritize risks and outline strategies for overcoming them. She also plays a coordination role in ensure key activities are being completed and tracked and that appropriate documentation is managed and kept up to date. Additionally Ms. Gargano works with Council members to ensure they are educated in the use of SharePoint, the file and data sharing system, to ensure all requested data is updated and stored appropriately. City of Thornton Station Area Planning Process (2013 – 2014) Ms. Gargano helped plan and organize materials, meetings and stakeholder input for the City of Thornton which is working with local government staff, community groups and city stakeholder groups around the proposed train station developments at 88th and 104th street. Stakeholder input is being used to plan developments that maximize the benefit to the community by addressing both current and future needs and concerns around growth, use, safety and more. Guatemala – University of Denver Peace Program Assessment Research (2013) Ms. Gargano translated, interviewed and took minutes for the DU Conflict Resolution Institute on a research trip to Guatemala. Working with Spanish speaking staff from multiple institutions in locations across the country, Ms. Gargano collected data to understand the progress and effectiveness of post war peace efforts and organizations in Guatemala. This study will result in the development of a report on best practices and evaluation techniques for Guatemala and beyond. CDOT State Highway 7 Planning and Environmental Linkage Study (2012 – 2013) Ms. Gargano helped plan and organize materials, meetings and stakeholder input for a Colorado Department of Transportation study which is working with local government staff, elected officials, community groups and corridor stakeholder groups along a 20-mile portion of a State Highway. The study will use the data collected in the development of a joint vision to address future plans and regional needs for analyzing and advancing multimodal capacity improvements. Greece – Mediators Beyond Borders International (2012 – 2013) Ms. Gargano aided in the development and execution of a series of trainings and dialogues focused on the issue of immigration in Greece. The 2013 dialogues and trainings were attended by Greek members of parliament, attorneys, mediators, police officers, immigrants, business leaders and citizens from all walks of life. Ms. Gargano ran fundraising efforts, coordinated logistics for the international team and communicated with partnering organizations and team members to coordinate funding and long term planning and evaluation on ongoing efforts. Select Education and Affiliations University of Denver: Josef Korbel School of International Studies, M.A. in Conflict Resolution, with an emphasis Environment and Public Policy, November, 2013 Boulder County Planning Commission Appointee 2 3
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