Todd Bryan, Ph.D.
BACKGROUND
Todd’s career took an abrupt turn in 1985 when he enrolled in a negotiation class at Harvard Law School, taught by Professor Roger Fisher, author of the bestselling book Getting to Yes. Todd was a mid-career graduate student at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Fisher’s class affected him in two important ways. First, he decided to pursue a career in mediation. Second, he started searching for opportunities to teach negotiation skills to public managers and non-profit professionals who, like him, faced increased challenges over public decisions. Fisher’s course opened Todd’s eyes to new possibilities and he was excited to put them into practice and share them with others.
In 1992 Todd proposed a negotiation course to the Dean of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Over the next 20 years he taught negotiation and collaboration skills and practices to more than 2000 mid-career graduate students from the US and abroad. His courses at CU-Denver were consistently the most popular in the school’s curriculum. Todd currently teaches graduate-level courses in collaborative skills and practices at the University of Colorado Boulder and at the University of Michigan.
Todd’s training credentials span more than 20 years and include leadership development at the executive level, inter-agency training across professional and organizational boundaries, and community-based workshops that bridge divides between government and citizens.
Todd’s passion is leading interactive training workshops for public and non-profit leaders and professionals, and for private sector professionals who wish to engage in meaningful ways with the public. He specializes in both internal workshops that build capacity and core competencies within organizations and integrated workshops that bring together professionals and stakeholders who need to work collaboratively to accomplish their goals. He also teaches specialized workshops for collaborative practitioners who wish to develop advanced skills.
As a mediator for 25 years, Todd has designed, managed, and facilitated collaborative processes dealing with everything from homeless shelter controversies in Colorado to a series of independent science panels tasked with evaluating baseline scientific studies for a large-scale mining proposal in Alaska. He is currently a Strategic Partner with RESOLVE and formerly held senior level positions with the Keystone Policy Center and CDR Associates, all pioneers in the field of consensus building, collaboration, and conflict management. Prior to his work as a mediator and trainer, Todd held senior positions with government and non-profit organizations focused on land use planning, water resource management, regulatory policy, and the sustainable use of natural resources.
EDUCATION
A passionate learner, Todd holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. His doctoral dissertation received awards from the Academy of Management and from the University for its pioneering work on the role of social identity in collaboration. In addition to studying with Professor Fisher, Todd studied adaptive leadership with Harvard Kennedy School Professor Ronald Heifetz, author of Leadership without Easy Answers and founder of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, and collaboration with Dr. Barbara Gray, author of Collaborating, and Drs. Steven Yaffee and Julia Wondolleck, authors of Making Collaboration Work.
OTHER STUFF
Todd was raised in the Midwest and has lived, worked, and traveled throughout the US. A resident of Colorado, he enjoys hiking, cycling, Nordic skiing, and swimming. He attended the University of Kentucky on an athletic scholarship in swimming and continues to compete, excelling in open water races including 20+ mile traverses around Atlantic City and Manhattan Island, high altitude races in the Rocky Mountains and Northern Sierras, and tropical races off the Hawaiian Islands. Todd also served as board member and chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for the City of Boulder.
THE BUZZ ON THE STREET
“I found Todd's workshop to be one of the most valuable contributions to the work I do with the federal government. I’m more confident now because of what I learned from Todd.” Jennifer Day, Regional Coordinator, Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
“For the past 15 years, Todd has been invaluable in helping prepare our Youth Ambassadors for their service-learning projects in the Middle East. He’s been invaluable in helping students think through the challenges Middle Easterners face in their daily lives.” Iman Jodeh, Director, Meet the Middle East, Denver, CO
“As a former student and client, I can attest to the value of Todd’s professional skills and services. His ability to frame issues and tease out points of agreement was pivotal in moving a difficult conversation forward. The skills I acquired as a mid-career graduate student are essential in my work and personal life. Todd’s courses were the most valuable in the graduate curriculum!” Carol Webb, Deputy Utilities Director, City of Ft. Collins, CO
“I’ve had the privilege of taking several courses and workshops from Todd. His teaching style is engaging and effective and the course material is invaluable. With the knowledge I’ve gained, I’m better able to navigate the choppy waters that define my career.” Karlyn Armstrong, PE, Senior Water Resource Engineer and Water Project Mitigation Coordinator, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
“Consensus - managing the tension between the tyranny of the majority and the tyranny of the minority.”
