Community of Practice 2026 Dates
12:30-1:30 p.m. CT

Brigid Riley found ToP® facilitation methods while searching online for one of those cool “sticky walls” she’d seen others use in group settings. A dozen years later, she’s still using these methods in her work through B. E. Riley Consulting with government and nonprofit organizations. Informed by a background in public health, Brigid appreciates that these methods promote participation by all, and respect for a range of perspectives. As a means of encouraging more collaboration in the world, she became a  Certified ToP® Facilitator and Qualified Trainer - sharing these methods far and wide. Brigid holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Saint Catherine and a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Beyond academics, she's been part of the Humphrey Institute Policy Fellows, the Minnesota Department of Health's Emerging Leaders Network, the Mastery of ToP® program and Facilitating Cultural Change Program.

Julie Richards brings over 20 years of leadership, curriculum design, staff training / development, and program implementation through evaluation to conversations rooted in equitable family and youth development. Professional experiences across juvenile justice, children’s mental health, and public and private education, have given Julie the comprehensive lens necessary to help organizations create equitable and sustainable programming. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Howard University in English and Secondary Education. Julie also has a Master’s degree in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a focus on Diversity and Equity from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Julie began her training in Technology of Participation methods in 2018 and is currently working on her Master of ToP certification. Julie is also a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and roots her work in cultural inclusion, openness, understanding, and wisdom. 

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Currently, Julie leads a consulting business, Inquire, Decipher, Progress LLC focused on organizational development rooted in inclusion and anti-racist systemic change. She is also a partner in a behavior Intervention business, SELBI LLC.

Laura Johansson is an independent consultant based in the Twin Cities, specializing in organization development, training, coaching, and participatory facilitation. She is adjunct faculty for the University of the Pacific in the Master’s of Arts in Leadership; in the Organizational Innovation and Change program.  She has over thirty years experience in change work both domestically and internationally. 

Laura enjoys the versatility and the structured participation that Technology of Participation (ToP® ) methods afford  her clients. She is a Certified Technology of Participation Facilitator and mentor trainer. She is certified in the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI). In addition, Laura has a Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) from American University. She is fluent in Spanish and English and often facilitates in bilingual contexts. Ms. Johansson enjoys building clients’ capacity to generate strategic and creative, asset-based solutions.

Sherry Johnson gets feisty about sustainability. A complexity coach, adaptive strategist, and amplifier of counter-narratives, Sherry supports civic and nonprofit leaders through her business, Cultivate Strategy. She specializes in developing and facilitating processes that strategically disrupt linear, mechanistic thinking in ways that strengthen human connection. Sherry is a Certified ToP® Facilitator and Qualified Trainer and a Diamond Inclusiveness Assessment™ practitioner. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Education from the University of St. Catherine.

Tiffany Kong is a Twin Cities based facilitator and a community connector. For the past 10 years, she has been working in philanthropy, cultivating and building relationships with community partners in order to strengthen local communities. She has helped partners in philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and businesses engage in inclusive participation towards shared visions and goals. Tiffany takes a people-first approach to her work, ensuring that processes are valuable, inclusive and sustainable for teams. She also approaches her work through the lens of equity and collaboration to leverage the collective power and resources of groups to drive transformation. Tiffany holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and has been using the Technology of Participation (ToP®) facilitation methods since 2019.