Tom O’Connor brings an enviable and varied history to the practice of dialogue. He has degrees in law, philosophy, theology and counseling. He spent nine years as a wandering monk, a friar within the Catholic religious order of the Carmelites. He led of team of 24 chaplains and over 2,000 volunteers who co-created a model of humanistic, spiritual and religious prison chaplaincy within the Oregon Department of Corrections that reduced recidivism. All of this broad experience he brings to his work on Whole System Change. He draws on David Kantor’s ideas on dialogue, that are so central to the work in the Virginia Correctional System. He also has an in-depth knowledge on how to implement the work of Robert Kegan on adult development and Ron Heifetz on adaptive change. Tom uses Implementation Science to integrate this learning, and to help agencies implement evidence-based practices and sustain change in their cultures. His work on Whole System Change has taken him to many states in the U.S., and to other countries such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia, England, France and to his country of origin, Ireland.
A Participative Webinar: During the webinar your cohosts, Nancy Dixon and Linda Ellinor, will interview Tom to provide an overview of his thinking. We will then move participants into small groups for reflection on Tom’s interview and how his experience has meaning in our lives and work with dialogue. To close our time we will come back together with questions and reflections from our small groups.
To Register: Tom O’Connor Webinar
For those who want to read ahead your can download one of his articles here.
