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Sunday, June 22
 

8:00am EDT

Welcome Brunch
Sunday June 22, 2025 8:00am - 2:00pm EDT
Campbell Student Union
Sunday June 22, 2025 8:00am - 2:00pm EDT
Campbell Student Union
  Meals and Meet-Ups

10:00am EDT

Registration Open
Sunday June 22, 2025 10:00am - 7:00pm EDT
Check in with Jamie and Rosie and receive your conference bag and name tag. Get any questions answered and decorate/customize your name tag with sharpies and stickers.

Housing check-in information will also be available.
Sunday June 22, 2025 10:00am - 7:00pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

YouthWise Family Orientation
Sunday June 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Campbell Student Union - Assembly Hall
Join us for YouthWise orientation.  Parents and children can get to know each other and meet with the YouthWise faculty.  Check out the classrooms and what your children will be learning throughout the week.



Sunday June 22, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Campbell Student Union - Assembly Hall
  YouthWise

5:00pm EDT

CPSI OPENING, Keynote, Dinner, CPSI 70th Birthday Champagne Toast
Sunday June 22, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Campbell Student Union - Social Hall
More info to come!
Sunday June 22, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Campbell Student Union - Social Hall
  CPSI Magic
 
Monday, June 23
 

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 1: Foundations of Creative Problem Solving
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
If you are new to CPSI, Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is your fast track to a deliberate creativity process for solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities. You’ll learn the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Process, the research-based gold standard of creativity methods, and be exposed to the FourSight framework, which can help you understand how you and your teammates approach challenges.

In an incredibly engaging format, your team of experienced facilitators will use hands-on activities, real-world examples, and a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools to give you the skills you need to advance your personal and professional goals.

Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is the first of four skills-building courses in Creative Problem Solving. After completing all four CPS courses, you will deepen your ability to facilitate and train others in the CPS process, while also becoming eligible to be considered to lead CPS programs at future CPSIs!

In this course, you will:
• Recognize and overcome blocks to creativity.
• Identify attitudes and behaviors conducive to creative thinking.
• Apply core concepts of creative thinking.
• Use a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools.
• Apply the CPS method to many simulated or real situations.
• Consciously be creative when facing problems and opportunities.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference in order to complete this program. This core track is limited to 45 attendees. You must select Foundations of CPS when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).
Presenters
avatar for Jonathan Bannister

Jonathan Bannister

Founder, Make Happy
avatar for David Lunken

David Lunken

Principal, Cedarcroft Advisors
CPSI frequenter, Core Faculty, Talent Optimizer, Problem solver, Collaborator, Husband, father of 3 girls, triathlete, gardener, baker of sourdough before Covid
avatar for Shay Butler

Shay Butler

Programme Manager, Tangent Innovation, Trinity College Dublin
I am winging my way over to CPSI all the way from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I spend my time there managing and facilitating workshops in Design Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, and more. Keen to get creativity out in the open to play! Desperate to help un-shackle people... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: CPS Foundations at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools is a natural stepping stone if you have previously taken Level 1: Foundations of CPS. This fast-paced course allows beginner to intermediate facilitators to go deeper into the CPS process, adding more facilitation tools to your repertoire.

You will gain a clear understanding of which tools to use at each stage of the CPS process, as well as how to modify them to fit your session objectives or add a bit of creative flair. You will have time to practice tools to gain real mastery of them. You will also learn a variety of energizers and fun grouping games to keep your sessions engaging and interactive. Learn through small- and large-group work, including round-robin sharing and show-and-tell exercises.

In this course, you will:

• Explore a variety of divergent and convergent tools for individual and group problem solving.
• Learn how and where to apply different tools within the CPS process.
• Practice facilitating tools.
• Discover how to use tools when you or your team are unable to progress or working in areas of low preference.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference to complete this program and qualify for the credential assessment for CPS Level 2.
This core track is limited to 25 attendees. You must select Tools when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).

Presenters
avatar for Najja Bouldin
avatar for Kristen Peterson

Kristen Peterson

Adjunct Instructor, Creativity & Change Leadership, SUNY Buffalo State University
Kristen Peterson is a master facilitator, trainer and organizational development consultant who specializes in the people skills organizations need to create growth through innovation. She brings a big dose of passion, energy, and infectious can-do mentality to her work as an Innovation... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 3: Creative Problem Solving Facilitation Techniques
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS and Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 or 2 at CPSI/FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process and have experience with CPS tools, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 3: Facilitating CPS
Facilitation skills are central to the effective use of CPS, whether in formal meetings or informal brainstorming sessions. This course is designed for those who already know the CPS process in theory and are ready to put it into action as a facilitator. This course uses peer-group practices to prepare participants for working with actual clients. Characteristics of successful facilitation will be identified and practiced, and you will develop an awareness of your own strengths and areas for development. In this course, you will:

•Review and internalize the CPS process through the lens of the facilitator.
•Experience CPS from several points of view – as a facilitator, as the problem-owner, and as part of the resource group.
•Understand how to facilitate each step of the CPS process.
•Receive general facilitation tips that enhance any meeting.
•Receive individual and group feedback on facilitation skills.
•Explore and develop your facilitation style.


Presenters
avatar for Anthony Billoni

Anthony Billoni

Owner, APEX Leader Growth
I have an MS from Center for Applied Imagination. I use CPS/Deliberate Creativity daily in live and in my consulting practice. I have been leading, volunteering and presenting at CPSI for 20+ years.
avatar for Kareth Middlemass

Kareth Middlemass

Innovation Director, Loblaw Companies Limited
Kareth Middlemass is an innovation director with Loblaw Companied Limited, Canada's largest food and drug retailer. She is responsible for identifying consumer trends, emerging needs and aspirations and leads their branded product innovation strategy. She brings clarity to the fuzzy... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 4: Advanced CPS Topics
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 at CPSI or FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled. PREFERRED: Completion of Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools and Level 3: Facilitating CPS. Registrants should have a solid understanding of CPS tools and facilitation skills.


This workshop series is designed for experienced Creative Problem Solving (CPS) practitioners seeking deeper insights into advanced methodologies, emerging research, and cutting-edge applications. Each session will engage participants in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on exercises, and collaborative problem-solving to refine their expertise and expand their strategic toolkit. Information on specific topic areas to come.

Instructors: Dr. Gerard Puccio, Chair & Distinguished Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, Associate Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Roger Firestien, Associate Professor Emeritus, Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University, President of Innovation Resources, Inc.; additional instructor TBD



Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

YouthWise
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
In YouthWise, kids will explore Creative Problem Solving through fun, hands-on activities, "field trips," and games. They will put their new and enhanced skills to work as a team, by creating and presenting a solution to a unique challenge.



Presenters
avatar for Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

YouthWise Coordinator, Dee Alexander Consulting
Super excited to be back at CPSI as YouthWise faculty again! After a long career in radio, TV, advertising and promotions, Dee earned her MS in Creative Studies and Change Leadership at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Dee loves nurturing kids’ creative... Read More →
avatar for Renee Paser-Paull

Renee Paser-Paull

President, Soaring Pathways
Renee is a professional facilitator, trainer and speaker, with a Master's Degree in Adult Learning. She has been attending CPSI continuously since 1999 and has been part of the YouthWise faculty since 2005 and has also led a number of general sessions. CPSI was instrumental in Renee’s... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
  YouthWise

9:00am EDT

Creative Connections
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This Immersion will be four experiences in one! Each day will focus on a different topic, yet they’re all connected by developing the creative person, the creative process, the creative culture, and a creative product. Creativity thrives with a multidimensional approach. This Immersion experience will explore various facets leading to enhanced creativity.

Presenters
avatar for Kathy Goller

Kathy Goller

Life & Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Presenter, Teal Horizon Coaching
I was first introduced to CPS as a high school student, and it impacted the way I saw challenges, the way I thought about solutions, and the way I led others through challenges. I was re-introduced to CPS at CPSI 2020 and 2021, and deepened my understanding through the Foundations... Read More →
avatar for Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Lead Consultant, Resource-Ful One Consulting
Terry is an experienced healthcare leader, executive coach & team facilitator. Terry utilizes Appreciative Inquiry and Creativity based research as the basis for Strategic Planning work. Terry has provided executive coaching and organizational development experiences to healthcare... Read More →
avatar for Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Founder, Inspired Outcomes Now LLC
Kim is an international marketing leader, facilitator, and presenter. She left a career as a marketing executive at a 3 billion company to found her business, Inspired Outcomes Now, to help organizations be more positive, creative, and strategic. Over 125 organizations and individuals have leveraged her A Nu Way™ Branding and Co-Creating the Future processes to stand apart and design their desired future. With an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo, an MS in Creative... Read More →
avatar for David Eyman

David Eyman

Faculty and Innovation Director, Miami University, Oxford, OH
David Eyman believes more people should say yes to making life better through creativity. As an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and industrial designer, David Eyman brings thirty years of creative experience to his teaching at Miami University. As a catalyst, his expertise lies in... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

How to Write a Book
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
It has been said that everyone has a book inside them. This workshop helps prospective book authors take the first steps toward getting that book OUTSIDE. This workshop is for anyone who has wanted to write a book, but hasn't been able to get it done, or even get it started; anyone who feels that they need to write a book, for career or personal reasons; and anyone who just wants to know what it takes to get a book written and published. The lessons here apply to any type of book-length manuscript: novel, memoir, poetry or essay collection, business or self-help book.

Three Takeaways:
1. Explore WHY you might want to write a book, and WHY you have been finding it
difficult to get it started or get it done.
2. Identify WHAT books you should write and who it’s for.
3. Learn HOW to actually get the book written, and HOW you might get it published.




Presenters
avatar for Paul Reali

Paul Reali

Executive Director, Charlotte Lit
Paul Reali is co-founder of Charlotte Lit, a nonprofit literary arts center in Charlotte, NC, and is a lead for its Authors Lab book-writing program. He is co-author of "Creativity Rising", which is used in introductory creativity classes at colleges worldwide. He won the 2023 Doris... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Leading Change with Agility, Versatility, and Creativity
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In this dynamic series, we will explore the integration of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with other problem solving approaches such as design thinking and agile to enhance innovation. Participants will explore how CPS underpins these processes, and how to view the collaborative process through a series of diagnostic filters. The session challenges the myth of linear workflows, emphasizing the iterative and turbulent nature of innovation. Through engaging activities and reflective exercises, attendees will identify personal strengths and areas for growth in their collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership.

Participants will:
  • Identify personal strengths and areas for growth in your collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership
  • Visualize where you and your team spend the most time in collaboration
  • Learn how to map your team’s project and use diagnostic filters to identify blind spots and ways to enhance innovation


Presenters
avatar for Michael Ackerbauer

Michael Ackerbauer

Cognitive Sherpa | Certified Rock Balancer, IBM
see bio here: https://twitter.com/RobertDowneyJr
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Playology: What’s Your Next Strategic Play?
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Why is Adult Play so important? How we play is directly linked to how we learn, think, work, feel, perform, and interact with others. What you learn in play you remember for life!

This immersion program includes everything you need for your one-stop facilitator play chest! We have strategically blended Jump into LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods, Playsonality™ Assessment, What the Duck, and LSP 3D Diagnostic Cards into one complete 14-hour program:
Day One: The Power of Play & LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods
Day Two: Playsonality™ Assessment
Day Three: Now What the Duck Activities
Day Four: 3D Diagnostic Cards and

If you are looking for a new way to engage with your team and you want to add morefun to your work or workplace culture, this session is designed for you. This is a facilitated thinking & communications technique. Our Playology program draws on extensive research from the field of business, organization development, psychology and learning. Using hand-brain knowledge we will share the processes that help individuals and teams surface information, explore ideas, create better options, develop deeper knowledge and identify solutions faster with 100% engagement. And yes, we have corporate, community, and education examples with case studies.

You will walk away with new insights about the power of play and how we all use play daily, and multiple new tools that you can use immediately to improve individual and team performance, while adding more play to corporate culture.

Are you looking for a session which will:
1. Unpack the value of play at work and discover the ROI of play
2. Access the Playsonality© app to decode your facilitator play style
3. Conduct a deep dive into how play formulates our identity
4. Discover new ways to stimulate powerful conversations
5. Supplement your creative program with engaging activities that people will remember
6. Gain new tools and techniques for your facilitator’s play chest
7. Explore how play paves the way to the flow zone where we do our best thinking

Learning Objectives:
-Add LEGO® bricks and directives to your workshops to improve engagement;
-Apply the five-step processes to improve communication;
-Identify when PLAY can be most useful;
-Supplement your creative program with the playstyles assessments;
-Avoid conversational roundabouts;
-Use flow theory and underlying neuroscience principles that make this so powerful and memorable.
-Facilitate and explore ideas on a deeper level using a play chest of new tools.

Let’s get ready to PLAY!

Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Stretch Your Facilitation
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This hands-on workshop is designed to help facilitators elevate their skills in leading creativity-driven sessions. Participants will learn advanced techniques for fostering an environment of innovation, managing group dynamics, and encouraging diverse thinking. This session will cover areas such as: strategies for guiding creative problem-solving processes, using facilitation tools to unlock participants' creativity, and adapting techniques to different group sizes and settings. Through practical exercises, interactive discussions, and real-time feedback, facilitators will gain the confidence and skills needed to effectively lead teams toward creative breakthroughs.




Presenters
avatar for Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Executive Director, GUIDE, Inc.
I am in love with all things CEF after my introduction to this work/CPS in 2021 thanks to Beth Miller. I have been using CPS techniques for ages without knowing it but now I have a framework and some terminology to go along with it! I have been facilitating with both youth and adults... Read More →
avatar for Thom Gonyeau

Thom Gonyeau

Co-owner, Mountain View Group, LTD.
Thom Gonyeau is a co-owner of Mountain View Group, a creative communications agency, and media production company, where he has worked for more than 35 years.Thom began his career as a producer and has held many positions at Mountain View from business development to Chief Operating... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

2:00pm EDT

CPS-AI: cl-AI-rify, AI-deate, dev-AI-lop, and impl-AI-ment your AI-deas
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Exploring the human-machine interactions for all steps of CPS

Literally taking participants through the basics of LLM and image generative AI formats to show how AI can fuel increased creativity but not provide the best ideas without human interaction.

I’ll run an exercise (invent a snack food item) where participants will find the most relevant market to address, ideate food items, create packaging, and present their final products at the end of the session.

Clarify: What market to address, what themes fit the market, what’s trending in.
Ideate: Names, conceptual themes, trend ingredients.
Develop: refine the idea to fit the market
Ideate: Package design, marketing campaign ideas
Develop: refine the packaging and campaign into a direction for the skit / commercial
Implement: Present your idea with an acted out “commercial” then a quick (less than one minute) description of how AI helped you, but didn’t answer the prompt without your help.

That process runs Human-AI-Human-AI-Human etc. Never AI-AI-AI, nor Human-Human-Human. The result is like the chess example that proved that a human-machine pairing is superior to either human or machine alone.

The project (workshop) is designed to neither advocate for or against AI, but to show how this exciting new tool can be leveraged in creativity. The result is that participants see how to use AI well instead of being concerned about it or accusing AI of doing things it can’t.
Presenters
avatar for David Eyman

David Eyman

Faculty and Innovation Director, Miami University, Oxford, OH
David Eyman believes more people should say yes to making life better through creativity. As an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and industrial designer, David Eyman brings thirty years of creative experience to his teaching at Miami University. As a catalyst, his expertise lies in... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

From Curiosity to Clarity: Advanced Techniques in Probing and Questioning
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
This presentation will explore the transformative power of effective questioning in creative problem-solving. Attendees will learn advanced techniques for crafting probing questions that uncover deeper insights and drive innovative solutions. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, participants will enhance their inquiry skills and stretch their capabilities to new heights.
Presenters
avatar for Jim Berling

Jim Berling

SVP & Managing Director, Burke Institute
Passionate educator, coach, and qualitative researcher that believes emotions and data come together through targeted stories that uncover actionable insights.
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Introduction to Polarity Thinking - Part 1
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
You are well-trained in solving problems. Figure out the problem, figure out the solution, develop and implement. But what about when it is more complex? Not do we need connection or do we need individual authenticity? We need both.

In this interactive workshop, participants will work in small groups to identify and discuss one or two polarities in their lives. You will learn how to map those polarities in order to develop an effective approach for managing tensions.

We provide the framework; you provide the content.
Presenters
avatar for Liz Monroe-Cook

Liz Monroe-Cook

Owner, Monroe-Cook & Associates
CEF board past chair Liz Monroe-Cook has been attending and leading at CPSI since 1991. She is a consulting psychologist who began her work as a clinician but transferred to organizational applications through a qualitative research position at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles. She... Read More →
avatar for Lindsay Burr

Lindsay Burr

CEO, Yarbrough Group
An engaging facilitator and Polarity ThinkingTM Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Step Into: LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Are you looking for new tools for engagement?
Time to add LEGO bricks to your tool kit!

Come and sample this is a facilitated thinking & communications technique. It draws on extensive research from the field of business, organization development, psychology and learning. This session will be action packed with 90 minutes of hands-on real time learning through play!
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Work-Out Time: Stretching Participants’ Thinking Before, During, & After a Facilitation
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
This three-part interactive session focuses on how we might Stretch participants’ thinking (1) at the beginning of, (2) during the core of, and (3) after a session. In this session you will participate in activities, riff on them, and share your own activities that help Stretch participants’ thinking at these three important points of a facilitated experience. Come to participate, to share your own ideas, and to connect with others as you reflect on your own practice.
Presenters
MM
DT
Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Are You an Illuminator? Discover Ways to Bring Out the Best In Those Around You
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Illuminators shine a light on others. They make people and their ideas come alive.

With their distinct blend of skills, they excel as facilitators and relationship builders. Illuminators make others feel seen, heard and appreciated. Their curiosity invites richer stories and deeper insights. They see and celebrate others’ strengths.

In this session you’ll work with a partner to cultivate illuminator skills and instincts. You’ll see what distinguishes an illuminator from a diminisher and learn a variety of illuminator “moves”:

  • Genuine Curiosity: Asking surprisingly simple questions that reveal richer stories
  • Active Listening: Using your eyes and body (and silence) to make others feel heard
  • Celebration of Strengths: Expressing your partner’s unique qualities to create a deeper connection
Presenters
avatar for Sari Gluckin

Sari Gluckin

Founder, Wishful Thinking
Sari has deep experience as a workshop designer and facilitator where she integrates elements from business, design and the arts. In addition to her consulting work, she is currently an adjunct professor at the Institute of Design, she developed and teaches courses in facilitation... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Introduction to Polarity Thinking - Part 2
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
You are well-trained in solving problems. Figure out the problem, figure out the solution, develop and implement. But what about when it is more complex? Not do we need connection or do we need individual authenticity? We need both.

In this interactive workshop, participants will work in small groups to identify and discuss one or two polarities in their lives. You will learn how to map those polarities in order to develop an effective approach for managing tensions.

We provide the framework; you provide the content.
Presenters
avatar for Liz Monroe-Cook

Liz Monroe-Cook

Owner, Monroe-Cook & Associates
CEF board past chair Liz Monroe-Cook has been attending and leading at CPSI since 1991. She is a consulting psychologist who began her work as a clinician but transferred to organizational applications through a qualitative research position at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles. She... Read More →
avatar for Lindsay Burr

Lindsay Burr

CEO, Yarbrough Group
An engaging facilitator and Polarity ThinkingTM Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Learn to Create Stunning Flipcharts with Business Sketch Basics
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Unlock the power of business sketching to create stunning, clear, and engaging flipcharts for workshops, meetings, and sessions. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn the basics of sketching, discover design strategies for effective flipcharts, and create your own eye-catching flipchart. Walk away with practical tools to make your visual presentations more engaging and impactful.
Presenters
avatar for Jacobien Vermande

Jacobien Vermande

Visual Engagement Practitioner, Bienerbij
In 2020 I contributed making visual notes for some of the workshops. In 2021 I facilitated an online workshop Cartoon Thinking. In my daily work I design and host workshops that help professionals and teams increase and use their creative thinking and doing more beneficial.
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Stretching Your SENSE of Creativity: Using the 5 Senses Creatively
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Brain Storming is often a process of using our sense of sight and sound, but we often ignore the influence of taste, smell and touch. This session is going to challenge participants to notice all five senses and how the influences can broaden our creativity. We will use a variety of activities that engage the sight, sound, taste, smell and feel experiences to broaden our thoughts and ideas.
Presenters
avatar for Mallori DeSalle, MA, LMHC, NCC, CMHC, CHP

Mallori DeSalle, MA, LMHC, NCC, CMHC, CHP

Therapist, Humorist, Trainer, and Oreo Sommelier, Mallori DeSalle, LLC
Mallori DeSalle is a licensed mental health counselor, motivational interviewing trainer, and certified humor professional. As a speaker and trainer, she has sparked curiosity in both the young and young-at-heart. Her passion for creating a lasting impact led her to the public health... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

The Creativity Canvas: Mapping Your Creative Ecosystem
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
This workshop introduces a dynamic visual tool designed to map out your personal creative process. During this 90-minute session, you’ll explore key enhancers and critical blockers that make up your creative ecosystem. Through hands-on activities and guided discussions, you’ll design your own creativity canvas, gaining insights into how to unlock your full potential and drive creative breakthroughs.
Presenters
avatar for Kim Macuare, Ph.D

Kim Macuare, Ph.D

Director of Education and Co-Director of Innovation Labs, The Dali Museum
In her role as the lead program designer and facilitator for the Innovation Labs, Kim has helped many organizations—from non-profits to government entities to Fortune 100 companies—build their innovation capacities by developing creativity-focused mindsets and problem-solving... Read More →
Monday June 23, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops
 
Tuesday, June 24
 

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 1: Foundations of Creative Problem Solving
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
If you are new to CPSI, Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is your fast track to a deliberate creativity process for solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities. You’ll learn the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Process, the research-based gold standard of creativity methods, and be exposed to the FourSight framework, which can help you understand how you and your teammates approach challenges.

In an incredibly engaging format, your team of experienced facilitators will use hands-on activities, real-world examples, and a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools to give you the skills you need to advance your personal and professional goals.

Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is the first of four skills-building courses in Creative Problem Solving. After completing all four CPS courses, you will deepen your ability to facilitate and train others in the CPS process, while also becoming eligible to be considered to lead CPS programs at future CPSIs!

In this course, you will:
• Recognize and overcome blocks to creativity.
• Identify attitudes and behaviors conducive to creative thinking.
• Apply core concepts of creative thinking.
• Use a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools.
• Apply the CPS method to many simulated or real situations.
• Consciously be creative when facing problems and opportunities.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference in order to complete this program. This core track is limited to 45 attendees. You must select Foundations of CPS when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).
Presenters
avatar for Jonathan Bannister

Jonathan Bannister

Founder, Make Happy
avatar for David Lunken

David Lunken

Principal, Cedarcroft Advisors
CPSI frequenter, Core Faculty, Talent Optimizer, Problem solver, Collaborator, Husband, father of 3 girls, triathlete, gardener, baker of sourdough before Covid
avatar for Shay Butler

Shay Butler

Programme Manager, Tangent Innovation, Trinity College Dublin
I am winging my way over to CPSI all the way from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I spend my time there managing and facilitating workshops in Design Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, and more. Keen to get creativity out in the open to play! Desperate to help un-shackle people... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: CPS Foundations at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools is a natural stepping stone if you have previously taken Level 1: Foundations of CPS. This fast-paced course allows beginner to intermediate facilitators to go deeper into the CPS process, adding more facilitation tools to your repertoire.

You will gain a clear understanding of which tools to use at each stage of the CPS process, as well as how to modify them to fit your session objectives or add a bit of creative flair. You will have time to practice tools to gain real mastery of them. You will also learn a variety of energizers and fun grouping games to keep your sessions engaging and interactive. Learn through small- and large-group work, including round-robin sharing and show-and-tell exercises.

In this course, you will:

• Explore a variety of divergent and convergent tools for individual and group problem solving.
• Learn how and where to apply different tools within the CPS process.
• Practice facilitating tools.
• Discover how to use tools when you or your team are unable to progress or working in areas of low preference.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference to complete this program and qualify for the credential assessment for CPS Level 2.
This core track is limited to 25 attendees. You must select Tools when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).

Presenters
avatar for Kristen Peterson

Kristen Peterson

Adjunct Instructor, Creativity & Change Leadership, SUNY Buffalo State University
Kristen Peterson is a master facilitator, trainer and organizational development consultant who specializes in the people skills organizations need to create growth through innovation. She brings a big dose of passion, energy, and infectious can-do mentality to her work as an Innovation... Read More →
avatar for Najja Bouldin
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 3: Creative Problem Solving Facilitation Techniques
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS and Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 or 2 at CPSI/FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process and have experience with CPS tools, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 3: Facilitating CPS
Facilitation skills are central to the effective use of CPS, whether in formal meetings or informal brainstorming sessions. This course is designed for those who already know the CPS process in theory and are ready to put it into action as a facilitator. This course uses peer-group practices to prepare participants for working with actual clients. Characteristics of successful facilitation will be identified and practiced, and you will develop an awareness of your own strengths and areas for development. In this course, you will:

•Review and internalize the CPS process through the lens of the facilitator.
•Experience CPS from several points of view – as a facilitator, as the problem-owner, and as part of the resource group.
•Understand how to facilitate each step of the CPS process.
•Receive general facilitation tips that enhance any meeting.
•Receive individual and group feedback on facilitation skills.
•Explore and develop your facilitation style.


Presenters
avatar for Kareth Middlemass

Kareth Middlemass

Innovation Director, Loblaw Companies Limited
Kareth Middlemass is an innovation director with Loblaw Companied Limited, Canada's largest food and drug retailer. She is responsible for identifying consumer trends, emerging needs and aspirations and leads their branded product innovation strategy. She brings clarity to the fuzzy... Read More →
avatar for Anthony Billoni

Anthony Billoni

Owner, APEX Leader Growth
I have an MS from Center for Applied Imagination. I use CPS/Deliberate Creativity daily in live and in my consulting practice. I have been leading, volunteering and presenting at CPSI for 20+ years.
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 4: Advanced CPS Topics
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 at CPSI or FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled. PREFERRED: Completion of Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools and Level 3: Facilitating CPS. Registrants should have a solid understanding of CPS tools and facilitation skills.


This workshop series is designed for experienced Creative Problem Solving (CPS) practitioners seeking deeper insights into advanced methodologies, emerging research, and cutting-edge applications. Each session will engage participants in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on exercises, and collaborative problem-solving to refine their expertise and expand their strategic toolkit. Information on specific topic areas to come.

Instructors: Dr. Gerard Puccio, Chair & Distinguished Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, Associate Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Roger Firestien, Associate Professor Emeritus, Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University, President of Innovation Resources, Inc.; additional instructor TBD



Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

YouthWise
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
In YouthWise, kids will explore Creative Problem Solving through fun, hands-on activities, "field trips," and games. They will put their new and enhanced skills to work as a team, by creating and presenting a solution to a unique challenge.



Presenters
avatar for Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

YouthWise Coordinator, Dee Alexander Consulting
Super excited to be back at CPSI as YouthWise faculty again! After a long career in radio, TV, advertising and promotions, Dee earned her MS in Creative Studies and Change Leadership at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Dee loves nurturing kids’ creative... Read More →
avatar for Renee Paser-Paull

Renee Paser-Paull

President, Soaring Pathways
Renee is a professional facilitator, trainer and speaker, with a Master's Degree in Adult Learning. She has been attending CPSI continuously since 1999 and has been part of the YouthWise faculty since 2005 and has also led a number of general sessions. CPSI was instrumental in Renee’s... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
  YouthWise

9:00am EDT

Creative Connections
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This Immersion will be four experiences in one! Each day will focus on a different topic, yet they’re all connected by developing the creative person, the creative process, the creative culture, and a creative product. Creativity thrives with a multidimensional approach. This Immersion experience will explore various facets leading to enhanced creativity.

Presenters
avatar for Kathy Goller

Kathy Goller

Life & Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Presenter, Teal Horizon Coaching
I was first introduced to CPS as a high school student, and it impacted the way I saw challenges, the way I thought about solutions, and the way I led others through challenges. I was re-introduced to CPS at CPSI 2020 and 2021, and deepened my understanding through the Foundations... Read More →
avatar for Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Lead Consultant, Resource-Ful One Consulting
Terry is an experienced healthcare leader, executive coach & team facilitator. Terry utilizes Appreciative Inquiry and Creativity based research as the basis for Strategic Planning work. Terry has provided executive coaching and organizational development experiences to healthcare... Read More →
avatar for Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Founder, Inspired Outcomes Now LLC
Kim is an international marketing leader, facilitator, and presenter. She left a career as a marketing executive at a 3 billion company to found her business, Inspired Outcomes Now, to help organizations be more positive, creative, and strategic. Over 125 organizations and individuals have leveraged her A Nu Way™ Branding and Co-Creating the Future processes to stand apart and design their desired future. With an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo, an MS in Creative... Read More →
avatar for David Eyman

David Eyman

Faculty and Innovation Director, Miami University, Oxford, OH
David Eyman believes more people should say yes to making life better through creativity. As an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and industrial designer, David Eyman brings thirty years of creative experience to his teaching at Miami University. As a catalyst, his expertise lies in... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

How to Write a Book
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
It has been said that everyone has a book inside them. This workshop helps prospective book authors take the first steps toward getting that book OUTSIDE. This workshop is for anyone who has wanted to write a book, but hasn't been able to get it done, or even get it started; anyone who feels that they need to write a book, for career or personal reasons; and anyone who just wants to know what it takes to get a book written and published. The lessons here apply to any type of book-length manuscript: novel, memoir, poetry or essay collection, business or self-help book.

Three Takeaways:
1. Explore WHY you might want to write a book, and WHY you have been finding it
difficult to get it started or get it done.
2. Identify WHAT books you should write and who it’s for.
3. Learn HOW to actually get the book written, and HOW you might get it published.




Presenters
avatar for Paul Reali

Paul Reali

Executive Director, Charlotte Lit
Paul Reali is co-founder of Charlotte Lit, a nonprofit literary arts center in Charlotte, NC, and is a lead for its Authors Lab book-writing program. He is co-author of "Creativity Rising", which is used in introductory creativity classes at colleges worldwide. He won the 2023 Doris... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Leading Change with Agility, Versatility, and Creativity
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In this dynamic series, we will explore the integration of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with other problem solving approaches such as design thinking and agile to enhance innovation. Participants will explore how CPS underpins these processes, and how to view the collaborative process through a series of diagnostic filters. The session challenges the myth of linear workflows, emphasizing the iterative and turbulent nature of innovation. Through engaging activities and reflective exercises, attendees will identify personal strengths and areas for growth in their collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership.

Participants will:
  • Identify personal strengths and areas for growth in your collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership
  • Visualize where you and your team spend the most time in collaboration
  • Learn how to map your team’s project and use diagnostic filters to identify blind spots and ways to enhance innovation


Presenters
avatar for Michael Ackerbauer

Michael Ackerbauer

Cognitive Sherpa | Certified Rock Balancer, IBM
see bio here: https://twitter.com/RobertDowneyJr
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Playology: What’s Your Next Strategic Play?
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Why is Adult Play so important? How we play is directly linked to how we learn, think, work, feel, perform, and interact with others. What you learn in play you remember for life!

This immersion program includes everything you need for your one-stop facilitator play chest! We have strategically blended Jump into LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods, Playsonality™ Assessment, What the Duck, and LSP 3D Diagnostic Cards into one complete 14-hour program:
Day One: The Power of Play & LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods
Day Two: Playsonality™ Assessment
Day Three: Now What the Duck Activities
Day Four: 3D Diagnostic Cards and

If you are looking for a new way to engage with your team and you want to add more fun to your work or workplace culture, this session is designed for you. This is a facilitated thinking & communications technique. Our Playology program draws on extensive research from the field of business, organization development, psychology, and learning. Using hand-brain knowledge, we will share the processes that help individuals and teams surface information, explore ideas, create better options, develop deeper knowledge, and identify solutions faster with 100% engagement. And yes, we have corporate, community, and education examples with case studies.

You will walk away with new insights about the power of play and how we all use play daily, and multiple new tools that you can use immediately to improve individual and team performance, while adding more play to corporate culture.

Are you looking for a session which will:
1. Unpack the value of play at work and discover the ROI of play
2. Access the Playsonality© app to decode your facilitator play style
3. Conduct a deep dive into how play formulates our identity
4. Discover new ways to stimulate powerful conversations
5. Supplement your creative program with engaging activities that people will remember
6. Gain new tools and techniques for your facilitator’s play chest
7. Explore how play paves the way to the flow zone where we do our best thinking

Learning Objectives:
-Add LEGO® bricks and directives to your workshops to improve engagement;
-Apply the five-step processes to improve communication;
-Identify when PLAY can be most useful;
-Supplement your creative program with the playstyles assessments;
-Avoid conversational roundabouts;
-Use flow theory and underlying neuroscience principles that make this so powerful and memorable.
-Facilitate and explore ideas on a deeper level using a play chest of new tools.

Let’s get ready to PLAY!

Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Stretch Your Facilitation
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This hands-on workshop is designed to help facilitators elevate their skills in leading creativity-driven sessions. Participants will learn advanced techniques for fostering an environment of innovation, managing group dynamics, and encouraging diverse thinking. This session will cover areas such as: strategies for guiding creative problem-solving processes, using facilitation tools to unlock participants' creativity, and adapting techniques to different group sizes and settings. Through practical exercises, interactive discussions, and real-time feedback, facilitators will gain the confidence and skills needed to effectively lead teams toward creative breakthroughs.




Presenters
avatar for Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Executive Director, GUIDE, Inc.
I am in love with all things CEF after my introduction to this work/CPS in 2021 thanks to Beth Miller. I have been using CPS techniques for ages without knowing it but now I have a framework and some terminology to go along with it! I have been facilitating with both youth and adults... Read More →
avatar for Thom Gonyeau

Thom Gonyeau

Co-owner, Mountain View Group, LTD.
Thom Gonyeau is a co-owner of Mountain View Group, a creative communications agency, and media production company, where he has worked for more than 35 years.Thom began his career as a producer and has held many positions at Mountain View from business development to Chief Operating... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

2:00pm EDT

From Problem Solving to Pattern Spotting: Stretch Your Change Game For More Sustainable Impact
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Problem solving implies a linear experience with a series of independent issues to be solved and moved on from. Life (and work) is messy, with changing variables and shifting priorities in the everyday systems we live and work in. Spotting patterns will stretch your change game from solving one problem that may be a success for today, to uncovering opportunities for shifting patterns for more sustainable change with broader impact.


Presenters
avatar for Christa Heydt-Hernandez

Christa Heydt-Hernandez

Independent Contractor
New to independent contracting and freelance work.I help organizations, teams, and individuals who have a challenge or problem to solve and do not think they have the tools or time to solve it. I work with clients to:Position the user first, whether customer, employee or individual;Understand... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

The Creative Path To Belonging
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
A sense of belonging is powerful and critical to us as humans. During this session, we will tap into the power of creative problem solving to explore how we can collectively unlock Belonging.

- You Will Unpack What Belonging Means to You
- You Will Have Opportunity to Identify Ways to Increase Belonging
- You will Foster New Creative Connections
Presenters
CQ
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

The Power of Storytelling & Body Language for Impactful Communication
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Unlock the power of storytelling and body language to enhance your communication and captivate any audience. This interactive session will explore practical techniques to craft compelling narratives and use nonverbal cues to build trust, engagement, and influence. Walk away with actionable strategies to communicate with confidence, authenticity, and impact in any setting.
Presenters
avatar for Dr. Kristy Tyson

Dr. Kristy Tyson

Chief Talent Development Coach, Lifement LLC
Dr. Kristy Tyson, acclaimed author of "YOUR CALL: Critical Thinking for Decision Makers," is the Owner and Chief Talent Development Coach at Lifement LLC. With a focus on emerging leaders and organizations, Dr. Tyson delivers personalized coaching tailored to individual and group... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

The Resistant Participant: A Facilitator’s Best Friend
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Facilitators, trainers, coaches, and change agents have all been there:  your beautiful, brilliant, potentially life-changing training/presentation/session gets derailed by one or more resistant participants, who seem fully committed to sabotaging the event.  You’ve tried everything that LinkedIn infographic recommended: smiling at them, selling the “WIIFMs,” negotiating with them. But still they won’t budge.

In this session, we’ll find more creative – and more effective – ways to address the situation. Participants will learn how to reframe the problem, engage with resistors in new ways, and leverage the potential that resistance holds for creating an even stronger session. We’ll see how a divergence/convergence approach can disarm opposition while modeling the kind of respectful and inclusive behaviors we want others to follow. And participants can share with each other what has worked – and not worked – in their own practices, to leave with an even fuller list of tools and resources for the next time a scowling attendee starts to fuss.


Presenters
MB
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Your Life on a Sticky Note: Become the CEO of YOU
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Imagine this: a room buzzing with energy, walls covered in vibrant sticky notes, and a community of like-minded individuals ready to push boundaries and ignite transformation!
Whether you’re searching for your next big breakthrough, feeling a little stuck, or just craving a fresh, innovative approach to personal development, this session is designed just for Y-O-U! 
Imagine stepping into the CEO suite of your own life. In this hands-on, game-changing workshop, you’ll learn how to take charge of your personal and professional journey, unlock untapped potential, and create a vision for a future YOU can’t wait to lead.
With nothing more than a stack of sticky notes and the power of your imagination, you’ll master a fun, visual methodology that top executives use to strategize their business empires—now reimagined to help YOU strategize your life. This isn't just another self-help session; it’s a fast-paced, interactive experience that will leave you energized, inspired, and equipped with actionable insights to become the architect of your destiny.
What Awaits You:
  • Unlocking Hidden Patterns: Piece together the story of your life—its successes, surprises, and lessons learned—to reveal your strengths and unique value.
  • Setting Audacious Goals: Dream boldly and then break those dreams into a step-by-step action plan you can start implementing today.
  • Designing Your Vision: Create a personalized "CEO roadmap" that aligns with your core values and sets the course for your next chapter.
Why Should You Attend?
Let’s be honest—there are dozens of ways to “think about your future,” but very few are as dynamic, creative, and downright fun as this. You’ll leave this session with a wall of colorful ideas, your very own strategic life plan, and a renewed sense of excitement about your journey ahead. Plus, you’ll pick up insights and ideas you can use over and over again to stay at the top of your game. Your future CEO self is already RSVP’ing.
Bring your curiosity, your creativity, and maybe even a friend. Let’s make those sticky notes work as hard as you do!
Presenters
avatar for Gail R Kulas

Gail R Kulas

CFO - Chief Fun Officer, Leading to Unlock, LLC
Gail is a self-described “itchy sweater” - she helps people become more comfortable being uncomfortable.  She is a dynamic force in the world of business strategy, education, and personal development. As the founder of Leading to Unlock, she has dedicated her career to unlocking... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

“Stretching to Pause” in Contemplative Photography
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
These days its a stretch to take a pause; usually a photo is a quick “snap” of the moment. In this workshop, we will learn how current practitioners of contemplative photography blend their taking of photos with photographic techniques that inspire pausing and reflecting. We will use our phones to practice a contemplative approach to taking photos and use reflection questions to deepen our Contemplative Photography experience.


Presenters
avatar for Cheryl Nee Gieringer

Cheryl Nee Gieringer

Citizen Project Coordinator, SAGE
I've attended and facilitated core, immersion, spark, and 90-minutes sessions at CPSI and even Youth-wise a couple of decades ago.
avatar for Mary Ellyn Vicksta

Mary Ellyn Vicksta

Founder, Vicksta Innovative Practices, LLC
Mary Ellyn started taking photos with her own camera when she was 10.  Since then, she’s explored photography in college classes, photo workshops in wonderful parts of the US and creative expression-focused workshops in Canada.  She’s devoted to taking at least one photo a day... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Beyond Boundaries: Unleashing Creative Potential Through Possibility Books
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Discover how simple mark-making can break through traditional thinking barriers and stretch your problem-solving toolkit. This hands-on workshop introduces Possibility Books, an evidence-based method that uses abstract visual responses (no artistic skill required) to build creative confidence, embrace ambiguity, and generate unexpected connections. Participants will experience a series of guided prompts, which can be applied in classes and group facilitations, that demonstrate how reflection through mark-making followed by collaborative sharing can unlock new pathways for innovation.
Presenters
KS
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Creative Alignment: Engaging Deeply with Ideas Before Action
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
What if the key to realizing your most impactful ideas wasn’t so much in what you do, but in how you align with the idea first? In this session, we’ll explore the often-overlooked creative alignment or “phase of being” so beneficial in the creative process—the inner work of engaging deeply with your idea(s). You’ll gain a new approach, practical tools and techniques to reflect on and strengthen your relationship with your idea, uncovering what excites you, what holds you back, and what support you need. Because aligning with your ideas isn’t just about creativity—it’s about fostering joy, clarity, and purpose along the way.
Presenters
avatar for Jacobien Vermande

Jacobien Vermande

Visual Engagement Practitioner, Bienerbij
In 2020 I contributed making visual notes for some of the workshops. In 2021 I facilitated an online workshop Cartoon Thinking. In my daily work I design and host workshops that help professionals and teams increase and use their creative thinking and doing more beneficial.
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Embracing Ambiguity: Getting Comfortable with Feeling Uncomfortable
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
In this session, we'll discuss how relentless curiosity can bring you face-to-face with the unknown, sometimes unearthing fear and usually requiring the opening of the vault of vulnerability in your mind. We'll discuss what works--and share what hasn't worked--as we face ambiguity and all that it brings. Ultimately, we will strive to shine a light on the pathway to freedom to take risks and achieve more even more than we hoped.
Presenters
avatar for Troy Geesaman

Troy Geesaman

SVP, Strategy, Seed Strategy
Troy Geesaman is Seed Strategy’s SVP of Strategy. He’s a connector in every sense, bringing together ideas and action; learning and context; humanity and leadership. As a proven innovator who has led the strategy and launch of several new products on both the client and agency... Read More →
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Now What the Duck?
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Are you looking for some fun activities you can do with just a handful of bricks? Like most teachers, trainers, and counselors, HR professionals, management consultants, you are likely being asked to do more with less. If so, this is the perfect short session for you.

You might be working with a classroom full of students, a large group of people at a conference, or a small group, board of directors, or group of executives. Regardless, we have the activities you need to keep people engaged, communicating, and learning while time flies by.
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Stretching Across Cultures: Intercultural Communication and Creativity
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
This interactive session will explore how culture and communication styles shape creative processes. Using engaging activities, discussions, and real-world applications, participants will gain insights into the concepts of individualism/collectivism, high/low power distance, and high/low uncertainty avoidance and how they impact creativity.
Presenters
KR
Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops
 
Wednesday, June 25
 

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 1: Foundations of Creative Problem Solving
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
If you are new to CPSI, Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is your fast track to a deliberate creativity process for solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities. You’ll learn the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Process, the research-based gold standard of creativity methods, and be exposed to the FourSight framework, which can help you understand how you and your teammates approach challenges.

In an incredibly engaging format, your team of experienced facilitators will use hands-on activities, real-world examples, and a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools to give you the skills you need to advance your personal and professional goals.

Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is the first of four skills-building courses in Creative Problem Solving. After completing all four CPS courses, you will deepen your ability to facilitate and train others in the CPS process, while also becoming eligible to be considered to lead CPS programs at future CPSIs!

In this course, you will:
• Recognize and overcome blocks to creativity.
• Identify attitudes and behaviors conducive to creative thinking.
• Apply core concepts of creative thinking.
• Use a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools.
• Apply the CPS method to many simulated or real situations.
• Consciously be creative when facing problems and opportunities.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference in order to complete this program. This core track is limited to 45 attendees. You must select Foundations of CPS when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).
Presenters
avatar for Jonathan Bannister

Jonathan Bannister

Founder, Make Happy
avatar for David Lunken

David Lunken

Principal, Cedarcroft Advisors
CPSI frequenter, Core Faculty, Talent Optimizer, Problem solver, Collaborator, Husband, father of 3 girls, triathlete, gardener, baker of sourdough before Covid
avatar for Shay Butler

Shay Butler

Programme Manager, Tangent Innovation, Trinity College Dublin
I am winging my way over to CPSI all the way from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I spend my time there managing and facilitating workshops in Design Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, and more. Keen to get creativity out in the open to play! Desperate to help un-shackle people... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: CPS Foundations at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools is a natural stepping stone if you have previously taken Level 1: Foundations of CPS. This fast-paced course allows beginner to intermediate facilitators to go deeper into the CPS process, adding more facilitation tools to your repertoire.

You will gain a clear understanding of which tools to use at each stage of the CPS process, as well as how to modify them to fit your session objectives or add a bit of creative flair. You will have time to practice tools to gain real mastery of them. You will also learn a variety of energizers and fun grouping games to keep your sessions engaging and interactive. Learn through small- and large-group work, including round-robin sharing and show-and-tell exercises.

In this course, you will:

• Explore a variety of divergent and convergent tools for individual and group problem solving.
• Learn how and where to apply different tools within the CPS process.
• Practice facilitating tools.
• Discover how to use tools when you or your team are unable to progress or working in areas of low preference.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference to complete this program and qualify for the credential assessment for CPS Level 2.
This core track is limited to 25 attendees. You must select Tools when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).

Presenters
avatar for Kristen Peterson

Kristen Peterson

Adjunct Instructor, Creativity & Change Leadership, SUNY Buffalo State University
Kristen Peterson is a master facilitator, trainer and organizational development consultant who specializes in the people skills organizations need to create growth through innovation. She brings a big dose of passion, energy, and infectious can-do mentality to her work as an Innovation... Read More →
avatar for Najja Bouldin
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 3: Creative Problem Solving Facilitation Techniques
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS and Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 or 2 at CPSI/FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process and have experience with CPS tools, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 3: Facilitating CPS
Facilitation skills are central to the effective use of CPS, whether in formal meetings or informal brainstorming sessions. This course is designed for those who already know the CPS process in theory and are ready to put it into action as a facilitator. This course uses peer-group practices to prepare participants for working with actual clients. Characteristics of successful facilitation will be identified and practiced, and you will develop an awareness of your own strengths and areas for development. In this course, you will:

•Review and internalize the CPS process through the lens of the facilitator.
•Experience CPS from several points of view – as a facilitator, as the problem-owner, and as part of the resource group.
•Understand how to facilitate each step of the CPS process.
•Receive general facilitation tips that enhance any meeting.
•Receive individual and group feedback on facilitation skills.
•Explore and develop your facilitation style.


Presenters
avatar for Kareth Middlemass

Kareth Middlemass

Innovation Director, Loblaw Companies Limited
Kareth Middlemass is an innovation director with Loblaw Companied Limited, Canada's largest food and drug retailer. She is responsible for identifying consumer trends, emerging needs and aspirations and leads their branded product innovation strategy. She brings clarity to the fuzzy... Read More →
avatar for Anthony Billoni

Anthony Billoni

Owner, APEX Leader Growth
I have an MS from Center for Applied Imagination. I use CPS/Deliberate Creativity daily in live and in my consulting practice. I have been leading, volunteering and presenting at CPSI for 20+ years.
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 4: Advanced CPS Topics
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 at CPSI or FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled. PREFERRED: Completion of Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools and Level 3: Facilitating CPS. Registrants should have a solid understanding of CPS tools and facilitation skills.


This workshop series is designed for experienced Creative Problem Solving (CPS) practitioners seeking deeper insights into advanced methodologies, emerging research, and cutting-edge applications. Each session will engage participants in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on exercises, and collaborative problem-solving to refine their expertise and expand their strategic toolkit. Information on specific topic areas to come.

Instructors: Dr. Gerard Puccio, Chair & Distinguished Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, Associate Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Roger Firestien, Associate Professor Emeritus, Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University, President of Innovation Resources, Inc.; additional instructor TBD



Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

YouthWise
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
In YouthWise, kids will explore Creative Problem Solving through fun, hands-on activities, "field trips," and games. They will put their new and enhanced skills to work as a team, by creating and presenting a solution to a unique challenge.



Presenters
avatar for Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

YouthWise Coordinator, Dee Alexander Consulting
Super excited to be back at CPSI as YouthWise faculty again! After a long career in radio, TV, advertising and promotions, Dee earned her MS in Creative Studies and Change Leadership at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Dee loves nurturing kids’ creative... Read More →
avatar for Renee Paser-Paull

Renee Paser-Paull

President, Soaring Pathways
Renee is a professional facilitator, trainer and speaker, with a Master's Degree in Adult Learning. She has been attending CPSI continuously since 1999 and has been part of the YouthWise faculty since 2005 and has also led a number of general sessions. CPSI was instrumental in Renee’s... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
  YouthWise

9:00am EDT

Creative Connections
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This Immersion will be four experiences in one! Each day will focus on a different topic, yet they’re all connected by developing the creative person, the creative process, the creative culture, and a creative product. Creativity thrives with a multidimensional approach. This Immersion experience will explore various facets leading to enhanced creativity.

Presenters
avatar for Kathy Goller

Kathy Goller

Life & Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Presenter, Teal Horizon Coaching
I was first introduced to CPS as a high school student, and it impacted the way I saw challenges, the way I thought about solutions, and the way I led others through challenges. I was re-introduced to CPS at CPSI 2020 and 2021, and deepened my understanding through the Foundations... Read More →
avatar for Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Lead Consultant, Resource-Ful One Consulting
Terry is an experienced healthcare leader, executive coach & team facilitator. Terry utilizes Appreciative Inquiry and Creativity based research as the basis for Strategic Planning work. Terry has provided executive coaching and organizational development experiences to healthcare... Read More →
avatar for Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Founder, Inspired Outcomes Now LLC
Kim is an international marketing leader, facilitator, and presenter. She left a career as a marketing executive at a 3 billion company to found her business, Inspired Outcomes Now, to help organizations be more positive, creative, and strategic. Over 125 organizations and individuals have leveraged her A Nu Way™ Branding and Co-Creating the Future processes to stand apart and design their desired future. With an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo, an MS in Creative... Read More →
avatar for David Eyman

David Eyman

Faculty and Innovation Director, Miami University, Oxford, OH
David Eyman believes more people should say yes to making life better through creativity. As an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and industrial designer, David Eyman brings thirty years of creative experience to his teaching at Miami University. As a catalyst, his expertise lies in... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

How to Write a Book
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
It has been said that everyone has a book inside them. This workshop helps prospective book authors take the first steps toward getting that book OUTSIDE. This workshop is for anyone who has wanted to write a book, but hasn't been able to get it done, or even get it started; anyone who feels that they need to write a book, for career or personal reasons; and anyone who just wants to know what it takes to get a book written and published. The lessons here apply to any type of book-length manuscript: novel, memoir, poetry or essay collection, business or self-help book.

Three Takeaways:
1. Explore WHY you might want to write a book, and WHY you have been finding it
difficult to get it started or get it done.
2. Identify WHAT books you should write and who it’s for.
3. Learn HOW to actually get the book written, and HOW you might get it published.




Presenters
avatar for Paul Reali

Paul Reali

Executive Director, Charlotte Lit
Paul Reali is co-founder of Charlotte Lit, a nonprofit literary arts center in Charlotte, NC, and is a lead for its Authors Lab book-writing program. He is co-author of "Creativity Rising", which is used in introductory creativity classes at colleges worldwide. He won the 2023 Doris... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Leading Change with Agility, Versatility, and Creativity
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In this dynamic series, we will explore the integration of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with other problem solving approaches such as design thinking and agile to enhance innovation. Participants will explore how CPS underpins these processes, and how to view the collaborative process through a series of diagnostic filters. The session challenges the myth of linear workflows, emphasizing the iterative and turbulent nature of innovation. Through engaging activities and reflective exercises, attendees will identify personal strengths and areas for growth in their collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership.

Participants will:
  • Identify personal strengths and areas for growth in your collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership
  • Visualize where you and your team spend the most time in collaboration
  • Learn how to map your team’s project and use diagnostic filters to identify blind spots and ways to enhance innovation


Presenters
avatar for Michael Ackerbauer

Michael Ackerbauer

Cognitive Sherpa | Certified Rock Balancer, IBM
see bio here: https://twitter.com/RobertDowneyJr
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Playology: What’s Your Next Strategic Play?
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Why is Adult Play so important? How we play is directly linked to how we learn, think, work, feel, perform, and interact with others. What you learn in play you remember for life!

This immersion program includes everything you need for your one-stop facilitator play chest! We have strategically blended Jump into LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods, Playsonality™ Assessment, What the Duck, and LSP 3D Diagnostic Cards into one complete 14-hour program:
Day One: The Power of Play & LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods
Day Two: Playsonality™ Assessment
Day Three: Now What the Duck Activities
Day Four: 3D Diagnostic Cards and

If you are looking for a new way to engage with your team and you want to add more fun to your work or workplace culture, this session is designed for you. This is a facilitated thinking & communications technique. Our Playology program draws on extensive research from the field of business, organization development, psychology, and learning. Using hand-brain knowledge, we will share the processes that help individuals and teams surface information, explore ideas, create better options, develop deeper knowledge, and identify solutions faster with 100% engagement. And yes, we have corporate, community, and education examples with case studies.

You will walk away with new insights about the power of play and how we all use play daily, and multiple new tools that you can use immediately to improve individual and team performance, while adding more play to corporate culture.

Are you looking for a session which will:
1. Unpack the value of play at work and discover the ROI of play
2. Access the Playsonality© app to decode your facilitator play style
3. Conduct a deep dive into how play formulates our identity
4. Discover new ways to stimulate powerful conversations
5. Supplement your creative program with engaging activities that people will remember
6. Gain new tools and techniques for your facilitator’s play chest
7. Explore how play paves the way to the flow zone where we do our best thinking

Learning Objectives:
-Add LEGO® bricks and directives to your workshops to improve engagement;
-Apply the five-step processes to improve communication;
-Identify when PLAY can be most useful;
-Supplement your creative program with the playstyles assessments;
-Avoid conversational roundabouts;
-Use flow theory and underlying neuroscience principles that make this so powerful and memorable.
-Facilitate and explore ideas on a deeper level using a play chest of new tools.

Let’s get ready to PLAY!


Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Stretch Your Facilitation
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This hands-on workshop is designed to help facilitators elevate their skills in leading creativity-driven sessions. Participants will learn advanced techniques for fostering an environment of innovation, managing group dynamics, and encouraging diverse thinking. This session will cover areas such as: strategies for guiding creative problem-solving processes, using facilitation tools to unlock participants' creativity, and adapting techniques to different group sizes and settings. Through practical exercises, interactive discussions, and real-time feedback, facilitators will gain the confidence and skills needed to effectively lead teams toward creative breakthroughs.




Presenters
avatar for Thom Gonyeau

Thom Gonyeau

Co-owner, Mountain View Group, LTD.
Thom Gonyeau is a co-owner of Mountain View Group, a creative communications agency, and media production company, where he has worked for more than 35 years.Thom began his career as a producer and has held many positions at Mountain View from business development to Chief Operating... Read More →
avatar for Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Executive Director, GUIDE, Inc.
I am in love with all things CEF after my introduction to this work/CPS in 2021 thanks to Beth Miller. I have been using CPS techniques for ages without knowing it but now I have a framework and some terminology to go along with it! I have been facilitating with both youth and adults... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

2:00pm EDT

An Introduction to Polarity Thinking™ in Educational Leadership: How Does Changing Your Thinking Change Your Practice?
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Founder of InsideOut Creativity, Katie Ravich, and Polarity Thinking™ expert, Liz Monroe-Cook, introduce you to the powerful, creative process of working with Polarities specifically in Educational settings.

Polarities can be leveraged in your everyday life and also within your classrooms, and within your teams. Understanding and integrating Polarity Thinking™ as a creative process has positive impacts across the whole learning ecosystem.

We deep-dive into how this can happen, exploring this creative process using common Polarities educators are working within every day, through collaborative discussion and hands-on processes:
  • Mapping interdependent relationships using affective creative thinking skills and heightening emotional intelligence.
  • Exploring the partnership of Polarity Thinking™ and Creative Problem-Solving (CPS).
  • Raising curiosity and thinking flexibly about the concept of ‘blameless discernment’ and becoming unconsciously competent in this shared creative practice.
If you are a curious-minded teacher or leader in schools, universities, or community colleges, this workshop will ignite both thinking and action, offering a fresh perspective on familiar challenges. We invite you to be both Challenged (and) Supported as you shift your thinking to transform your practice.
Presenters
avatar for Liz Monroe-Cook

Liz Monroe-Cook

Owner, Monroe-Cook & Associates
CEF board past chair Liz Monroe-Cook has been attending and leading at CPSI since 1991. She is a consulting psychologist who began her work as a clinician but transferred to organizational applications through a qualitative research position at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles. She... Read More →
KR
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Bind Your Life!
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
How often do we have the chance to reflect on our lives? On what we have accomplished, what is important, and what may seem inconsequential. This workshop will give you the opportunity to pause for a few minutes and reconsider your journey so far. You'll be able to create a book using practical, seamless binding techniques (using only paper folds). This exercise will allow you to write, draw, and also bring printed photographs to include in your book. It provides you with the opportunity to share these moments in the workshop and later with others.
Presenters
avatar for Cynthia Villagómez Oviedo / México

Cynthia Villagómez Oviedo / México

Professor and researcher, Universidad de Guanajuato
A professor and researcher at Guanajuato University, Mexico since August 2002, she is the author of six books, several book chapters, and articles about Art, Digital Art, Creativity, and Design. From 2003 to 2021 she was the editor of the University of Guanajuato magazine Interiorgrafico... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Facilitating Challenging Groups
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
This workshop equips participants with tools and strategies to effectively navigate group dynamics in high-pressure or emotionally charged situations. Through interactive activities and case studies, participants will explore techniques for building trust, fostering psychological safety, and addressing conflict with empathy and clarity. Whether leading community dialogues, team meetings, or restorative circles, this session will provide practical insights to help you hold space for meaningful collaboration and progress.
Presenters
avatar for Jimmy Juste

Jimmy Juste

CEO and Founder, Innerve Consulting
Jimmy relentlessly seeks unexplored territories, sparking thought-provoking discussions with simple questions. Embracing a nine-year journey in Montessori spaces, he thrives on disrupting and reshaping cultural norms as a seasoned consultant and facilitator. Jimmy has left his mark... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Reflect, Engage, Inspire: Stretching Your Facilitation Toolbox
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Dr. Kimberly Macuare

In this session, held at a local art museum (on or off campus), participants will engage in a series of hands-on contemplation activities designed to focus attention, deepen engagement, and enhance understanding. Using different modalities—writing, drawing, looking—you will explore how contemplative practices help build sustained attention skills and inspire inquiry and insight, revealing new ways of knowing. In addition to helping viewers develop deeper reflective practices around art viewing, participants will also consider how these activities could be used as part of their general facilitation toolbox.
Presenters
avatar for Kim Macuare, Ph.D

Kim Macuare, Ph.D

Director of Education and Co-Director of Innovation Labs, The Dali Museum
In her role as the lead program designer and facilitator for the Innovation Labs, Kim has helped many organizations—from non-profits to government entities to Fortune 100 companies—build their innovation capacities by developing creativity-focused mindsets and problem-solving... Read More →
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Burchfield Penney Art Center
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

The Neuroscience of Creativity
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Explore how neuroscience fuels creativity in this engaging, interactive workshop. You’ll uncover how key brain networks drive creative thinking and practice science-backed techniques like brainstorming with constraints and collaborative idea mapping to tackle challenges. Leave with actionable tools to spark innovation individually and within your teams.
Presenters
avatar for Haley Forest

Haley Forest

Innovation & Strategy Consultant, HCForest
Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Art of the Decision
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Anthony Billoni

Most people are looking for an edge in their decision-making. We spend time clarifying the challenges in our workplace and in our lives, developing ideas, and then planning for action only to find ourselves stalled or back at square one just a bit frustrated. Wouldn’t it be great if there existed a resource that would yield more novel and useful ideas than you could have ever imagined? Creativity expert and arts professional Anthony Billoni developed and tested a process that combines using a setting filled with original art with CPS tools that will guide you toward this treasure trove of new and useful ideas. By the end of the session you will have experienced art like never before.
Presenters
avatar for Anthony Billoni

Anthony Billoni

Owner, APEX Leader Growth
I have an MS from Center for Applied Imagination. I use CPS/Deliberate Creativity daily in live and in my consulting practice. I have been leading, volunteering and presenting at CPSI for 20+ years.
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Burchfield Penney Art Center
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Exploring Pressure Through Play: Games that Expand Capacity & Strengthen Culture
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Effective collaboration requires more than understanding tasks; it demands a deep awareness of team dynamics, communication preferences, and the shared processes that drive results. This interactive workshop introduces the art and science of Play Facilitation, equipping you to use tabletop games as part of engaging and meaningful team experiences that transform team learning and culture-building. Through hands-on play and guided reflection, you’ll discover how to leverage game mechanics to address common team dynamics, such as:

Building trust and a shared team identity.
Improving communication and collaboration.
Navigating difficult conversations about processes and expectations.

Avoid the pitfalls of “awkward, forced fun” and instead create environments that spark self-awareness, foster connection, and drive motivation. Whether you’re a leader, facilitator, or team coach, this session will provide you with practical tools and fresh ideas to expand your team’s capacity—and have fun while doing it!


Presenters
AS
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

The Art of Stretching Your Brand Personality
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Struggling to make your communications stand out? This session will help you uncover your brand's DNA and role in people’s lives, enabling you to express it in more extraordinary ways. Using proven brand archetyping tools, you'll leave with a unique brand personality and story to differentiate your future communications, whether you’re a solo-preneur, work inside of an organization, or want help defining your own personal brand.
Presenters
avatar for Amie Dowker

Amie Dowker

Illinois, United States, 360i
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

The Power of Creative Climate: Leadership Tools for Innovation and Change
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Whether you are leading a team or facilitating a group, how you behave creates a working climate. The question is, are you creating the right kind of climate, one that helps those you lead engage, solve problems creatively, and use their collective talent to better the team or company? During this session you will discover how the climate you create can turn your efforts toward innovation or stagnation; you will see how developing a creative climate leads to measurable business results; you will learn about nine dimensions of climate; and walk away with tools to help build climate and stretch groups to new levels of innovation and change.
Presenters
KB
SS
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

Where Creativity Meets Fun: the Argentine Experience
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Eduardo Kastika
Sofia Kastika

Techniques for generation and selection of ideas, explained in a simple way and combined with artificial intelligence (mind mapping, analogies, SCAMPER, and lateral thinking). We are going to explain how to apply these tools using a concrete example: Argentine “alfajores”. Everything is going to be shown with real-life examples, real and not widely known.
Presenters
avatar for Eduardo Kastika

Eduardo Kastika

CEO, Kastika & Asoc
I have been dedicated to creativity for 35 years.My first CPSI was in 1991.I write books, give conferences, advise companies.I play the piano.I live in Argentina.
SK
Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops
 
Thursday, June 26
 

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 1: Foundations of Creative Problem Solving
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
If you are new to CPSI, Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is your fast track to a deliberate creativity process for solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities. You’ll learn the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Process, the research-based gold standard of creativity methods, and be exposed to the FourSight framework, which can help you understand how you and your teammates approach challenges.

In an incredibly engaging format, your team of experienced facilitators will use hands-on activities, real-world examples, and a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools to give you the skills you need to advance your personal and professional goals.

Foundations of Creative Problem Solving is the first of four skills-building courses in Creative Problem Solving. After completing all four CPS courses, you will deepen your ability to facilitate and train others in the CPS process, while also becoming eligible to be considered to lead CPS programs at future CPSIs!

In this course, you will:
• Recognize and overcome blocks to creativity.
• Identify attitudes and behaviors conducive to creative thinking.
• Apply core concepts of creative thinking.
• Use a variety of divergent and convergent thinking tools.
• Apply the CPS method to many simulated or real situations.
• Consciously be creative when facing problems and opportunities.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference in order to complete this program. This core track is limited to 45 attendees. You must select Foundations of CPS when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).
Presenters
avatar for Jonathan Bannister

Jonathan Bannister

Founder, Make Happy
avatar for David Lunken

David Lunken

Principal, Cedarcroft Advisors
CPSI frequenter, Core Faculty, Talent Optimizer, Problem solver, Collaborator, Husband, father of 3 girls, triathlete, gardener, baker of sourdough before Covid
avatar for Shay Butler

Shay Butler

Programme Manager, Tangent Innovation, Trinity College Dublin
I am winging my way over to CPSI all the way from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I spend my time there managing and facilitating workshops in Design Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, and more. Keen to get creativity out in the open to play! Desperate to help un-shackle people... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: CPS Foundations at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools is a natural stepping stone if you have previously taken Level 1: Foundations of CPS. This fast-paced course allows beginner to intermediate facilitators to go deeper into the CPS process, adding more facilitation tools to your repertoire.

You will gain a clear understanding of which tools to use at each stage of the CPS process, as well as how to modify them to fit your session objectives or add a bit of creative flair. You will have time to practice tools to gain real mastery of them. You will also learn a variety of energizers and fun grouping games to keep your sessions engaging and interactive. Learn through small- and large-group work, including round-robin sharing and show-and-tell exercises.

In this course, you will:

• Explore a variety of divergent and convergent tools for individual and group problem solving.
• Learn how and where to apply different tools within the CPS process.
• Practice facilitating tools.
• Discover how to use tools when you or your team are unable to progress or working in areas of low preference.

NOTE: You must attend your Core CPS Course all four mornings of the conference to complete this program and qualify for the credential assessment for CPS Level 2.
This core track is limited to 25 attendees. You must select Tools when registering for CPSI to attend this track (selecting it here in Sched does not qualify as reserved spot).

Presenters
avatar for Kristen Peterson

Kristen Peterson

Adjunct Instructor, Creativity & Change Leadership, SUNY Buffalo State University
Kristen Peterson is a master facilitator, trainer and organizational development consultant who specializes in the people skills organizations need to create growth through innovation. She brings a big dose of passion, energy, and infectious can-do mentality to her work as an Innovation... Read More →
avatar for Najja Bouldin
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 3: Creative Problem Solving Facilitation Techniques
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS and Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 or 2 at CPSI/FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process and have experience with CPS tools, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled.

Level 3: Facilitating CPS
Facilitation skills are central to the effective use of CPS, whether in formal meetings or informal brainstorming sessions. This course is designed for those who already know the CPS process in theory and are ready to put it into action as a facilitator. This course uses peer-group practices to prepare participants for working with actual clients. Characteristics of successful facilitation will be identified and practiced, and you will develop an awareness of your own strengths and areas for development. In this course, you will:

•Review and internalize the CPS process through the lens of the facilitator.
•Experience CPS from several points of view – as a facilitator, as the problem-owner, and as part of the resource group.
•Understand how to facilitate each step of the CPS process.
•Receive general facilitation tips that enhance any meeting.
•Receive individual and group feedback on facilitation skills.
•Explore and develop your facilitation style.


Presenters
avatar for Anthony Billoni

Anthony Billoni

Owner, APEX Leader Growth
I have an MS from Center for Applied Imagination. I use CPS/Deliberate Creativity daily in live and in my consulting practice. I have been leading, volunteering and presenting at CPSI for 20+ years.
avatar for Kareth Middlemass

Kareth Middlemass

Innovation Director, Loblaw Companies Limited
Kareth Middlemass is an innovation director with Loblaw Companied Limited, Canada's largest food and drug retailer. She is responsible for identifying consumer trends, emerging needs and aspirations and leads their branded product innovation strategy. She brings clarity to the fuzzy... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

CPS Level 4: Advanced CPS Topics
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
*PREREQUISITE: Level 1: Foundations of CPS at previous CPSI or FLCC. If you did not take Level 1 at CPSI or FLCC but have a solid understanding of the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process, you must connect with CPSI Program Staff before being enrolled. PREFERRED: Completion of Level 2: Creative Problem Solving Tools and Level 3: Facilitating CPS. Registrants should have a solid understanding of CPS tools and facilitation skills.


This workshop series is designed for experienced Creative Problem Solving (CPS) practitioners seeking deeper insights into advanced methodologies, emerging research, and cutting-edge applications. Each session will engage participants in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on exercises, and collaborative problem-solving to refine their expertise and expand their strategic toolkit. Information on specific topic areas to come.

Instructors: Dr. Gerard Puccio, Chair & Distinguished Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Susan Keller-Mathers, Associate Professor, Center for Applied Imagination, Buffalo State University; Dr. Roger Firestien, Associate Professor Emeritus, Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State University, President of Innovation Resources, Inc.; additional instructor TBD



Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 12:00pm EDT
  Core CPS Track

8:30am EDT

YouthWise
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
In YouthWise, kids will explore Creative Problem Solving through fun, hands-on activities, "field trips," and games. They will put their new and enhanced skills to work as a team, by creating and presenting a solution to a unique challenge.



Presenters
avatar for Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

Dee Alexander Langsenkamp

YouthWise Coordinator, Dee Alexander Consulting
Super excited to be back at CPSI as YouthWise faculty again! After a long career in radio, TV, advertising and promotions, Dee earned her MS in Creative Studies and Change Leadership at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Dee loves nurturing kids’ creative... Read More →
avatar for Renee Paser-Paull

Renee Paser-Paull

President, Soaring Pathways
Renee is a professional facilitator, trainer and speaker, with a Master's Degree in Adult Learning. She has been attending CPSI continuously since 1999 and has been part of the YouthWise faculty since 2005 and has also led a number of general sessions. CPSI was instrumental in Renee’s... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 5:30pm EDT
  YouthWise

9:00am EDT

Creative Connections
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This Immersion will be four experiences in one! Each day will focus on a different topic, yet they’re all connected by developing the creative person, the creative process, the creative culture, and a creative product. Creativity thrives with a multidimensional approach. This Immersion experience will explore various facets leading to enhanced creativity.

Presenters
avatar for Kathy Goller

Kathy Goller

Life & Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Presenter, Teal Horizon Coaching
I was first introduced to CPS as a high school student, and it impacted the way I saw challenges, the way I thought about solutions, and the way I led others through challenges. I was re-introduced to CPS at CPSI 2020 and 2021, and deepened my understanding through the Foundations... Read More →
avatar for Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Terry Fulcher, BS, MS

Lead Consultant, Resource-Ful One Consulting
Terry is an experienced healthcare leader, executive coach & team facilitator. Terry utilizes Appreciative Inquiry and Creativity based research as the basis for Strategic Planning work. Terry has provided executive coaching and organizational development experiences to healthcare... Read More →
avatar for Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Kim Marie McKernan, MBA, MS

Founder, Inspired Outcomes Now LLC
Kim is an international marketing leader, facilitator, and presenter. She left a career as a marketing executive at a 3 billion company to found her business, Inspired Outcomes Now, to help organizations be more positive, creative, and strategic. Over 125 organizations and individuals have leveraged her A Nu Way™ Branding and Co-Creating the Future processes to stand apart and design their desired future. With an MBA from SUNY at Buffalo, an MS in Creative... Read More →
avatar for David Eyman

David Eyman

Faculty and Innovation Director, Miami University, Oxford, OH
David Eyman believes more people should say yes to making life better through creativity. As an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and industrial designer, David Eyman brings thirty years of creative experience to his teaching at Miami University. As a catalyst, his expertise lies in... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

How to Write a Book
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
It has been said that everyone has a book inside them. This workshop helps prospective book authors take the first steps toward getting that book OUTSIDE. This workshop is for anyone who has wanted to write a book, but hasn't been able to get it done, or even get it started; anyone who feels that they need to write a book, for career or personal reasons; and anyone who just wants to know what it takes to get a book written and published. The lessons here apply to any type of book-length manuscript: novel, memoir, poetry or essay collection, business or self-help book.

Three Takeaways:
1. Explore WHY you might want to write a book, and WHY you have been finding it
difficult to get it started or get it done.
2. Identify WHAT books you should write and who it’s for.
3. Learn HOW to actually get the book written, and HOW you might get it published.




Presenters
avatar for Paul Reali

Paul Reali

Executive Director, Charlotte Lit
Paul Reali is co-founder of Charlotte Lit, a nonprofit literary arts center in Charlotte, NC, and is a lead for its Authors Lab book-writing program. He is co-author of "Creativity Rising", which is used in introductory creativity classes at colleges worldwide. He won the 2023 Doris... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Leading Change with Agility, Versatility, and Creativity
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
In this dynamic series, we will explore the integration of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with other problem solving approaches such as design thinking and agile to enhance innovation. Participants will explore how CPS underpins these processes, and how to view the collaborative process through a series of diagnostic filters. The session challenges the myth of linear workflows, emphasizing the iterative and turbulent nature of innovation. Through engaging activities and reflective exercises, attendees will identify personal strengths and areas for growth in their collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership.

Participants will:
  • Identify personal strengths and areas for growth in your collaboration approach that align with the non-linear demands of creative leadership
  • Visualize where you and your team spend the most time in collaboration
  • Learn how to map your team’s project and use diagnostic filters to identify blind spots and ways to enhance innovation


Presenters
avatar for Michael Ackerbauer

Michael Ackerbauer

Cognitive Sherpa | Certified Rock Balancer, IBM
see bio here: https://twitter.com/RobertDowneyJr
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

9:00am EDT

Stretch Your Facilitation
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
This hands-on workshop is designed to help facilitators elevate their skills in leading creativity-driven sessions. Participants will learn advanced techniques for fostering an environment of innovation, managing group dynamics, and encouraging diverse thinking. This session will cover areas such as: strategies for guiding creative problem-solving processes, using facilitation tools to unlock participants' creativity, and adapting techniques to different group sizes and settings. Through practical exercises, interactive discussions, and real-time feedback, facilitators will gain the confidence and skills needed to effectively lead teams toward creative breakthroughs.




Presenters
avatar for Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Jessica Andrews-Wilson

Executive Director, GUIDE, Inc.
I am in love with all things CEF after my introduction to this work/CPS in 2021 thanks to Beth Miller. I have been using CPS techniques for ages without knowing it but now I have a framework and some terminology to go along with it! I have been facilitating with both youth and adults... Read More →
avatar for Thom Gonyeau

Thom Gonyeau

Co-owner, Mountain View Group, LTD.
Thom Gonyeau is a co-owner of Mountain View Group, a creative communications agency, and media production company, where he has worked for more than 35 years.Thom began his career as a producer and has held many positions at Mountain View from business development to Chief Operating... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
  Immersion Track

2:00pm EDT

Beyond Bubble Baths: A Self-Care Shift from Vanity to Sanity
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
We all know self-care is important, but finding time for it often feels impossible. In this session, we'll break down the myths around "self-care" and dive into the essential elements of rest, renewal, and review—and why each one is crucial for keeping our creativity and energy flowing. Using creative problem solving tools, you’ll develop personalized strategies that actually fit into your life, so you can recharge, reignite your creativity, and avoid burnout.
Presenters
avatar for Kathy Goller

Kathy Goller

Life & Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Presenter, Teal Horizon Coaching
I was first introduced to CPS as a high school student, and it impacted the way I saw challenges, the way I thought about solutions, and the way I led others through challenges. I was re-introduced to CPS at CPSI 2020 and 2021, and deepened my understanding through the Foundations... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Creating Time
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
What if you could create time — what would you do with it? Time is the stuff your life is made of, the most precious commodity you have, and the only one you can’t create more of—or can you? In this session you will create time where there was no time, so that you have more time to create.
Presenters
avatar for Paul Reali

Paul Reali

Executive Director, Charlotte Lit
Paul Reali is co-founder of Charlotte Lit, a nonprofit literary arts center in Charlotte, NC, and is a lead for its Authors Lab book-writing program. He is co-author of "Creativity Rising", which is used in introductory creativity classes at colleges worldwide. He won the 2023 Doris... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Creative Ways of Dealing With Difficult People...and Looking Forward to It! The Positive Messages These People Bring to our Lives
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Steve Shama

If you are a member of a committee, head of a business or organization or simply a person who has difficult people in your life, like a colleague, friend, family member, who are e.g. angry, controlling, demanding, this course is for you. You'll experience creative ways of dealing with difficult people so you make peace not war. Bring your difficult people scenarios and we’ll generate, thru role playing, many powerful and practical approaches to solving these frustrating situations and you'll leave with a time-tested handout of tools and techniques, in a session that will be filled with humor and poignant moments.
Presenters
avatar for Steve Shama

Steve Shama

Retired, JoyWorks
Steve is a retired physician and a proud 25 year member of the CPSI and the creativity community, giving  many sessions at CPSI and Mindcamp. He's a full time professional speaker,  engaging audiences on topics dear to his heart…endearing communications, empathic connections between... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Hello Fellow CPSIcians (sipSISHinz)! Is Your Mind Abuzz with Ideas? Let's do something about them!
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Jen Verbakel

After an enlightening and stimulating conference, participants have the chance to give themselves the gift of time for pausing and reflecting, so they can be more effective at implementing change when they get home. This workshop serves as an opportunity for participants to consider what they've learned and how they will implement their new ideas. This session will incorporate collaboration, mindfulness, reflection, and planning.
Presenters
avatar for Jen Verbakel

Jen Verbakel

Owner, The Art of Amateurity
Jen is a doodler, a creative dabbler, and a sewing gal! She is also a certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach. She believes that creativity helps people take up their own unique space, and she is working towards embodying that presence as well. She loves to chat about creative... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

2:00pm EDT

Think Neighborly: Using CPS Basics to Build Community
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
MaryEllyn Vicksta
Cheryl Nee-Gieringer

This session explores how core practices of creative problem solving such as deferred judgement, listening generously, and assumption reversals provide a natural antidote to prevailing divisiveness and polarization. It then looks at how these tools can be used to revitalize civil discourse and even create opportunities for constructive conversation.
Presenters
avatar for Cheryl Nee Gieringer

Cheryl Nee Gieringer

Citizen Project Coordinator, SAGE
I've attended and facilitated core, immersion, spark, and 90-minutes sessions at CPSI and even Youth-wise a couple of decades ago.
avatar for Mary Ellyn Vicksta

Mary Ellyn Vicksta

Founder, Vicksta Innovative Practices, LLC
Mary Ellyn started taking photos with her own camera when she was 10.  Since then, she’s explored photography in college classes, photo workshops in wonderful parts of the US and creative expression-focused workshops in Canada.  She’s devoted to taking at least one photo a day... Read More →
Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
  Breakout Workshops

4:00pm EDT

CPSI Conference Closing
Thursday June 26, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Thursday June 26, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
  CPSI Magic
 
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