Training, consulting, and coaching for building economic peace in communities
Most workforce development programs connect people to jobs paying $16 per hour. The problem? Average rent in our communities requires $29 per hour to afford. This $13 per hour gap is why the same families cycle through social services year after year, despite their motivation and hard work.
After managing $7 million in federal workforce funds for the City of Lakewood, I watched this pattern repeat hundreds of times. Our programs weren't failing because of poor execution or lack of compassion. They were failing because we were treating symptoms while ignoring the economic structures creating the need for our services.
This wage gap sent me to Gonzaga University for a PhD in Organizational Leadership, where I studied how nonprofit organizations could move beyond service delivery to actual systems change. The result was Economic Peacemaking, a framework that combines community organizing, financial empowerment, servant leadership, and strategic partnerships to build economies where people can actually afford to live.
Economic Peacemaking isn't about creating more social services. It's about changing the economic conditions that make those services necessary in the first place. It means connecting people to living wage work, helping communities build wealth generating assets, developing leaders from within neighborhoods rather than importing expertise, and creating partnerships that shift power rather than just coordinate programs.
Since 2018, I've trained over 1,200 community development practitioners in these principles through workshops, graduate courses, and consulting engagements. Churches are using this framework to rethink their community engagement strategies. Nonprofits are applying it to move from charity models to economic development. Government agencies are using it to build more effective workforce programs.
Make peace. Fight greediocy.
Certificate programs through Thinkific (self paced) or Bakke University (graduate credit). Learn the Economic Peacemaking framework and apply it to your community context.
Explore programs →Comprehensive career planning for nonprofit professionals, students, and career changers. Get expert guidance on your next move with personalized research and action planning.
Learn more →Individual financial coaching (AFCPE certified) and nonprofit career transition support. Build stability while staying aligned with your values.
Get started →Strategic support for organizations working on economic peacemaking. Leadership development, financial sustainability, and partnership building.
Explore services →Start with a conversation about what approach fits your context.
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