Western Oregon University offers educational workshops that help employers and individuals further their knowledge on important topics that are integral to success in today’s workplace.
By partnering with WOU in professional development opportunities, employers can prepare their teams to offer the best customer service and to bring thoughtful, inclusive practices to the workplace every day.
Join our outstanding Organizational Leadership faculty in improving your leadership skills! These short workshops will give you core knowledge and action-oriented takeaways to help you become a better leader. They’ll also give you a taste of some of the topics covered in our Organizational Leadership Graduate Certificates and Master of Arts Program!
Organizations today are seeking training to increase employee awareness and understanding of race and racism in society and to satisfy equity, diversity, and inclusion training requirements. Facilitators are skilled in guiding participants through a process of helping them become comfortable with conversations about racism, privilege and power.
This interactive program teaches you how to develop your cultural competence and become effective in interacting across cultures in our richly diverse world.
A justice, equity, diversity, & inclusion (JEDI) initiative of the Western Restorative and Criminal Justice Research Center.
These trainings will increase participants’ understanding and capacity in talking about racism in society, which can lead to stronger teams who are better able to fulfill their organization’s mission. Having a safe space for discovery and learning is designed into each course and openly discussed.
A social justice initiative of the Western Restorative and Criminal Justice Research Center.
Contact Jessica Murfin at murfinj@wou.edu or by calling 503-838-8374 to chat about custom training options! Check out all of our Academic Programs for information about additional areas of faculty expertise.
Important workshop information:
Professional Development Workshops are non-credit educational opportunities.
Participants who successfully complete a workshop will receive a Western Oregon University Professional Development Workshop Certificate of Completion to highlight their accomplishments!
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked below to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Custom workshops are also available for your organization!
Future Dates TBD
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked above to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Workshop Description:
We will explore tools and skills to create a culture of feedback. Throughout the workshop, we will identify best practices for having feedback conversations. In professional settings, we often compensate for work that’s not being delivered ‘right’ or in the manner we hoped. Maybe we know the simple solution to a problem we’re facing but are hesitant to speak up because we don’t want to offend the other person this affects. The result is we continue with the status quo, and resentment may be quietly building to unproductive and unhealthy volumes.
Key Learning Outcomes:
By completing this training, you will:
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Facilitator Bio:
Sarah Sheldrick’s area of academic and practical work is in environmental science, conflict management, documentary filmmaking, and theater. In her work, she has met with a diverse group of stakeholders including, native tribes, city manager, farmers, ranchers, city council, state representatives. Sarah has spent her professional career focused on ethical and effective skills for oral and written communication. Sarah brings knowledge of conflict resolution, stakeholder engagement, and creative approaches to problem solving and collaborative governance.
Future Dates TBD
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked above to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Workshop Description:
Most teams are comprised of smart, capable people. So why do some teams work, and other teams don’t? The key to successful teamwork lies in building a strong foundation that effectively supports team processes such as communication, conflict management, and decision making. This workshop will help you identify, develop, maintain critical social forces such as trust, cohesion, and leadership that support effective teamwork.
Key Learning Outcomes:
By completing this training, you will:
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Facilitator Bio:
David Foster is a full professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Director of the Creativity Research Lab, Program Coordinator for the Organizational Leadership program, and Executive Director of the Center for Leadership and Creativity at Western Oregon University. His areas of academic specialization include leadership, teamwork, creativity, and group decision making. His current research focuses on developing measures of creative behavior. He received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University and a second bachelor’s degree in Cardiopulmonary Science from the University of South Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The George Washington University. His work experience includes facilitating organizational development for various Federal Government agencies as an internal consultant with the Office of Personnel Management, serving as a survey researcher for the Army Research Institute, and working as a neonatal respiratory therapist at several large, metropolitan hospitals.
Future Dates TBD
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked above to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Workshop Description:
This workshop will help new and experienced leaders continue their development through intense personal feedback and reflection allowing leaders to develop the skills and competencies critical to success for new and mid-level leadership.
Key Learning Outcomes:
By completing this training, you will:
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Facilitator Bio:
David Foster is a full professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Director of the Creativity Research Lab, Program Coordinator for the Organizational Leadership program, and Executive Director of the Center for Leadership and Creativity at Western Oregon University. His areas of academic specialization include leadership, teamwork, creativity, and group decision making. His current research focuses on developing measures of creative behavior. He received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University and a second bachelor’s degree in Cardiopulmonary Science from the University of South Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The George Washington University. His work experience includes facilitating organizational development for various Federal Government agencies as an internal consultant with the Office of Personnel Management, serving as a survey researcher for the Army Research Institute, and working as a neonatal respiratory therapist at several large, metropolitan hospitals.
Future Dates TBD
Workshop Description:
Critical thinking for Leaders will help you develop critical thinking skills to simplify and solve complex organizational problems. Critical thinking is a process and a leadership skill that can be improved over time through training and experience.
Through facilitated group discussions and complex organizational problem solving you will:
Key Learning Outcomes:
By completing this training you will:
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Facilitator Bio:
Adjunct Professor Paul Disney has been teaching Leadership and Management at Western Oregon University since 2010. He is a Colonel (Retired), US Army, who served as an aviation officer in various command and staff positions at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels from 1981 to 2010. Professor Disney has an MBA from Boston University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Interested in a leadership workshop topic not listed here?
Contact Jessica Murfin at murfinj@wou.edu or by calling 503-838-8374 to chat about custom training options!
JEDI 101 in The Workplace
Future Dates TBD
A 6-Week Deep Learning Experience
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked below to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
“THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this amazing opportunity to learn!!!
I look forward to a lifetime of learning on this subject.” – Winter 2021 participant
This 12 hour interactive training is delivered over 6 weeks providing education and learning covering the topics of:
The purpose of the training is to provide a space for participants to build social, racial, and equity literacy. Participants will be able to name and understand four levels of racism, engage in collective healing of internalized oppression, and build strategies for responding to acts of bias and hate-based discrimination. This training is grounded in critical, anti-racist literature and uses multi-modal learning that includes synchronous zoom meetings, at-home readings, reflection journals, and small group case studies.
Enrollment 30 – 45 participants.
The following design elements make this training unique and stand apart from similar training programs:
Participants completing this training will:
The training offers 30 hours of interactive instruction and learning spread across a span of six weeks (approximately 5 hours/week). Participants can expect to spend the following hour allocations for each week:
A key benefit of this training is the learning occurs over an extended period providing opportunities to practice new learning between weekly sessions. Participants will also work in established small groups throughout the training and develop social support in their learning journey. Additionally, participants will have opportunities to journal and reflect upon their learning and have ongoing support from the training facilitator.
“Ariel, Greg and Jaclyn helped me realize that being “color-blind” was not the answer to greater understanding of our wonderful BIPOC community, and gave me insights into the white privilege I never knew I had! It made me sad to see the real life examples of microaggressions I had unwittingly committed, but gave me hope that if enough of us make even a bit of effort to be more aware, the world will be a better place.” – Janet
$350 per person with group discounts available.
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Dr. Jaclyn Caires-Hurley is an assistant professor of multicultural education and critical pedagogy in the division of education and leadership at Western Oregon University where she coordinates the office of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (COE JEDI Office). She is also the co-chair of WOU’s University Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. She earned a Ph.D. in the social, multicultural, and bilingual foundations of education with an emphasis in educational equity and cultural diversity from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2015. Prior to graduate school, she served public schools in Phoenix, Arizona beginning as an instructional assistant and later serving as an ELL teacher and a Spanish immersion teacher. She has conducted extensive professional development for teachers toward creating equitable, bilingual classrooms in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Her research includes examining the sociopolitical context of teaching and learning and documenting how we prepare pre-service teachers for anti-racist teaching.
Future Dates TBD
A 6-Week Deep Learning Experience
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked below to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Enrollment 30 – 45 participants.
This training is designed for anyone who wants to become culturally competent and increase their capacity of interacting effectively across cultures in an increasing diverse world. The CCP is for any person desiring a deeper training experience that allows for experiential learning tied to their daily lives and interaction with others.
The training offers 12 hours of live, interactive instruction along with approximately 13 additional individual learning spread across a span of six weeks. Participants can expect to spend approximately 25 hours total engagement in the workshop.
$350 per person with group discounts available.
Custom workshop pricing will depend on length, delivery modality, and number of participants.
Gregory M. Willeford is a criminal justice professor with Western Oregon University (2005) and teaches in the U.S. and SE Asia. “Greg” is a faculty member of the Western Restorative and Criminal Justice Research Center and serves as the chair of the Criminal Justice Sciences Division Professional Advisory Board.
Greg completed a career with the Oregon State Police serving in many diverse and technical positions retiring as the Deputy Superintendent. Greg has extensive government experience and has worked collaboratively with many communities of color, Oregon tribal governments, and other nations on matters of public safety and education. Greg has developed and instructs courses related to race and the criminal justice system.
In addition to being a university educator, Greg is a skilled facilitator and teaches others how to facilitate a program focusing on development of social-emotional learning skills within educational systems. Most of this work has been in collaboration with communities of color since 2008. Currently, Greg also recently collaborated with local faith leaders to create and co-facilitate a year-long weekly discussion series on ending racism. (The Thursday Conversation Series 2020-2021).
Greg has a degree in the Administration of Justice and earned his graduate degree in Public Administration from the Mark Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University.
Currently offered as a custom training option only
Interested in this workshop for your organization or to be notified about future dates open to the general public?
Complete the “Notify Me” form linked below to be added to the email waitlist for future dates.
Members of the public service community face many challenges as they struggle to create environments where diversity is truly valued and respected. Incidents of hate, bias, and bullying; concerning attitudes of incivility and exclusion; intergroup tensions and conflicts; and hate speech are all issues public service leaders face with increasing frequency today. The need for contemporary research-based training on understanding racial justice issues could not be more important.
The Race and Justice Series provides facilitated skill building workshops designed to introduce participants to contemporary issues of racism, bias, hate, and system racism. The series provides learners with the essentials of understanding racism in America and developing the skills to be antiracist and confident in discussing race with others. Each workshop can be taken as a single training or as a full series.
Workshops can be customized to meet the specific goals and organizational scheduling needs of the public service community and can be delivered live online (synchronous) via Zoom or in person. Cost will depend on delivery format, location, and number of participants. Group discounts are available.
Some options include:
For more information please: email us.
What is this training about?
This 8-hour workshop establishes the development of a common “language” of racism to support factual understanding and dialogue of racism in America. Once a basic common language of racism is developed, additional new learning and understanding of racism occurs and becomes aligned with strategies for becoming antiracist and an ally to minoritized communities. Learning the language of race and racism is a key pillar of racial healing and learning how to become antiracist.
What is enrollment capacity?
Enrollment 15 – 75 participants.
Who should take this training?
The workshop is for adult learners employed or volunteering within the public service. This workshop is designed as a good introduction to racism and becoming antiracist.
What are the key outcomes for learning?
Participants completing this workshop will:
How is this training delivered?
Using an interactive learning framework of “Name it, Frame it, and Explain it!” this training is delivered either online live via Zoom or in person in a two-part or a single session. The training can be designed to meet the training and scheduling needs of groups.
What are the primary benefits of completing this training?
A primary benefit of this training is it has been designed to satisfy required race, bias, and diversity training within the public service. Furthermore, the training can be modified to meet specific training requirements and needs of organizations.
What is this training about?
This 8-hour workshop examines the intersection of race, poverty, and systemic racism with the goal of helping participants make better assessments of situations they encounter. Participants will develop a greater understanding of perception, bias, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.
What is enrollment capacity?
Enrollment 15 – 75 participants.
Who should take this training?
The workshop is for adult learners employed or volunteering within the public service.
What are the key outcomes for learning?
Participants completing this workshop will:
How is this training delivered?
This training is delivered either online live via Zoom or in person in a two-part or a single session. The training can be designed to meet the training and scheduling needs of groups.
What are the primary benefits of completing this training?
A primary benefit of this training is it has been designed to satisfy required race, bias, and diversity training within the public service. Furthermore, the training can be modified to meet specific training requirements and needs of organizations.
What is this training about?
In this 8-hour interactive workshop, participants examine the historical intersection of race and criminal justice (especially policing). Participants will learn how racism in America has influenced our system of policing and justice in the past and how those influences continue to impact contemporary practice. Participants will develop an initial understanding of how to recognize and respond to racism and what it means to practice antiracism in criminal justice.
What is enrollment capacity?
Enrollment 15 – 75 participants.
Who should take this training?
This training is designed for criminal justice practitioners and students from law enforcement, courts, and corrections sectors interested in understanding how racism is influencing the current administration of criminal justice in America. Additionally, participants interested in understanding why many communities continue to believe the American system of justice is systemically racist will benefit from this workshop.
What are the key outcomes for learning?
Participants completing this workshop will:
How is this training delivered?
This training is delivered either online live via Zoom or in person in a two-part or a single session. The training can be designed to meet the training and scheduling needs of groups.
What are the primary benefits of completing this training?
A primary benefit of this training is it has been designed to satisfy required race, bias, and diversity training within criminal justice. Furthermore, the training can be modified to meet specific training requirements and needs of organizations. And the training is facilitated by a university educator of criminal justice with career service in police and police administration.
What is this training about?
The purpose of this 8-hour training is to provide participants with the capacity to understand, recognize, respond to, and successfully report hate-bias incidents and crimes. The training draws upon contemporary best practice and policy and is designed to align with required bias/hate crime training within the public service. Emphasis is placed on understanding the seriousness of hate-bias incidents in terms of its impact on the individual and the community.
What is enrollment capacity?
Enrollment 15 – 75 participants.
Who should take this training?
The workshop is designed for adult learners employed within public or private organizations. The workshop may also be exclusively designed for public safety organizations and individuals who are responsible for responding to and investigating reports of hate/bias crime.
What are the key outcomes for learning?
Participants completing this workshop will:
How is this training delivered?
This training is delivered either online live via Zoom or in person in a two-part or a single session. The training can be designed to meet the training and scheduling needs of groups.
What are the primary benefits of completing this training?
A primary benefit of this training is it has been designed to satisfy required race, bias/hate crime, and diversity training within criminal justice. Furthermore, the training can be modified to meet specific training requirements and needs of organizations.
_________________
Who is the lead facilitator of The Racial Justice Series?
The workshops will be facilitated by a representative from the Western Restorative Justice and Re-entry Center and may also include guest presenters.
Primary Facilitator: Gregory M. Willeford has been an adjunct criminal justice professor since 2005, teaching in the U.S. and in SE Asia. Greg was formerly with the Oregon State Police as a trooper and eventually retired as the Deputy Superintendent. During his career with the Oregon State Police, Greg served in many roles to include numerous years as a criminal investigator and supervisor of criminal investigations.
Greg is also with the Western Restorative Justice and Re-entry Center and Chair of the Criminal Justice Sciences Division Professional Advisory Board.
Greg has extensive government experience and has worked collaboratively with many communities of color, Oregon tribal governments, and other nations on matters of public safety and education.
Greg has researched and developed a new university training focusing on race and policing.
In addition to being a university educator, Greg is a skilled facilitator and teaches others how to facilitate a program focusing on development of social-emotional learning skills within educational systems. Most of this work has been in collaboration with communities of color since 2008.
During the past year, Greg collaborated with local faith leaders to create and co-facilitate a 10-month weekly discussion series on ending racism. (The Thursday Conversation Series 2020-2021).
Greg earned his graduate degree in Public Administration from the Mark Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University and has an undergraduate degree in the Administration of Justice also from Portland State University.
For more information, contact:
Jessica Murfin, MA, MS
Partnership Specialist, Office of Academic Affairs
murfinj@wou.edu | 503-838-8374