Inclusive Communication and Managing Conflict Workshop

This Event is Open to All Faculty Members

This interactive workshop will focus on understanding types and styles of communication, the root causes of workplace conflict and how personal identity can help or hinder their communication success.  Participants will gain insights into communicating across differences, planning “difficult” conversations and effectively managing conflict. 

Bio

Amanda Shaffer is a professional coach and consultant with 20+ years of experience designing professional development workshops and diversity initiatives for academic institutions across the United States. 

Amanda currently serves as the Diversity Officer for the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Maryland, College Park where she is responsible for executing the college diversity strategic plan and providing educational programming. Before UMD she was the Director of Diversity Education for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and prior to that the Director of the Office of Faculty Development at Case Western Reserve University where she served in a variety of roles over 15 years. In addition, she has written multiple diversity focused guidebooks, videos, and toolkits, and facilitated numerous DEI focused conversations. She has also been a presenter at the HERS Leadership Institute since 2019, and volunteers as a workshop facilitator for the ADVANCE GEO partnership to improve the climate for women in STEM.

A Gestalt Professional Certified Coach (GPCC) who is ACC-certified through the International Coach Federation, Shaffer earned both a bachelors and a master’s degree in Philosophy from Cleveland State University. She has additional training in Woman in Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Appreciative Inquiry, Negotiation and Conflict Management, SafeZone Training and Mindful Facilitation. 

Amanda was the founder and artistic director of the nonprofit Red Hen Productions Feminist Theatre in Cleveland (1995-2005), a founding member of the Ohio Diversity Officers Collaborative (2008) and served on the National HERC Advisory Board from 2014 to 2018. In her free time, she volunteers with national and local nonprofit and social justice organizations and accompanies visiting friends and family to DC museums and monuments.