The Yarbrough Group

World Wide Consultants In Developing The Human Side Of Organizations

When the heat is on, business leaders call The Yarbrough Group, a network of a dozen organizational development specialists based in Boulder, Colorado, who have earned wide respect for their work as mediators, consultants and coaches in the delicate business of redesigning organizations, building effective teams, developing leadership, cultivating and embracing diversity and managing conflict.

Infused with insight and humor, our work is guided by the best diagnostic capability in the business. We offer consulting that empowers you to envision new possibilities for managing the present and optimizing the future. We can offer a top-to-bottom assessment of your organization or a combination of targeted services and support, from large systems change to training to teambuilding to one-on-one coaching.

Each associate possesses a high level of skill and years of experience with organizational development, human resources management, communication and conflict resolution.

William Wilmot, Ph.D.
Elaine Yarbrough, Ph.D.
Mike Burr, M.P.A.
William Woodward, M.P.A.
Catherine Clement, M.A., L.P.C.
Norbert Hill, M.A.
G. Michael Moore
Jim Firth, Ph.D.
Janice Eddy
Joyce Hocker, Ph.D.
Elaine Granata, M.A.
Mike King
Larry Ward
Lillian Roybal Rose, M.S.
Cherie Buckner-Webb

Bill Wilmot is a key Senior Associate who brings special expertise for developing the human side of organizations. His specialty is workplace communication, and over the past 25 years has helped CEOs, executive teams in technology firms, government agencies, non-profits and family-owned businesses re-establish productive relationships at work.
Bill has an uncanny ability to diagnose ongoing dynamics and swing into action with helpful interventions--whether that is training, facilitation, mediation or coaching key people. He has an engaging, enthusiastic approach to this important work. One testament to the quality of Bill's work is that clients often come back for different types of service. Bill has an ability to adapt and be supportive no matter how simple or complex the client needs. The quality of his work is attested to by his selection as an "Advanced Practitioner" by the Association for Conflict Resolution.
In addition to his consultation work, he has a unique ability to synthesize concepts in readable and engaging books. He co-authored with Elaine Yarbrough, Artful Mediation: Constructive Conflict at Work, a book used by human resource professionals and professional mediators. His classic co-authored 7th edition book Interpersonal Conflict is a best seller in the communication discipline and continues to set the standard for analysis of how conflict operates. In addition to this consistent focus on communication, conflict, mediation and facilitation, he is also co-author with Curtis R. Carlson, CEO of SRI International of Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want (Crown, 2006). BusinessWeek (Dec. 13, 2006) called this "One of the 10 Best Business Books" for 2006.
Bill's home base is at Georgetown Lake, Montana where he lives with his wife Melanie and their dog Rosie. Internationally he has worked in Great Britain, Spain, France, and South Africa and did extensive personal travel multiple times in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. When he has his Montana hat on, he is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Montana where he was Chair of the Department of Communication Studies, directed the University's Conflict Management Project, and worked part-time for Human Resources. He has instituted mediation programs in a number of universities and often serves in an advisory and supervisory role. And, of course, he continues to intervene both locally and nationally in numerous workplace disputes. He has a son and daughter and four grandchildren. He is an avid telemark skier, hiker, and backpacker always looking for a good excuse for a trip in the woods.
Bill's Books Bill's Clients

Elaine has over twenty-five years experience training, consulting and mediating in the private and public sectors, including human service and educational organizations. Her compassionate truth-telling and accurate intuition brings power and warmth to her skill in transforming organizations and individuals. With an international reputation for a wise and witty style, she is co-author of Artful Mediation: Constructive Conflict at Work, Training Strategies from Start to Finish , author of Constructive Conflict and creator of a popular series of video and audio tapes . She has consulted with American multinational corporations in over 20 countries including the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Russia specializing in managing change and transitions, conflict management, multicultural and gender diversity, strategic change for large systems and facilitation.

His more than twenty years of management experience in Fortune 500 companies, government, high tech, non-profit and the military gives Mike a well rounded view of people, their work, and their continuous desire to improve. Personable, humorous and fun-loving, he has real life experience with organizational diversity. His expertise in human resources, managing diversity, continuous quality improvement, interpersonal communication, and mergers and acquisitions make him a valuable asset to our clients and us. His work takes him to more than a dozen countries including Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Poland, Switzerland and France.

Catherine has a broad experience in both short and long-term organizational development projects, as Director of Human Resources in a bio-med firm and a consultant to educational, governmental, high tech and non-profit organizations. She also maintains a private counseling practice focused on resolving career and professional issues. With The Yarbrough Group, she specializes in organizational assessment, human resource and administrative system development, group facilitation and teambuilding, gender diversity training, executive coaching, mediation and communication skills training. Her insightful, precise yet gentle style gets her to the heart of the matter quickly for lasting change.

A member of the Oneida Tribe, Norbert has developed and administered educational programs for American Indians and other disadvantaged youth for more than 20 years. In his role as Executive Director of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) for 18 years, he advocated education as the route to economic power. For The Yarbrough Group he specializes in diversity training and coaching, facilitation, and powerful imagery techniques to guide strategic change. He has worked with major corporations including DuPont, IBM, AT&T and Digital Equipment Corporation. His deep compassion and joyful nature allow him to address difficult issues in ways that make change easier. Publisher of Winds of Change and editor of Words of Power a collection of quotations by American Indian leaders, he serves on many national boards, chairs the board of directors for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian and is a trustee for the Environmental Defense Fund.

As the founder of two successful businesses and over 20 years of business experience, Michael understands the concerns and stresses of managers, executives, and entrepreneurs. He focuses on several things and his specialties are: Customer Service Skills: Building and Maintaining Loyalty, Family Business Issues and Transitions: Having it All Work, Leadership Training: Self-Development for Business Results, Conflict Resolution and Polarity Management: Turning Liabilities into Assets, Instructional Design and Delivery: High Return Training, Team Development: Aligning Personal, Interpersonal and Business Objectives, Emotional Literacy: The Foundation for Success in Social Environments, Coaching: Unlocking Existing Brilliance Sufficient to Carry the Day. He is also an Advanced Enneagram Instructor, a personality typing system used as a valued leadership resource for organizations such as Motorola, Xerox, Northland, and the US Postal Service, the Jesuits, the CIA and Stanford University Medical School.

A licensed psychologist and consultant to a broad spectrum of agencies, Jim is also a Professor at Oregon State University. A nationally certified counselor, he has more than twenty-six years experience with organizations as diverse as the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Alliance of Businesses and Kaiser-Permanente. His quick grasp of group processes, deep trust in everyone's innate creativity and gentle humor enrich our Masterful Facilitation training and organizational development projects. His past experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, facilitation training in Switzerland teaching people from more than 14 cultures, and experience in public education give him a broad view of processes and possibilities.

Janice is one of the most experienced consultants in the field with extensive experience in high technology and traditional business and financial institutions. She has led study groups to West Africa for six years and pioneered courses for women at Lesley College Graduate School, the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and for the NTL Institute of Applied Behavioral Science. She has worked in Western Europe, Africa, and Asia focusing on organizational development and multicultural change. With The Yarbrough Group, she specializes in gender and multicultural consulting and training and in leading women's professional development retreats.

Joyce brings a rare blend of knowledge, experience and compassion to her work. She has two Ph.D.'s, one in Psychology and one in Communication, and more than twenty years of real world experience with companies ranging from small non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. As a clinical psychologist, she has a thriving professional practice and is co-author of Interpersonal Conflict . With The Yarbrough Group, she specializes in gender diversity training. Joyce's focus on the deep internal processes that provide the channels of change allows her to understand people and organizations quickly and to plan for change that is creative.

Bill brings his interesting background to serve in many consulting capacities. Over the past 25 years Bill has managed his own consulting business, served in the military, was a police captain and directed a state agency with $43M annual budget. He brings his experience in working with diverse boards of directors and governor-appointed policy groups to find creative, collaborative solutions to complex social and business problems. For The Yarbrough Group Bill focuses on strategic planning, facilitation, teambuilding, future search technology, scenario building, diversity training and managing policy-making boards of directors (public and private). He has a Masters in Organizational Development and a BA in Psychology.

Elaine's consulting speciality is using large group processes to accelerate change. She is accomplished in managing search conferences for strategic planning around issues such as diversity, merging departments, community and organization growth. She has extensive experience in workplace redesign. Not only does Elaine guide change efforts with grace and groundedness, she also has co-authored a number of articles on the use of large group processes in organizations and communities. Prior to her sixteen years consulting experience, she directed Human Resources departments and was a management trainer.

Mike brings a life's experience of working in the non-profit world to The Yarbrough Group. He has extensive experience in leadership training, management, organizational development and management of volunteers. As a national keynote speaker and trainer, he has presented in the areas of Trends Impacting Our Society, Leadership for the 21st Century; Marketing for People, Money and Image; Non-Profit Management, Board-Staff Relations; Managing Today's Volunteers and Survival Skills for Non-Profit Professionals. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for United way of Metropolitan Dallas, responsible for a fifty million dollar campaign. Mike's open, humorous, compassionate style make him a favorite here and with his clients. Currently, he is President and CEO of The Child Care Group.

Larry has more than 25 years experience in international relations, human resource training, strategic planning, professional growth, team development, public relations and organizational change. For more than 20 years, Larry was Director of the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a non-profit worldwide organization focused on human development. While Director, Larry initiated and managed socio-economic projects in over 55 countries. Additionally, he worked to create, develop, and transform successful global non-profit organizations, and acquired consulting, training, and facilitation experience with hundreds of clients in over 25 countries. He holds graduate level certification in organization and community development through the Institute of Cultural Affairs International Academy in Chicago, IL; as well as a BA in Psychology and Organizational Behavior. For The Yarbrough Group, Larry facilitates work in whole systems change, workforce diversity, interpersonal communications and change. His clarity, strength of purpose and dedication to his work create a presence that is both grounded and passionate.

Lillian has been an educator and consultant for twenty years in the area of cross-cultural communication. She is Latina and grew up in east Los Angeles. Lillian received her B.A. in sociology from CSU Los Angeles and her M.S. in education from the University of Southern California, specializing in teaching in urban poverty areas. She has also trained at the Stanford Institute for Intercultural Communication.

For The Yarbrough Group Lillian facilitates workshops in cross-cultural communication. Her style is dynamic, personable, and sensitive. She is exceptionally skilled in helping people of all backgrounds reclaim pride in their roots through the exploration of shared experiences.

Cherie Buckner-Webb is a senior associate with The Yarbrough Group, a consulting group in Boulder, Colorado, USA, that provides a wide range of services world-wide for Developing the Human Side of Organizations. Cherie has an extensive business background including positions in program management, diversity consultation, sales and marketing, business and organizational development, operations, and e-commerce. Her expertise includes cross-cultural collaboration, facilitation and coaching for system wide change. Cherie also works with institutions of higher education in the development of diversity curriculum design and training.

A key focus for Cherie is “supporting highly motivated women to navigate the waters of the work world with purpose” and she does so through her coaching.

Buckner-Webb earned a B.S. in Management and Organizational Leadership from George Fox University, and a Masters of Social Work from Northwest Nazarene University.

In addition to her work in business, Cherie is an accomplished gospel, jazz and blues vocalist. Cherie has recorded with jazz great Gene Harris, released her debut solo CD, "By His Grace" and received the Award for Excellence in the Arts at the 2004 State of Idaho Governor’s Awards in the Arts Celebration.

Cherie’s credo is “leave a legacy” and to that end she donates countless hours to a variety of community activities. Cherie is the winner of numerous awards including the 2005 Jefferson Award for Public Service, in acknowledgement of her history of commitment to and the community and devotion to human rights and diversity.

An Idaho native, Cherie lives in Boise with her husband, Henry Webb. They have two adult sons.