Skip to main content

UFacilitate

Erin Bresnahan

Erin Bresnahan is a bilingual (English/French) strategic advisor and facilitator whose work bridges evidence, action, and human dynamics. Over 15+ years, she has partnered with foundations, multilateral institutions, civil society organizations,and companies in more than 90 countries. Today, as Co-Founder and COO of AvoMotion Advisory, Erin co-leads a firm serving nonprofits, foundations, multilateral organizations, and private sector clients of all sizes, facilitating strategic planning workshops, board retreats, and multistakeholder convenings. What sets her approach apart is the pairing of rigorous, data-grounded strategy work with genuine facilitation craft: she builds the KPI dashboards and measurement systems a room will need after the workshop ends. Erin holds an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University with a specialization in international development and conflict studies, and a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Harouna Saley Abdoulaye

Harouna Saley Abdoulaye. Dynamic, and committed leader and manager with 21+ year of experience in organizational management, strategic planning, and business development focusing on social cohesion and peace consolidation, on countering stigmatization and reducing the filling of marginalization of community at risk, on community mobilization and on countering violence extremism with community based resilience approach.  Exceptional interpersonal talents, able to bring together community leaders, local organizations, and government agencies to consolidate strategies of dialogue, and stability. Excellent project management skills, capable of building effective and enthusiastic teams to complete projects on time, within budget, and with tangible impact.  Harouna Abdoulaye participated as a panelist at the United Nations General Assembly on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration process of former violent extremists in September 2017. He is also a facilitator and leadership advisor and experienced in Art of Living and personal development.  He is seeking opportunities to share his experiences and to learn and adapt from others experiences in order to foster his sense of creativity and innovation.

Tarek Maassarani

Tarek Maassarani is a mission-driven attorney, program strategist, university professor, and project director with 20+ years leading federally funded initiatives across justice, equity, and climate resilience. He has litigated human rights cases, managed multi-agency partnerships, developed countless programs, published books and articles, and trained civil society and government agencies. As CEO of Sustainable Construction Solutions, he applies his legal and programmatic expertise to sustainable infrastructure, advancing fireproof, non-toxic, and low-carbon materials and methods aligned with resilience and decarbonization goals. Under his leadership, the company has delivered successful pilot projects and expanded public-private partnerships.  Maassarani began his career providing civil legal services law at the federally-funded Neighborhood Legal Services Program, where he served as a Covington & Burling Westwood Fellow and later as a senior staff attorney. At NLSP’s Nani Helen Burroughs office, he represented underserved residents across housing, employment, public benefits, consumer protection, and discrimination cases, while also managing law student interns and supporting D.C. Bar legal clinics and Spanish-speaking workers’ rights seminars. He then served for over a decade as a consultant and trainer for the U.S. Institute of Peace and director of the Salam Institute, in which capacities he managed five-to-six figure USAID and State Department-funded civic engagement and peacebuilding programs across Africa, Afghanistan, and domestic military bases.  He facilitated training for educators, nonprofits, African peacekeeping forces, U.S. Army units, and foreign service officers, and co-authored curricula on religious peacebuilding, conflict resolution, trauma resilience, and nonviolent action. As co-founder and technical lead of Restorative DC, Maassarani designed and scaled a citywide restorative justice initiative across Washington, D.C., delivering technical assistance to over 40 schools, coordinating a diversion program for the Department of Human Services, and advising the Office of the Attorney General on the creation of a nationally recognized in-house restorative justice unit. He later co-directed Central Virginia Community Justice, where he launched a restorative diversion program in partnership with local prosecutors, expanded referral networks, and formalized regional implementation. More recently, he served as lead trainer for the U.S. State Department–funded #Influencers4Peace initiative, which engaged 150 social media leaders across Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Niger to promote social cohesion and counter violent extremism.

Yash Maniar

Yash Maniar is an India-based facilitator, social entrepreneur, and International Coaching Federation certified coach who empowers individuals and organizations in their journey from purpose to action. With a strong focus on aligning personal values with organizational goals, Yash designs and facilitates transformative learning experiences that help teams deepen collaboration, strengthen leadership, and find greater meaning in their work. As an experiential learning facilitator and coach, Yash has designed and led programs on social innovation, leadership, sustainability, systems change, and design thinking across Asia, including China, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, and Bangladesh. He has facilitated with organizations such as The JUMP! Foundation, coached global climate action teams through the Gigatonne Challenge, and completed over 350 hours of one-on-one coaching with entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers. Yash’s entrepreneurial journey includes co-founding Shunya Alternative Solutions, an eco-friendly products venture incubated by The DO School and supported by The Pollination Project. Through Shunya, he helped replace more than one million pieces of plastic cutlery with biodegradable alternatives in India. He has also worked across startups in product strategy, digital marketing, and learning design, bringing a systems thinking and human-centered approach to both organizational growth and social impact.

 Kāvya Raman

Kāvya Raman believes design is the use of power to shape what’s possible. She designs and facilitates spaces for change with organizations, movements, governments, and communities learning how to become good future ancestors. Her work focuses on shaping strategies, practices, and ways of working that help people and institutions cross thresholds with care, courage, and imagination. Over the past fifteen years, Kāvya has lived and worked across war zones and megacities including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Turkey, Jordan, Haiti, Egypt, Italy, and the United States, navigating cultures, languages, and ways of knowing, being, and belonging. Her experience spans social impact design, facilitation, coaching, organizational leadership, and program strategy with nonprofits, foundations, international organizations, and governments, including collaborations with The International Rescue Committee, The Gates Foundation, Oxfam International, Global Affairs Canada, and the U.S. Department of State. Her superpower is adaptation.

Michael Fryer

michael fryer

Michael Fryer has been creating spaces in which people can explore the things that really matter for the past 29 years. His work has taken him all over the world and given him an opportunity to gain insights into the core ingredients of healthy teams and communities. He learned his trade in Northern Ireland with The Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation center. Their focus on the importance of relationships, and on listening and intentionally creating a space in which new perspectives can emerge, resonated deeply. From 2018-2024 he taught applied skills-based courses as a Professor of Practice at the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. Accompanying and guiding a team as they journey from confusion, frustration and apathy through to engagement, clarity and enthusiasm about their next steps is always such a privilege. Michael focuses on highlighting the links between seemingly random and unrelated ideas, themes and perspectives and then connecting them with the challenges being explored with a team. Through asking better questions, Michael helps teams move past simplistic explanations for complex challenges and transform deeply rooted conflicts and change processes. He has most recently focused on helping senior leaders navigate the inevitable challenges of digital transformation initiatives. He lives in the beautiful mountains near San Diego with his wife Vanessa and young daughters Eloise and Lucette.

Gautam Paul

gautam paul

Gautam Paul brings over two decades of international leadership experience across media, technology, and professional services. He has a proven track record of driving performance, transformation, and growth in volatile and complex corporate environments. Having revitalized underperforming teams, scaled high growth organizations, and led cross functional groups across the UK, India, and New Zealand, Gautam combines strong commercial acumen with deep insight into human motivation and leadership effectiveness. His coaching approach blends strategic clarity with practical execution, enabling senior leaders to strengthen their influence, navigate change with confidence, and build resilient, high performing teams. Gautam has advised executives in startups, established enterprises, and global firms, equipping them to align teams to strategy, manage competing stakeholder demands, and deliver measurable business impact in times of uncertainty. Known for driving growth through clarity and culture, Gautam has supported leadership teams to achieve breakthrough results by sharpening goals, strengthening communication, and embedding accountability. In one instance, he coached a stagnant leadership team to double their results within a year by focusing on mindset and collaboration rather than pressure alone. He has also guided leaders launching new ventures to assemble, mentor, and align high performing teams, enabling successful initiatives and strategic partnerships. His work consistently helps leaders turn complex challenges into opportunities for growth and impact. Across his engagements, Gautam emphasizes expanding leadership presence, deepening strategic focus, and unlocking individual potential to ensure sustained high performance and meaningful results.

Regina Rabenhorst

regina rabenhorst

Regina Rabenhorst, owner of and consultant for Triple Crown Results, is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) with over twenty years of experience in instructional design, facilitation, change management, coaching, and organizational development. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) providing management and leadership, executive, and career coaching for clients.  She has worked both in the US and around the world with numerous international project staff, in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Clients include federal government agencies such as USAID, Department of Education, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of Defense, National Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Labor, as well as private and non-profit contractors and implementing partners, including the Walmart Foundation, Chemonics International, RTI, FHI360, Social Impact, AECOM, Urban Institute, and Helen Keller International, among others. Regina holds a Master of Arts in International Training and Education from American University and a Bachelor of Science in Latin American Economic Development from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Regina has a passion for helping individuals and teams leverage their strengths and maximize their potential.

Dylan McKenzie

dylan mckenzie

Dylan McKenzie helps people learn, create, and take action by translating complexity into engaging, practical learning experiences. He has spent over a decade designing programs that connect creativity, education, and business, empowering people to build sustainable practices and unlock new opportunities. Dylan co-founded the NYU Game Center Incubator, where independent developers launched successful games and learned how to sustain their creative work. During his tenure, he helped grow the NYU Game Center from a two-class pilot into the world’s top-ranked game design program. At Teamshares, he led education for a national network of employee-owned small businesses, designing and scaling a learning system that supported over $4 million in wealth transfer to blue-collar workers. Now, Dylan is developing Project Rhythm, a music-learning game that helps beginners bridge the gap from curiosity to creating their first track. His consulting work spans clients such as ESPN, the Canadian Consulate, and the Sloan Foundation, with projects ranging from product exploration to curriculum and grant design. As a facilitator and program designer, Dylan centers his practice on clarity, creativity, and collaboration, helping technical and non-technical teams alike learn by doing and turn ideas into meaningful impact. He holds an MA in Arts Entrepreneurship and a BS in Media, Culture, and Communication, both from New York University.

Marise Mackay

marise mackay

Marise Mackay is a global brand and learning leader turned identity and resilience coach who supports leaders navigating change. With over a decade of experience leading global brands and driving learning and development in the beauty industry, she now empowers purpose-driven leaders to reclaim their voice, clarify their identity, and lead with audacity. As a coach, speaker, and facilitator, Marise specialises in identity, resilience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She works at the intersection of personal transformation and leadership, helping individuals rise through transition, loss, burnout, or reinvention with clarity, conviction, and a deeper sense of self. Her work is rooted in the belief that when people anchor into who they truly are, they lead themselves and others differently, and in doing so, change the world, one imperfect and striving human at a time. As the founder of the DreamGirls Academy Mentoring Program, Marise brings together strategic insight, a heart for service, and hands dedicated to helping and healing in community. Her approach continues to have a lasting impact.

Get monthly facilitation tools, insights & stories.

Join thousands of changemakers making systems change happen with our monthly insights newsletter.