Meet our Board of Directors
Kirsten Szykitka- Port Townsend, Washington
Kirsten has trained in Nonviolent Communication, Dynamic Facilitation, and The Way of Council, and has been practicing Compassionate Listening for over 15 years with a commitment to sharing these skills with diverse individuals and groups around the world. She bring her decades of varied international nonprofit experience to her facilitation, including service as Director of Operations for Tomorrow's Women (formerly Creativity for Peace) educating young women from Israel and Palestine to become leaders and peacemakers. Kirsten believes in the transformational power of heart-based communications to guide us towards a more sustainable and just humanity.
Leah Green - Bainbridge Island, WA
Leah is Founder and Executive Director of the Compassionate Listening Project. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Evans School at the University of Washington, where she also completed her coursework for a Masters in Middle Eastern Studies. Leah is recognized as a leader in Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation. Since 1990, she’s led 26 training delegations to Israel and Palestine and produced three documentaries about the conflict, including Children of Abraham, and Crossing the Lines: Palestinians and Israelis Speak With the Compassionate Listening Project. Leah has led delegations to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and co-founded the Jewish-German Compassionate Listening Project in 2002. She is a facilitator of Systems and Family Constellations and integrates Constellations into her trainings. Leah is a past recipient of the Yoga Journal’s “Karma Yoga Award." She mentors new facilitators through the certification program and is available for coaching sessions by phone. Contact Leah for more information.
Nancy Jo Chabot- Contoocook, NH
Nancy Jo works in the areas of museums and archaeology. She is Museum Curator at Hopkinton Historical Society. When she’s not doing museum work, she is in the woods or waters of the Northeast Woodlands. She is an active participant in the Abenaki Trails Project, which connects members of the Nulhegan Band of Coosuk Abenaki with towns to re-examine together the teachings of Native history. Nancy Jo is an active practitioner of Compassionate Listening. She has attended many CL trainings and practice groups, and participated in CL journeys in Israel-Palestine (2018-19), in Alabama (2020), and at Lake Umbagog (2021-2024).
Scott Dickman - Concord, New Hampshire
Scott is a longtime peace advocate who resided in Israel during the '70s. He later joined the CL Israel & Palestine Journey in 2016. He engaged with the New Hampshire Board of Building a Culture of Peace and now serves on the NH Peace Action Board, along with NH Friends of Combatants for Peace and J Street. These organizations focus on reconciliation and bridging differences. He is currently facilitating Israel-Palestine discussions at a local synagogue. Scott is semi-retired, and relishes family time with his new grandson, while pursuing his outdoor passion through conservation easements with conservancies.
Susan Partnow- Seattle, Washington
Susan Partnow, M.A., has catalyzed social transformation for 30+ years from Africa to Guatemala, Cuba to Japan and India. Co-founder of Conversation Cafes, Let’s Talk America, Global Citizen Journey and Seattle Restorative Justice, Susan especially enjoys transforming conflict using Restorative Circles, Open Space, World Café and Appreciative Inquiry. She is a mediator, facilitator, and coach. Author of Everyday Speaking for All Occasions and co-contributor to Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening. Passionately committed to intercultural understanding, peacemaking and community building, Susan deeply believes we can and must 'listen our way to wholeness' to find our essential humanity through connection, wise co-creation, and dialogue. She joyfully serves on the Board of Awareness, Courage and Love, dedicated to combating loneliness and building meaningful relationships. Susan has been an essential part of Compassionate Listening from its earliest days, one of the very first trainers, co-creator of the core practices and the advanced training.
Vanessa Delgado - Peru
Vane is an Experienced Grief Therapist, Coach, and Professor at Universidad Pac​ífico and Utp. She has a Master's in Educational Management and University Teaching, and is skilled as a meditation and Yin Yoga instructor. She is an accomplished International Senior instructor in Mind Mapping by Tony Buzan®, with expertise in Visual Thinking, NLP, and Past Life Therapy. She has a background in leadership in LEGO® Serious Play®, Agile HR and Clowning. She had been a global trainer in Poland, USA, Brazil, Argentina, and more. She is the founder of Diversa® HR Consultancy, The Book Lab Reading Club, and the Human Mentor Movement®. She is a multifaceted professional dedicated to holistic growth and transformative learning.