Lance Decker, Co-Founder

Specializes in mediation and public policy development

Lance Decker, co-founder of the Institute for Community Involvement and president of LL Decker & Associates, is a business planner focusing on state and local governments around the world. In this capacity he helps managers, policy-makers and their constituent communities find practical pathways to prosperous futures.

His credentials include more than thirty years working in and with local public agencies. Prior to establishing a full-time consulting practice in 1993, Lance managed the corporate/strategic planning process for the City of Phoenix, Arizona. As a line manager for local government, he acquired skills in organizational planning and development, community involvement, and information technology.

A client once said, "Lance runs the world's greatest meetings." While this is due, in part, to his understanding of human dynamics, time management and mediation strategy, it also reflects Lance's genuine respect for people and his dedication to safe but meaningful conflict resolution.

Lance's early professional career in community development supports his current efforts as a writer, teacher, publisher and planner. His client base expanded to include the power and energy industry, law firms, nonprofit associations, law enforcement and public safety organizations and military agencies. Local and state government still occupies the major share of Lance's time as he trains and coaches public managers in community planning, involvement and conflict resolution.

Lance received his MPA from The Ohio State University and has several books and publications to his credit. He is a member of the International Association for Public Participation, the American Society for Public Administration, and is former president of the Phoenix Chapter of The International Society for Strategic Management and Planning.

A frequent lecturer and conference speaker, Lance also teaches courses in strategic planning and conflict management at the Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs, the Nonprofit Institute, and other colleges and universities.

Theresa Gunn, Co-Founder

Specializes in community involvement process design and group management

Theresa Gunn, co-founder of the Institute for Community Involvement and president of Gunn Communications, Inc., has more than 20 years experience in designing and implementing public involvement and outreach programs.

While at the Regional Public Transportation Authority in Phoenix, Arizona, Theresa created and coordinated implementation of NEPA compliant public involvement processes for site selection of  transit centers in downtown Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale.

She also managed a regional citizen participation program that involved more than 1,500 residents in the development of a regional transit plan and assisted in the creation of the Valley Connections, regional rail studies, and public involvement program to comply with Federal ISTEA regulations.

Theresa has implemented public involvement programs for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality state superfund (WQARF) sites and rule-making processes, Continental Homes Parkside Development, Arizona Department of Transportation 202L/US60 Traffic Interchange, Arizona Department of Water Resources Water Protection Fund and much more. She currently manages citizen advisory groups for Intel Corporation, Pinnacle West Energy and Arizona Department of Transportation.

Theresa received a Bachelors degree in public relations from Oklahoma State University and a Masters degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She has completed training courses in citizen participation, group facilitation, and strategic planning processes and is active in the International Association for Public Participation.

Marjorie Burren

Specializes in communications coaching and training

Marjorie Burren is a graduate of Hunter College with a degree in Theater and English Literature. She has produced educational films for Harcourt Brace, and was a sales manager for Mattel Toys. She has been a corporate spokesperson for Digital, Liberty Mutual, and NYNEX, and is a co-founder of the U.S. Improvisational Theater League. An experienced TV and radio actress, she also teaches improvisation, and has been a guest artist/director at Emerson and Curry Colleges.

As a founder and principal of B&B Associates, she has coached managers and teams from some of the country's largest engineering firms, including Parsons Brinckerhoff, DMJM+Harris, and URS, winning projects totaling in the billions of dollars. She has: helped create and run coaching and mentoring workshops for Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter and Ameritech, team building seminars for MIT, and sales training for QSP and Global Atlantic Partners. She regularly prepares executives and marketing teams for users’ conferences and trade shows, including Progress Software, Speedline Technologies and Eastman Software. Marjorie has also led the Speakers Bureau for the United Way, and taught at Harvard Business School and Babson College in the United Way's Loaned Executive Program, as well as coaching members of the staff at APS.

She brings years of marketing and communications experience together with her skill as a professional actress to help you make a maximum positive impact with every presentation, meeting or media appearance.

John McAlister

John McAlister is the editor and publisher of the ICI newsletter "At Issue...to the Point". He has over 27 years experience as an executive of a Fortune 500 Corporation. He brings to the Institute of Community Involvement a rich history of extensive and successful experience in operations, manufacturing and supply chain management. He has worked in the non-profit sector with the American Youth Foundation where, as Director of Operations, where he was primarily responsible for securing a $28 million dollar grant for the organization. He has started a successful publishing company, MTR Worldwide, an enterprise dedicated to the development of successful creative people through the publication of books, speaking engagements and coaching services. He coaches business owner’s strategies for developing high performance and excellence in the work place so that they create a business that servers their life and the lives of the people that work in it

John is co-author of Letters to the Medicine Man; Myth to Reality; The Spirit of the Entrepreneurial Adventure and the forthcoming Smart Families. Currently, he is making ready for publication the second book in the Myth to Reality series: Spirit, Inspirational Leadership Ideas of Business Champions.

He is a lecturer with a world wide audience and has taught at Arizona State University, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia and the University of Presov, Slovakia.