Bill Potapchuk
8718 Mary Lee Lane
Annandale, VA 22003
O: 703-425-6296
F: 703-425-6297
bill at communitytools.net

In addition to providing direct services, the Community Building Institute (CBI) works with clients such as foundations and other nonprofits in major research and writing projects to catalyze projects, capture best practices, and develop guidebooks. Using an extensive library of case studies, a broad and diverse network, and robust conceptual frameworks, CBI is well equipped to provide policy analysis, project design assistance, research reports and other “think tank” services to its clients.

CBI President William Potapchuk’s work has often focused on understanding structural and cultural issues that impede effective collaboration and developing strategies to address these challenges. In addition to preparing reports, Potapchuk also has designed policy dialogues and meetings which engage diverse groups of practitioners, community activists, representatives from all levels of governments, nonprofits, and others to help our clients reflect upon and refine their programs and policies.

Potapchuk specializes in developing new syntheses that draw from diverse disciplines, on-the-ground experience, and varied perspectives. Because of his work across numerous issue arenas, Potapchuk often finds that lessons from one arena can inform another, increasing understanding. CBI’s research efforts are often concretely linked to dissemination and diffusion strategies that move findings into practice.

Guidebooks

Federal Transit Administration. Potapchuk served as lead author for a guide and a facilitator’s handbook designed to help communities engage in a planning process to lead to better coordinated human services transportation systems. Framework for Action: Building the Fully Coordinated Transportation System was distributed throughout the country and serves as a backbone for the federal initiative, United We Ride.

City of Hampton. Hampton, Virginia has been widely recognized and acclaimed for its neighborhood program and youth engagement effort. Potapchuk served as co-author of the the decade-long story of their work, Learning from Neighborhoods: The Story of the Hampton Neighborhood Initiative 1993-2003 and author of a lessons-learned manual, Hampton Neighborhood Initiative: Lessons Learned for Other Communities.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Potapchuk served as lead author for two guidebooks that used by second round applicants seeking Empowerment Zone designation. The publications, Building Communities Together: Strategic Planning Guide and Building Communities Together: Performance Management System Guide, draw from lessons from the first round sites, similar initiatives in the foundation community, and evaluations of numerous community level initiatives.

Catalyzing Projects and Writing Plans

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Community Building Institute, working in partnership with KSA-Plus Communications, was commissioned to write a report which presented research on the lack of the high school and college completion among District of Columbia public high school students in a clear and compelling manner and presented a call to action.

District of Columbia Public Schools. The Community Building Institute, working in partnership with KSA-Plus Communications, has authored major plans that have anchored a turnaround process. They included the strategic plan, Declaration of Education: Keeping our Promise to our District’s Children, and the education plan, All Students Succeeding: A Master Education Plan for a System of Great Schools.

Envision Greater Washington. Envision Greater Washington, a multi-sector initiative driven the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, and the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, developed recommendations to the community and the respective governing boards. The Community Building Institute served as lead author for Envision Greater Washington: Moving our Region Forward. Together. Now.

Harvesting Best Practices

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Hewlett Foundation commissioned the Community Building Institute to write a guide for grantmakers that drew from their lessons in supporting conflict resolution and collaboration in communities. The resulting guide, Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes through Good Process, was distributed by the Foundation and the Neighborhood Funders Group.

Food and Consumer Services. Potapchuk, as the culmination of two years of technical assistance to ten sites focused on collaborative approaches to nutrition education, wrote an article summarizing the lessons learned for the nutrition education field’s leading peer-reviewed journal. The article, “Collaborative Approach to Nutrition Education in Schools and Communities: Exploring the Lessons” identified lessons for future efforts at the community level and offered policy recommendations for USDA.

National Association of Regional Councils. In partnership with the National Association of Regional Councils, Potapchuk served as a project director for commissioned research to identify best practices in public participation and collaboration for transportation planning. The resulting Federal Transit Administration Policy Document, Working Together on Transportation Planning helps Metropolitan Planning Organizations better manage their mandate for public participation under Federal law. It is on the web at http://ntl.bts.gov/ntl/DOCS/574.html.

Textbooks. Potapchuk, with co-authors, has written chapters for three of the major textbooks in the fields of consensus building, collaboration and deliberative democracy. Chapters can be found in The Deliberative Democracy Handbook: Strategies for Effective Citizen Engagement in the 21st Century (Peter Levine and John Gastil, eds.), The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, (David Chrislip, ed.), and Consensus Building Handbook (Lawrence Susskind and Sarah McKearnan, eds.)

Developing Green Building Ordinance in the District of Columbia: Facilitated a Green Building Task Force co-convened by the Director of the Office of Planning and the Office of Councilmember Jim Graham. Consensus was reached and led to unanimous passage of Green Building ordinance, considered one of the most progressive in the country.

Assist with Launch of Climate Change Initiative in Arlington County: Assisted Council Chair Paul Ferguson and county staff launch a community climate change initiative, Fresh AIRE. Efforts included facilitating informal advisory groups, staff workshop, and design of the community engagement. Work is continuing.

Fairfax County Strengthening Neighborhoods Building Community Initiative: Served as principal architect, consultant and facilitator for multi-faceted initiative to more effectively focus County’s efforts in changing neighborhoods. Assisted with construction of senior management team, designed place-based initiative in Springfield, VA, facilitated efforts to address day laborer issues, and facilitated efforts to build a new community school. Also evaluating public involvement processes for watershed planning.

Strengthening Planning in the District of Columbia: Served as member of consulting teams leading a multi-year effort for the District of Columbia that included the creation of a two-year performance management cycle that includes biennial 3,000 person Citizen Summits, neighborhood plans in each of 39 neighborhood clusters, and significant team-building and reinvention work with participating departments. Potapchuk’s focus was on the design and conduct of the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, the linkage of neighborhood planning to citywide activities, and the Comprehensive Plan. Comprehensive Plan work included supporting assessment of existing Comprehensive Plan, facilitating meetings in support of new vision, and supporting interagency work in the development of a new Comprehensive Plan.

Affordable Housing Roundtable, Arlington, VA: Arlington County developed affordable housing regulations which were stricken down in court. A Roundtable among developers and affordable housing advocates was constituted to develop consensus on an alternative approach. Consensus was reached, the agreement was legislated by County Council and
ultimately, supported by the State Legislature.

Multi-faceted assistance to Hampton, Virginia: Led and assisted numerous projects over a nine-year period in the City of Hampton. Efforts included leading an innovative training program for local government staff and citizen stakeholders involved in resolving conflict over building a new road and updating the comprehensive plan. Process included training for an initiating committee and was followed with conflict resolution and collaboration training for the working committee. Following successful resolution of the conflict, training was provided for the entire senior staff in facilitation and conflict resolution skills. Helped the Annie E. Casey Foundation become aware of the exemplary work in Hampton and provided support and technical advice to a “learning community” of senior local government staff who are leading efforts to develop neighborhood-based, family-oriented, reinvented local government.

Zoning Ordinance Development in Loudoun County: Served as facilitator for an intensive effort to build consensus on a new zoning ordinance for Loudoun County. Effort occurred in the late 1980s when there were intense growth pressures and significant citizen activity both for and against additional growth. Effort was initiated after a three-night public hearing with over 1,000 citizens and concluded with consensus of a citizen committee on a 500+ page new zoning ordinance that included overlay zones to protect the environment, streamlined procedures for developers, improved citizen notification procedures, and new “neo-traditional” zones to encourage compact development in hamlets and villages. Work included facilitation of a weekly task force meeting for one year, management of agenda, preparation of meeting summaries, conduct of over 30 public participation sessions, and review of draft legislative language.

Select Publications

Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes through Good Process. Palo Alto: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2005. With Malka Kopell.

“Growing Governance Deliberatively: Lessons and Inspiration from Hampton, Virginia,” The Deliberative Democracy Handbook: Strategies for Effective Citizen Engagement in the 21st Century, Peter Levine and John Gastil, eds., San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2005.

“Neighborhood Action Initiative: Engaging Citizens in Real Change,” The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, David Chrislip, ed. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2002.

Hampton Neighborhood Initiative: Lessons Learned for Other Communities, Hampton, VA: City of Hampton, 2003.

Learning from Neighborhoods: The Story of the Hampton Neighborhood Initiative 1993-2003, Hampton, VA: City of Hampton, 2003. Co-author.

Building Communities Together: Strategic Planning Guide, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1998, Co-author.

Collaborative Planning. Chicago: American Planning Association, 1996. Co-faculty. (Four hour video training session.)

Pulling Together: A Planning and Development Consensus-Building Manual, Washington, DC: Urban Land Institute and Program for Community Problem Solving, 1994. Co-author.

Double the Numbers Coalition: Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Community Building Institute serves as the lead consultant for the community wide coalition brought together to double the numbers of DC public high school students who complete college within five years. Lead consultant Potapchuk, in partnership with Adam Kernan-Schloss from KSA-Plus Communications, co-authored, Double the Numbers for College Success: A Call to Action for the District of Columbia. Tasks have included design of the initiative, facilitation of numerous meetings, strategic advice, and support for workgroups.

Strategic Plan and Master Education Plan, DCPS: The Community Building Institute, in partnership with KSA-Plus Communications, facilitated the work of DCPS senior management and co-authored the Declaration of Education: Keeping our Promise to the District’s Children. The strategic plan built upon extensive civic engagement processes of the DC Education Compact. With an expanded team, we helped DCPS develop its widely acclaimed Master Education Plan. The team supported numerous strategic sessions among DCPS personnel; designed, lead, and managed a community wide civic engagement process; supported a project website; and co-wrote the resulting plan.

Strategic Repositioning, DC VOICE: DC VOICE, a leading local education fund, engaged the Community Building Institute to assist with a strategic repositioning of the organization as it sought to increase its impact. Efforts included stakeholder interviews, facilitation of focus groups, researching best practices from other cities, and facilitating Board strategic planning sessions as well as providing support for an executive director transition.

Strategic Repositioning, Community Foundation of the National Capital Region. The Community Foundation asked the Community Building Institute to assist its efforts in becoming a convenor of regional problem solving efforts around education and workforce issues. Efforts include facilitating of focus groups, staff retreats, and Board meetings; best practices research of other community foundation and regional intermediaries, offering strategic advice, and authoring and editing major documents prepared for the process.

School Planning, Graham Road Elementary School, Fairfax County. Working with the support of Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools, the Community Building Institute facilitated a community based consensus building process to plan the future of the school. Efforts led to consensus on using a community school model and on a siting decision.

Strategic Plan, PreK Now. The Community Building Institute helped the staff and Advisory Board of PreK Now, a public education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds, develop a five year strategic plan that advances their work throughout the country.

Strategic Planning, Coalition for Community Schools. Potapchuk has led a strategic planning process for the Coalition for Community Schools, an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy advocating for community schools as the vehicle for strengthening schools, families and communities so that together they can improve student learning. Utilizing a scenario-based strategic planning process, the effort include facilitating three national gatherings, offering strategic guidance to staff, and authoring and editing numerous documents.

Facilitation of National Summit, Learning First Alliance. The Learning First Alliance, a permanent partnership of 17 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America’s public schools, convened a national summit to share lessons and build a national agenda. The Community Building Institute helped LFA design the consensus building, managed a team of facilitators and recorders, and facilitated 400 person plenary sessions to build the national agenda.

Durham (NC) School Merger Task Force. Served as senior member of 15-person intervention team assembled by the Durham Dispute Settlement Center to facilitate an 82 member task force charged with making recommendations on how to improve the quality of public education in Durham County and City and on whether the City School District (a majority black district whose boundaries reflected the municipal boundaries of 1890) and the County School District (a majority white district whose boundaries included the county and more affluent parts of the city) should merge. Effort included designing the process for the task force, facilitating early task force meetings, providing coaching and guidance to other members of the facilitation team, and coaching the chair of the task force. Task force reached consensus on a 105-page document that included steps toward merger. School districts merged in 1992 and opened doors in fall 1993.

Meeting and Worshop Facilitiation. In addition to extended projects, the Community Building Institute provides meeting and workshop facilitation services. Recent projects have included:

• Facilitating a cross-site session on the role of philanthropy in building and sustaining citywide out-of-school time systems. The meeting was co-hosted by the Wallace Foundation and the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers.
• Facilitating the Philanthropy Sector and the Building Public Will work group of the DC Education Compact.
• Facilitating a strategic thinking session for the Board of Directors of the DC Education Compact.
• Facilitating numerous sessions for the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation including Summer Strategy Sessions, staff retreats, Board retreats, and sessions to help develop a major grant application for the Wallace Foundation.

Bill Potapchuk is President and founder of the Community Building Institute (CBI). CBI works to strengthen the capacity of communities to conduct public business inclusively, collaboratively, and effectively with the goal of building healthy, sustainable and equitable futures.

Potapchuk has worked with states and communities around the country as well as a number of foundations, federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. He is an experienced trainer and an accomplished public speaker, delivering workshops and speeches for local and state leaders. He also has served as a facilitator and mediator in a wide range of settings, including successful efforts to merge school systems in Durham, North Carolina; build a new zoning ordinance in Loudon County, VA; strengthen affordable housing policy in Arlington, Virginia, and build consensus on a green building ordinance for Washington, DC. He has led strategic planning processes for the Coalition for Community Schools, PreK Now, and the District of Columbia Public Schools. Believing that communities need to build their capacity to work across differences, he helped found Collaboration DC, an initiative working to support the use of collaborative practices to address tough issues.

Potapchuk has worked on major projects for the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the District of Columbia; Montgomery County, Maryland; the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region; the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families; the DC Children Youth Investment Trust Corporation; the Federal Transit Administration; the Community Building Initiative in Multnomah County, Oregon; and the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative in Hampton, Virginia; among others.

Potapchuk served for almost ten years as Executive Director of the Program for Community Problem Solving (PCPS), a partnership of the National League of Cities, International City/County Management Association, National Civic League, American Chamber of Commerce Executives and other national organizations. He also served as Associate Director of the Conflict Clinic, Inc. A native of Cleveland, Potapchuk received his BA in Urban Studies from Case Western Reserve University, his MA in Political Science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and his MS in Conflict Resolution from George Mason University. Potapchuk completed a nine-month, post-baccalaureate Public Affairs Fellowship with the Coro Foundation in 1983.

Potapchuk is widely published. He has worked with co-authors on Learning from Neighborhoods: The Story of the Hampton Neighborhood Initiative, 1993-2003, Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes through Good Process, Pulling Together: A Planning and Development Consensus Building Manual, Negotiated Approaches to Environmental Decision Making in Communities: An Exploration of Lessons Learned, and Building Community: Exploring the Role of Social Capital and Local Government; written numerous articles; and edited an issue of the National Civic Review focused on social capital. He has co-authored chapters for the Deliberative Democracy Handbook, Consensus Building Handbook and the Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook

Founded in 2000, the Community Building Institute (CBI) helps communities improve the way they conduct public business to be more inclusive, more collaborative, and more effective in order to build vibrant, sustainable, and equitable communities. CBI works with all levels of government, nonprofits, foundations, and other community focused organizations, offering a complementary set of services. These services are often “bundled” to support the needs of the client. They include:

• Facilitation and mediation services. CBI helps diverse groups work together better, improving relationships, building plans, and working on implementation.
• Designing large scale collaborative processes. Many communities – recognizing the need to engage citizens and stakeholders in different ways – need different kinds of meetings sequenced over times to achieve results. CBI helps design processes that link consensus building, internal engagement, public participation, and public communications.
• Help government build capacity to become more collaborative. Increasing numbers of public issues require deeper collaboration within and across agencies. CBI helps build the capacity to collaborate internally with strategic advice, coaching, training, team building, and development of internal protocols and charters.
• Engage in research and reflective practices. Learning from doing is often a central element of internal change and innovation diffusion efforts. CBI has developed numerous publications and documents that reflect lessons learned and helped teams learn from their efforts.
• Lead strategic planning and repositioning efforts for nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations often need assistance with finding unique and appropriate niches within increasingly populated civic spaces. CBI helps organizations discern new strategies and find profitable niches for action.

Facilitation and Community Engagement

The Community Building Institute provides facilitation and community engagement services in a wide array of settings. CBI President, William Potapchuk, brings an energetic and lively presence to meetings where he helps participants engage in constructive dialogue, often with the goal of finding practical, synergistic agreements.

Potapchuk has facilitated groups ranging in size from a half dozen to several hundred. His wide-ranging knowledge of urban, education, children and youth, environment, and other community issues helps groups dig below the surface in ways that build a shared understanding of the issues, the challenges, and the opportunities. Many of the groups with which Potapchuk has worked engage diverse participants who have not had a history of positive interaction. His style and approach helps break down barriers and build relationships.

Potapchuk also designs and leads community engagement efforts. Constructively engaging residents and stakeholders in the development of public policy, programs, and services is central to success in many environments. Diverse approaches – ranging from small discussions settings to large meetings – help the public hold conversations in effectively and constructively.

Why Choose CBI?

CBI brings an approach to facilitation and community engagement that combines the theoretical with the practical, the relationships and the task, and a directive approach with a soft touch. Combined with extensive experience across virtually any community issue, CBI can help groups achieve results. In addition, Potapchuk has an academic and applied background in conflict resolution that can be the focus of the work or subtly infused into situations where there are underlying conflicts.

Facilitation Projects

Facilitation of National Summit, Learning First Alliance: The Learning First Alliance, a permanent partnership of 17 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America’s public schools, convened a national summit to share lessons and build a national agenda. The Community Building Institute helped LFA design the consensus building, managed a team of facilitators and recorders, and facilitated 400 person plenary sessions to build the national agenda.

Developing Green Building Ordinance in the District of Columbia: Facilitated a Green Building Task Force co-convened by the Director of the Office of Planning and the Office of Councilmember Jim Graham. Consensus was reached and led to unanimous passage of Green Building ordinance, considered one of the most progressive in the country.

Affordable Housing Roundtable, Arlington, VA: Arlington County developed affordable housing regulations which were stricken down in court. A Roundtable among developers and affordable housing advocates was constituted to develop consensus on an alternative approach. Consensus was reached, the agreement was legislated by County Council and, ultimately, supported by the State Legislature.

The Wingspread Conference: Potapchuk facilitated a weekend long retreat in Racine, Wisconsin for elected leaders and senior staff from the American Association of School Administrators, National League of Cities, the International City/County Managers Association, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Towns and Townships and the National School Board Association. The meeting led to a collaborative agreement to support a six organization collaborative, the Local Governance Council for Children and Youth.

City of Baltimore’s Local Management Board: In 1997, Potapchuk served as lead facilitator for a series of retreats for the Local Management Board (LMB) of Baltimore. The retreats led to a reshaping of board membership and strengthened linkages with other entities supporting systems reform in the human services arena for children, youth, and families.

Lucas County (OH) Multi-Disciplinary Team: Facilitated a daylong planning retreat for members of the Multi-Disciplinary team who seek to coordinate their efforts in the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse. Members reshaped their case management procedures, strengthened working relationships, and began to address numerous “systems” issues.

Potapchuk also has facilitated numerous planning meetings, focus groups, and work sessions for clients such as the National League of Cities, International City/County Management Association, Coalition for Community Schools, National Association of Counties, and Maryland Office of Children, Youth, and Families, among others.

Community Engagement Projects

Master Education Plan, DCPS: The Community Building Institute designed effective and task focused public forums on the major elements of the Master Education Plan in all eight wards in DC. Small discussion forums – each facilitated – were developed around topics of interest to citizens. By the last meeting, citizens were driving crosstown to sessions because they heard the sessions were so meaningful and effective.

Strengthening Planning in the District of Columbia: Served as member of consulting teams leading a multi-year effort for the District of Columbia that included the creation of a two-year performance management cycle that includes biennial 3,000 person Citizen Summits, neighborhood plans in each of 39 neighborhood clusters, and significant team-building and reinvention work with participating departments. Potapchuk’s focus was on the design and conduct of the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, the linkage of neighborhood planning to citywide activities, and the Comprehensive Plan. Designed and facilitated numerous community engagement sessions focused on the neighborhood plans and the Comprehensive Plan.

Envision Greater Washington: Envision Greater Washington was co-convened by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, and the Greater Washington Council of Governments to considers whether to launch a major regional initiative. Designed and facilitated a series of stakeholder meetings that brought together public, private, and community stakeholders from across the region.

The Community Building Institute (CBI) was founded by Bill Potapchuk to strengthen the capacity of communities to conduct public business inclusively and collaboratively in order to build healthy, sustainable futures. Our work ranges from catalyzing, designing and guiding large-scale community processes to skilled facilitation of retreats, workshops, and summits. Services include facilitation and mediation services; creating peer-to-peer learning environments; assisting public agencies with the development of strategies to become more collaborative; and research and writing.
The founder, Bill Potapchuk, has been working extensively on education issues in the District of Columbia and environmental issues in the Washington Metropolitan region. He also has authored and co-authored numerous publications including Building Community: The Role of Social Capital and Local Government, Systems Reform and Local Government: Improving Outcomes for Children, Families, and Neighborhoods, Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes through Good Process, and chapters in the Consensus Building Handbook, Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, and the Deliberative Democracy Handbook.

CBI has a rich and diverse network of partners that are mobilized to build teams to respond to the unique needs of the clients. Regular partners include Adam Kernan-Schloss from KSA-Plus communications and senior consultants Yvonne Green, Bill Schechter, and Margaret Yao.