Pat Newmann has over 25 years of highly successful experience helping individuals, work teams, and organizations achieve maximum effectiveness. Her consulting practice has taken her throughout the world to assist organizations in becoming places where employees learn, grow and enjoy themselves as they perform—in an inspired way—in support of visions and goals and daily practices they have had a hand in shaping. Pat assists organizations, leaders, and teams to design and implement change, including clarifying direction, values, leadership practices, and goals and developing and implementing strategies and processes for implementing the desired changes. For seven years, she specialized in working with high technology companies in California’s Silicon Valley where she helped her clients navigate the whitewater of change. Through this experience, she learned how constantly changing companies operate and compete successfully in rapidly changing markets and industries while she contributed to their capacity to do so. She brings those lessons to her current clients.

In addition to her individual consulting practice, Pat has conducted public workshops on Organizational Change sponsored by University Associates consulting firm. She has taught management and communication courses at the University of Minnesota and the Claremont Graduate School and regularly conducts workshops and presentations for a wide variety of professional organizations.

Pat has a Masters Degree in Social Psychology from the University of Minnesota and completed all doctoral coursework in Organizational Behavior and Adult Learning at the University of California at Berkeley.

Avon Mattison is a Peacebuilding and Inter-Organizational Consultant, Advisor and Mentor with over three decades’ experience. She works with innovative leaders, groups and organizations on the “frontline” building Cultures of Peace inter-generationally and inter-culturally for the children of this and future generations. She is Founder of Pathways To Peace (PTP), an international peacebuilding, educational and consulting organisation. PTP has Consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is an official Peace Messenger of the United Nations. PTP is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, non-partisan organization.

A U.S. Foreign Service diplomat for three years serving the European Community, Avon was also former special advisor to two White House Conferences. A Summa Cum Laude graduate in political science and international communications, she is listed in Strathmore’s “Who’s Who Registry of Business Leaders.”

She serves as a Creative Member of The Club of Budapest, a Findhorn Fellow, and serves on the Advisory Councils/Boards of several international organisations, including: the Global Commission to Fund the United Nations, the Center For Visionary Leadership, Ehama Institute, Foundation for the Healing Among Nations, Global Youth Action Network, Nobel Womens Initiative, Radio For Peace International, The Peace Company, Unity Foundation, World Peace Prayer Society, the World Centers of Compassion for Children, and the World Fund for the Dignity of Children.

www.pathwaystopeace.org

Gail Barnett’s professional path in travel and lifestyle changes spans nearly 30 years. Gail’s well rounded background includes the development and ownership of “Healthy Lite” catering company, Fitness Director for The Mount View Hotel & Spa in the Napa Valley and Spa Director for the Lafayette Park Hotel all of which allowed her to experience first hand the positive changes people can make in their lives.

Gail’s later career led to the travel industry where in 1991 she founded “Time Out to Travel”, which focuses on group spa vacations of all sizes and began her direction in providing more depth in her clients travel experience. During this time, travel workshops also included programs for less affluent and disadvantaged women. Over the last 5 years Gail has led the business development of a healing arts retreat center in Sayulita, Mexico, called Haramara Retreat.

Gail’s path was a natural to partner with Renewal Retreats in developing and operating life enhancement travel programs worldwide for women, children and men. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and Certifications in both Diet Counseling and Travel Consulting from Wellesley in Massachusetts.

Gail, a native of Marin County, lives in Sausalito, nearby her 3 children and grandchildren. Gail’s passion for the arts, yoga and meditation as well as the outdoors ignites her energy for travel and the facilitation for others to do so.

Chelsea Moorhead joins Renewal Retreats with a diverse background in both health and wellness and the travel industry. An entrepreneur in her early 20’s, Chelsea owned and managed a health food café in her college town of Charlottesville, VA, which featured organic vegetarian cuisine and fresh squeezed juices.

Chelsea is a firm believer in the transformative power of nature, and she first gained her experience in the outdoors through a month-long course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Her love of the outdoors and desire to facilitate empowering experiences for teenagers next brought her to adventure education where she led wilderness expeditions for several years. Her continued passion for the wilderness and travel has taken her on backpacking trips through India, Thailand, Cambodia, and throughout the US and Canada.

Chelsea comes to Renewal Retreats with eight years of experience organizing and leading outdoor adventure and travel programs throughout the US, Europe, and Central America. She also brings a background in marketing and has worked as a Regional Director, responsible for copywriting, creating web advertising campaigns, and giving promotional sales presentations throughout the country. Chelsea obtained her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Virginia and holds M.Ed. and Program Development from Prescott College.