Biography

Jeanie Cockell is a dynamic facilitator who is known for her creativity, sense of humor, sensitivity, and ability to get diverse groups to work collaboratively together. She is a leader in Appreciative Inquiry as an organizational and community development process, a research methodology and foundation for fostering collaboration in groups. Through her research and writing she has contributed to the development of new Appreciative Inquiry theory and practice. She is a certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator trainer for the Center for Appreciative Inquiry.

Jeanie is an established author, contributing many articles to the International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry and has co-authored with Joan McArthur-Blair the books “Appreciative Inquiry in Higher Education: A Transformative Force” (2nd edition 2020) and “Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair and Forgiveness” (2018).

Since 1999 Jeanie has worked as an educational and organizational consultant with organizations in the private, public and social-profit sectors worldwide. She has extensive experience in facilitating, presenting, training, coaching, working with conflict, leading and collaboratively designing strategies for individuals, groups, organizations and communities to build positive futures and to respond effectively to change.

Her background includes teaching, presenting and delivering workshops in a variety of areas: appreciative inquiry; team building; leadership; diversity; mathematics; adult learning; instructional skills, planning and design; instructor and program evaluation; and facilitator training. As well Jeanie has had formal leadership roles at Vancouver Community College as Mathematics Department Head, Associate Dean; at the Institute of Indigenous Government where she consulted as Dean in the senior executive team; and at the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education as Project Officer leading a large provincial project.

Dr. Jeanie Cockell is co-president of Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting, her consulting work is based on the expertise that she developed and continues to enhance as an educator and leader, as well as the theoretical/research background she developed in doing her Masters research on “Power and Leadership: A Perspective from College Women” (1993) and her Doctoral research on “Making Magic: Facilitating Collaborative Processes” (2005).

Jeanie has a BA in Mathematics, an MA in Higher Education and an EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy all from the University of British Columbia. She is also an Instructional Skills Facilitator Trainer, Gender and Diversity Facilitator Trainer, Sociocultural Competency Trainer, and Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Trainer.

email: jeanie@cockellmcarthur-blair.com; website: cockellmcarthur-blair.com