HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item 1a - Proposal from the Dispute Settlement Center
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Board of County Commissioners
Orange County
March 15, 2019
Dear Ms. Baker,
Thank you for the opportunity to present a possible approach for the potential local government
collaborative for Orange County and its municipalities including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and
perhaps Mebane. This collaborative would be modeled on the successful Orange County Schools
Collaborative, which has been facilitated by the Dispute Settlement Center (DSC) since the group was
founded in 2004. I joined the DSC in January 2019 as their director of group facilitation after 15 years
consulting with teams in the public and private sectors to improve collaboration and communication.
Please see my enclosed bio for more information about my background.
The overarching purpose for this group would be to strengthen collaboration among the county and
municipalities in Orange County. Stronger collaboration among local government entities would benefit
residents of Orange County. The recommendation is for a one-year pilot for this group, meeting 3-4
times. At the end of the pilot phase, we would assess the collaboration to identify outcomes, successes,
other benefits, as well as what didn’t work and what to change.
As facilitator of the initiative, I would be responsible for:
• Coordinating meetings and agendas
• Facilitating meetings
• Summarizing meetings via notes
• Leading the evaluation of the meetings and pilot phase
Design and facilitation with the group would begin be establishing the framework for work together,
including:
• Establishing the group’s role
• Clarifying how members will work together
• Defining what collaboration means to them
• Identifying what success looks like and the metrics that will be used to determine if it is reaching
its success
• Agreeing to the scope
Please know this approach can be adjusted as needed.
Thank you again for the opportunity to share initial thoughts. I look forward to next steps!
My best,
Maggie
Maggie Ellis Chotas
Director of Group Facilitation
Dispute Settlement Center
919.929.8800, ext 23
mchotas@disputesettlement.org