Cheri believes we have the potential to co-create communities and organizations that truly work for everyone, with outcomes that allow us to surpass even our most positive dreams for the future. As Lead Catalyst at Collaborative by Design, she partners with people to catalyze positive change in their workplaces and communities. The two simple practices she introduces give leaders and teams the power to strengthen relationships, expand possibilities, and increase productivity and engagement through everyday conversation. These practices are grounded in neuroscience, positive psychology, and Appreciative Inquiry, one of the most widely used approaches for systems change.

She’s written numerous books and articles. Her most recent book is a Berrett Koehler bestseller, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement. A perpetual learner, she has collected a bunch of degrees along the way: a Ph.D. in Collaborative Learning, an MBA., a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, Appreciative Inquiry certification, Level 2 certification in Cultural Transformation Tools, and Level II certification in Spiral Dynamics Integral. She is so grateful to be living in Asheville, NC with her husband, Michael Torres, their dogs, Logan and Annabel, and Ziggy, the cat).