About Us
Our Approach
Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.
Our intimate learning experiences about race help you see what was once invisible and speak to what has been unspoken in mixed race company. We believe that understanding, mutual appreciation and respect is created and cultivated through conversations that lead to demonstrable actions. ChoicePoints Learning experiences are wholehearted and designed to resonate with each participant in ways that drive sustainable awareness and stimulate action.
Key characteristics of ChoicePoints Learning experiences:
- From the moment you enter, your experience is different. We work hard to bring even numbers of people of color and white people into the room together to explore race and its impacts and implications.
- We create a safe container for sharing You will tell your own formative story about race and hear from others, with a learning mindset.
- For Whites,
Going forward, you will notice aspects of People of Color’s daily lives that had been invisible and develop new levels of self-awareness through conversations about how you are perceived.
- You will learn and practice good questioning, listening and probing techniques and skills.
- You will notice Choice Points and practice acting on them to build Beloved Community through constructive action.
- For People of Color You will notice how your experiences play into daily multi-racial interactions and how to share your perspectives in new ways.
Acknowledgements
This entire effort was infused with encouragement, support and grounding from Bette George, Kate Ebner, and the entire staff of Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership, and specifically the Leadership Coaching certificate program, as well as the stellar thought partnership and curriculum design support by Trista Schoonmaker.
Tracy Carmen-Jones, MBA
Power. The kind that fires within and lets you know that you are, you can, and you will.
Tracy Carmen-Jones believes that people possess innate power to Stand Up, Stand Out and Stand Together to achieve sustainable, extraordinary results and make a difference.
Tracy is a Georgetown University ITL leadership coach and has an MBA from J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and BSBA, Georgetown University.
Tracy is the founder of the WaterLight Group, a leadership development and management consulting firm that enables leaders to develop go-forward strategies, cultivate skills and sharpen interpersonal behaviors. Consulting engagements include business strategic plans, process reengineering and organizational change management.
She coaches both 1-1 and groups and delivers large-scale leadership training. She is the creative spark behind WaterLight Group’s PITstop program, STAND series and GO BIG modules that facilitate self-awareness and stimulate participants to move towards committed goals through experiential, engaging workshops.
Tracy had the divine pleasure in 2016 of bringing to life the New Normal Small Discussion Groups, a year long journey to deepen knowledge, awareness and appreciation of the black/white dynamic in America.
A proud supporter of developing leadership in children though scouting, Tracy is a Girl Scout leader and a persistent stand, advocate and guide behind boys journeying to become Eagle Scouts.
As a serial leisure competitor in triathlons, golf, tennis and board games, Tracy has oodles of kinetic energy and loves a good laugh.
She lives in Houston, Texas with her budding teens Zachary Clarence, Jordan Nicole and their Maltipoo Cooper.
Steve Galloway, MA, CMAP
Steve is an organization development consultant, leadership coach, and believer in positivity with 20 years experience across both the private and public sector helping leaders address transformational and emerging organizational change challenges.
Steve’s approach emphasizes the blending of positive and transformational leadership elements promoting collaboration, engagement, innovation, inclusion, mission alignment, enhanced working relationships and self-development.
Some of the organizations he has worked with include; the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Central Intelligence Agency, NASA, the Maryland State Board of Elections, George Washington University, Home Box Office (HBO), Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and Fannie Mae.
Prior to his career as a coach/consultant, Steve served in various leadership capacities in the banking/finance industry and the federal government. Currently Steve co-facilitates the 2-day Lens course for the Institute for Transformational Leadership at Georgetown University. He also co-leads the Georgetown Executive Leadership Coaching Program’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and is a board member of the Association of Coach Training Organizations (ACTO.)
Steve holds a Masters degree from Southern Illinois University, and certifications in Organizational Development, Executive Leadership Coaching, Change Management Advanced Practitioner, and Conflict Management and Mediation certifications from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and American Universities. Mr. Galloway is currently pursuing his PhD. in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.
Linda Bidlack, MA, PCC
Linda coaches leaders who realize that a shift is required – their inner operating system needs an upgrade in order to notice and address what most needs their attention, while everyone else is running around with their hair on fire.
As President of Resilient Leadership Coaching & Consulting, she has consulted for 30 years across multiple sectors, with clients including the White House and Intelligence Community, the National Peace Corps Association, Paypal, Honest Tea, and Sodexo.
With an M.A. in Counseling from the University of Maryland in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, she is on the faculty of Georgetown’s Leadership Coaching Program and coaches leaders in executive programs at AU, GWU, and the Mandela Fellows Program.
She lived in Haiti as a child, which ignited her passion for cross-cultural friendship, fueling her co-creation of the New Normal year-long small groups on race in 2016, and now co-teaches the 2-day Lens course for Institute for Transformational Leadership at Georgetown University.
She also moderates Saturday workshops for Better Angels, a citizen-driven movement bringing conservatives and liberals together to depolarize America, which results in these folks often going out for beers together afterwards and taking on local issues as a team.
Based in Silver Spring, MD, she has backpacked through China and Nepal, loves hip hop and science fiction, and sings in a gospel choir.