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The Communications Center, Inc. is owned by Sarah J. Read and Kim Ryan.  Check out our Free Resources section and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it today to see how we can help you save time, money, and produce better results.

Ms. Read (Resume) is the president of the Communications Center, Inc.  She provides consulting and facilitation services for organizations and governmental entities and also provides communications training and coaching for individuals and organizations.  She has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of conflict resolution and dialogue.  She has presented programs throughout the country and worked with both large and small organizations. She received her B.A. degree, cum laude, from Yale University in 1978, and her Juris Doctor degree with the Order of the Coif from the University of Wisconsin in 1981. She also received training from the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, attended the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program and is, through her law office, an active mediator.  She is now serving on the Missouri Supreme Court Alternative Dispute resolution Commission.

Kim Gage Ryan is Vice President of The Communications Center, Inc. and works with individuals, organizations, and community groups.  Kim has 26 years of congregational experience, with ministry foci in Christian Education, Hospitality and Evangelism, Team Building with staff, ministerial colleagues, and congregational leaders.  With a sensitivity to process and healthy organizations, Ms. Ryan coaches/mentors individuals, groups, and churches in their strategic planning toward desired goals and ministry aspirations.  She is on staff with the Bethany Fellowships /Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), facilitating and mentoring young ministers in their first five years of ministry.  Kim has worked collaboratively with nonprofits to enhance relationship skills, especially with teens.  Her collaborative work includes the University of Missouri – Center on Religion and the Professions, MU’s Troubling Violence Performance Project,  MU’s School of Nursing School, The Shelter, Phoenix House, Boone County Health Department, Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and 14 faith groups in Boone County.  As the Coordinator for TREE – Teen Relationship Education and Empowerment, she has assisted faith groups and community groups in developing unique programs addressing the important values of healthy teen relationships and the discernment of unhealthy, toxic or abusive relationships.  Ms. Ryan is a trained and certified labyrinth facilitator through Veriditas with Lauren Artress and a trained Spiritual Director through The Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA.  She is a magna cum laude graduate of Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University and a summa cum laude graduate of Texas Tech University where she studied psychology, child development, and art.  (Photo by Carl Neitzert, www.CPportraits.com).

Dave Overfelt (Resume) is an Associate at The Communications Center, Inc. and works primarily with business and government entities. He is a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Missouri - Columbia.  He received is B.A. in sociology, Magna Cum Laude with honors, and his M.A. in sociology, with honors, from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Dave's research emphasizes the need for the sciences to engage with their broader communities.  He is now also working with dialogue based urban development processes.  He has received several awards for excellence related to the practical application of his academic studies.  In addition to being an experienced teacher and researcher, Dave has spent the last several years working as a volunteer facilitator in the Columbia community on a range of issues.  For The Communications Center, Dave spends his time researching cutting edge dialogue practices, keeping the websites up to date, developing programs, and facilitating dialogues in a variety of formats.

The Communications Center
1905 Cherry Hill Drive, Suite 200
Columbia MO, 65203
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573-447-0499