The Communications Center, Inc. helps individuals and organizations improve communication and thinking skills. We believe that teaching both dialogue and critical thinking skills is critical to the future of our communities and our country. We have worked with many community groups and organizations on a volunteer or to teach skills essential to our democracy and want to equip you to do the same.
You Can Contact Us At
The Communications Center, Inc.
303 N Stadium, Suite 200
Columbia, MO 65203
info@buildingdialogue.com
Sarah J. Read is the owner of the Communications Center, Inc and currently the Rotary 6080 District Peacebuilder. Prior to her retirement from the practice of law she spent more than 30 years working through complex policy issues, particularly in the telecommunications and energy industries, and was an early adopter of multi-stakeholder collaborative processes. Her work on resolving complex policy issues was recognized with listings in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and Corporate Counsel’s Top Lawyers, and with an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale Hubbell. She served on the Missouri Supreme Court Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution (2009-2014) and taught the Public Policy Dispute Resolution class for the University of Missouri’s ADR LLM program for several years. She has also served DOC churches as both a Moderator and as an Elder. Although she retired from the practice of law and active mediation in 2021, she continues to consult on conflict resolution processes with communities and congregations, and to create resources to equip those communities and congregations in their work.
Christoph Berendes is the editor of the Facilitation Analytics e-book series, facilitator, trainer, technical project manager, and consultant. Over the course of his career he has advised businesses, non-profits, and government organizations on the use of the current and emerging web and social media technology to foster public engagement. He was a project manager and trainer for online public engagement efforts for the Office of the Vice President and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the early days of the Web and has directed web development, online customer service, and grant evaluation for the United States Department of Transportation. He has designed social media strategies for numerous online campaigns and advised the Democracy Fund on the best ways to integrate the news media, public engagement and digital platforms to involve citizens who have dropped out of the political process. He has served his Episcopal Church as a governing board member, process facilitator, and communications lead.