“Kate got to the root of the problem and helped us find a workable solution. One of our departments was having conflict and it was affecting an entire workgroup. Because of the sensitive nature of the conflict, the HR department decided to bring in a skilled outside resource from Austin, TX. After an initial consultation, Kate and another co-facilitator jumped right into action by conducting a number of group and one-on-one sessions. Her ability to connect with the workgroup in a neutral, professional and fair demeanor facilitated positive next steps in dealing with the unproductive behavior and ultimately the team’s performance. She followed her proposal, kept us updated, prepared an executive summary and provided follow up as needed. I wholeheartedly recommend Kate if you need to bring people together and coalesce your team!”
— J. Cleve Brooks, SPHR, CCP, GRP, HR/Risk Director, Human Resources and Risk Management Office, Jackson County, Oregon. Former Deputy Director of Human Resources, City of El Paso, Texas
“Kate has long been a great facilitator and teacher of conflict and negotiation skills. There are few people with such varied experiences in helping parties facing conflicts. If your organization or unit wants to more effectively work together she is the person you want to turn to.”
— John Daly, PhD, Liddell Centennial Professor of Communication, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, TCB Professor of Management, The University of Texas at Austin
“Dr. Stewart is adept at recognizing potential common interests between stakeholders and connecting people and organizations for mutual gain. She resolves conflicts to make true innovation possible!”
— Bob Bennett, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Kansas City, Missouri
“As a seminar leader for mid-grade military officers, Kate is my go-to expert for negotiation, communication, and conflict resolution. Her engaging style and depth of experience allow her to tailor education in a relevant and instantly useable way.”
— Mark Monroe, Seminar Leader, University of Foreign Military & Cultural Studies (UFMCS), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
“Kate Stewart was instrumental in bringing together oppositional parties to a dialog that helped achieve a workable level of understanding which allowed the parties to communicate and work together. This understanding allowed both parties to reach a compromise to accomplish basic needs and requirements on a neighborhood issue related to a community electric utility project. Thank you, Kate, for your help in bridging that gap.”
— Carl Schattenberg, Utility Forester, Austin Energy, Austin, Texas
“You can’t overestimate Kate Stewart’s skills, talents and experience. My introduction to Kate was when she brought her compassionate expertise and intuitive support to a mediation between myself and a business partner. This experience facilitated a deeper understanding for me of the true issues at hand, which I may have never realized without her help. I’ve been involved in other mediations that were nowhere near as experientially informative and enlightening. I sincerely believe that is because Kate is one of those rare people who truly found her calling and developed it to a level of peak performance that serves all. I would wholeheartedly recommend Kate Stewart to help anyone looking for a deeper understanding and harmony in their professional and/or personal life.”
— Kim Comstock, M.ED., LPC-S, Executive Director, MARS Clinics, Austin, Texas
““Kate used proven techniques based on documented research to meet my personalized needs and goals. Throughout our sessions, she engaged me, challenged me, and encouraged me. I never felt pressured, only invited to explore and perform at my best.
Kate skillfully demonstrated something I needed to work on: how to develop trust with a resistant other party. She was present, consistent, patient, and invited me in. She showed genuine interest and empathy, and that made me feel safe so that I could be open to learn.
I would recommend Kate’s coaching to any colleague or friend! ”
— Heidi R., Fire District Leader
“The Conflict Resolution Center at the University of Texas was an early testament to Kate’s expert negotiation skill and uncanny ability to foster collaboration; in this case, among various departments and schools at the University. In navigating conflict with grace and ease, Kate inspires those around her to follow her lead. Her passion for helping others, her open and collaborative nature, and her ability connect with students reflect a lifetime of experience and her subdued confidence in the field of conflict management. Kate’s training and mentoring has really informed my work in defusing workplace conflict. She is a true role model.”
— Alma Craig, Human Resources Officer, Texas Commission on Fire Protection & Vice-Chair, Texas State Human Resources Association
“I have known Kate Stewart for over ten years. We first met when we taught a negotiation course together in Mexico. Kate has always impressed me as a consummate professional. She knows her material, and she conveys it expertly and thoughtfully. When she makes a promise, she keeps it. I would recommend Kate to anyone who is looking for expertise in the fields of negotiation, facilitation, mediation or conflict resolution in general.”
— Walter A. Wright, Associate Professor, Texas State University. President, Levey & Wright, PC, Austin, Texas
“Dr. Stewart is something of a badass when it comes to pulling together stakeholders who wouldn’t ordinarily meet, and finding opportunities for them to benefit from working together on common goals. Her skills and experience uniquely qualify her to help people collaborate. ”
— Alex Sifakis, President, JWB Real Estate Capital, Jacksonville, Florida
“I have known Dr. Kate Stewart for over 15 years. I had the opportunity to work with her during a difficult phase of a complex healthcare venture. As a stakeholder in the negotiations, I found that her services were invaluable in helping myself and the other parties understand the situation more fully.”
— Andy Joshi, MD, President, Pain Care Physicians, PA, Austin, Texas
“Conflict management is a skill, but it is more art than science because no textbooks fulfill all the ingredients to manage the conflicting interests of many people. It is just difficult. Kate Stewart, Ph.D., has a rare craft with her experience to teach conflict management from Austin and Florida, to Kansas and Mexico, and most important, with her charm. She will listen, coordinate, and collaborate with persistence.”
— Yasuyuki Motoyama, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geography & School of Business, University of Kansas. Former Director of Research & Policy, Kauffman Foundation
“Kate Stewart is an exceptional professional in the conflict resolution field and others, but she adds great value to organizations and communities in search of common ground and consensus. She was particularly helpful to me on a project that involved heightened community sensitivity and a set of delicate public policy issues. She conveys her observations in helpful and thoughtful ways, and she empowers colleagues to achieve even greater levels of success.”
— Larry Schooler, Mediator, Facilitator, Public Engagement Consultant, & Educator. Former Manager of Public Engagement for the City of Austin, Texas
“Kate is a consummate professional with exceptional skills in organizing and executing research for the ISAF/NATO. Her ability to do research has improved ISAF’s understanding of the local Afghanistan population. Kate’s leadership of research on the Afghan population’s perceptions of the 2014 Afghan elections is a model for all researchers. The elections research identified how various segments of the Afghan population define ‘legitimacy’ as it relates to the process and outcomes of the 2014 election. She also identified areas and ways where GIRoA/ANSF/ISAF/ USAID/IEC can foster election legitimacy. Kate’s ability to effectively comprehend and convey information with and from others in writing and speaking/listening is exceptional. Additionally, her ability to use logic, analysis, synthesis, creativity, judgement, and systematic approaches to gather, evaluate and use multiple sources of information to inform decisions and outcomes is unparralleled. She can be counted on to provide information and knowledge and achieve results that exceed expectations.”
— Colonel (retired) Mark Kerry, Planner at U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
“Kate Stewart does what she says she’s going to do and that’s the type of person we all want to work with. I have complete confidence in recommending her to work with you on your project.”
