In Memoriam - Wayne Nelson

Wayne Nelson, 1947-2014

Wayne’s life was motivated by a passion for helping the voices of people to have an influence on the decisions that affect their lives.

He began by facilitating participatory community development starting in 1969 in Milwaukee, and then from 1970 in Chicago, followed by villages in Egypt, Nigeria, Mexican South Texas, Aboriginal Australia, and Jamaica.  In Canada in the 1980’s and 90’s, he facilitated community groups and indigenous clients to make solid community plans and resolve conflicts.

As a co-owner of ICA Associates, Inc. in Toronto, Wayne wrote many articles on facilitation published in the ICA Associates magazine Edges and in training manuals.

When IAF began in 1994, he was an active supporter of the development of the field. Wayne was leader of the Program Team for the 2000 IAF Conference in Toronto, and worked tirelessly for more than a year to make it happen.  After the conference, Wayne helped this group to transform to the Southern Ontario Facilitators Network, which supported the growth of IAF in the Toronto area, and hosted it for several years.  Wayne was also an early representative for the Canada Region on the IAF Board.

In the early days of internet tools, Wayne worked with Manfred Humphries to create the first IAF website and the first interactive online database of members. 

As a strong introvert, Wayne’s contributions were mainly behind the scenes, quietly supporting others, including Jo when she was on the Executive of the IAF Board. 

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