Welcoming amy weber & Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler to Interactivity Foundation Team
We are excited to have amy weber join our team as IF’s new VP of Programming and Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler join us as Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP).
Dear friends,
We are excited to welcome amy weber as the Interactivity Foundation’s new VP of Programming and Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler as the new Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP). We’re excited to learn with and from amy & Kelly as they step into these new roles. Please join us in giving them a very warm welcome to the IF team!
Welcoming amy weber as IF’s new VP of Programming
We’re delighted to share that amy weber has joined the Interactivity Foundation as our new Vice President of Programming.
amy, who prefers her name to be written in lowercase, steps into this role at a time of both growth and transition for our organization. As VP of Programming, she will play a central role in aligning our programs with IF’s mission: to bring people together in meaningful discussions that expand imagination, build social trust, and strengthen the skills vital for everyday democracy. She’ll guide the development and evaluation of our programming efforts, mentor our program staff, and support partnerships that extend our impact across education, civic life, and community dialogue.
amy brings a powerful blend of foresight, strategic thinking, and community experience to this role. She most recently served as Chief Impact Officer at United Way of Greater Cincinnati, where she helped lead systems-level change efforts through a lens of equity, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving.
amy’s background in futures thinking, systems design, and behavioral science deeply aligns with IF’s vision of collaborative intelligence as a path to more inclusive, responsive, and imaginative public life. Her graduate studies in foresight at the University of Houston, alongside her JD and background in law, bring a rich interdisciplinary lens to her work.
We’re excited to welcome amy to the IF team and look forward to the leadership, creativity, and insight she will bring to the next chapter of our work. Please join us in welcoming her!
Welcoming Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler as Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project
We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler to the Interactivity Foundation as the new Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP).
At a time when public discourse can feel more divisive than productive, the need for spaces to practice thoughtful, inclusive dialogue is more urgent than ever. The Collaborative Discussion Project supports educators, students, and community members in doing just that—by building the discussion skills and habits of mind that we call “collaborative intelligence”.
As Director, Kelly will lead the next phase of the CDP’s growth—supporting our coach training and certificate programs, collaborating with partners across sectors, and developing new tools and strategies to bring collaborative discussion into more classrooms, campuses, and communities.
Kelly brings deep experience in civic education and engagement. She was most recently Senior Researcher at Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), where she studied civic development in K–12 education and youth participation in public life. Her work to date has focused on expanding equitable access to civic learning opportunities, ensuring that young people are supported in developing the skills they need to engage meaningfully in democracy.
Kelly earned her Ph.D. in Education from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked with the Institute for Education Policy, co-founded the nonprofit Foundations for Leadership, and led youth programming with the Louis August Jonas Foundation and the United Nations Foundation.
We're thrilled to have Kelly on board and look forward to the leadership, innovation, and experience she will bring to our team. Please join us in extending a heartfelt welcome to her as she becomes part of the IF team!
About IF’s Core Programs
The Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP) advances the skills and mindsets necessary for people to come together and have meaningful discussions. The project includes a free toolkit of activities, coach trainings, workshops, and a growing community of educators and civic practitioners. Sign up for the free CDP newsletter to learn more and stay connected.
The Sustained Discussion Program (SDP) brings together a select group of Visiting Fellows to lead independent, exploratory discussion projects focused on under-examined areas of public concern. Each project produces new discussion tools designed to help others have meaningful conversations.
Upcoming Events
Registration is now open for our July and September 2025 Collaborative Discussion Coach Trainings
The training is designed to help you become better equipped to use activities from the CDP Toolkit in your work and become certified to offer your own Collaborative Discussion Certificate Program. You will be joining a growing community of coaches (150+) who award certificates in collaborative discussion (800+). Register today for one of these trainings!
July 2025 Coach Training
When: 12 pm – 3 pm (eastern) on July 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25
Where: Online via Zoom, with small group breakout sessions
How much does it cost? $495
When is the deadline to register? Sunday, June 22, 2025
September 2025 Coach Training
When: 6 pm – 7:30 pm (eastern) on September 4, 11, 18, 25, and October 2
Where: Online via Zoom, with small group breakout sessions
How much does it cost? $495
When is the deadline to register? Sunday, August 3, 2025
We are able to offer a discounted price due to the generous support of the Interactivity Foundation. Our programming should never be cost prohibitive. Please contact us if a scholarship is needed.
If you are interested but these dates don’t work for you, don’t worry. We will keep you posted as future trainings are scheduled. We are also open to offering cohort trainings. Please reach out and we can explore possibilities.
Want to learn more? Sign up for a free CDP webinar
Join us for an Introduction to the CDP Toolkit Webinar, where you will learn more about:
Our free toolkit of activities designed to build and support collaborative discussion skills and mindsets
Collaborative Discussion Coach Trainings and becoming a CDP Coach
How our current CDP Coaches use the toolkit in their classrooms, communities, and workplaces
All are welcome! Register for an upcoming webinar:
Looking forward to collaborating,
The Interactivity Foundation Team