Watters & Associates Activate Noble Qualities--The Virtues in families, schools and communities
Nancy Watters, MA

Nancy Anne Watters

Education

• Post-Graduate studies in Parenting and Family Life Education, St. Cloud State University, 1989.
  
• MA, Counseling Psychology, Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago, October 1986
  
• BA, Psychology, Pitzer College, Claremont, California, 1975
  
• Muskegon Community Leadership Academy--certificate in non-profit management and civic leadership, 1996
  

Professional Experience

President and Principal Consultant/Trainer, Watters & Associates/Virtues Consulting, founded in 1997 to provide training in practical applications of universal spiritual principles that enhance workforce integrity and create safe, caring communities. Areas of expertise are character education, moral leadership, violence prevention, non-profit management and grantsmanship. Her "Principle-Centered Community Development" programs provide tools for "walking the spiritual path with practical feet". Clients include educators, non-profit organizations, and faith-based groups to governmental agencies throughout North America and the South Pacific. Author and publisher of The Virtues Gazette, a monthly e-zine with readers in over 65 countries. Representative contracts:

• 17 school systems in the US, Canada and Tonga-School-wide training in character education and The Virtues Project. 1998-2004.
• Maxwell International Baha'i School-Organizational development consultant, 1998-1999
• Michigan Department of Education--grant evaluator 1994--1997
• Michigan Department of Social Services. Professional development for human service workers. September 1997

Otter Creek Institute, 1998--2003. Trainer and author of six programs for K-12 educators.

• Winning Edge Grant Writing: Essential Strategies Used by the Pros
• Shaping Character: Creating a Culture of Virtues in Our Schools
• From Violence to Virtues: Positive Discipline in Our Schools
• Emotional Intelligence: Reducing School Violence
• Preventing Educator Burnout: Reclaiming the Joy of Teaching
• Building Bridges: Parent Involvement Strategies for Educators

Instructor, Baker College (post-secondary), Muskegon, Michigan. 1997-1998. Instructor and author of four courses:

• Family Dynamics
• Family Support Strategies
• Family Violence/Abuse and Neglect
• Child Guidance and Discipline

Coordinator of Family Services, White Lake Area Community Education, Whitehall, Michigan. 1992--1997. Spearheaded creation of a school-based Family Resource Center through collaboration with 30 community agencies. Wrote a proposal to the US Department of Education, which resulted in an award of nearly $1 million for a four-year family literacy program. Subsequently coordinated all aspects of program implementation, including hiring and supervising 10 employees; curriculum design; marketing; budget management; grant compliance and an extensive evaluation study. Additional grants created the Family Resource Center, which was the only agency providing family support services in that rural region. Major activities and accomplishments:

• "Case supervision" of 80 high-risk families. Superivsed para-professional staff in managing issues of child abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, housing, health care and community referrals.
• Designed and implemented of a cluster of family support programs for two school districts--family literacy, parenting education, summer tutoring/mentoring for youth, family home visitors
• Opened two licensed childcare centers for infants to preschoolers. These provided the only center-based infant care services in that rural region.
• Created an innovative staff development program that allowed teachers to receive college credit for on-the-job training and professional development workshops, in partnership with Muskegon Community College
• Developed a 3,000 volume parenting/child development resource library
• Founded the White Lake Area Family Resource Coalition in 1993 to strengthen families by identifying local needs, linking existing services, and seeking funding to close service gaps. Members included over 30 agencies, parents, local citizens, faith-based groups, civic leaders, and human service professionals.
• Produced a video-- "Family Success: The Story of Family Literacy"
  
  

Family Therapist--Manistee/Benzie Community Mental Health, Manistee, Michigan. 1991-- 1992. As an "infant mental health specialist" my responsibilities were to strengthen positive parent-child attachments, prevent child abuse and provide home-based psychotherapy, social work and parenting education to high-risk parents in collaboration with the public health department. Additional duties included coordinator/trainer for a volunteer parent aide program and member of the Children's Trust Fund committee for prevention of child abuse. Licensed in psychology (LLP #H 467043) and social work (RSW #I 108566)

Parenting Instructor, Minneapolis Public Schools, 1987--1990 and Rosemount/Apple Valley Public Schools, Minnesota. 1989. Licensed teacher (MN. Department of Education #285854) and curriculum author for adult and teen parents in suburban and inner city settings. Experience included a broad variety of socio-economic and cultural groups, including African-American and Native American.

Parenting Educator/Home Visitor, Project STEEP, University of Minnesota, 1987-1988. This was an experimental intervention program designed to promote healthy mother-child attachments and prevent child abuse. It was funded through the National Institute of Mental Health and overseen by leading experts in the field of infant mental health--Byron Egland and Martha Erickson. My duties included extensive social and psychological pre-testing of each mother, curriculum design, counseling, home visits and educational group meetings.

Home Childcare Provider, from 1978-1984, California and Minnesota. Licensed for up to ten children. Collaborated with the local community college to train student interns. Taught a variety of workshops on child rearing and childcare management through Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association and community education programs.

Some Conference Presentations & Symposiums

Association for Community Education in BC, "Awakening Virtues: Steering a Steady Course Through the Tides of Change". October 26, 2002

National University of Samoa, "Human Rights are Essential to Proper Development of Our Children", panel member. July 30,2002

Circle of Friends Conference, Nanaimo, BC, keynote speech "Bringing Out the Best in All Our Children". March 9, 2002

Muskegon Area Community Forum: Panel member. "Family Troubles-What Direction Should We Take", February 1996. "Families and the Workplace-Partners or Adversaries?". April 1998.

The Challenge of Children, Hope College, "How Love Boosts Brain Power". May 1996, 1998

Social And Economic Development Conference for the Americas, Orlando, Florida. "Winning Edge Grant Writing". December 1998

MiAEYC Child Development Conference, "Keys to Successful Parent Education", "On Their Turf: A Home Visitor's Guide to Diplomatic Relations with Families", "Building School-Family-Community Partnerships". May 1996

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-Samoa. Visiting lecturer for a human rights education campaign "Responsibilities of Healthy Families", that focused on creating peaceful families, reducing domestic violence and using positive discipline in childrearing. Made presentations to educators, parents, students, villagers, and governmental leaders. See the photo essay July/August 2002

Muskegon Community College, Early Childhood Conference presenter. 1994-1996

Community Service

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-Samoa. July/August 2002. Visiting lecturer for a human rights education campaign "Responsibilities of Healthy Families", that focused on creating peaceful families, reducing domestic violence and using positive discipline in childrearing. Made presentations to educators, parents, students, villagers, and governmental leaders. Photo essay

Muskegon Community College. 1994-1996. Advisory board member for the education department.

Parenting Education Collaborative of Muskegon County. 1996-1997. Chairperson. Established the Parenting Education Resource Library with grant funding from Muskegon Community Foundation.

Louhelen Conference Center, Davison, Michigan. Summers 1988--1990. Adult Program Director. Overall coordination of weeklong conferences for 30-300 people.

Professional Memberships

• American Psychological Association
• Center For the Advancement of Ethics and Character-Boston University
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
• ASCD Character Education Network
• Character Education Partnership
• Association for Baha'i Studies

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