Stetson Rollins consulting

Our Clients Weigh In with their Testimonials on Consulting, Training, Organizational Effectiveness, Diversity & Inclusion, Teambuilding, Management, Communication, and Executive Coaching

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins

Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins with Archbishop Desmond Tutu
during an event sponsored by the Truth & Reconciliation
Community of St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, Florida.

Testimonials: ___________________________________________________________

Connie Hodges"The consulting and training that Bryant and Shirley conducted with our Senior Leadership Team and our Touchstone Team had an immediate and positive impact. It transformed a number of relationships within the organization. Many of the Action Options that we identified during our work with you were implemented by the task force that we established following the retreat. The Leadership Team is very pleased with the progress that has taken place. We are seeing new possibilities for more effective work in the world. This experience raised our enthusiasm for the broader strategies and the ability of United Way as a system to understand, value and promote diversity in the workforce, and in the communities we serve."

— Connie Hodges, President, United Way of Northeast Florida
__________________________________________________________________

Ed Gallegos"I have had the pleasure of working with StetsonRollins Consulting for the past three years. During this time, Bryant and Shirley have provided my team and the First Coast Diversity Council with excellent strategic and consultative support, team development and cultural competence and diversity awareness facilitation that has been outstanding. Their expertise in this field make them an excellent source for furthering your diversity initiatives."

— Ed Gallegos, Vice President Office of Cultural Competence & Diversity Systems BlueCross BlueShield of Florida & President, First Coast Diversity Council, Jacksonville, FL
__________________________________________________________________

Elaine McConnell"Today the Ocean County Library System is a recognized library leader in issues related to diversity.  I will always be grateful to Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins for the assistance and forward momentum they provided me and OCLS as we began and proceeded on our diversity journey. The environmental scans they conducted gave us a wealth of information and their trainings were handled with sensitivity. I worked with Shirley and Bryant over more than ten years and remain indebted to them for their part in guiding us on this challenging, rewarding and ongoing journey."

— Elaine McConnell, Director, Ocean County Library System, Ocean County, NJ
__________________________________________________________________

"Shirley/Bryant – Such a terrific teambuilding session!  We should be the ones thanking you for helping us “slow down” and then move ahead as individuals and as a team. I have been to many team building sessions through the years, and this one ranked right up at the top.  Thanks for all of the advance planning and for facilitating our journey!"

— Jean Hull, VP Market Strategy and Insight, 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
__________________________________________________________________

John Navratil"Bryant and Shirley, I want to thank-you again for your excellent work with our manufacturing site. During the past year I have had the great opportunity to spend 8 days with you in four separate sessions. I found these sessions extremely valuable from both a personal and a corporate viewpoint. Watching the transformation of a group of individuals who although they had worked together for many years had avoided the tough topics to a team who found common ground in their values and life experiences while gaining from one another’s diversity. The environment that you were able to establish with our teams created real growth in individuals and our team efforts – I know this because I experienced this on a personal level and I was able to learn more about myself and those who worked in my teams during this short time than I could have hoped for. I also know this because of observing real and sustained changes in the behaviour of these people towards one another."

— John Navratil, Production Manager, Motiva Norco Refinery, Norco, LA - Shell Oil, USA
__________________________________________________________________

Lonnie Powers"If you are comfortable not knowing what kinds of diversity-related dust and mold has piled up on the kitchen cabinets of your mind, don’t talk to these people. But, if you prefer a fresh, airy perspective – albeit one gained by some time on a tightrope without a net – these are the folks for you."

— Lonnie Powers, Executive Director
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, Boston, MA
__________________________________________________________________

Pattie Teague"My work, training and experience with Bryant & Shirley has been LIFE CHANGING!  Their work is a gift to any willing participant. It was an eye opening opportunity to see from within what I was projecting outwardly. Armed with an unexplored level of conscious awareness, I was equipped to grasp my life and my career. As my career progressed and I became a member of management, I then had the pleasure of engaging this team to develop our Leadership Team.  As a result, our facility observed marked changes. This magnificent duo can revive a dying team, reunite a broken team or aid an already excelling team to soar! It was my pleasure to work with them both personally and professionally."

— Pattie Teague, HR Manager, Human Resources Department
Johns Manville Corporation, Insulation Systems
__________________________________________________________________

Danny Berenberg, Esq., Founding Partner GiftCounsel.com"When we need leadership training, diversity coaching or simply strategic planning, we turn to StetsonRollins Consulting. Additionally, we have referred many of our clients to StetsonRollins; always with great results. We endorse them without reservation.

Danny Berenberg, Esq., Founding Partner GiftCounsel.com
http://www.GiftCounsel.com

__________________________________________________________________

Susan Hamilton"It is a pleasure to endorse the work of StetsonRollins to potential clients. In their former incarnation as MountainTop Institute, Bryant and Shirley were engaged by CSX to customize diversity/inclusion training at our CSX-based Operations Center. Because of their background with other heavy industrial companies, Bryant and Shirley were well prepared to deal with the unique characteristics of a 24x7 railroad. They conducted round-the-clock sessions for us and our Vice President of Network Operations was most pleased with their work and the positive impact on the culture at the Center.

We were so pleased that CSX and the First Coast Diversity Council of Jacksonville engaged Bryant and Shirley as facilitators for our January, 2009 Diversity Seminar in partnership with Diversity Inc. Magazine. The event was very well attended by several hundred participants.  Reviews were highly complimentary of Bryant and Shirley's work.

In addition, I have personally observed Bryant and Shirley facilitating several sessions for other organizations, including the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, and found them to be very engaging leaders.

I recommend StetsonRollins Consulting wholeheartedly."

— Susan Hamilton, Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer,  CSX
__________________________________________________________________

Theron Williams"I have worked with Bryant and Shirley as an internal consultant at the Shell Chemical - Motiva Refining Site in Norco, La for over 10 years. Over the years they have provided a variety of consulting and training for our site and for personnel within Shell's US headquarters in Houston. Bryant and Shirley have provided rich expertise in Organizational Development Strategies and areas related to Diversity & Inclusion. They have worked with my site leadership team, middle management, supervisors, and with the operators in the field. Bryant and Shirley bring a unique skill set, passion and attitude to their work. These attributes are what I believe assists them in fostering a safe environment for open and frank communications. Their work is best characterized by the depth of the experiences. When our teams, organization, or individuals work with Bryant and Shirley, there is NOTHING that is left unsaid. All of the issues are identified and concrete strategies are in place for moving forward to resolve them. The payoff comes in terms of increased performance, productivity, and morale. Bryant and Shirley have become my personal coaches, supporting my personal development which has assisted me in becoming a seasoned
D & I practitioner and more importantly, put me on the path to Self Mastery."

— Theron Williams, Sr., Learning Advisor Shell Oil Products US Norco, LA
__________________________________________________________________

Josephine Jackson"One can measure an individual's character by certain defined criteria, some of which I believe are essential: honesty, integrity, ability and passion. Those traits are among many which are part of what Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins are made of. I have been fortunate to work with Shirley and Bryant in my capacity as Executive Director of Duval County Public School's Office of Equity and Inclusion. This has resulted in our district staff receiving the highest quality of training, enhanced skills and professional guidance. It is their work, as consultants to our district, that allowed us to put our core belief in, and commitment to, diversity into action. If you are looking for extraordinary professionalism and heart, these consultants have it."

— Josephine Jackson, Executive Director, Office of Equity and Inclusion
Duval County Public Schools, Jacksonville Florida
__________________________________________________________________

Patricia S. Willis"Many thanks to you, Bryant and Shirley, for the work that you have done in the past for the Duval County Public Schools (DCPS).  You have been generous with both your expertise and your time in many areas.  One outstanding area is the support, training, and encouragement that you provided for the Superintendent’s Leadership Team, and the DCPS Council on Educational Equity and Inclusion, which formalizes the school district’s equity and diversity efforts and sets a clear course for putting policy into practice.  Your commitment to this effort has helped with the Council’s goal of eliminating the achievement gap by fostering respect for – and celebration of – our diversity; and to promote cultural unity, individual growth, classroom and workplace harmony.  We have benefitted from your expertise and we look forward to a continued relationship that will help our educational efforts and the students of Duval County."

— Patricia S. Willis, Deputy Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools, Jacksonville, FL
__________________________________________________________________

First as a consultant and subsequently as an associate and friend, I have worked with Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins for over 20 years in professional and personal
business endeavors.

My Endorsement of Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins is:
Their integrity and their humanity radiate and beckon.
They inspire confidence with compassion and understanding.
They exude strength, knowledge and wisdom.
They embody courage and curiosity.
They create solutions and possibilties with spontaneity and deftness.
They touch a multitude of points simultaneously and with total relevance.
They hold both global vision and attention to detail.
They embrace all with intelligence, discernment and sensitivity.
They deliver.

— Beverly Watson-Matos, Consultant, Personal Mastery, Rowley, MA __________________________________________________________________

Cindy Watson"I have worked with Shirley Stetson and Bryant Rollins, principals of StetsonRollins Consulting, since 1998, in a variety of diversity training and consultation projects. As facilitators of the community-based Healing Racial Divisions group that I was part of, Shirley and Bryant created the opening in a diverse group of people for the honest examination and dialogue about the differences in our lives that resulted in a collective vision of racial healing and transformative change. In small group, faith-based, corporate and institutional settings, they help clients achieve their goals by bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in organizational development and diversity, coupled with a depth of spirit and emotional integrity."

— Cindy Watson, Executive Director, Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network
www.jasmyn.org
__________________________________________________________________

Aimee BussellsStetsonRollins: Reflections of an Intern (excerpts from)
By: Aimee Bussells

Racism. Hate. Anger. Justice. Diversity. Inclusion. Love. Values. Peace. Transformation. These are capital letter words; they are powerful.
Each is sometimes inaccessible - too abstract. They feel too far removed to grab hold of, for some; for others, too ingrained to let go. For some they reflect a distant history, for others, a daily reality.
But for Bryant Rollins and Shirley Stetson, the principals of StetsonRollins Consulting,
in these words rest hope.

For some diversity consultants, the tempting strategy, the easy way out, is to address issues of diversity within the workplace superficially; treating what can be centuries’ worth of resentment and differences with rudimentary treatments. Instead of breaking these issues wide open, working through them from the inside out, they treat surface cuts and bruises, leaving tumors behind. 

Not Bryant and Shirley. With over 60 years of combined experience, they understand the varying complexities and nuanced differences, which come individual to individual, employee to employee. History, culture, personal values and life experiences, all feed into each of our perceptions and beliefs about the world at large. Our subsequent actions day-to-day, in and out of the office, are reflections of these internal conversations and negotiations.

Having this knowledge enables StetsonRollins Consulting to go deeper in their work.
They use a unique mix of psychology, organizational development theory, organizational psychology, adult learning theory and group dynamics, to create environments where traditionally taboo conversations are treated as genuine expressions of thoughts and ideas, and individuals are free to honestly examine their feelings about race, gender,
age, and history. 

If you are interested in learning more about this next generation of work for yourself personally, for your organization or for your community, I highly recommend that you contact them.

Aimee Bussells was an intern with Bryant and Shirley in 2004. She is a graduate of the College of Charleston. Following her internship, she attended the Hansard Scholars Programme at the London School of Economics. She is currently Director of the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation in New Orleans.