Raphael Amato is an organizational consultant and facilitator, Keynote Speaker, specializing in large group interventions as well as an emotional intelligence coach. He initiates and guides participative processes designed to engage members of an organization in meaningful dialogue with one another and to build on what is vibrant and life-giving in the organization. He encourages organizational members to adopt a stance where the onus for change and accountability is appropriated by each member with the aim of increased personal and organizational effectiveness.

Present and most recent work:

• Co-facilitated a foundations in Appreciative Inquiry workshop and lead an Appreciative Leadership Development session for Executive Directors of a nationals non-for profit organization
• Consults and intervenes in regional offices for Natural Resources Canada with the goal of improving the workplace climate as well as ensuring the sustainability of the changes implemented. 
• Lead person in conceiving, developing and facilitating a session entitled “Leading through Change”.  The workshop, tools and resources developed equip managers in the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) to work with and lead their employees more effectively through change.  Completed a report of findings and observations culled from the sessions.
• Facilitated a number of planning retreats for Managers in various directorates of Public Works and Government Services Canada as well as the Canadian School of Public Service
• Acts as a “Developmental Evaluator”; measuring and evaluating the impact of a number of social innovation projects under the auspices of the McConnell Foundation and Dupont of Canada; L’Arche Canada, the Youth-in-Care-Network
• Provide individual and team coaching with the aim of improving workplace effectiveness and performance.   
• Facilitates management training courses for the Canadian School of Public Service
• Teaches part-time in the Human Sciences department of St. Paul University
• Designs and facilitates an evaluative review of the Katimavik program that included consultation with individual members, followed by a review session with delegates from the network of Katimavik projects.
• Conceived and designed sessions for employees and managers of PWGSC to develop personal mastery skills in their changing environment.
• Facilitated a number of strategic planning forums and future visioning for not for profit organizations; i.e., Catholic Health Association of Canada, The Youville Centre and Horizon-emploi, L’Arche Canada
• Conceived, designed and delivered a pilot on providing performance feedback for managers of PWGSC in light of the new employee performance policy.
• Delivered a number of “Customized Change” management sessions for managers who worked under the same directorate under PWGSC to lead employees through change
• Facilitated a retreat with Public Works and Government Services managers and union representatives to address issues related to work place equity; this included developing a long range plan for implementation of the revised workplace equity act.
• A member of the Leadership Development Team for L’Arche Communities across North America, serving as well as a learning consultant for the team.  Played a lead role in the evaluation of the program that led to a major revision and update of Leadership Development. 
• Completed an uptake needs assessment for the Advancing Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (ACAAF) program aimed at supporting new and leading edge developments in Agriculture.
• Facilitated development forums that taught delegates to use a process of dialogue to help the parishes in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa to respond to a difficult and divisive issue.
• Facilitated a process of amalgamation of two organizations.
  • Raphael has offered a number of workshops and presentations in North America on topics such as, effective workplace feedback, learning from conflict, using dialogue to develop new ways of responding to difficult issues, increasing team effectiveness, and fostering personal accountability.
  • His most recent presentation was entitled:  “The hard work of getting the soft stuff right; what we are learning from research into the brain and how it changes the way we lead others through change” to a group of 500 Human Resource practitioners.
  • He has mentored and provided assistance to various Boards of Directors
  • He has presented at a number of conferences; the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, the Ontario Forum on Homelessness, the Canadian Association of Counselors. the Canadian Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation and most recently the PWGSC Managers’ Forum

His experience as an Executive Director and senior manager in the not-for-profit sector has exposed him to all facets of organizational life.  Here are some highlights of that experience:

• Led a process of amalgamation of two organizations.  A participative process was employed where all stakeholders were actively involved in the changes.
• Led processes of expansion in two organizations where the infrastructure of the organization had to be revised to correspond to the growth.
• Led a process of re-founding of two organizations.  Long standing patterns of conflict and organizational ineffectiveness were gradually transformed into healthier, more productive patterns.  The organizational culture was changed by actively involving stakeholders to actively engage in personal and organizational change.
• Led the organization to move out of its crisis response mode to one of planning and development for the future.
• Managed the capital assets and investments of the organization.
• Led a process of consultation with various stakeholders that led to a transformation of services from a center-based organization to integrated services in the community.
• Led a process of organizational change that resulted in small self managed groups and the transformation of staff and management roles and responsibilities.
• Worked closely with persons with a developmental disability, their families and agency staff to move beyond resistance to organizational changes to become active agents advocating for community integration and inclusion.
• Negotiated with the Provincial Governments to secure funding while maintaining the integrity of a mission-based organization.
• Coordinated and organized a number of large scale events that included participants with developmental disabilities.
• Coordinated activities of professionals of different disciplines in an attempt to create a collaborative network with the person being served at the center (person-centered planning).

As a Provincial Coordinator in an International Federation of organizations, he:

• Acted as a link between the local organizations in Quebec, provincial, national and the International Federation ensuring cohesion of mission and vision along with consistency of strategic planning and implementation. 
• Assisted in organizing various provincial, national and international gatherings and forums. 
• As a member of the Canadian team of coordinators oversaw the activities of the Canadian Zone aimed at enhancing local, regional and national life of the organizations.
• Led a process of negotiation with the Provincial Government of Quebec to revise their plans to amalgamate a small community based agency into a large institutional based service. 

Raphael has a Master’s degree in Human Systems Interventions from Concordia University where he also obtained his BA in Applied Human Sciences in 1980 and was awarded the Robert C. Rae award as the outstanding graduate of the department.

Certifications:

• Emotional Intelligence coach certification
• Search Conference Certification
• Level 4 in facilitation

Trained in Developmental Evaluation by Dr. Michael Quinn Patton
He was a member of the founding Board of Directors for Moisson Montreal, Montreal’s largest food bank, and has sat on a number of Boards over the years. 

He is trilingual; Italian is his mother tongue and he speaks and writes English and French.