Below are the bios for the conflict resolution team. Their process will begin in mid-January. Please pray for God to bring much good fruit out of this season!
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Vince Hawkins is a seasoned evangelist (30 years) adept at fostering connections in multi-cultural environments. With roots in inner-city New Orleans, LA, and experience in collegiate sports, ministry, and post-graduate education, Vince is growing in empathetic communication. Committed to dignity and empowerment, he creates spaces where individuals feel valued and inspired to explore their faith journey.
Vince Hawkins has a passion for peacebuilding and workplace conflict management. He has trained leaders and facilitated large—and small-scale meetings for over twenty years. In addition to his formal academic and traditional training in education, facilitation, mediation, and negotiation, Vince is an educator on grief and dignity and their role in conflicts. His Dignity Training workshop equips participants with tools that can transform relationships.
A native of New Orleans, LA, Vince has an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Nebraska, where he was a scholarship football player in the early nineties. After some years of ministry mentorship, Vince completed a master's in ministry education from Rochester University. In 2012, Vince discovered his calling for peacebuilding during a two-day ministers training and a master's in conflict management from Lipscomb University. He is preparing to launch Hawkins Peacebuilding Systems, which aims to help individuals and groups value and express the topic of conflict management taught by Dr. Steve Joiner, the dean of the Institute for Conflict Management, Lipscomb University. "I was amazed that there was an answer, a process for helping folks come together and gain understanding… I also felt like this was the best-kept secret the world had ever heard". Vince sees conflict management as a way for people to sort out their unique differences with respect for one another's dignity. Openness, respect, curiosity, and accountability are foundational for Vince's approach to communication, yielding more vital collaboration, connection, and contribution.
Vince has worked in ministry with youth, college students, married couples, and families of all ages for over 25 years. He is well-known for his ability to equip, train, coach, and mentor people with diverse life experiences.
As 26-year residents of Missouri, Vince and his wife Robin have made their home in St. Louis. The Hawkinses have been married for 30 years and have four daughters. Vince advocates for high school student-athletes in his spare time as an MSHSAA high school volleyball and basketball sports official, serving as an arbiter, adjudicator, and mediator.
Additionally, Vince is a mediator for the Community Mediation Service of St. Louis. He has helped the City of Ferguson, MO, with facilitated dialogues between its citizens and police following the 2015 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. Vince also serves on the CMS board and Association for Missouri Mediators.
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David is a mediation and leadership specialist with over 25 years of experience. He has a degree in Philosophy, a diploma in Counselling, a Master of Arts in Christian Counselling, and certifications in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. He has done mediation and conflict resolution work for organizations in Canada, the United States, and internationally, and he holds a Qualified Mediator designation from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada. In addition to training and consulting with ACHIEVE and his non-profit group, David works in mediation, where he volunteers as a mediator for the court diversion program in Manitoba. In whatever role David finds himself in, his passion for motivating people to continue on their journey of learning and growth shines through. David believes that no matter what our role is in the workplace, we can all continue to grow in our skills to improve our own lives and to help improve the lives of others. As a trainer, he is known for his dynamic workshop facilitation that combines humor and real-world application.
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Catherine Clark has built a career in establishing harmony by resolving internal and external conflict in corporate, church, and government settings. Her interest in human thought, behavior, and interactions is reflected in her fields of study, including psychology and communication. She holds two advanced degrees, one in Communication from Louisiana State University and another in Conflict Management from Lipscomb University.
Catherine has moderated local and national workshops and debates related to civil
discourse and is passionate about bridging the political divide in our country. She is "wired for peace" and skilled at perspective-taking and equipping others to do the same.