Seatone’s clients span the globe and include government agencies, multi-lateral institutions, universities, private foundations, Native American Tribes, non-profit conservation organizations and local communities. We are extremely proud to share what they have to say about our work.
Rich Wilson has facilitated multiple meetings for us with our counterparts at the States on difficult topics ranging from climate impacts to natural resources to budget to scientific data collection. We were in a really challenging place in our relationship with the States when Rich started working with us. Using a combination of his technical knowledge, facilitation and conflict management skills, he was able to move the group to a much more positive space. While we still have difficult issues to work through, we are now able to do so in a collaborative fashion. We are thankful for Rich’s facilitation skills and always look forward to continuing our work with him in the future.
The World Wildlife Fund’s U.S. Aquaculture team works with Rich and his team at Seatone Consulting to plan and execute our U.S. workshops and other stakeholder engagement events. Their skill at planning and facilitating, combined with their deep content knowledge, give us peace of mind and we have consistently met our objectives as it relates to engagement with our partners and the interested public.
Rich Wilson and Meagan Wylie have over the years have facilitated multiple workshops and longstanding working groups for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region Aquaculture Program in California. In this capacity, Seatone engages a wide range of federal, state and local agencies, as well as diverse stakeholder interests. Aquaculture can be a contentious topic, and the Seatone team brings a rare combination of respect, clarity and authority, thereby ensuring all voices are heard while holding participants to a high standard of mutual respect. They move groups smoothly through complex agendas, adapt course when needed in a productive, non-confrontational way, and keep discussions focused, collaborative and on time. The Seatone team consistently delivers skilled facilitation and professional, high-quality summary reports. Feedback from our aquaculture collaborators has been uniformly positive, and several colleagues have since hired Seatone to support their own collaborative processes. Seatone sets a high bar and consistently exceeds expectations.
We’ve worked with Rich Wilson on several occasions. He’s facilitated five National State Directors Meetings and continues to provide us support. These meetings are never easy as you try to balance the divergent needs and interests of 25 coastal states, all impacted by tightening budgets and increasing demands placed upon them and their staff. Rich excelled at identifying areas of shared interests and common ground, and helping the State Directors find solutions to cross-cutting issues. As the facilitator for our National Artificial Reef Workshop, Rich worked with a wide range of stakeholders, state and federal agency representatives, and scientists to assist them in revising the National Artificial Reef Policy, which guides artificial reef development and maintenance in our nation’s coastal waters. Based on the positive outcomes of these endeavors, we also contracted with Rich to conduct facilitation training for our staff to improve meeting efficiencies and the development of high quality products when they are working with their various management boards, scientific committees, and citizen advisory panels. In each case, Rich was able to create an environment that made the participants feel comfortable and respected, listened to and valued, and willing to seek solutions in an non-confrontational way. Because he is so approachable, responsible, and manages the process with confidence, I knew I could rely on him to make sure participants were fully engaged and we were systematically moving towards shared, creative solutions. I look forward to working with him in the future.
We hired Seatone Consulting to provide support in project design and mentoring to the Mesoamerican Reef Leadership Program 2015 cohort. Over a year Rich Wilson trained our Fellows in governance, stakeholder engagement, progressive conservation strategies and tools, conflict resolution, negotiation and consensus building. Rich is an expert facilitator, possessing great knowledge in both environmental conservation and consensus building processes. His intervention was helpful for Fellows as they will implement the tools learned in their work as professionals interested in sustainable use of natural resources. Rich is enthusiastic, dynamic and was able to connect with Fellows from multicultural backgrounds.
Rich Wilson and the team at Seatone Consulting were key to hosting a successful national workshop on artificial reefs. The Seatone team effectively led efforts to plan, organize and execute the workshop, which included developing background materials, coordinating a national steering committee, providing guidance on agenda development, skillfully facilitating the meeting, and penning a final workshop report. They kept us on time and on task. Seatone performed beyond expectations.
The Caribbean Environment Program of UNEP has collaborated with Seatone Consulting on a number of successful projects to increase MPA capacity and improve management effectiveness. Seatone has helped our Caribbean MPA network (CaMPAM) with the delivery of Training of Trainers courses and development of an innovative mentorship program for MPA managers. Rich Wilson’s extensive experience and understanding of the needs and issues facing Caribbean MPA practitioners and stakeholders, and his excellent facilitation skills, have been critical to achieve the desired results.
We were extremely happy with the work that Seatone Consulting provided to initiate the boundary expansion process for the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. Rich Wilson worked closely with our staff to gather information, and effectively initiated stakeholder engagement at a public meeting to identify important management issues. Rich was organized, communicated important points clearly to the group and kept the meeting focused and on task. Results from the meeting and the summary report generated important outputs that informed site management plans. Rich is easy to work with and an effective facilitator for helping diverse stakeholder groups address complex issues.
I have worked with Seatone Consulting on several projects, including stakeholder trainings and our most recent protected area network management effectiveness evaluation in the Bahamas, and I have found them to be a highly organized group. They are willing to make your project a success even if it requires going the extra mile or two. This type of dedication is invaluable when working on a tight budget. Their deliverables have been spot on and truly met our needs. Their products are first class!
As a Mesoamerican Reef Leadership Program Fellow in the 2015 cohort, I received training from Rich Wilson in the areas of stakeholder mapping and engagement, negotiation, and consensus building. The format he utilized helped me analyze my project and develop useful tools and approaches which I can apply in the implementation of project activities. Through this training I have gained a better understanding of how to engage stakeholders I interact with on a continuous basis for my work. The skills I developed have enabled me to better organize and plan to engage stakeholders in effective ways and with a focus on achieving desired outcomes.
Rich Wilson and Ramon de León have supported my professional skills development as a park manager participating in the CaMPAM Mentorship Program. Their guidance helped me set ambitious yet realistic goals as a manager, and then they firmly but constructively pushed me to complete tasks on time and achieve those goals. As a result I have gained knowledge, confidence and a new appreciation for the challenging work I do. I believe all young managers like myself would benefit from the mentoring offered by Seatone Consulting.
IUCN contracted Seatone Consulting to develop the Capacity Building Plan for the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Program (BIOPAMA) in the Caribbean. This was the first interaction I had with the Seatone team and was appreciative of the friendly, professional manner in which they approached the task at hand. Seatone communicated and consulted with me throughout the entire process, always ensuring they were addressing my needs as a client. The end product was a comprehensive, high quality document that I was able to adapt to guide my work to this day. Thank you Seatone Consulting!
CaMPAM has used the services and expertise of Seatone Consulting on a number of projects focused on building MPA capacity in the Caribbean. Seatone possesses an insightful understanding of the social and cultural context within which Caribbean conservation needs and challenges are embedded. Their facilitative approach demonstrates how an environmental consulting firm based far away can make a significant contribution to increase the effectiveness of Caribbean marine conservation institutions. The Seatone team also knows how to work on a tight budget and still exceed expected contract deliverables. Rich Wilson’s professionalism, expertise and dedication—forged through many years of experience working to advance conservation in different countries around the globe—is a valuable asset for the Caribbean. I highly recommend Seatone to both government and non-governmental institutions looking to build their capacity and expand their expert base.
I have worked with Rich Wilson of Seatone Consulting on a range of assignments in my former capacities as IUCN Coordinator for the Caribbean Initiative and as Director with the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (a subsidiary of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association). Most recently, we collaborated on the conceptual development of a major project undertaking for a high profile, World Heritage site in the Caribbean, on strengthening capacity at this site, developing multi-stakeholder participatory processes, and fostering partnership and joint collaboration. Rich regularly demonstrates abundant talent at engaging stakeholders across many interest groups and in facilitating related collaborative consultations and meetings. He has great interpersonal skills, is a team player and delivers high quality outputs. He is a delight to work with and I am pleased to recommend him and the Seatone team for any undertaking.