Who We Are and Our Vision

Compassionate Communication of Central Ohio (CCCO) is a 501[c][3] non-profit organization devoted to the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg and based on the teachings and practices of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The vision of CCCO is to incorporate the principles and practices of NVC into the fabric of daily life in Central Ohio. To that end, we have created a Board of Trustees consisting of:

  • Jerry Saunders, Board Chair, Jerry is Chief Executive Officer and President of Africentric Personal Development Shop
  • Carole Menge, Board Treasurer. Carole is Director of Family Education and Grants at Buckeye Ranch
  • Kathy Frank, Board Secretary. Kathy is a Principle with the Drexel Theatre Group
  • Ed Sparks. Ed is Executive VP, National Youth Advocate Program
  • Victoria Peyton, Mission Officer. Victoria is Pastoral Counselor with the Unity Christian Church
  • Tracy Wimberly [Executive Director] and Andy Workum [Operations Manager] lead the administration of CCCO.

What We Are Doing

Some specific things that are in process:

  • A calendar of training and orientation workshops and conferences
  • Our web site remains active and up to date
  • Developing relationships with non profit organizations devoted to compassion and peace, such as: S.A.V.E., Wellness Community, YWCA, Delaware County Juvenile Court Family Advocacy, APDS, The Arts and College Preparatory Academy

Our goals extend well beyond that of training. We want to be able to offer to the Central Ohio area – our schools, workplaces, justice system, communities – the principles and practices of nonviolent communication in order to impact the daily interactions among children, parents, relationships, employers, employees, health care providers, anyplace where people come together to address their issues. We firmly believe in the reality of Dr. Rosenberg's teaching that, when individuals can access each other's needs and feelings, any problem can be resolved to meet everyone's needs.

Our History

The original impetus to form CCCO came from Mark Feinknopf, who, together with his life partner, Cynthia Moe, had come in contact with the teachings of Marshall Rosenberg. They have formed an organization, Sacred Space Inc, in Atlanta, Geogia to promote NVC. Cynthia and Mark quickly adopted Marshall's work and the principles of NVC in the Atlanta area, working with the Carter Center and the Martin Luther King Center.

Mark had been a well-known architect in Columbus, Ohio, in a firm bearing his name and founded by his father. He has retained close ties with Columbus and wanted to see NVC become part of the Columbus area. A steering committee was formed which initiated the idea of the organization which has become Compassionate Communication of Central Ohio. These members remain active, either as committee members or active volunteers in the work of CCCO. The organization's initial goal was to bring Marshall to Columbus, a goal that was achieved in March 2006 during which Dr. Rosenberg led a highly successful 3-day conference. Since the organization had only been in existence for 3 months, this was a leap of faith which has born fruit.

Invitation

We invite all interested people and organizations to contact us, learn about Nonviolent Communication and join us in our mission of promoting peace, eliminating violence and working through conflict by systematically using NVC in Central Ohio and beyond.