Who We Are

Robert “Jake” Jacobs – President

Jake was the co-lead consultant for the Charleston Illumination Project.  He partnered with Margaret Seidler in creating the overall approach, designs and materials for individual meetings.  He also provided consultation to Police Chief Greg Mullen throughout the project including transforming the 2,226 improvement ideas developed through the process into a comprehensive strategic plan.  He is a Polarity Thinking Master and inventor of Real Time Strategic Change, an approach to creating fast and lasting results in any setting.

Jake is honored to assume responsibility for leading the Illumination Project’s National Movement, a bold and much-needed initiative to share Charleston’s approaches, tools and lessons across the country.

In his own words….

Why do some organizations work and others don’t? I’ve been curious about that question since my first real job on the assembly line of an ice cream novelty manufacturing plant.  I wondered even more about those questions while tending bar in college.

That launched me on a path of discoveries as a pioneer in the field of large group interventions.  My consulting, writing, and teaching have all helped me continue my discoveries about better ways for people and organizations to change.

I’ve worked with some of the largest corporations in the world including American Express, Corning, Ford, The Home Depot, Marriott, Mobil Oil, and TJ Maxx. I’ve also supported major change efforts with the City of New York, the U.S. National Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency and the United Kingdom’s National Health and Employment Services.

Writing is a great way for me to get clearer about what I believe and how I work. In addition to regular postings to my blog, I’ve written articles for Strategy and Leadership, Executive Excellence, Leader to Leader, Strategic HR Review, Consulting to Management and the Organization Development Network Journal.

I’ve authored and contributed to seven books:

Notre Dame’s Executive Education Program, the U.S. Navy’s Postgraduate Institute, Roffey Park Management Institute in England, and St. Thomas University have all been ways to continue my own learning while teaching others.

I’ve actively contributed consulting pro bono to a wide variety of organizations ranging from schools to theaters and community building efforts.

I also have continued my work with Polarity Partnerships directing all Real Time Strategic Change work done in support of The Polarity Approach to Continuity and Transformation.  Based on RTSC Principles, the PACT helps individuals, teams and organizations best leverage the energy in their most strategic polarities, transforming conflict into creativity and collaboration.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Michigan and I received a Masters of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University with honors.  I now call Toledo home once again having returned after more than 30 years away and now spend Sunday nights going out for Indian food with my parents – a “must do” tradition.  My two adult children, Alison and Aaron, live in Los Angeles.

 

Margaret Seidler – Strategic Advisor

 

Margaret, a native Charlestonian, has provided the consulting leadership that has been the backbone for the Charleston Illumination Project since its inception.  Her earlier work with Police Chief Greg Mullen on a polarity-based strategic planning process laid the groundwork for this innovative police/citizen initiative.  Her partnering with Jake on a Late Night Activity Review project that enabled bar and restaurant owners and surrounding businesses and neighbors to reach win-win agreements about how to foster late night economic success AND peaceful neighborhoods provided strong evidence of the power of a polarity-based approach to community differences.

Margaret is a nationally-recognized Organization Development consultant, master trainer, and author.  Her practice focuses on creating higher performance in both organization and community systems. Central to her work is Polarity Thinking®, a set of principles and method to help people see, map and tap the power of “both/and” thinking for better, more sustainable results. Her interest in helping other professionals become more effective leaders began in the early 1990s, when she recognized the need to improve her own leadership skills. Her areas of expertise include managing complex opportunities and challenges, increasing leaders’ self-awareness/self-management, teambuilding, resolving conflict and interpersonal communications skills.

Since returning to her hometown of Charleston and establishing her consulting practice in 2001, she has published numerous articles. In 2008, her first book, Power Surge, was published by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Press of Amherst, MA.

National Faculty/Presenter

  • Agriculture Co-ops of America
  • American Public Power Association
  • National Rural Electric Cooperatives
  • Farm Credit Corporation Services
  • International Society of Hotel Association Executives
  • NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association
  • Responsible Hospitality Institute of America
  • Strata Networks Telecom
  • US Chamber of Commerce, Institute for Organization Management

Community Projects, Lead Facilitator

  • City of Charleston, Late Night Activity Review Committee
  • City of Charleston, The Illumination Project

Earlier as a consultant with The Atlanta Consulting Group, she served on a 53-member consulting team for United Parcel Service (UPS) Worldwide in a business improvement and work culture transformation. Prior to external consulting, she devoted five years to the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and eight years to South Carolina Electric & Gas Company. Her work there culminated in an internal consultant’s position to lead change in the face of possible electric de-regulation – the genesis of her career in Organization Development.

Today Margaret’s community involvement includes five years of service on the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. In July 2015, Margaret was elected to a four-year term on the Charleston County Aviation Authority Board for the Charleston International Airport.

Her broad education includes a BA in Psychology and Master in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina, as well as graduate course work in Organization Development at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis. In 2009, she became one of only eighteen certified Polarity Management Masters in North America. She has served as adjunct faculty in Executive Education at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business as well as the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

 

Chief (Ret.) Gregory G. Mullen — Strategic Advisor

The Charleston Illumination Project has been Chief Mullen’s vision realized. It has been his foresight, passion and skill that have made it possible for the police and the citizens they serve to join together in partnership to create a safer, more prosperous, and enjoyable community.

He has over 30 years of law enforcement service.  He proudly served as the Chief of Police of the Charleston (SC) Police Department until his retirement in August 2017. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Police of the Virginia Beach (VA) Police Department. He has extensive experience in the administrative, investigative and operational aspects of policing, and has demonstrable success in working with issues such as crime control policies, strategic planning, and community outreach. Chief Mullen is an experienced leader with a proven record of community involvement, cultivating relationships and using teams to create opportunities and solve problems. During his tenure as Chief of Police in Charleston, he and his staff were deeply committed to community partnerships aimed at reducing crime and improving the quality of life in the City of Charleston.

Since 2010, he and his staff have partnered with Margaret Seidler and Jake Jacobs to successfully use Polarity Thinking on a number of important projects in Charleston including Departmental and city-wide strategic plans, leadership development initiatives for first-line supervisors and senior leaders, and community collaborations surrounding politically charged issues.

Due to his experiences during and after the tragic shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in June 2015 and the responses of victim’s families, survivors, and community members, he embraced a vision, supported by the important values of Public Safety and Individual Rights, to strengthen the relationships between citizens and police officers grounded in trust and legitimacy. He summarizes below what motivated him to act and why this effort must succeed.

 This horrific night changed the landscape of Charleston and me forever.  It demonstrated with such clarity the power and resilience of the human spirit.  It will forever signify the ability for each of us to choose between good and evil. 

It compelled me to take action rather than view it as another horrible situation that this time, incredibly ended without conflict, confrontation, or more violence.  It would be unacceptable, because of the exceptional response, to fail to seize upon the momentum and strong relationships demonstrated between citizens and police that were manifested during this tragedy.  Thus, an initiative that would strive to continue to strengthen the relationships between police and citizens grounded in trust and legitimacy was born – The Illumination Project. 

The Illumination Project honors the legacy of grace, forgiveness, and love demonstrated by the survivors and the victim’s families from the Mother Emanuel tragedy. The initiative has brought together people from all parts of the community– citizens with all the diversity they represent, academia, business leaders, faith-based organizations, police officers, elected officials, and media – in an enlightening process.  Our shared experiences have created opportunities for everyone to work together in a safe, open, respectful environment.  The goals have been to identify root causes of the critical dilemmas facing our community and find solutions that further strengthen citizen and police relationships.  With each step we have built greater understanding and agreement.  

He is a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia, the Professional Executive Leadership School at the University of Richmond, and the Senior Management Institute in Police at Boston University. He received a Bachelor Degree in Criminology from Saint Leo College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Old Dominion University. He served on the executive boards of the Trident United Way, Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Center, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Officer’s Association.

He is an active member of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and International Association of Chief of Police. Due to his commitment to the continued professionalization of policing and reduction of family violence, he was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to serve on the Governor’s Commission on the Advancement of Public Safety (2015) and the South Carolina Domestic Violence Advisory Committee (2016).

 

Kevin Smith– Strategic Advisor

 

A native Charlestonian, Kevin L. Smith served on The Charleston Illumination Project’s Citizen Steering Group, the team responsible for guiding the entire effort and developing the Strategic Plan to further strengthen relationships between police and the citizens they serve — the mission of the project.  In addition, he was the Youth Inclusion sub committee chairperson. His recruitment of youth to contribute their views and voices was invaluable to the effort, even ensuring that the first Listening Session was held with the Charleston County School District’s Boyz to Gentlemen Youth Summit dedicated to providing information and resources to support the achievement of males of color.  Kevin and his wife, L. Nichole “Niki” Smith, have taken a leadership role in the second year of the Illumination Project co-facilitating conversations in the community regarding race relations.

In addition to his work with the Illumination Project, Kevin is an educator and school leader in the Charleston County School District. He currently serves as the principal of C.E. Williams Middle School for Creative Arts, the middle school he attended. His work in the school district has also included being a member of several committees including having served as the co-chairperson for the Diversity and Inclusion committee, Classroom Modernization committee, Parent Advisory Council and the Principal’s Roundtable Advisory committee.

For over a decade, Kevin was the co-host of a public affairs talk radio show entitled, “Another Perspective.” Guests of the show have included local, national, and world known figures including athletes, artists, leaders and politicians. The show provided an opportunity for the Greater Charleston area and anyone else in the world via the internet, to converse about current events, initiatives, ideas or with guests of the show in a forum that promoted diversity of thought and opinion.

For 11 years, Kevin served as the Parenting Coordinator for the Father to Father Project, a non-profit organization that focuses on reconnecting fathers with their children physically, emotionally, and financially. His role included providing guidance and support for the program participants.

A well respected public speaker and facilitator, Kevin has presented at multiple state-wide and national conferences on the subjects of fatherhood, family engagement and at-risk youth. Notable speaking experiences include the National Youth At Risk Conference, the National Title 1 Conference, South Carolina Association for School Administrators, and the Head Start Regional Men’s Summit. Kevin is also the author of the self-published guide entitled, “Nine Things Young Black Males Need to Know.”

Kevin has been recognized for his community service by multiple organizations and is currently serving as an advisory board member for the Greater Charleston area My Brother’s Keeper initiative and an advisory board member for the Charleston Police Department Citizen’s Advisory Council.

“One of my passions is to help people see things they have always seen in a way they have not always seen it,” Kevin states, “because when we change the way we see things, what we see seems to change.”

 

Bob Seidler – Strategic Advisor

Bob Seidler is an experienced hotel executive with over four decades of practice in a wide variety of hospitality organizations.  Bob’s standards of excellent customer service were experienced by all those participating in the Charleston Illumination Project.  He led the recruitment efforts inviting people to attend the Listening Sessions while managing the behind-the-scenes logistics of meetings for the Citizen Steering Group, Facilitator Training Workshops and the Listening Sessions

Growing up in the hospitality industry, Bob held leadership positions in food and beverage, sales, development and hotel management.  He has served in nationally recognized organizations as diverse as Stouffer Restaurants, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Sea Pines Resort, Hampton Inns and Country Inns & Suites by Carlson.

The pinnacle of his hotel career position was realized when he served as General Manager for The Woodlands Inn of Summerville, South Carolina. It is one of only four properties in the United States to achieve both the AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star Award for both its lodging and dining operations.

Prior to Woodlands, Bob served for seven years as the Innkeeper for the Wentworth Mansion, a 21-room luxury property in Charleston, South Carolina. During his time at the Mansion, the property earned the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award for six consecutive years

Prior to service at the Wentworth Mansion, Bob was the Director of National Sales for Country Inns & Suites, a 300+ property, mid-market brand based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the customer service arena, Bob led the Hampton Inn Historic District to the brand’s Inn of the Year Award for 1998, achieving the chain’s highest guest service scores. His other roles include hotel development, serving as the Managing Partner for the upscale Claussen’s Inn located in the Five Points area of Columbia, South Carolina.

Bob currently provides consulting services and conducts special projects for a variety of hospitality and tourism-related organizations.

Bob is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. His past community service includes the Charleston Trident Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Board of Directors for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.  He currently serves on the City of Charleston’s Tourism Commission and the Trident Technical College Foundation Board.

 

Chandra Irvin– Strategic Advisor

Chandra Irvin was instrumental in the Charleston Illumination Project, conceiving of the faith-based prayer services that became a monthly ritual of worship for the success of the Project.  She also developed and co-led training of Listening Session facilitators with Margaret Seidler.  Her richly cultivated understanding and respect for deep listening were echoed throughout the process.

She is currently Director for Peace and Restorative Services at Spalding University in Louisville, KY, where she serves on the leadership team, participates in the creation and implementation of an institutional vision and strategies for promoting peace and spiritual renewal among the university’s diverse community of learners, and provides leadership to the Community for Peace and Restorative Services.  Chandra sees her work as guiding individuals in their exploration of spiritual values, individual purpose, contributions to the broader community, and experiential and reflective learning experiences.


Those with whom Chandra works advance intra- and inter-personal relations through various means including but not limited to leveraging polarities, restorative practices and conflict resolution, strengths coaching, and Spalding’s mission engagement.

She also provides leadership coaching, facilitation, and consultations to support members of the campus community in creating and sustaining an inclusive learning environment which promotes the acceptance and appreciation of values and unique life experiences of each individual.

Along with her appointment at Spalding, Chandra is a Pastoral Coach and Facilitator at St. Stephen Church, also in Louisville.  She is also President of Irvin Goforth & Irvin LLC, a consulting firm which offers strategies to advance peace, purpose and performance in the lives of individuals and organizations;  and interactive presentations on leading and managing in the future.

Chandra has made significant contributions in the field of diversity, a core element of the Illumination Project work.   For 14 years she served as Executive Director for the Diversity Strategy Consortium (DSC), a group of Fortune 500 companies which examined domestic and global diversity issues and developed strategies for advancing diversity leadership, accountability, communications, and performance. 

She also served as senior strategy consultant and writer for Diversity Channel Inc., an organization 
established to provide insight into shifting identities in the 21st century. The organization 
offered online tools to help workers become more self-aware, sensitive and skilled in working 
in multicultural environments.

Chandra has written two books and contributed to several books and articles related to diversity, peace, human relations, and polarity thinking.

Chandra and her husband Nat live in Louisville, KY.  They have three adult children (Trey, Jovian and Roman) and enjoy family, travel, sports, gardening, and occasionally kayaking.

 

George W. McDaniel — Strategic Advisor

George is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a company George established after serving 25 years as Executive Director of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. McDaniel Consulting’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in George’s personal beliefs and his experience in management, preservation, education, and community outreach. A native of Atlanta, he holds a B.A. in history from Sewanee, a Masters of Arts in Teaching in history from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in history from Duke University. An educator at heart, he is the author of many publications and is a popular speaker for lay and professional audiences. In recognition of his work, George earned in 2015 the South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award and in 2016 the S.C. Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation. He is the first person in the state to have won the leadership awards in both fields. Though he and his wife are now empty-nesters, they are not alone for they have a yellow lab, who lives a charmed life.

 

Niki Smith – Strategic Advisor

A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Leora Nichole “Niki” Smith went from participant to serving as the Illumination Project co-leader for event planning and logistics.  Niki is responsible for assisting in making every listening session is successful through traditional marketing, social media, and establishing relationships with stakeholders. She also ensures the physical space is conducive for robust conversations.

In addition to her work with the Illumination Project, Niki serves as the Parent and Family Engagement Coordinator for Dorchester District Two Schools. In this position, she has developed a federally funded Title I program for parents and children, primarily through marketing and coordinating educational and interactive events and workshops. Under her leadership, patronage of the Parent and Family Engagement Center has increased more than one hundred percent.

Niki has also served in the area of logistics, marketing and event planning for several organizations and initiatives including but not limited to, the Community Compass Project for the Medical University of South Carolina and the Charleston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., She is also a dedicated volunteer and consultant to The Hands of Christ, March of Dimes, Teacher’s Closet, and the Relay for Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.

Niki holds a Master’s Degree in Business Management and Leadership. She is also a trained vocalist and has traveled the world in that capacity.

 

Barry Johnson — Strategic Advisor

Barry Johnson is Founding Partner and Chairman of Polarity Partnerships, a consulting and training organization devoted to bringing the Polarity Assessment for Continuity and Transformation™ and the Polarity paradigm to the planet.  He is the Creator of The Polarity Map® and Principles that are fundamental building blocks of The Illumination Project approach.  For 37 years Barry has shared his enthusiasm and passion for Polarity Thinking™ with tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations around the world. As Chairman and Chief Thought Leader in the company, he continues to extend the boundaries of what we know about and can do with the powerful energy systems contained in all polarities.

Barry is both humbled by and proud of the worldwide learning and practice community dedicated to the study and application of Polarities that he has helped create. His personal mission is to help people to deliberately leverage the polarity wisdom that can be found in human culture for thousands of years into conscious, active use for the advantage of all people today.

His seminal book, Polarity Management:  Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems, captures the foundation of this power approach. More recent articles and a book he co-authored on polarities in congregations is where you’ll find Barry’s latest thinking. He and his wife Dana enjoy traveling the open highways in their “5th Wheel” camper stopping to visit old and make new friends, bicycle and kayak.

 

Kay Hubbard — Strategic Advisor

Kay Hubbard is an independent consultant in the areas of organizational development, compensation systems talent management and training and development. She is currently serving corporate and community clients involved in organizational strategy development through whole systems planning, work and pay system redesign to support corporate strategy and culture change.

Kay has extensive corporate experience in Organizational Development, Human Resources and Information Systems management gained during her 22-year tenure with Donnelly Corporation (now Magna-Donnelly) in Holland, Michigan. She has had the opportunity to work with pioneers in the field of Socio-Technical-Systems (STS) work design and through-leaders in organization development, including Herb Stokes, David Nadler, Edward Lawler and Robert Jacobs. Her work was recognized in David Ewing’s Justice on the Job as a model for organizational due process and alternative dispute resolution.

 

Jeff Edwards – Global Business Consultant