Intergenerational Dialogues for Collaborative Leadership
What if you could learn collaborative leadership skills directly from the people shaping environmental decisions in our region?
You may want to make a difference on environmental issues—but the biggest breakthroughs rarely happen alone. Whether it’s restoring salmon runs, resolving land-use conflicts, or protecting ecosystems, environmental progress often depends on people who can bring different interests together.
Washington state is where collaborative governance on natural resources began in the early 1970s, with a groundbreaking agreement to resolve conflicts over flood control on the Snoqualmie River. Since then, collaborative approaches in Washington have led to many win-win outcomes.
The Collaborative Leadership Program at the Puget Sound Institute (UW Tacoma) and UW EarthLab invite UW students to a workshop on collaboration and conflict resolution. The workshop will feature interaction between students and a panel of accomplished leaders who have collaborated on issues like salmon recovery and Puget Sound restoration. Through interactive exercises, case studies, intergenerational dialogues, and small group conversations, students will learn key concepts and develop collaborative leadership skills they can apply to a wide variety of situations.
The workshops are meant as a one-time workshop, with several hosted across the region to connect with more students and local case studies. The first workshop will be hosted at UW Seattle in Spring 2026, with subsequent workshops to be hosted at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma (Fall 2026) and Evergreen College (Winter 2027).
Intergenerational Dialogues: A Workshop for Collaborative Leadership
When: Friday, April 24, 2026 – 10am-12pm
Where: Husky Union Building — HUB 334 — UW Seattle
Who: This event is free for all current UW students, no matter your major or home campus. Please commit to attending the full workshop in person.
The University of Washington is committed to providing access and accommodation in its services, programs and activities. To make a request connected to a disability or health condition, please contact EarthLab at earthlab@uw.edu by April 8, 2026.
Outcome goals: Through attending this workshop, participants will be exposed to:
- Distinguish zero-sum versus win/win postures and select strategies that increase joint gains
- Practical, collaborative toolkits (active listening, emotional intelligence practices, interest-based negotiation, conflict/dispute resolution, etc.)
- An exploration of trust dynamics and set/reset priorities with partners when things don’t go your way
- Case studies to translate to your projects, (e.g., Timber/Fish/Wildlife Agreement and Forests & Fish Law; Boldt Decision/Salmon Co-Management; Nisqually Watershed Plan; Yakima Basin Integrated Plan – depending on the region/workshop location)
Please note:
Space is limited, as attendance will be capped to support thoughtful engagement. We encourage students from any campus, studying any topic, to apply if they are 1) interested in learning collaborative leadership methods and 2) can attend the full 2-hour session in person.
Can’t make it? Please share this opportunity with students in your network.
Support for the Developing Collaborative Leaders for Puget Sound project comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Puget Sound Fund through the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL), which is a collaborative partnership between the Washington State Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Fish & Wildlife (DFW).
Puget Sound Initiative partners on this wider effort include Leadership Program Director Scott Linklater at the Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation, Student Programs Lead Lissan Tibebe and Program Manager Anastasia Ramey at the UW EarthLab, UW Tacoma Milgard School of Business Professor Zoe Barsness, and UW Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Professor Stephen Page.
