Organization & Community Development

No one creates change alone.

Circles of Change helps groups collaborate, learn, and act — using participatory facilitation that turns the people in the room into the authors and stewards of lasting change.

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Robert Quintana Hopkins

The facilitator

Robert Quintana Hopkins, PhD

An organizational development consultant and Certified Technology of Participation Facilitator (CTF) and Mentor Trainer (MT) in the Institute of Cultural Affairs' Technology of Participation™ methods.

Drawing on 20 years of leadership and management experience, Robert helps teams clarify their direction, develop action plans they're committed to, and build the collaboration to carry them out. When people are genuinely involved, they bring more effort, stronger relationships, and shared ownership of the result.

He also teaches in the Learning, Leadership, and Change program at Benerd College, the graduate school at the University of the Pacific.

PhD ICA ToP™ CTF · Certified ToP Facilitator MT · Mentor Trainer Group Process Facilitator Educator
See Robert's work on LinkedIn →

Why circles

An ancient technology for change.

Circles are one of the oldest ways people have gathered to create personal, organizational, and social change. They appear across cultures under many names — book clubs, elders' councils, quality circles, lending circles, and talking circles. Their power comes from thinking together in a space safe enough for curiosity, exploration, learning, and action — the conditions where a group does its best work.

Our process

Change that builds on itself

Four phases run as a continuous loop — assess, plan, act, evaluate — with learning at the center, shaping every one of them. We keep cycling until the goal is met, each step informed by what the last one taught us.

At the heart
Learn
Observe, reflect, interpret, and adapt — throughout every phase.
01Assess — Gather internal and external data to surface trends, strengths, opportunities, and gaps.

↻ Learning runs through all four phases

Core

Learn

Observe, reflect, interpret, and adapt — continuously, throughout all four phases.

01

Assess

Gather internal and external data to surface trends, strengths, opportunities, and gaps.

02

Plan

Build a long-term strategy and a concrete short-term action plan the group owns.

03

Act

Put the plan to work, with stakeholders holding the right level of ownership.

04

Evaluate

Measure outcomes against the targets and success indicators set up front.

↻ a continuous cycle

The Activist Facilitator Framework

Activist facilitation as a path to just and inclusive systems.

Most facilitation aims for agreement. This framework aims further — at equity itself. Four practices, moved through again and again, each turn of the spiral deepening a group's collective power to build just and inclusive systems.

Critical Consciousness

See how systems create privilege and oppression — and claim the agency to challenge them.

Lead with Care

Treat care as both means and end, building structures that meet the needs of all.

Collective Action for Liberation

Unite diverse allies in iterative action toward lasting systemic change.

Participatory Group Process Design & Facilitation

Design with the people most impacted, not for them — centering their voices and decisions.

Just and Inclusive Systems

Power, resources, and outcomes shared fairly — where everyone can participate fully.

↻ Working across self, group, and the systems we live in — a spiral, not a checklist

The Activist Facilitator Framework © Robert C. Quintana Hopkins

Grounded in Robert's doctoral research — Caring as Radical Organization Development — and the Technology of Participation™ tradition.

Explore the full framework →

What we offer

A full circle of support

Consulting

  • Participatory strategic planning
  • Collaborative action planning
  • Strategic implementation
  • Team assessments
  • Team development

Facilitation

  • Offsites & retreats
  • Meeting design & facilitation
  • Community & stakeholder input
  • Action learning
  • Focus groups

Training

  • Group facilitation skills
  • Custom team workshops
  • Meeting design fundamentals
  • Participatory methods coaching

In their words

What clients say

“
Robert Quintana Hopkins’ expertise at getting our volunteer committee to be a cohesive team to execute our mid-size public festival was invaluable. He took a group of passionate and opinionated individuals and turned us into a well-oiled and fully prepared team who in the past had struggled together. I would highly recommend Quintana Hopkins to any organization or group looking to grow their capacity.
— Executive Director, Regional Nonprofit
“
Robert led a very successful strategic planning session with me and my team. His positive energy and skill helped create a highly collaborative atmosphere with actionable and tangible outcomes.
— County Government Program Manager
“
Your facilitation was excellent! You provided plenty of space for all to talk, but kept things moving. One of the most well facilitated group discussions I have been through. Great record keeping and a meaningful process leading to interesting insights.
— Strategic Action Planning Workshop Participant

Trusted by nonprofits · corporations · government · universities

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Let's begin

Change starts when people come together.

Tell us the outcomes you're after, your timeline, and the scope — and we'll figure out the right level of stakeholder involvement together.

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