Keynote: Conflict Solves Problems
Jordan Katcher
Jordan Katcher
"The government is us; we are the government, you and I.”
-Teddy Roosevelt
-Teddy Roosevelt
Venerated through the lens of conservation and self-governance, Teddy Roosevelt's immortal quote perhaps has worn thin as participating in government and community affairs seems more alienating than ever. Trust in government is at an all-time low, public discourse is increasingly rancorous, and conflict is viewed as a winner-take-all test of will.
Perhaps no one feels this way more than planners and elected officials. Understandably, conflict is often seen as something to mitigate, suppress, or avoid. However, conflict is often the seed for transparency, inclusiveness, justice, and good governance. If done correctly, conflict can be leveraged to bring forth solutions that would otherwise not be known - and provide a source of motivation and inspiration for those who participate.
Jordan Katcher is the Initiatives Facilitator of the Wallace Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program at the S.J. Quinney College of Law within the University of Utah. Her work focuses on leveraging conflict toward meaningful solutions in landscapes fraught with seemingly intractable political, environmental, and social issues.
She also co-leads the Gateway and Natural Resource Amenity (GNAR) Initiative at Utah State University. The GNAR initiative focuses on three pillars: research, education, and capacity building, and is now one of the most respected academic centers focused on amenity regions and understanding how they tick.
Jordan will share with us the findings of a recently completed GNAR study and the GNAR Initiative’s ongoing work with gateway communities, which highlights the issue of government trust and conflict. She will explain how tried-and-true conflict resolution techniques still work in a time when conflict seems more heady than ever. Learn how conflict - when properly framed and resolved - can act as a boon to addressing the challenges we face, particularly in the high stakes decision-making environment of mountain towns
Perhaps no one feels this way more than planners and elected officials. Understandably, conflict is often seen as something to mitigate, suppress, or avoid. However, conflict is often the seed for transparency, inclusiveness, justice, and good governance. If done correctly, conflict can be leveraged to bring forth solutions that would otherwise not be known - and provide a source of motivation and inspiration for those who participate.
Jordan Katcher is the Initiatives Facilitator of the Wallace Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program at the S.J. Quinney College of Law within the University of Utah. Her work focuses on leveraging conflict toward meaningful solutions in landscapes fraught with seemingly intractable political, environmental, and social issues.
She also co-leads the Gateway and Natural Resource Amenity (GNAR) Initiative at Utah State University. The GNAR initiative focuses on three pillars: research, education, and capacity building, and is now one of the most respected academic centers focused on amenity regions and understanding how they tick.
Jordan will share with us the findings of a recently completed GNAR study and the GNAR Initiative’s ongoing work with gateway communities, which highlights the issue of government trust and conflict. She will explain how tried-and-true conflict resolution techniques still work in a time when conflict seems more heady than ever. Learn how conflict - when properly framed and resolved - can act as a boon to addressing the challenges we face, particularly in the high stakes decision-making environment of mountain towns
