Creating the right solution starts with the right team. Ours is a dynamic and energetic group! In addition to our permanent staff we surround ourselves with sub-contracted associates and strategic partners who share our philosophy and passion for excellence.
Gerard Murphy is the owner and president of Barefoot Facilitation Inc.
Gerard has a 25 year track record of excellence as a facilitator, educator, and speaker. His passion is helping people to engage in conversations that are impactful and influence individual, team and organizational performance.
Gerard has worked nationally, provincially and regionally to provide facilitation, training and consulting services to clients within the voluntary, public and private sectors. He has extensive experience working with organizations to design and deliver learning opportunities and processes. And he has in-depth content knowledge in health promotion and community development, with expertise in supportive care program planning for people living with heart disease, stroke, cancer and dementia.
Gerard is a graduate of the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University. With a commitment to lifelong learning he has certifications in public participation, community-based development, leadership development and primary health care collaboration. Gerard is a certified Personality Dimensions® Qualified Facilitator and has successfully completed the training requirements for Master Trainer in the Stanford Chronic-Disease Self-Management Program. He is also a confirmed Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
Gerard is a member of the Institute for Performance and Learning, International Association of Facilitators, International Association of Community Development and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative. Gerard is past-president of the Health Promotion Clearinghouse in Nova Scotia.
Email Gerard HERE.
Telephone Gerard: 902-497-3668
Joanna joined the team in April 2014 as Administrative Coordinator.
Joanna has over 20 years experience from various roles in the provincial government, restaurant industry and the small business environment. She has honed her administrative skills by coordinating events in provincial parks, operating her own business and working in many fields, most recently in financial services and senior care.
Joanna has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Dalhousie University. She lives in Bedford with her husband, two children and dog. Joanna belongs to a writing group and also enjoys hiking, snowboarding and watching her kids’ soccer games.
Email Joanna HERE.
Telephone Joanna: 902-493-3059
Rachel joined the Barefoot team in September 2020 as Senior Consultant in Ontario.
Rachel is passionate about connecting learners with innovative experiences that build both professional and human skills and has spoken and published internationally on these topics. As an internationally oriented consultant, she is able to demonstrate a 20+ year track record of enabling private, public and non-profit organizations to achieve their learning and development goals through the design and implementation of innovative projects and initiatives in digital and experiential learning.
Possessing a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on Curriculum, Training and the Future of Work, Rachel is a qualified teacher and has served as a faculty member and administrator in K-12, post secondary education and corporate learning and development settings. Nominated three times for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award, she is also a volunteer mentor for Lean in Canada and is certified by the UK’s Institute of Leadership and Management as an Executive Coach and Mentor. Currently pursuing her doctoral studies in Higher Education, Rachel is undertaking a comparative study of experiential learning design in North America, Europe and Asia with a particular interest in education technology.
Email Rachel HERE.
Linda joined the Barefoot team in September 2017 as an Associate Consultant in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Linda has 30 years experience working in the health and community services system. Her broad experiences range from Public Health Nursing practice to leading the development of provincial policy frameworks, policies and programs with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
During her career, Linda’s area of interest has been in the field of public health, particularly related to health promotion, healthy living, healthy public policy, community action and engagement, healthy communities, and chronic disease and injury prevention. These areas of interest have enhanced her knowledge and built partnerships in healthy living areas such as healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco control, breastfeeding, parenting and early childhood development; and in chronic disease areas including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart and kidney disease. In these areas Linda has had the opportunity to work on provincial, Atlantic and National committees and projects.
Linda’s strength is in building relationships. She believes in team work – bringing people together and working through a process to find solutions. Linda’s facilitation and leadership skills support this approach. Early in her career she was trained as a facilitator and has used these skills in all aspects of her work life. Over the years she has continued to learn and grow through policy development opportunities and leadership and management certifications.
Linda is a graduate of Memorial University School of Nursing and was valedictorian and presented the student achievement award upon graduation.
Stephanie has been a Barefoot Strategic Partner since 2012.
Stephanie is an experienced researcher, evaluator and writer who has worked with a vast array of clients in the public, academic and private sectors to develop and implement evaluation strategies.
Stephanie’s collaborative work with Barefoot Facilitation Inc. has included: