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Welcome to the
Washington-Baltimore
Center for the Study of Group Relations
We provide opportunities to strengthen one’s leadership, followership, and understanding of authority. For over sixty years, we have focused on issues of identity, oppression, social justice, and liberation.
The Washington-Baltimore Center (WBC) examines the experiential learning that is evoked during group membership.
We study, teach, and consult about groups, organizations, regions, communities, and nations from a systems perspective.
What we do
What we do
We attend to difficult dynamics that are usually avoided in organizational life by using a method that uniquely combines four approaches.
We focus on both the conscious and unconscious forces which operate in groups;
We examine group life through the lens of social justice; and
We look not only at individual actions in groups but also at what the whole group is doing (group-as-a-whole);
We work experientially and reflectively.
For more about the concepts that drive what we do, see this video: What Is Group Relations?
Who we are
Who we are
Our organization is stewarded by a
membership-elected executive committee
Laura Dorsey-Elson, Ph.D.
President
mak wemuk
Vice President
Sarah Hedlund, Ph.D.
Treasurer
Leo Wilton, Ph.D.
Secretary
As an inclusive community, we bring together people from a variety of professions including leadership and organizational consultants, mental health practitioners, educators, students, and researchers.
Founded in the 1960s by a core group centered in the Washington-Baltimore area, we now have members throughout the United States and around the world.
WBC Ancestors
Our work rests on the work of our ancestors, those who have come before us, made critical contributions to the field of Group Relations, and collectively built our center. With love and gratitude, we are honored to name them here:
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Leroy Wells, Jr.
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Linda Powell
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Margaret Rioch
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Joseph Wright
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Kimberley Turner
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Marvin Skolnik
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Georgia Sorenson
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Gabriel Mannasas
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Faith Gabelnick
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Kay West
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Rose Miller
The Wells School
The Wells School of WBC, named for Dr. Leroy Wells, Jr. (1951-1997), brings together various opportunities for training and learning about group relations. It is headed by a dean and guided by a steering committee.
Zachary Gabriel Green, Ph.D., is the current Dean, and Leon James, MA, RN, Josh DeSilva, Psy. D., Patricia Kummel, Ph.D., and Amber Williams, MA, make up the steering committee.
The Wells School
Events
We are strongly committed to experiential learning and the development of leadership skills, both for anyone who holds or aspires to a leadership role, and for future generations of group relations practitioners. We live this commitment by offering a variety of events including:
Group relations conferences and other experiential events
Training in group relations skills and application
In 2025, we will offer two Group Relations Conferences and one training event:
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The Barbershop: A Group Relations Conference on Culture, Creativity, Community, and Caste directed by Tyrome Smith, MA.
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A Conference Focused on How Both Latin and non-Latin Folks Experience and Work with Latin Leadership (title forthcoming). It will be co-directed by Joshua DeSilva, Psy.D., and Diana Casteñeda, MA.
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Small Group Dynamics and Consultation training directed by Flora Taylor, Ph.D.
Check back here for more information and future events
Events
WBC Ancestors
Join us
Join
Ready to bring your talent and energy to the work we do?
Begin your membership application by sending it HERE
By submitting a brief group relations biography listing Group Relations conference attendance and consulting experiences, plus one letter of recommendation from a current WBC member. A membership co-chair will follow up to answer your questions and help you with the process.
Contact
washingtonbaltimorecenter@gmail.com
Donate
Help sustain and grow our work by donating HERE. WBC is a 501(c)3 and your donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Resources
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