The Sirolli Team

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Dr. Ernesto Sirolli
Chairman and C.E.O.

Italian-born, Dr. Ernesto Sirolli received a Laurea di Dottore in Political Science from Rome University in 1976 and a Ph.D. from Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia in 2004. He has worked in Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom in the field of economic development.

In 1985, he pioneered in Esperance, a small rural community in Western Australia, a unique economic development approach based on harnessing the passion, determination, intelligence, and resourcefulness of the local people.

The striking results of “The Esperance Experience” have prompted more than 250 communities around the world to adopt responsive, person-centered approaches to local economic development similar to the Enterprise Facilitation® model pioneered in Esperance.

Enterprise Facilitation has been documented in Dr. Sirolli’s book: “ Ripples from the Zambezi —Passion, Entrepreneurship and the Rebirth of the Local Economy." Adopted as a textbook in an increasing number of academic courses in Community and Economic Development, the book has helped to introduce Enterprise Facilitation to a new generation of economic development practitioners and civic leaders interested in growing their communities from within, one passionate person at the time.

Dr. Sirolli is a noted authority in the field of sustainable economic development, and is in demand as a speaker worldwide.

Dr. Ernesto Sirolli is the Founder of the Sirolli Institute, an international nonprofit organization that teaches community leaders how to establish and maintain Enterprise Facilitation projects in their community.

Martha J Sirolli
Co-founder and Executive Director

Martha Sirolli, a founding Director in the Institute, was born in remote outback Australia and before moving to America worked as a public relations consultant and in performing artists management and event management, in Fremantle and in Sydney.

Martha has worked for fifteen years with Ernesto on incorporation of the International company, publishing projects and development of remote access products. She administrates Sirolli Institute International, and manages project logistics and events & conferences for Project Implementation She manages company intellectual property and copyrights.

Martha lives between her garden in Sacramento, California and the family home in Abruzzo Italy with her husband Ernesto.

Dora Love
Executive Assistant

Dora Love joined the offices of Sirolli Institute, Canada in 2001 as Executive Assistant. Her previous 23-year career with a major Canadian financial institution included a variety of responsibilities in the areas of personnel management. She had oversight of many programming areas at the managerial level such as workflow/workload distribution, quarterly budget preparations, management of branch amalgamations and systems implementation. Although she retired from the banking industry in 1998, she branched out to work on her own as a Special Projects Workflow Management Consultant.

Dora’s diverse background, excellent communication skills and her highly developed capacity to oversee multiple ongoing functions are just a few of her invaluable contributions to the Institute. Dora currently lives in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

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Linda McCowan
Implementation Team Specialist

Linda McCowan is a trainer and master facilitator for the Sirolli Institute Implementation team. She evolved into this position by being an enterprise facilitator for Prairie Enterprise Project, a grassroots economic development program in Central Kansas. Linda is also one of eight people chosen in Kansas to be a non-profit facilitator under the direction of the Kansas Health Foundation Prior to this position, Linda worked with Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, Kansas Department of Corrections and Kansas Special Olympics. She grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and graduated from Southern Utah University. She and her husband, Walt, own Santa Fe Mercantile Antiques in Pawnee Rock, Kansas, “right on the Santa Fe Trail.” Linda founded Prairie League of Women, a once a year tour of homes,businesses, and attractions in central Kansas; and co-founded Wichita Corporate Women, a mid management support group. She loves to cook, grow her own herbs, and help people realize their potential.

Linda serves on several community boards and is active in her church.

Circe Cox
Implementation Team Specialist - Bi Lingual

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Circe Cox earned an accounting degree from the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Guzmán.
She became a “convert” to the Trinity of Management concept after working as an Enterprise Facilitator for a working-class community in Los Angeles and, separately, helping train teams of people involved with two economic development projects in New Mexico. Through these and other professional experiences, Circe came to see how the Trinity of Management® approach helps businesses develop strong strategies for survival and growth. She has since joined the Sirolli Institute in hopes of putting the concept to work in more Spanish speaking communities.

As an independent contractor in economic development for the last 15 years, Circe has worked in the Los Angeles area for ICON-CDC, NEW Economics for Women, Valley Economic Development Center, five Small Business Development Centers, Florence-Firestone Chamber of Commerce, Harbor Business Assistance Center, three Women’s Business Centers and a Women’s Business Development Center in South Florida

Suzette McFaul
Project Implementation and Global Mining Project Specialist

Suzette’s background as a successful entrepreneur encompasses being a small business owner to
creating a Suzette McFaul medium size management and consulting firm. As a business owner and manager, she
has lead several teams to achieve their goals and those goals of stakeholders. As a consultant she had the insight to relate with business owners while gathering respect from small to large size businesses.

As the first Enterprise Facilitator in British Columbia, her mandate was to assist people in starting their own business and help existing businesses expand within the City of New Westminster. She provided assistance ranging in size from small home based businesses to $12 million development projects. As an Enterprise Facilitator, she personally assisted over 105 new businesses with a success rate of over 90%.

In the later history with the Sirolli Institute, Suzette was part of the project implementation team and provided support and training to various Enterprise Facilitation projects throughout the Western United States and UK” Suzette has rejoined the Sirolli Institute with responsibility for Mining clients.

Wainer Guimarães
Master Enterprise Facilitator

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Educated Masters in Divinity: North Park Theological, Chicago, Illinois. International Communicators Course: Wainer Guimarães Crystal Cathedral, LA, Ca. Bachelor in Theology: Bethel Theological Seminary - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic Engineer: Veiga de Almeida University - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Doctoral in Global Ministries - Fuller Theological, Pasadena, CA Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese

2007 - Present Director of Missions and Social Justice Development work in Brazil - The Evangelical Covenant Church Programs Created in Brazil since 2007 Arts & Social Transformation - www.artsandsocialtransformation.com Sports Transforms www.sportstransforms.com
2007-1997 Founder and Pastor of The Bridge Covenant Church - Riverbank, CA.
2007-2001 Founder and Director of Community Casa (Resource Center - www.communitycasa.com)
2006-2002 - Creator and Director of Partnership Works (A network of Government, Business, School District, Social Clubs, Churches, and citizens do serve Riverbank & Stanislaus County, CA).
2006-2002 - Supervisor - Americorp/Vista (Program created by President Bill Clinton)
2006-2002 - Co-Founder and Chairman of Riverbank Community Theater
2006-2003 - Founder and Director of the NET Project, (NET - Networking Everyone with Technology) A program to offer direct access to technology for the low income people in Riverbank, CA.
2006-2004 - Founder and Director of the TEC Project, (Technology for Every Casa) Program to offer computers to low income families in exchange for volunteering, Riverbank, CA).
2006-2004 - Enterprise Facilitator, (A grass roots program of the Sirolli Institute to facilitate and foment local entrepreneurship new business creation and established business growth, Riverbank, CA
2004-2001 - Weekly Community Column writer for the Modesto Bee, Modesto, CA.

Awards:
2006 Partnership Works Awards - City of Riverbank, CA • 2003 - Walter C. “Bud” LaCore Award for outstanding community service - Stanislaus County, CA • 2002 Citizen of the Year Award - Riverbank, CA

Francesco Sirolli
Intern

Australian-born Francesco Sirolli grew up in Rome. At age 20 Francesco moved to Australia to Murdoch University where he received a Bachelor of Psychology in 2008 and a Masters of Applied Psychology in Organizational Psychology. A fully accredited Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Western Australia, Francesco is currently practicing in Rome, Italy.

Directors at Large

LaDonna Boyd

LaDonna Boyd, born in Minnesota, has held the position of Economic Development Director for Dakota Electric Association for many years. She has worked with Ernesto on a number of community projects over the past seven years, and was instrumental in bringing him to the United States. She is very active in local economic development programs in metro and rural Minnesota. and is a tireless community volunteer.

Robert H. Engler

Robert H. Engler was born in Minneapolis and is the President and co-owner of Griffco, Inc., an incorporated industrial supply company based in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.

Bob first contacted the Sirolli Institute in 2001 after reading an article in Venture magazine, and after meeting Ernesto Sirolli he adopted the use of the Trinity of Management® for his company.

Bob is a Vietnam veteran, and began his life as an entrepreneur at an early age. He is an avid collector of pocket watches, Tiffany lamps and classic cars.

Scott Moen

Scott Moen, born in Minnesota, is a practicing attorney in St Paul with particular experience in 501- C3 non for profit organizations. Scott attended one of our Enterprise Facilitator Training Seminars in 1998.

Scott is currently working with an associate to develop market research and software designed to measure the effectiveness of management based on the Sirolli "Trinity of Management" TM principles.

Peter Newman

Professor Peter Newman, born in Australia, founded the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University in Western Australia 15 years ago. He is a world renowned author and consultant on sustainable city transport and environmentally sustainable city growth. Peter is also a visiting professor for City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania.

Professor Newman began working with Ernesto Sirolli in 1979 and assisted with creation of the first Enterprise Facilitation model. They worked together in Australia as advisors to the Minister for Economic Development from 1988–1993 and, through the ISTP, co-published the first edition of “Ripples From the Zambezi” in 1995. Peter lives in Fremantle, Australia.

Keith Kinner (Deceased)

On May 21, 2011 Sirolli Institute lost a valuable member of the team. Keith Kinner will be greatly missed by many, his family will be in our thoughts.

Keith Kinner, Chief Financial Officer. Keith was born in Minnesota, and is the proprietor of Kinner & Company CPA firms with 8 rural offices in South Dakota and Minnesota.Keith worked with the first Enterprise Facilitation project established in America in Lincoln County MN in 1989, which continues to support local entrepreneurs.