About Us
Managment Team
Marc Smiley, Solid Ground Program Manager
Marc is co-owner of Decisions Decisions, and the manager of the Solid Ground Consulting Group. Marc has more than 20 years experience providing direct organizational development consulting services to land trusts nationwide, and has done training and development work through the Land Trust Alliance, state services centers, private foundations and others in support of land conservation. In addition, Marc has experience working with community land trusts and other affordable housing groups, historic preservation organizations, and other groups connected to land. Marc’s personal life revolves around a life-long love of sports and music. Unlike his two sons, however, he rarely executes this passion on the court or the stage, but rather though the technology of video and stereo.
Allison Handler, Consultant and Solid Ground Program Associate
Allison is a staff member of Decisions Decisions, and an associate to the program, providing management support to the Solid Ground program. Consulting since 2007, Allison has more than a decade of experience in community development, affordable housing, land-use planning and land conservation. She has worked with nonprofit organizations and local governments on strategic planning, organizational assessment, business development and financial feasibility. From June 2008 to July 2009, Allison was the principal of Heron River Group consulting. Formerly the Executive Director of Portland Community Land Trust in Portland, Oregon, Allison also founded the Land Stewardship Program, a housing land trust program of the North-Missoula Community Development Corporation in Missoula, Montana. Allison has served on the boards of the National Community Land Trust Network, the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition, Housing Land Advocates and DemocracyLab.org. Allison also has strong capabilities with clawhammer banjo playing, but you will never hear her say “yee haw.”Consultants
Bill Long
Bill retired recently after 30 years on the staff of the Montana Land Reliance (MLR). As one of three Managing Directors, he was responsible for managing land transactions, fundraising, financial management and planning. For 20 years he has facilitated the Devil’s Kitchen Management Team, a stakeholder group that helps manage hunting and wildlife management issues on public and private land. Bill’s land protection work has given him the opportunity to develop critical skills in strategic planning, growth related challenges and opportunities, mediations and conflict resolutions, organizational development and team/culture building. His success at MLR was due, in part, to being a good listener, problem solver, cheerleader, and his ability to provide a gentle and safe environment for landowners, funders and staff. Bill and his wife Billie live in Helena, Montana. They love to hike, camp, and in the summer raise a large vegetable garden. Any time of the year Bill can be found fly fishing the waters of Montana, and fall finds him wandering the prairie with his English setters.
Dale Bonar
A marine biologist by training and former professor at the University of Maryland, Dale is currently Executive Director of the Maui Coastal Land Trust. In between he served as the Director of the Land Trust Alliance’s Northwest office, where he provided training and support for land trusts in the region and facilitated the merger of several land trusts in Washington state. He was instrumental in the development of LTA’s Assessing Your Organization workbook and was one of the early voices supporting accreditation for land trusts. Dale loves and cares for land, but also is passionate about the ocean, spending time as much time as he can under it and on top of it. He can also make some pretty amazing hardwood furniture, when he gives himself permission to spend time in his wonderful wood shop.
Barb Welch
Barb served 14 years as Executive director of the Frenchman Bay Conservancy, a local land trust on the coast of Maine. As the only staff member for the first eight years, she was responsible for all aspects of program implementation, administration and fundraising. She has particular experience in planning, developing management systems, and building strong boards. Her work with the Conservancy has given her a very practical approach to helping nonprofits do their work effectively, and an understanding of how to develop systems at an appropriate scale while maintaining the basic principles of excellence. Barb chaired the statewide committee that developed the original charter of the Maine Land Trust Network, and served on the Network Steering Committee for ten years. Her two Gen-X sons do their best to keep her up-to-date on their technology and culture but have pretty much given up any hope of making her cool.
Jim Morris
Jim is a member of the Decisions Decisions team and a Senior Consultant to Solid Ground. He has nearly thirty years experience in human resources and twenty years in the consulting arena. Jim’s consulting practice focuses exclusively on mission driven social purpose organizations with an emphasis on environmental organizations. He has worked with organizations involved water policy, watershed restoration, climate policy, carbon trading and alternative energy. While he considers himself a human resources generalist, Jim’s passion is executive transitions, leadership development and succession planning. Leading mission driven organizations takes a different breed of leader. Jim believes that a leader’s commitment to mission is often the greatest determinant of success or failure. His work focuses on finding leaders that not only possess the job specific competencies of their position and are committed to the mission. Assessing fit with an organizational mission is his passion and his expertise. Jim is a budding musician and songwriter. He co-founded Artichoke Community Music, a non-profit music foundation.
Advisors
Our advisors help us by providing input and strategy in our efforts to serve our clients. They are not part of our consulting teams, but help make our consulting teams more effective, and our program more capable.
