We have decades of experience in stakeholder engagement, facilitation, collaborative planning and implementation, and bridging diverse perspectives.
Our Team
FOUNDING PARTNER
Maya Breitburg-Smith
Maya is a consensus building professional with 15 years of experience designing and facilitating collaborative, multi-stakeholder initiatives across a wide variety of natural resource, environmental, and public health issues in the U.S. and globally. She guides processes and dialogues that navigate complex and technical questions, bridge cultural divides, engage diverse perspectives, and deliver impactful results. Maya's facilitation, strategic approach, and subject matter expertise empower people to reach durable solutions.
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Maya has led collaborative processes with civil society, communities, Tribal nations, governments, and the private sector, including during her time at RESOLVE. Results include consensus recommendations regarding adaptive management species recovery actions on the Missouri River; a working group to explore and advance shared positions on carbon dioxide removal; state action plans to address PFAS in private drinking wells and biosolids; state crisis standards of care guidelines reflecting community input; official observer appointments to the Climate Investment Funds and Forest Carbon Partnership Facility; and a framework for comparing the environmental impacts of deep sea mining and terrestrial mining. Maya also served for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji, where she organized a local environmental committee, managed community-based marine conservation projects, and facilitated project management trainings. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy from University of Maryland, and a Master of Environmental Management from Yale School of the Environment.
When she’s not at her desk, you can find Maya in the garden, walking the trails of Vashon Island, volunteering with the local nature center, or in the studio working on ceramics. Maya is based in Washington State.
FOUNDING PARTNER
Taylor Kennedy
Taylor is a strategist and facilitator with nearly 20 years of experience guiding companies, communities, governments, and civil society through complex environmental, social, and public health challenges. She brings deep expertise in sustainability, human rights, responsible supply chains, and the just energy transition, with a proven ability to help diverse partners build alignment, manage risk, and design strategies that deliver measurable impact. Known for her facilitative leadership, Taylor has earned the trust of multi-stakeholder coalitions and senior leaders alike, supporting organizations to navigate contentious issues with clarity and shared purpose.
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Taylor has led initiatives spanning minerals supply chains, renewable energy, biodiversity, and community health. She has co-developed and scaled a sustainable resources program that quadrupled in size, stewarded over $15M in grants and contracts, trained groups on 6 continents, and designed collaborative grantmaking strategies for philanthropic and corporate coalitions. She has facilitated more than 500 convenings—from local community dialogues to leadership retreats to global multi-sector forums—and has co-developed widely used guidance on free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and responsible mineral sourcing. Her portfolio includes supporting social enterprises, advising Fortune 500 companies on ESG priorities, and partnering with governments and NGOs to strengthen governance, equity, and resilience in the energy transition. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy (PoliSci minor) from James Madison University and a M.A. in International Peace & Conflict Resolution from American University.
In her free time, Taylor can be found hiking, experimenting in the kitchen, in her garden listening to an ethics podcast, or crafting with dubious success. She’s based in Washington, D.C.