YourTake.org is founded and operated by The Tregoe Education Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping K-12 educators and students thrive in a rapidly changing and complex world. Since 1994, The Tregoe Education Forum has acted upon the belief that great things are possible when people think and act effectively—individually and together. Through YourTake.org we are working with educators and students in transforming problem-solving and decision-making into readily applicable classroom tools for middle and high school students. Our online tools, workshops and handbooks have been adapted from proven approaches developed by Kepner-Tregoe, an international management consulting firm. To date, these same skills have been utilized by managers and employees in more than 1400 of the world’s best-known corporations, including: Corning, Federal Express, Honda, Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, and British Airways.
Our Basic Beliefs
Our basic beliefs are at the heart of why we do what we do – and how we try to do it. They underlie our mission, our array of products and services, and how we operate.
- Thinking well is an acquired skill that everyone has the capability to learn, model and teach to others.
- Problem-solving and continuous learning have more to do with asking the right questions than providing the right answers.
- The people most affected by a problem are those best able to develop and implement solutions.
- It is essential to involve others in problem solving in order to produce the highest quality results and gain the necessary commitment—even though this involvement may add complexity.
- Enduring improvement requires commitment, effort, and persistence.
- Technology will never replace the need for excellence of human thought and action.
Benjamin B. Tregoe, Ph.D.
Founder 1927-2005
Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.Benjamin B. Tregoe, Ph.D., co-founder of Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. served as chairman emeritus and chairman of the Tregoe Education Forum until his death in 2005.
Kepner-Tregoe was founded in 1958 on the strength of Dr. Tregoe’s and Dr. Charles H. Kepner’s pioneering research in rational problem solving and decision making. During its history, Kepner-Tregoe has transferred its problem-solving and decision-making approaches to more than 10 millions of managers in 44 countries and in 14 languages.
Dr. Tregoe was a leading lecturer and has published extensively throughout the world. His work includes The Rational Manager, Top Management Strategy: What It Is and How To Make It Work (1980), Vision in Action: Putting a Winning Strategy to Work, The New Rational Manager, An Updated Edition for a New World (1997), The Culture of Success: Building a Sustained Competitive Advantage by Living Your Corporate Beliefs (1997) and Analytic Processes for School Leaders (2001).
Dr. Tregoe held a bachelor of arts from Whittier College and a doctor of philosophy from Harvard University. In 1993, he established the non-profit Tregoe Education Forum to support public education reform. Dr. Tregoe is memorialized in the Human Resource Development Hall of Fame.
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Kathryn A. Blackburn, Ed.D., Executive Director
Kathy Blackburn is Executive Director of the Tregoe Education Forum where she facilitates the overall operation, business development and account management. Prior to joining the Forum, Kathy worked for 25 years with Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida. She has served as district senior director, middle school principal, and teacher. Kathy also served on the Florida Commission on School Reform and Accountability. She received her B.S. degree from the University of Florida, her M.Ed. degree from Rollins College and her Ed.D. degree from the University of Central Florida.
James S. Coles, Ph.D., Project Director
Jim Coles works with superintendents, their administrative teams, and other educators to help them implement the Forum’s analytic processes in their districts and schools. Some of his specific responsibilities include: teaching process skills, project planning, and assisting school districts with project implementation. Prior to joining the Forum, Mr. Coles was superintendent of the Cooperative Education Service Agency 7, an intermediate unit serving 37 school districts in Northeast Wisconsin. He has served as superintendent, principal and teacher in various Wisconsin districts. Jim received his B.S. in mathematics from the University of Kansas; M.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Carol Gregorovic, Office Manager
Carol is the Office Manager for the Forum. She works with the staff and contractors fulfilling needs from desktop publishing, administrative functions to graphic design and project management. She works with each Forum member fulfilling the specialized needs of business development. Her areas of expertise include: computer software usage, project management/coordination and desktop publishing. Carol works closely with the Executive Director on all aspects of the business at our central location in Princeton, New Jersey.
Prior to joining the Tregoe Education Forum in 2001, Carol was a senior coordinator with Kepner-Tregoe, Inc., an international management consulting firm. During her 15+ years with Kepner-Tregoe, she held positions in the ever-changing desktop publishing/production arena in word processing, graphic design, department production scheduler, project manager, project coordination, proofreader/editor, trainer/coach/ mentor, backup managerial responsibilities as well as a multitude of administrative functions.
Cynthia T. Richetti, Vice President
Cynthia Richetti is responsible for Forum product development and improvement efforts. Prior to joining the Tregoe Education Forum in 1994, Ms. Richetti was a consultant with Kepner-Tregoe, Inc., an international management consulting firm. Her areas of expertise included: development of instructional materials, adult learning, results measurement, culture change and team building.
Ms. Richetti holds a B.A. degree from Colgate University and a M.S. degree in organizational dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is co-author with Ben Tregoe of the book Analytic Processes for School Leaders (ASCD, 2001), with James Sheerin of the article “Helping Students Ask the Right Questions,” (Educational Leadership, November 1999) as well as the article “Greening the Next Generation of Principals” co-authored with Robert A. Klempen (Education Week, December, 2001).
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