Biography: Chuck McVinney

Chuck McVinney is principal of McVinney & Company, an organizational development and executive consulting company.

Chuck is an educator, facilitator, and consultant who has specialized for over 20 years in the creative process, the improvement of interpersonal dynamics (team development), and the crafting of excellent learning events for organizations. He is especially known for his work with emerging and merging organizations; helping entrepreneurs and CEO's create cultures and work environments where values that support sustainability and creativity are deeply held and applied.

He started his work career as a photographer and a teacher of photography and worked energetically for ten years to move creative thinking and media studies into the mainstream of public education.

Later, still committed to moving creativity and the art of learning and leading into the mainstream of American business, he accepted a position as Director of Instructor Support Services and Creative Programs for the Educational Services Department of the Digital Equipment Corporation. While there he established programs in creative leadership and innovative management, and developed models and methodologies for enhancing creative thinking and teamwork for technical project management and general management applications.

From DEC, Chuck joined Bolt Beranek and Newman, namely, BBN Communications Corporation, where he was Director of Training and Development. In that position, he took the lead in the creating and implementing an innovative and comprehensive leadership development curriculum for the whole company.

Then, interested in expanding his consulting skills, he joined an international training and development company, LMA, Inc, as its Vice President. Responding to the emerging corporate need to develop productive work teams, Chuck applied his mastery as a facilitator to help high level, cross-functional groups struggling with team development issues. He focused on the issues and techniques relevant to supporting management and teams as they worked to carve out the behaviors and values systems necessary to thrive and sustain themselves.

Chuck has been a corporate consultant and public speaker in demand for over 15 years. His work with learning and education in public and private sectors spans over 30 years. He has traveled all over the world carrying his message of creativity and sustainability. He has worked in Europe and in Southeast Asia. He co-leads the design, development, and implementation of a series of creative management and leadership programs at the Singapore Institute of Management in the early 1990's. These programs are based on the Whole Brain Model created by Ned Herrmann, and it represents a technology Chuck helped refine and apply with Ned Herrmann and his associates over the last 20 years.

Chuck has been published in numerous professional journals. For example, he recently contributed an article called Dream Weavers, on the special work OD professionals need to do in supporting the successful transformation of emerging organizations into larger ones, for the American Society of Training and Development's journal.

He is co-author of a Battelle Press book about creativity, teams, and technical project management; Engineering Management: People and Projects, (1995).

He continues his writing and speaking today, focusing on the special challenges of applying corporate and individual creativity to the key leadership issues of our times, among which he counts as most important, the struggle to create sustainable businesses and business practices for the responsible stewardship of our future and our planet.

Chuck has a Liberal Arts Degree from the State University of New York (Geneseo), and holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from Clark University.

He enjoys skiing, hiking, reading, music, and pursuing his photography projects. He continues his work as a professional photographer, and has shown his work in Boston galleries.