Big Sky works collaboratively with young people, educators, and institutional leaders to develop innovative programs, increase communication around difficult topics, and identify big-picture organizational solutions. We’re passionate about creating schools and organizations where people feel heard, where everyone's potential is tapped, and where communities are empowered to work together towards collective transformation.
Big Sky at a Glance
We Go Deep: Our inquiry-based programs let participants explore big questions, clarify personal and collective values, and have conversations that matter.
We Center Youth and Community Voices: Our participatory approach creates opportunities for youth leadership and community collaboration.
We Embrace #21stCenturyProblems: Rethinking Gender? Racial equity? Climate justice? Cyber-bullying? We’re passionate about helping schools and organizations design curricula, policies, and procedures that are culturally sensitive and responsive to contemporary issues.
What We Do
Transformative Workshops for Youth and Educators
Curriculum Design and Program Development
Whole-Systems Organizational Strategy
Diversity and Inclusion Trainings
Participatory Action Research
Strategic Planning
What We Do
Transformative Workshops for Youth and Educators
Curriculum Design and Program Development
Whole-Systems Organizational Strategy
Diversity and Inclusion Trainings
Participatory Action Research
Strategic Planning
Who We Serve
Schools
Universities
Educational Non-Profits
Churches and Religious Institutions
Organizations Providing Educational Services
Human Resource and Employee Training Programs
Who We Serve
Schools
Universities
Educational Non-Profits
Churches and Religious Institutions
Organizations Providing Educational Services
Human Resource and Employee Training Programs
How We Work
Our approach is collaborative and responsive at every stage.
As educators we offer engaging, hands-on programs, delivered by innovative and experienced facilitators. These offerings are designed to promote cultural understanding, deepen community dialogue, and guide bottom-up change work.
As strategists we use a participatory process that centers the wisdom and experience of clients and stakeholders. This allows us to develop powerful solutions that match the diverse needs of the organizations we serve.
Why Big Sky?
Outmoded and inequitable organizational structures and systems hurt employees, students, organizations, and society as a whole. So, how can we bring to life the world we actually want? We call ourselves "Big Sky" because our work is about opening up new paths and helping clients and participants generate bold, expansive possibilities for the future. We do this by asking powerful questions, fostering deep listening, embracing complexity, and grounding collective work in experiential pedagogies and participatory practices.
Workshops and Trainings
Our workshops and training sessions generate opportunities for self-reflection and meaningful dialogue around topics like race, gender, sexuality, age, class, and identity. We also offer professional development around restorative conflict mediation, neurodiverse pedagogies, and social and emotional learning. As facilitators we deal skillfully with sensitive topics to promote a culture of safety, inclusion, and personal growth. Our facilitators have run professional development trainings for schools and organizations across the country and we offer packages and special rates for educators and school leaders. We can work with your organization to design curricula that meets your needs and time constraints.
Whole-Systems Consulting
We offer participatory and values-based strategic planning and organizational strategy to schools, nonprofits, and businesses. We aim for our work to be transformative, to clarify a shared vision for your organization, and to better align your organization with that vision in practice. Our methods are guided by critical organizational theory and best practices but what sets us apart is our commitment to finding and refining the deep values at the heart of your organization. We do this by creating space for dialogue with individuals at all levels, improving communication, centering diversity, and embracing big questions.
Gabriel Piser, PhD
Dr. Gabriel Piser has over 15 years of experience as an educator, researcher, and manager in the fields of diversity and inclusion, social-emotional learning, and adult education. He holds a doctorate in Comparative Studies from the Ohio State University, an MA in Philosophy from Binghamton University, and a BA in Sociology from Earlham College.
Gabriel is an expert facilitator with thousands of hours of experience leading groups through challenging conversations and reflective processes. He also has over a decade of experience teaching at the post-secondary level. At conferences, colleges, and schools across the country he has helped young people and adults explore important topics like racial bias, gender and sexuality, conflict resolution, and intergenerational understanding. As a facilitator, he brings a unique blend of rigor, humor, and sensitivity to trainings and workshops. Before co-founding Big Sky, Gabriel developed programming and provided leadership support to numerous projects and organizations across the country. His past work includes: designing and implementing professional development and youth programming for the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio; assessing campus-wide diversity initiatives at the Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute; and managing a research team and supporting strategic planning for the Human Rights Defense Center’s Prison Ecology Project.
As a consultant, Gabriel maintains a deep commitment to honest reflection and deliberate growth through self-directed and transformative learning. His work is driven by a passion for creating sustainable and inclusive educational and workplace environments in which all stakeholders feel seen and heard. Contact: Gabriel@BigSkyEducation.Org.
Renae Lesser
Renae Lesser has over a decade of professional experience as an educator, researcher, and content and communications strategist. She holds a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and an MA in Philosophy and Education from Columbia University. Renae co-founded Big Sky Education and Strategy because she is passionate about helping schools and organizations develop transformative PD and curricula, solve complex problems, and share their stories with the world.
Her past professional experiences include: directing a farm-based preschool in Chagrin Falls; teaching 7th grade in Cleveland Heights; evaluating teacher professional development programs at the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco; and conducting education policy research in New York City public schools. In addition to her work in the field of education, Renae also has extensive experience in the field of content strategy and communications. She has served on the editorial staff of The New Learning Times, The Funny Times, Shebooks, and for the web content team at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Renae takes a holistic approach to her work as a consultant, drawing from her background in the humanities, social sciences, and communications to design, implement, evaluate, and market creative programming and strategic initiatives for her clients. Contact: Renae@BigSkyEducation.Org.
TESTIMONIALS
“Big Sky Education and Strategy has been instrumental in moving the community engagement efforts forward in our district. Dr. Piser has facilitated a number of sessions with stakeholder groups, helping them to constructively express their concerns and to define actionable steps to guide collaborative improvement efforts. He is able to navigate sensitive issues which are often challenging for school leaders to address, paving the way for productive discussion and common ground. Not only is Dr. Piser skillful and knowledgeable, but he has formed positive, trusting relationships with our staff and community members.”
—Joshua M. Englehart, PhD, Superintendent, Painesville City Schools
“Renae and Gabriel worked with the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College on an interdisciplinary food justice project, coordinating undergraduate students to collect data, processing the data, and creating a graphic design—ultimately resulting in an interactive food systems map of Bennington, VT. They took a complex system and made it into an easily updatable and visually appealing resource, as well as providing educational value to our undergraduates and others, an invaluable deliverable to our community partners.”
-Susan Sgorbati, Director for the Center for the Advancement of Public Action, Bennington College
“The Association of Maine Archives and Museums hired Big Sky to hold a series of professional development workshops and the outcome exceeded my expectations! Gabriel and Renae did a great job of customizing their approach to the specific needs of our members from historical societies, museums, and archives. Their facilitation style was very engaging and demonstrated an advanced, nuanced understanding of the topics covered, including interpersonal, structural, and systemic aspects of race, gender, and human difference. Those who participated are already applying these lessons within their organizations to make them more accessible and equitable. “
— Dugan Murphy, Executive Director, Association of Maine Archives and Museums
“This year’s new student orientation program was our most successful yet. Dr. Piser and Ms. Lesser built a very effective and engaging week-long program by fostering student leadership and including older students in the planning and design stages. This program has helped to normalize DEI conversations amongst students and we have seen a significant positive impact on the culture of the school. “
— Renee DiBiasio, Assistant Head of School, Cleveland School of the Arts
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