Bill Proudman
Founding Partner and COO
Bill’s diversity journey began in 1987 when he attended a two-hour presentation on the topic at the suggestion of a friend. It led to a mentoring relationship that fundamentally transformed his life, personally and professionally.
Bill pioneered white male only workshops in the mid-90s after repeatedly noticing that white male leaders disengage from diversity efforts. His provocative work seeded creation of White Men as Full Diversity Partners.
For more than 30 years, he has served as a consultant, coach and facilitator to countless companies and organizations on issues of team effectiveness, diversity and leadership development. He is the founder of the ETD Alliance, a small trade association for experiential training and development consulting firms, and was president of the Association for Experiential Education for two terms.
An energetic contributor to global solutions toward poverty, injustice, education and personal empowerment, Bill has been taken part in interventions such as getting relief supplies to the Burmese people devastated by Cyclone Nargis; assisting displaced monks and leaders of the Saffron Revolution in Burma as they seek asylum in the United States; and helping individual and family micro-business enterprises in northern Laos and Thailand.
These and other efforts arise from Bill's love of adventures down remote rivers and untraveled roads. Many of his most gratifying cross-cultural learning experiences have occurred in remote corners of the developing world. These experiences inform and enrich his leadership work and consultation.
Personal/Professional Philosophy: “If I can dream it, I can do it.” Born into a working class, white, suburban family, I have come to recognize and more honorably use my white and male privilege to strengthen my partnerships and contribute in small but important ways to create social justice globally.
People working together and from their heart can do almost anything. The places in ourselves that we most fear are the places we need to travel to and unlock the talent and drive to take steps towards new ground and shifting mindsets.
Change starts with a small but committed group of individuals. Waiting for everyone to come on board is an excuse to do nothing.
A Favorite Book: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder.
The difference between arrival and entrance: Arrival is physical. You can arrive in a place and never really enter it; you get there, look around, take a few pictures, make a few notes, send postcards home. Entering takes longer. You cross over slowly, in bits and pieces. You begin to despair; will you ever get over? It is like awakening slowly over a period of weeks. And then one morning you open your eyes and you are finally here, really and truly here. You are just beginning to know where you are.
