CONFLICT FLUENCY:

THE ART & SCIENCE COHORT

A 10-MONTH PROGRAM FOR LEADERS IN THE ARTS & SCIENCES

Conflict-fluent leaders
create possibility.

THE PURPOSE

The arts and sciences are critical sites of inquiry, invention, and public meaning—fundamental to the direction of human evolution.

Leaders in these fields operate in environments of complexity, uncertainty, institutional pressure, and public scrutiny. In these settings, how leaders engage conflict shapes relationships, collaborations, organizations, and ultimately the work that reaches and shapes society. Yet few receive meaningful preparation for working with the challenges of conflict.

The future of the arts and sciences depends not only on talent, ideas, and resources, but also on leaders developing the fluency with conflict that supports creativity, collaboration, and intentional action in complex situations.

The Conflict Fluency Art & Science Cohort offers the conditions, the practice, and the community to make that work possible.


THE INAUGURAL COHORT LAUNCHES IN JANUARY 2027

THE FORM

Over ten months, cohort members develop the capacity to expertly parse complex conflict and take effective, constructive action within it.

Each year for ten years, a new international cohort of ten leaders, working in diverse roles and contexts across the arts and sciences, will convene for in-depth training, private coaching, peer practice, and an in-person intensive.

Small-scale for focus, sustained over time for depth, structurally lean and agile, the initiative is designed, directed, and delivered by conflict engagement specialist, artist, and author Dana Caspersen. The work moves between the internal, interpersonal, and structural dimensions of conflict while remaining grounded in participants' ongoing professional contexts.

Candidates are identified by an anonymous international group of nominators with a broad range of connections across the arts and sciences. Cohort members are selected in part for the reach of their leadership, and their commitment to inquiry and sustained practice. The intended balance for each cohort is five leaders from the arts and five from the sciences.

The Conflict Fluency Art & Science Cohort is philanthropically supported, with no cost to the participants. Participation is by invitation only. The first cohort is fully funded and an international group of patrons is forming to support the cohorts to come.

THE WORK

The cohort focuses on developing leaders’ perceptual, analytical, and communicative capacities.

The Art & Science Cohort is designed as a sustained learning and practice environment in which participants engage conflict not as an abstract topic, but as an ongoing, and potentially productive, dimension of professional and institutional life.

The small cohort size creates the conditions for focused practice, substantive dialogue, and a depth of individualized attention that supports meaningful development.

The work unfolds through structured individual and collective processes that combine rigorous practice, experimentation, skill development, and direct engagement with lived experience and context.

The work deepens as participants continually return to and build upon practices that support adaptive thinking, constructive engagement, and creative response to challenge.

Through shared practice and analysis, the cohort itself becomes a vital source of insight and learning.

THE STRUCTURE - FOUR ELEMENTS

IN-PERSON RETREAT
(VERMONT)

1

The Conflict Fluency intensive is anchored by a three-day retreat in a private studio in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. This in-person work focuses on the capacity to remain productively present with uncertainty and challenge while identifying possibilities for constructive change.

The cohort develops as an intimate community of learning, experimentation, common focus, and collective practice. What participants work with is not dogma or management process, but the shaping of an adaptive response to the live forces of conflict and relationship.

THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM, VERMONT

1-1 COACHING SESSIONS, MONTHLY
(LIVE ONLINE)

2

These private, confidential coaching sessions focus on specific situations, questions, and topics that participants bring from their experience. The sessions provide both guidance and challenge, bridging the personal and organizational as needed.

COHORT TRAINING LABS,
MONTHLY
(LIVE ONLINE)

3

These deep-dive sessions explore conflict from multiple angles and center on cultivating leaders’ mindset and approach as a catalyst for constructive change. The sessions function as a highly interactive laboratory for experimentation and capacity-building, with each participant contributing real-world material from their own leadership context. Readings and short assignments prepare participants for each session.

PEER-TO-PEER PRACTICE,
MONTHLY
(LIVE ONLINE)

4

These sessions offer a relaxed, structured environment for practice, where participants can integrate the work from the training labs.

During the arc of the 10 months, leaders will be developing a practice that is sustainable and adaptive. This peer connection supports that development through the ongoing exchange of experience and perspective.

THE STUDIO

Photos: Barbee Hauzinger

MEET THE INAUGURAL COHORT

ADJI CISSOKO

Associate Artistic Director and dance artist with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Performing artist and creator for over a decade, originating central roles and performing internationally. Now expanding her work in artistic leadership, mentoring and coaching emerging artists worldwide and contributing to the artistic development of the LINES company.

FREDERIKE BENZ

Physical oceanographer studying buoyancy-forced currents and the coastal freshwater budget along the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf. Leading project with the British Antarctic Survey. Co-leading international review paper on the Antarctic Coastal Current. Vice President of CEOE EmPOWER. PhD candidate at the University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy.

DR. JONATHAN LILLY

Physical oceanographer. Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute. Lead Oceanographer for Oceanbox in Tromsø, Norway. Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada. Currently a fellow of Silliman College at Yale University.

DR. ANN HELMUS

Clinical neuropsychologist and Founder and Director of NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents). Developing clinical protocols and advancing standards of care serving clients internationally. Collaborator in the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, with the Harvard Law School’s Education Law Clinic.

GAURAV MADAN

Research Scientist at National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, England. Physical oceanographer studying the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and response to climate change. Convening scientific discussions shaping the broader AMOC discourse, communicating scientific findings to the public and policymakers.

MADELINE DEVRIES

Development Manager at Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Following a ten-year career touring internationally as a performer with LINES, specializing in fundraising and development for the performing arts. Providing donor and executive support.

SARAH STRAND

Polar scientist. Executive Director of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), an international non-profit supporting 6000+ early career individuals in Arctic and Antarctic fields. Senior Advisor at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. Senior advisor for Norway’s activities in the 5th International Polar Year, a global coordinated research and outreach effort.

FRANCESCA HARPER

Artistic Director, Ailey II, NYC. Choreographer, director, and multidisciplinary artist, collaborating across dance, theater, visual art, and fashion. Former Principal Dancer with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. Founder, the Francesca Harper Project, presenting worldwide. Performer on Broadway, including in The Color Purple and Fosse.

ILARIA GUERRA

Chief of Staff and Programs Director at Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Overseeing organizational operations and programs, drawing on her experience as a former dance artist with LINES. Newly appointed to the position of Director of LINES Summer Program, supporting the training and artistic development of emerging dance artists in the region.

RASU JILANI

President & Executive Director, Brooklyn Arts Council. Cultural strategist, nonprofit executive, curator, and social sculptor, working at the intersection of arts, civic life, healing, and social justice. Supporting artists and communities through grantmaking, arts education, professional development, public programming, and advocacy.

Over the next decade, one hundred conflict-fluent leaders
will bring their transformative capacities to organizations, collaborations, and communities worldwide.

10 YEARS.

100 CONFLICT-FLUENT LEADERS.

IMPACT ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE.

SUPPORT THE CONFLICT FLUENCY ART & SCIENCE COHORT BY BECOMING A PATRON.

BE IN TOUCH HERE.

Catamount Film & Arts Co. is a 501(c)(3) organization and serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Conflict Fluency Art & Science Cohort initiative

FAQ

  • The intensive is designed for leaders who want to examine and transform their response to conflict. In this context, “leader” refers to people who are involved in shaping decisions, environments, and direction—whether or not they hold formal authority.

  • Traditional training often focuses on tools and techniques. The Conflict Fluency intensive builds an adaptive practice—shaping how you perceive, interpret, and respond to conflict over time. It integrates one 3-day in-person retreat, private coaching, and ongoing cohort practice to support sustained change in how you lead and relate.

  • You will build the capacity to read conflict clearly, access the information it holds, and take constructive action in complex situations. You will also deepen your ability to work with uncertainty, strengthen relationships, and create cultures where conflict becomes a driver of innovation and positive change.

  • The program spans 10 months and includes :

    • An in-person retreat, January 5-7, 2027

    • 10 monthly 1-1 online coaching sessions

    • 9 monthly online cohort practice sessions

    • 8 monthly peer-peer practice sessions

    • Approximately 1 hour of focused reading and individual work between meetings.

    The structure supports leaders with demanding schedules while maintaining continuity of practice.

  • Between training and coaching sessions, you can expect 30–60 minutes of focused reading and applied practice each month. This work is designed to support continuity of learning without overwhelming a full leadership schedule.

  • No. Participants come with a wide range of backgrounds. The work does not require prior conflict resolution training—only an interest in examining your own patterns and engaging conflict with greater clarity and intention. The program meets you where you are and supports your growth over time.

  • The cohort includes up to ten leaders. The small size allows for depth of conversation, meaningful peer exchange, and individualized attention in both cohort sessions and individual coaching.

  • The work in the intensive can encompass personal, professional, organizational, or community-based conflicts. The practice centers on real situations you are navigating—questions, decisions, patterns, or relationships—and supports you in developing practical and constructive ways of engaging them.

  • Yes. I work with people from a wide range of fields—including business, education, the arts, science, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial work. The diversity of perspectives in the cohort strengthens the work.

  • The financial investment for the 10-month Conflict Fluency intensive is $28,000. This includes all training, coaching, and the retreat program. Accommodation, travel, and full catering for the retreat is included.

  • Yes, I often work with leaders who receive support from their organizations as part of their leadership development. When needed, I will provide a brief program overview or documentation to help with internal approval or reimbursement.

What you do in conflict matters.
Do it on purpose.

Dana Caspersen

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