The Story

As a consultant, coach, and facilitator…

As a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Linda specializes in conflict transformation, diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI), and learning and organizational development. Using her chaplaincy and anti-racist/anti-oppression training, Linda focuses her decolonizing work on infusing organizational systems with human dignity from a restorative, trauma-informed, socially-just lens. Via her Historical Context project, Linda also works with organizations and individuals on land-based restorative and transformational practices and reparations.

As a personal coach, Linda brings a holistic approach; knowing that how we are in life and at work can affect both worlds. She also uses her interfaith chaplaincy in her coaching to support her clients with a trauma-informed framework. Following the needs of her clients, she weaves in her career coaching tools as well. She enjoys coaching public officials in conflict and how to use chaplaincy skills with their constituents and equity and justice in their policies and systems.

In the private sector…

Linda Newell found her niche in the corporate world at the senior director level of learning and organizational development where she launched a corporate university, directed L&D/HRD departments, and taught facilitators and leaders the art and science of being with and leading people.

As a senator…

In 2017, Linda Newell was termed out of the Colorado State Senate after eight years of public service where she was elected as the first Democrat in history in her seat. She was called the “Conscience of the Capitol” where she led alternative dispute resolution, mediation, and restorative justice efforts, and the “Champion for the Children” for her significant reforms in child protection, education equity, and early childhood. She sponsored some of the nation’s first legislation removing zero-tolerance school discipline policies to help break the school-to-jail pipeline harmful to children of color, kids with disabilities, and those in foster care. Sen. Newell led the first Conflict Resolution Month resolution in the country and taught her constituents and fellow legislators models of conflict resolution and consensus-building using community collaboration techniques. She also drove policy and systemic improvements in health care and mental health, suicide prevention, juvenile justice, domestic violence, workforce development, technology, and the arts.

Through facilitating groups of diverse interests, close to 98% of her bills had bipartisan support and 94% passed successfully. Senator Newell has earned over 40 state and national awards for her legislative achievements.

To help create more informed and empathic voters, Sen. Newell produced, The Last Bill, a Senator’s Story, a documentary short about the state legislative process from an insider’s view. Now, she co-produces and co-hosts the KGNU radio show on conflict. She serves on the Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission and teaches approaches for civic engagement, conflict, and transformative justice.

As a student…

In 2020, Linda earned a Master’s in Social Justice and Ethics at Iliff School of Theology where she received the Academic Award for the program that year. While in seminary, she also studied restorative practices and Clinical Pastoral Education in interfaith chaplaincy. During that program, she served as a hospital chaplain specializing in end-of-life care. Because of her learning and deep reflection at Iliff, she focuses her work even more on empathy and dignity. Now, she is an Adjunct Instructor there teaching Conscious Conflict and Spiritual Foundations of Fundraising. 

Linda is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government and was a Henry Toll Fellow with the Council of State Governments. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from UC Irvine. A lifelong learner, Linda continues to learn cultural humility, deeper systems thinking, and how to align our values and ethics with advocacy for equity and justice. 

Personally…

Linda’s favorite passions are living mindfully, singing wholly, walking among tall trees, reading curiously, and observing human and animal behavior. She is a single mother of two courageous Millennials, and she talks about them, a lot.