The leading international society for Organisational Development and Change

History & Policies

ISODC History

In May, 2010, the last Information Exchange of the Organization Development Institute took place in Mobile, Alabama. At the end of that conference, several members of the Institute conferred with each other about the survival of the Institute and the O.D. Journal, given the failing health of Dr. Don Cole, President of the O.D, Institute. Out of that conversation, the need became apparent for a new organization to replace the Organization Development Institute. The group was concerned for the very survival of the OD Journal since Cole was both its owner and publisher.

Within months, Terry Armstrong agreed to contact Cole and purchased the Organization Development Journal (ODJ). to ensure that the Journal would continue

On January 19, 2011, Mike Flynn (attorney) filed Articles of Organization in DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois for the International Society for Organization and Development (ISOD.)

On January 28, 2011, the initial meeting of Directors was held and appointed the Initial Board of Directors:

TERRY ARMSTRONG, JEANNE MAES, JOANNE PRESTON, LENA NEAL, PETER SORENSEN, DONALD, VAN EYNDE, KENNETH WALL MICHAEL FLYNN

At this meeting the Initial Corporate Officers were elected:

PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR Jeanne D. Maes, VICE PRESIDENT Kenneth L. Wall TREASURER Kenneth L. Wall, SECRETARY Lena Neal

The Initial Editor, ODJ Joanne C. Preston was appointed.

ISODC Conferences, 2011-present

Date	Location	Event / Notes
Oct 2011	Williams Bay, WI	1st Annual Info Exchange
May 2012	Benedictine University	Annual Conference
Nov 2012	Ponte Vedra Beach, FL	Annual Info Exchange
May 2013	Colorado Springs, CO / Cliff House Manitou Springs	Annual Info Exchange
July 2013	Accra, Ghana	Co‑Hosted with Ghana OD Institute
Dec 2013	Honolulu, HI	—
Feb 7, 2014	Name changed to International Society for Organization Development and Change
May 2014	Williams Bay, WI	Annual Info Exchange
July 2014	Amsterdam, Netherlands	International Conference
May 2015	Toronto, Ontario	International Conference
May 2016	Burlington, VT	Annual Info Exchange
Aug 2016	Laie, HI	Co‑Hosted with Bread Fruit
May 2017	Burlington, VT	Annual Info Exchange
Oct 2017	Utulei, American Samoa	Stars of Oceania
Sept 2017	Stellenbosch, South Africa	Co‑Hosted with IODA
Nov 22, 2017	Incorporated in the State of Colorado
Nov 2017	Banten, Indonesia	Co‑Hosted with AODN
May 2018	Bowling Green, OH	Co‑Hosted with Nexus
June 2018	Beijing, China	1st Annual Global OD
Sept 2018	Dublin, Ireland	International Conference
Jan 2019	Pune, India	Co‑Hosted with ASM
May 2019	Denver, CO	Information Exchange
May 2020	Virtual	Virtual Conference
Jan 2020	Pune, India	Co‑Hosted with ASM
June 2020	Lyon, France	Co‑Sponsored with ISEOR
May 2021	Virtual	Hosted by Cabrini
Oct 2021	Thailand	Co‑Hosted with IODA
Apr 2022	Lisle, IL	Hosted by Benedictine University
May 2023	Mobile, AL	Hosted by University of South Alabama
Oct 2024	Lyon, France	Hosted by ISEOR
May 2025	Fairfield, CT	Hosted by Sacred Heart University

ISODC Officers 2011-present

Year(s)	President	Vice President(s)	Secretary	Treasurer
2011	Terry Armstrong / Jeanne Maes	Kenneth Wall (VP/Treasurer)	Lena Neal	Kenneth Wall
2012–2014	Jeanne Maes	Roland Livingston	Lena Neal	Kenneth Wall
2015–2017	Jeanne Maes	Roland Livingston	Kimberley Barker	Kenneth Wall
2018	Roland Livingston	Kimberley Barker	Valerie Vales	Kenneth Wall
2019	Roland Livingston	Kimberley Barker	Krystyna Tapp	Kenneth Wall
2020	Joanne Preston	Kimberley Barker	Krystyna Tapp	Kenneth Wall
2021–2022	Joanne Preston	Kimberley Barker / Kenneth Wall	Stephanie Livingston‑Thornton	Kenneth Wall
2023	Joanne Preston	Kenneth Wall (VP) / Kenneth Wall (VP for International Directors)	Stephanie Livingston‑Thornton	Kenneth Wall
2024	Joanne Preston	Kimberley Barker (Co‑VP) / Kenneth Wall (Co‑VP & VP for International Directors)	Stephanie Livingston‑Thornton	Kenneth Wall
2025	Joanne Preston	Kimberley Barker (Co‑VP) / Kenneth Wall (Co‑VP & VP for International Directors)	Stephanie Livingston‑Thornton	Kenneth Wall
2026	Joanne Preston	Anton Shufutinsky / Kenneth Wall (VP for International Directors)	Farhan Sadique	Kenneth Wall

***Organization Development Journal*: Best Articles**

Year	Authors	Article Title
2013	Don Van Eynde, Jeanne Maes, Dixie Van Eynde, Austen Untzeitig	OD Research and Practice in the Early 21st Century: Reflections in the Literature
2014	Joanna Krause, Malcolm Bryant, Amiya Bhatia	Rigor and Burden: Striking the Right Balance in Organizational Capacity Assessments
2014	Anthony Buono, Karthik Sabbiah	Internal Consultants as Change Agents: Roles, Responsibilities, and Organizational Change Capacity
2015	Ken Hultman, Justin Hultman	Organization Development as Identity Change
2016	Gervase Bushe, Robert J. Marshak	The Dialogic Mindset: Leading Emerging Change in a Complex World
2017	Ken Hultman	Unleashing the Power of Values
2017	David Coghlan	Retrieving Action Research as Research in OD
2018	Bill Pasmore	OD at Another Crossroads: Let’s Get Out in Front
2019	David W. Jamieson, Jean E. Davidson	Advancing Thinking and Practice on Use of Self
2020	Mogens Sparre, David M. Boje	Utilizing Participative Action Research with Storytelling Interventions to Create Sustainability in Danish Farming
2021	Jane Feng	Practicing OD Consulting in China: Engaging the Roots of Chinese Culture with Five Maxims
2022	Frederick A. Miller, Valerie Davis‑Howard	It is Time for Organizations to Take a Leap Forward
2023	Alan Boss	Title not specified in text
2024	Winchatz, Knight, & Martin	Worker Boredom Coping Styles: The Need for Integrated Communication and Organization Development (Fall 2024)
2025	—	Not yet announced

Best Presentations & Awards

Year	Award	Recipient	Notes
2013	Edgar Schein Award: Best Student Presentation	Jamie Champagne	—
2018	Edgar Schein Award: Best Student Presentation	Ryan Cox	—
2018	Innovation Award	Jai Kumar Kulkarni	From SWOT to SWEAT – A Paradigm Shift
2019	—	—	(No student presentation listed)
2020	Edgar Schein Award: Best Student Presentation	Anselm Beach	Fourth Industrial Revolution & Contemporary Models of Trust
2020	Innovation Idea Award	Dr. Yongming Tang	Synergetic Organization Model
2021	Student Presentation Award	Georgetta Parisi‑Knup	—
2021	Innovation Idea Award	Bena Long	—
2022	Outstanding OD/OB Student Award	Teshome Legesse (Ethiopia), Ulrike Neubert (Kenya)	Award shared at 22nd O.D. World Congress
2023	Edgar Schein Award: Best Student Presentation	Israa Samarin	—
2024	Edgar Schein Award: Best Student Presentation	Diane Keil‑Hipp	—
2024	Jack Gibb Award	Diane Keil‑Hipp	—

Awards given by ODI prior to the formation of ISODC The Jack Gibb Award

(A cash award of $1,000 is given for the best presentation at the Annual Information Exchange by a full-time student not working full-time.)

Year	Recipient(s)	Institution / Notes
1988	Maren Roth	University of Richmond
1989	Susan DeVogel	University of Minnesota
1990	Jean Pierre Delhaye	University of Arizona
1991	Deborah Pagel, RODC	Benedictine University
1992	Thomas Wimmer	Benedictine University
1993	Deborah A. Weber	Benedictine University
1994	Laura Gironda	Benedictine University
1995	Robert Hawkins, Ryan Jones, Kelly Holtmeier, Dan Sullivan	Panel presentation, University of West Florida
1996	Aruna Fernandes & Chuan Aun “Yo” Yeong	Bowling Green State University, Ohio
1998	Grace Endres, RODP	University of South Florida
1999	Heidi Thiebodeau & Greg Woods	O.D. Graduate Program, Bowling Green State University
2000	Guilherme “Gui” F.C. Albieri, RODP	Brazil & Hawaii Pacific University
2001	Karen Barrow, RODP & Linda Veleckis	American University/NTL & Benedictine University (each received ½ award)
2002	Ulf Bengtsson & “Gus” Gustafson, RODP	Sweden & Benedictine O.D. Master’s/Ph.D. Programs (shared award)
2003	Anne Meda & Ross Schifio, RODP	Benedictine O.D. Program — Presentations on Tendercare, Inc. A Case Study Using Appreciative Inquiry” and “O.D. in Ten Words or Less: Adding Lightness to the Definition of O.D.”
2024	Diane Keil‑Hipp	Bowling Green University

The Outstanding O.D. Consultant of the Year Award 1997-2010

Year	Recipient	Affiliation / Contribution
1979	Dr. David C. McClelland	Professor, Dept. of Psychology & Social Relations, Harvard University; recognized for work in India
1984	Dr. William Gellermann, RODC	O.D. Consultant, New York City; developed the O.D. Code of Ethics
1986	Dr. Jack R. Gibb, RODC	O.D. Consultant, San Pedro, California; major contributions to the field of O.D.
1987	Louw DuToit, RODC	Alberton, South Africa; creative use of O.D. to address national problems nonviolently
1988	Dr. Donald W. Cole, RODC	Psychologist & O.D. Consultant, Cleveland, Ohio; founding of O.D. Institute, professionalizing O.D., applying O.D. to national/international issues
1988	Dr. Eric Trist, O.B.E.	Recognized for inventing Socio‑Technical Systems theory and major contributions to O.D.
1989	Dr. Robert Golembiewski, RODC	Professor, University of Georgia; major contributions to O.D.
1990	Dr. W. Warner Burke	Professor, Columbia University; leadership in organizing the first O.D. Network and scholarly contributions
1992	Dr. hab. Ewa Maslyk‑Musial, RODP	President, O.D. Center in Poland; leadership in developing O.D. in Poland
1993	Dr. Peter Sorensen, Jr., RODC	Recognized for leadership in the field
1994	Dr. Terry Armstrong, RODC	Editor of OD Journal (1988–91); accreditation leadership; chaired 10th Annual Info Exchange; consulting work in Poland & South Africa
1994	Dr. Joanne Preston, RODC	Editor of OD Journal (1991–94); co‑author of What is New in OD; chaired 18th Annual Info Exchange; extensive committee and consulting work
1996	Dr. Donald Van Eynde, RODC	Developed new written test for Registered O.D. Consultant applicants
1997	Roland Sullivan, RODP	Defined O.D. competence knowledge/skills; developed technology for large‑systems change
1999	Dr. Allan Church, RODC	Editor of OD Journal; major contributions to O.D.
2001	Thiet “Ted” Nguyen, RODP	Created New Jersey O.D. Network (fastest‑growing globally); organized Global Committee on the Future of O.D.
2010	Dr. Jeanne Maes, RODC	Recognized for contributions (details not expanded in text)

The Outstanding O.D. Project of the Year Award (Silver Bowl Awards, 1997-2008)

Dr. Peter F. Sorensen, Jr., RODC, Chair
Kimberly Clark-Pakstys, RODP
Dr. Donald W. Cole, RODC
Dr. Phyliss Cooke, RODC
C.M. “Dick” Deaner, RODC
Allan Foss, RODP
Dr. Robert Golembiewski, RODC
Dr. Kathryn L.Miller, RODC
Pritam Vachani, RODC
Robert Levasseur, RODC, Criteria Development
Catherine Perme, RODC, Criteria Development

The O.D. Institute organized this committee in 1996 in order to force the field of O.D. to define “outstanding” O.D. projects and to honor and document those O.D. projects judged to be “outstanding.” The Award was a large inscribed silver bowl for first place and smaller silver bowls for runner-ups.

The first award was made in July 1997 at the 17th World Congress in Colima, Mexico.

1997 Silver Bowl Awards

Placement	Organization / Project	Key Executive(s)	O.D. Team / Consultants
1st Place	Allergan, Inc. (Irvine, CA) — “Extending O.D. into Worldwide Strategic Planning”	Richard J. Hilles, Corporate VP, HR	Richard J. Hilles (NTL), Kent Nethery (NTL), Dr. Robert Golembiewski, RODC (NTL)
2nd Place (tie)	U.S. Postal Service – Chicago Central — “The Delivery of High Performance”	David C. Fields, Senior Plant Manager	Dr. Peter F. Sorensen Jr., RODC; Therese F. Yaeger, RODC; Akimyinka O. Akinyele
2nd Place (tie)	University Health/Systems Consortium (Oak Brook, IL) — “Transforming Change in Academic Health Centers”	David Burnett, M.D., VP	Jean Livingston, RODP
3rd Place	Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Clyco, GA — “Meeting Customer Standards: Using Survey Data to Facilitate Change”	Charles F. Rinkevich, Director	Dr. Karl Kuhnert, RODP, and 8 psychology students (University of Georgia)

The 1998 Silver Bowl Awards
(Venue: 18th O.D. World Congress, Dublin, Ireland)

Award Category	Recipients / Projects	Notes
Grand Award Co‑Winners	Michael Beer & Russell Eisenstat — O.D. projects at Becton Dickinson and elsewhere	—
	Dale A. Spatz, RODP; Therese R. Yaeger, RODC; Dr. Peter Sorensen Jr., RODC — Riverside Health Care (Kankakee, IL)	—
Especially Meritorious Winners	Roland Sullivan, RODC; Christine Sullivan, RODP — Amalgamated Bank of South Africa	—
	Dr. Albert Zandvoort, RODC — Deutsche Telekom T‑Mobil (Germany)	—

The 1999 Silver Bowl Awards

Venue: 29th Annual Information Exchange Awards Luncheon, May 21, 1999 in San Antonio, Texas.

Award Category	Recipients / Projects	Notes
Grand Winner	Parke‑Davis Pharmaceutical Research — Outstanding O.D. Project of the Year	Susan A. Witt; Kathryn J. Miller, RODP; C. M. Dick Deaner, RODC
Distinguished Applications	Lucent Technologies – Bell Labs — “R & D Operational Excellence” (Debbie Shearer)	—
	Monsanto India — Organizational Development Plan (Monty Miller, Raj Ambekar, Ernest Louis, Doug Breckenridge)	Mumbai, India
	National Breweries (Zimbabwe) — Team Excellence (Dr. Richard Zackrison, RODC)	—

The 2000 Silver Bowl Awards

Venue: The 30th Annual Information Exchange Awards Luncheon on Friday noon May 26, 2000 in Kaneohe, Hawaii

Award Category	Projects	Recipients
Grand Winner (1999 Project)	Lucent Technologies — “Using Organization Narratives to Facilitate Cultural Change and Organizational Learning”	Diana Tyson, RODP; Dr. Claudia Cohen, RODP; Dr. Joan Slepian
Domestic Silver Bowl Award	Sprint — Transforming Business Information & Technology Solutions Organization	Dr. Joel Finlay, RODC
International Silver Bowl Award	Banker’s Institute of Rural Development (Lucknow, India) — “Organization Development Initiative for Restructured Regional Rural Banks”	Dr. B.G. Mukhopadhyay, RODP

The 2001 Silver Bowl Awards

Venue: 31st Annual Information Exchange Awards Luncheon, May 25, 2001, Chicago

Award Category	Recipients / Projects
Grand Winner (2000 Project)	Maria A. Wojtczak — “How a Virtual Team Used Real‑Time Strategic Change and Music to Engage 1,300+ People” Sponsored by NUI Corporation
Honorable Mentions	Tom Grant — “New Business Leader Program” (Ford Motor Company)
	Dr. Christine Truhe — “Developing an Information Technology Leadership Group” (Civic Development Group)
	Karen Ayas — “Learning Histories as an Intervention” (Ven den Bergh Nederland/Unilever)
Other Finalists	University of San Francisco / Habitat for Humanity / Intel / California State Fair — Community-Based Team-Building
	Lamson & Sessions / M.A.A. Consulting — Changing a Work Culture to a Team-Based Organization
	Kaleidoscope Solutions — Leveraging the Brilliance and Leadership of All
	Internal Revenue Service — Managing Change During Restructuring

The 2002 Silver Bowl Awards

Award Category	Recipients / Projects	Notes
Grand Winner (2001 Project)	Johnson & Johnson Consumer & Personal Care — Emotional Competence & Leadership Excellence Project	—
Educational Contribution Award	MARPRI Consultants (India) & Pritam Vachani, RODC — O.D. Knowledge in Indian MBA Program	—
Outstanding Contributions	Dr. Kathleen Buchman, RODC — “Making 360 Degrees Stick”	Wheaton Franciscan Services
	Scott Finlinson — Energy Conservation Behaviors Study	Ohio University & Vistar

The 2003 Silver Bowl Awards

Placement	Recipient / Project	Notes
1st Place	Elaine Gagne, Ed.D. — “Compass (Common Passion)” (Farnam Companies)	Renaissance Consulting Group
2nd Place	Bob Skoda — “People Strategies in a Not‑for‑Profit Organization”	Association for Individual Development
3rd Place	Carolyn Ott — “Enhancing Business Performance: Employability & Engagement”	Inspired Performance
Honorable Mentions	Philip Anderson — Aligning Organizational Culture Through Six Sigma (Abbott Labs)	—
	Mona Amodeo Braxton — Appreciative Approach for Economic Development Agencies	Pensacola Chamber of Commerce & TEAM Santa Rosa
	Keith Cox — Building an Appreciative Team-Based Organization	Tirawa Consulting & FM Systems
	Anne Kohnke Meda & Dr. Jacquelin Stavros — Positive Care at Wayne Senior Assisted Living Center	Tendercare
	Dean Robb — Building Organizational Resilience	New Jersey Judiciary

The 2004 Silver Bowl Awards

Recipient	Project	Notes
U.S. Postal Service	Designing the New Corporate Succession Planning System and Process	Grace Endres, Lolita Mancheno‑Smoak, Yvonne Athanasaw recognized

None was awarded in 2005.

The 2006 Silver Bowl Awards

Recipient	Project	Notes
Boeing Company	Unleashing the Passion for Customer Service	Deborah Pagel, Peter Weertman, Leslie Lauer, Michelle Martin
Abbott	Sustaining Excellence: Cultural Change at Abbott	Philip Anderson, Peggy Taylor; Peter Sorensen Jr., Ph.D.; Therese F. Yaeger, Ph.D. (Benedictine University)

None was given in 2007 or 2008.

The O.D. Institute Recognition Awards, 1998-2002

Year	Award	Recipient	Affiliation	Presentation Title
1998	Special Recognition Award (Best Presentation by Full‑Time Student Working Full‑Time)	Linda Sharkey	—	“O.D. in Financial Services”
1999	Special Recognition Award (Best Presentation by Full‑Time Student Working Full‑Time)	Mary Fertig, RODP	Benedictine University, O.D. Ph.D. Program	“Leading Change within Complex Organizations”
1999	Benedictine University Outstanding Student Award ($500)	David Jones	Wendy’s International	“A Field Experiment in Appreciative Inquiry”
2000	Special Recognition Award (Best Presentation by Full‑Time Student Working Full‑Time)	Jim “Gus” Gustafson, RODP	Square D Company, Illinois	“Building a New Committee on Leadership Development and O.D.”
2001	Special Recognition Award (Best Presentation by Full‑Time Student Working Full‑Time)	Therese Yaeger, RODC	Benedictine University	“International O.D. Consulting”
2002	Special Recognition Award (Best Presentation by Full‑Time Student Working Full‑Time)	William J. Kohley, RODP	Autojet Technologies & Benedictine University O.D. Ph.D. Program	“Survey Feedback and Social Capital: Resource Exchange Between Business Units in an Industrial Manufacturing Organization”

O.D. Institute’s Outstanding O.D. Article Awards, 1998-2005
Prize $2000 award.

Year	Recipient(s)	Affiliation / Location	Article Title	Publication Details
1998	Dr. Hans Walker, RODP & Dr. Tobias Takavarasha	Zimbabwe	“Organisation Development in the Public Service: The Case of Self‑Regulating Change Teams in The Ministry of Agriculture in Zimbabwe”	OD Journal, Summer 1998, Vol. 16, No. 2
1999	George C. Klemic, DBA	San Mateo, California	“Does Self‑Direction Make a Difference? A Study of Performance and Goal Setting Satisfaction in Public Self‑Directed Work Teams”	OD Journal, Spring 1999
2000	Clare Massey	New Zealand	“Organizational Consultants: When Practice Overtakes Theory”	OD Journal, Spring 2000, Vol. 18, No. 1
2001	Par Larsson, Jan Lowstedt & A.B. (Rama) Shank	—	“IT and the Learning Organization: Exploring Myths of Change”	OD Journal, Spring 2001, Vol. 19, No. 1
2002	Dr. Jerry Glover, RODP	Hawaii Pacific University	“Adaptive Leadership: When Change is Not Enough” (Part 1) & “Adaptive Leadership: Four Principles for Being Adaptive” (Part 2)	OD Journal, 2002 Summer Issue (#2) & Winter Issue (#4)
2005	Ken Hultman	—	“Evaluating Organizational Values”	OD Journal, 2005

We want to thank Terry R. Armstrong, who organized the judging of the Outstanding O.D. Article of the Year (for more information on this award, please contact him at odtrainer@aol.com).

2025 ISODC Award Expansion

In 2025, the ISODC created numerous awards to celebrate the outstanding achievements of practitioners and scholar in the field. Following are the award descriptions and recipients.

Award Category	Recipient(s)	Description / Citation
Reviewer of the Year	Robert Griggs	Recognized for exceptional review quality, timeliness, and commitment to excellence; expressed gratitude and commitment to future ISODC involvement.
Article of the Year	Christopher Malek and Ramkrishnan (Ram) V. Tenkasi	The Next Evolution of Work: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sociotechnical Synergy
Emerging Scholar‑Practitioner Award	Anslem Beach	Honored for early‑career excellence; Presidential Fellowship, DEI reforms at Homeland Security, U.S. Army, RTX; published author and recent PhD graduate.
Outstanding Practitioner Award	Regan Miller	Recognized for more than 5 years of distinguished OD&C practice; led cabinet‑level transformation, redesigned workflows, established OD service line generating $3M annually; respected for systems thinking and dialogic approach.
Innovative Invention or Discovery Award	Dr. William Brendel	Recognized for OpenSourceOD, M.O.S.T. assessment, and AI‑powered tools supporting Use of Self and Process Consultation.
Leading Edge of Change Award	Dr. Anton Shufutinsky	Honored for GamifyOD, including Quiet Cards and other research‑driven tools used globally for team‑building and organizational diagnosis.
Best ODC‑Related Book Award	Gregory Kesler, Kent McMillan, Amy Kates	Rethinking Operating Models: Designing People and Technology‑Powered Organizations — Recognized for advancing organization design and integrating strategy, agility, and technology.
Organizational Leadership Award	Dr. Joanne C. Preston	Honored for decades of extraordinary leadership; founding ISODC member; continuous Board service; 24+ years as Editor of the OD Journal.
Service to the Field of ODC Award	Dr. Matt Minahan	Recognized for contributions across ODC organizations, frameworks, certifications, mentoring, and global OD identity development.
ODC Thought Leader Award	Dr. Jean Bartunek	Honored for shaping OD&C scholarship; Robert A. & Evelyn J. Ferris Chair at Boston College; author of 200+ articles and foundational books; global mentor and thought leader.
ODC Lifetime Achievement Award	Dr. David Boje	Recognized for pioneering organizational storytelling and antenarrative theory; author of 30+ books and 150+ articles; global educator and advocate for ethics and social justice.
ODC Impact to Society Award	Dr. David L. Cooperrider	Honored for global impact through Appreciative Inquiry; UN summits; corporate sustainability work; mentoring future change‑makers through YODEL.
ODC Faculty Achievement Award	Dr. Peter Sorensen (Posthumous)	Recognized for six decades of transformative OD education; mentored 15,000+ students; foundational leader in OD programs at George Williams College and Benedictine University; award accepted by Dr. David Cooperrider.

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