John Ehrmann is a founder and Senior and Managing Partner of Meridian Institute. He has pioneered the use of collaborative decision-making processes for over 30 years at the local, national and international levels. He has designed and implemented projects in a wide range of public policy arenas involving legislation, regulatory development, and federal advisory committees and international agreements. He regularly works in organizational management and strategic planning settings, in communities and on site-specific disputes, and with stakeholder groups advising NGOs and companies. He is frequently asked to advise organizations regarding the design and use of collaborative approaches to address challenging issues.

Dr. Ehrmann’s work has focused on environmental and natural resources issues, energy and climate change, public health, science and technology, and the economic and social challenges associated with developing sustainable practices for communities and industries. In addition to his extensive involvement in designing, convening and facilitating collaborative processes, Dr. Ehrmann has promoted the use of collaborative decision-making through lectures and numerous articles on consensus-based decision-making in the public policy field.

Between 1983 and 1997, Dr. Ehrmann was Executive Vice President at The Keystone Center. In 1997, he was one of the founders of Meridian Institute. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Wyoming.

Dr. Ehrmann received his undergraduate degree from Macalester College and his Masters and Ph.D. in Natural Resource Policy and Environmental Dispute Resolution from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources. His doctoral dissertation developed a practice-based model of the policy dialogue that can be applied to both practice and research.