Board of Directors

The International Focusing Institute (TIFI) is a non-profit organization, non-governmental organization, registered with the United States government as a 501(c)3 since 1985. The Board of Directors is the legal entity which has responsibility for the organization, ensuring its compliance with all US laws, including ensuring that our resources are used for the sole purpose of accomplishing our mission. Board members serve 3-year terms and can serve a second term, at which point they must rotate off. They can be re-appointed to the Board after having been off for at least one year.

The Board hires the Executive Director to manage the day-to-day operations, and the ED is the supervisor of staff. If you have questions or comments about TIFI, it is usually most efficient to address your them to staff, but the Board also warmly welcomes direct communication. Write them at [email protected].

Nelle Moffett	Bill Gayner	Darryl Commings
Evelyn Fendler-Lee	Florentina Sassoli	Eveline Moor Züllig
Tom Larkin

Board Member Details >

Statement on Diversity of Approaches

(approved by the Board of Directors December 2021)

Focusing and Thinking at the Edge always honor what arises freshly in the moment. Frozen structures are antithetical to the ethic of felt sensing. Focusing and Thinking at the Edge and how they are taught by our certified teachers will not be standardized. It is a core value of TIFI that diversity of approaches will be protected. Constructive critiques are welcome among our teachers or between TIFI and individuals presenting or applying practices which arise from Gendlin’s philosophy of the implicit. These should be offered by means of open, respectful communication. TIFI itself will seek to honor the value of diversity of approaches in its offerings.

Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

(approved by the Board of Directors December 2022)

This statement was written by the Board of Directors of The International Focusing Institute (TIFI), with input from our members. It is a statement intended to cover the governance and operations of TIFI. While it is not binding on our members, the Board hopes that all members of the community will join us in the spirit of this statement.

It is inherent to Focusing to respect all persons as individual human beings. The heart of experiential listening is to put aside assumptions and pre-conceived ideas as much as possible, in order to respect a person for who they are. Each person is influenced by their various identities, situations and communities but never defined by them. Historically and to this day, there are many groups and individuals that are discriminated against. Some of the significant ones include those based on sexual orientation and gender, age, race and ethnicity, national origin, economic status or caste, religious affiliation and beliefs, appearance, and physical ability or disability. We recognize that none of us is immune to biases which make us elevate one group above another. Therefore, we strive to be ever more conscious of our individual and group prejudices.

TIFI is an international non-profit organization with members in more than 50 countries. We are richly diverse internationally. We aspire to be still more diverse, equitable and inclusive, and to make our operations, governance and programming ever more open to all people. Rigid social structures that do not honor the breadth of human diversity are antithetical to our work.

Our efforts include:

Seeing diversity, equity and inclusion as ongoing processes, and remaining open to what might be more fitting to the moment, endeavoring afresh as new understandings emerge
Being willing to stay with the discomfort that can arise when we are confronted with our failure to be diverse, equitable and inclusive
Navigating through any tensions which arise in a compassionate way, using our tools of Focusing and Thinking at the Edge
Seeing diversity, equity and inclusion as connected to our mission “to keep Focusing alive and available to everyone”
Intentionally expanding offerings to meet the needs of underrepresented constituencies
Reducing barriers to participation for those living on low incomes and those with disabilities
Learning to become more aware of biases, unquestioned assumptions and habits which may create unwelcoming or unsafe spaces

DEI Scholarship Fund

The Board of The International Focusing Institute proudly established the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarship Fund in August 2023.

This fund is a concrete means by which the Board is expressing its aspiration for TIFI to be “still more diverse, equitable and inclusive, and to make our operations, governance and programming ever more open to all people.”

The Focusing world is very diverse in terms of its international character; we have people of many cultures, languages and backgrounds represented. This is one of the things that makes being part of the Focusing community so enriching and delightful. There are some countries and demographic groups, however, where we have noticeably fewer people.

As our DEI statement indicates: “Historically and to this day, there are many groups and individuals that are discriminated against. Some of the significant ones include those based on sexual orientation and gender, age, race and ethnicity, national origin, economic status or caste, religious affiliation and beliefs, appearance, and physical ability or disability.” It is important to us that the wonderful benefits of Focusing and felt sensing be available to all, and that we eliminate those traditional barriers as much as we can.

People from any underrepresented group will be eligible for this new scholarship. At this time, the Board is especially committed to ensuring that young people (age 30 and younger) and members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community feel welcome to participate in all aspects of TIFI’s programming, and so we will be making special efforts to encourage those in these groups to apply.

We ask that you join us in this commitment to diversity by making a donation of any amount to the DEI Scholarship Fund. Thank you!