Beyonder Leaders
Ismet Mamnoon
Ismet (Izzy) Mamnoon is a change catalyst. She started her career as a financial consultant and evolved to become a serial entrepreneur and now works as a facilitator translating creativity from theory into practice. She was first drawn to the field of creativity and innovation when she became a parent. She speaks intimately about her journey on the TEDx stage.
Her acumen for applied creativity is evident in her diverse range of projects and clients that include large organizations, entrepreneurs, governments, academics, not-for-profits, the armed forces, educators, parents, and children all over the world. Her clients range in age from 5 to “undisclosed” and she has been known to facilitate just about anyone anywhere including but not limited to complete strangers in coffee shop queues and Marines at the Pentagon. Ismet is the founder of Beyonder which offers training and facilitation for Parents, Educators and Youth with the mission of using creativity as the means to unlock the human potential of the next generation.
Ismet was recently featured in TIME magazine’s special edition on the Science of Creativity for her creative approach to parenting and for the work she does globally to weave creativity into education. She is a graduate of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State where she received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the President’s Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student at Buffalo State, and the Firestien Family Creative Achievement award for her work in the field of creative thinking and facilitation. She is a certified facilitator of FourSight, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Polarity Thinking, and Accelerated Learning.
Her acumen for applied creativity is evident in her diverse range of projects and clients that include large organizations, entrepreneurs, governments, academics, not-for-profits, the armed forces, educators, parents, and children all over the world. Her clients range in age from 5 to “undisclosed” and she has been known to facilitate just about anyone anywhere including but not limited to complete strangers in coffee shop queues and Marines at the Pentagon. Ismet is the founder of Beyonder which offers training and facilitation for Parents, Educators and Youth with the mission of using creativity as the means to unlock the human potential of the next generation.
Ismet was recently featured in TIME magazine’s special edition on the Science of Creativity for her creative approach to parenting and for the work she does globally to weave creativity into education. She is a graduate of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State where she received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the President’s Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student at Buffalo State, and the Firestien Family Creative Achievement award for her work in the field of creative thinking and facilitation. She is a certified facilitator of FourSight, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Polarity Thinking, and Accelerated Learning.
Cyndi Burnett
Dr. Cyndi Burnett is a creativity and education specialist who is devoted to developing creative and engaging lessons in education. She spent 20 years as an academic teaching deliberate creative thinking and creativity problem-solving at the Center for Creativity and Change Leadership at SUNY Buffalo State. She is currently developing a CreativityandEducation.com platform to help educators navigate how to bring creativity into their classrooms.
Dr. Burnett has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, a Master of Science in Creativity, and a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, all of which she uses to help “ignite creativity in education around the world.” Her academic interests include: the use of creative teaching and learning models and techniques, creative thinking in higher education, and current trends in creativity.
Her work includes projects such as: working with educators to bring creative thinking into the classroom, connecting communities of creative thinkers via social media and designing and running a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Everyday Creativity. She is the recipient of the President's Medal for Excellence in Teaching 2018 by SUNY Buffalo State, was Buffalo Business First, Woman of Influence 2018 for her work in creativity, and was featured in the NY Times article titled, “Creativity Becomes an Academic Discipline.” She is the co-editor of the Big Questions in Creativity book series and co-author of the books Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum, 20 Lessons for Weaving Creativity into your Curriculum, and My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking for Parents and Young Children.
Dr. Burnett has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater, a Master of Science in Creativity, and a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, all of which she uses to help “ignite creativity in education around the world.” Her academic interests include: the use of creative teaching and learning models and techniques, creative thinking in higher education, and current trends in creativity.
Her work includes projects such as: working with educators to bring creative thinking into the classroom, connecting communities of creative thinkers via social media and designing and running a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Everyday Creativity. She is the recipient of the President's Medal for Excellence in Teaching 2018 by SUNY Buffalo State, was Buffalo Business First, Woman of Influence 2018 for her work in creativity, and was featured in the NY Times article titled, “Creativity Becomes an Academic Discipline.” She is the co-editor of the Big Questions in Creativity book series and co-author of the books Weaving Creativity into Every Strand of Your Curriculum, 20 Lessons for Weaving Creativity into your Curriculum, and My Sandwich is a Spaceship: Creative Thinking for Parents and Young Children.
Mark Harling
Mark is the co-creator of the Parenting Up program. After training as a Mechanical engineer and many years in multiple industries solving complex technical problems, Mark became a parent: He quickly discovered that none of his training or experience had prepared him to excel in his new role. This, coupled with some new career challenges, resulted in a journey of personal discovery and growth that eventually led him to become a Person Centered Approach therapist and supervisor. Mark now specializes in corporate strategy and transformation through culture change, helping organizations to evolve towards new natural habits of thinking and doing. You might spot Mark consulting in manufacturing performance, innovation, and strategy , using applied creativity and Lego Serious Play to support his clients; or you might find Mark co-facilitating workshops on creative parenting with Ismet Mamnoon with whom he co-authored a book. This course was born from that collaboration.
Beyonder Contributors
Julia Figliotti
Julia Figliotti is a Beyonder believer and the coauthor of the Beyonder Youth Program. She has a Masters degree in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity and spent several years working with facilitators of scientific workshops to encourage creative approaches and output. Now a full-time writer, Julia works to bring visions to life on paper.
Julia has authored several books and articles on creativity (among other things), with topics ranging from creativity in the classroom to understanding what works in team science. She is the co-creator of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Ignite Your Everyday Creativity.
Julia has authored several books and articles on creativity (among other things), with topics ranging from creativity in the classroom to understanding what works in team science. She is the co-creator of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Ignite Your Everyday Creativity.
Erica Swiatek
Erica Swiatek is also a Beyonder Believer and facilitator. She has a Master’s degree in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC). While studying in the program Erica became fascinated with the power of playfulness and how it accelerates creative thinking, learning and team building. She has published an article on how play and creativity link to adult learning in corporate settings. In addition to studying the theory and science of play she owns an escape room and combines this fully immersive activity with learning. She also serves as faculty at the State University of New York where she teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in creativity, facilitation and leadership in their international programs. Erica has a passion for igniting creativity worldwide. She has created programs for many different audiences but the one she has been most proud of was for at-risk youth. The Latino Coalition said that the program she development was the best they had ever seen. She also received the Mary Murdock Creative Spirit Award.
Ginny Santos
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Ginny Santos designs and facilitates in-person and virtual meetings of 2 to 2000 participants, where people, technology and Design Thinking come together to make collaboration easy, effective and empowering. She gives people the tools, technology and skills to be creative thinkers and problem solvers, so they can become fully engaged in making progress towards a common goal.
Ginny has over 15 years of experience working with a large variety of organizations and individuals. She is a member of the Faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University where she teaches creativity and innovation to MBA students. She has a Master’s of Science in Creative Leadership and Innovation from the International Center for Studies in Creativity, State University of New York. Her practice incorporates Creative Problem Solving (CPS), Productive Thinking, Emotional Intelligence and FourSight. She is originally from Spain, and has been based in Canada since 1995. She is a creativity enthusiast, an occasional dance performer, a cyclist, a mother, a soccer coach, an ongoing learner, an engaging trainer, a digital geek, an effective facilitator and a creative instructional designer. |
Beyonder Partners
Daniel Richardson
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Ulissa Sanders
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Dan is a student at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State and also a videographer extraordinaire. He is a Beyonder partner and created all the videos for the Parenting Up online course. Check out some of his work vimeo.com/drich77
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Ulissa is a Beyonder partner who created our logo and designed our manual for our Online Parenting Up course. She became an instant team member when she demonstrated her willingness to play and accommodate our team's informal approach to collaboration. Her designs have brought our vision to life. Check out her work at www.ulissasanders.com/
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