About us - Contacting Us

Rich Kessler

(952) 884-1128 Phone and/or FAX

Contact Rich

Marian Eisner

(952) 884-1128 Phone and/or FAX

Contact Marian

Richard Kessler, M. Ed.

• President and founder – Minnesota Center for Conflict Resolution (1986).
• Family Conversations facilitator and coordinator; develops curriculum, trainer and program developer. Dakota County Minnesota
• Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) facilitator and coordinator. Develops curriculum and trains for Minnesota Child Welfare Training System since 2001.
• Mediates disputes among families, within organizations and businesses and between labor and management. Teaches conflict resolution skills and techniques. Develops curriculum and trains supervisors and workers for Minnesota Child Welfare Training System since 1998.
• Faculty – Spiritual Eldering Institute™ Boulder, CO (1997-2001); Certified Seminar Leader for Age-ing To Sage-ing™ programs since 1996.
• Retired meteorologist – National Weather Service (1973-2001)
• Presented workshops and seminars locally, nationally and internationally on conflict resolution, aging and family decision making processes for more than 20 years.

Marian Eisner, M.A., LISW

• Social worker with more than 30 years of direct service, supervisory and administrative experience.
• Family Conversations facilitator; developed Family Conversation curriculum and workshops.
• Mediator and Trainer for Minnesota Center for Conflict Resolution.
• Faculty – Spiritual Eldering Institute™ Boulder, CO (1997-2001); Certified Seminar Leader for Age-ing To Sage-ing™ programs since 1996.
• College instructor – Napa Valley College (Napa, California)

As you can see, we’re about families working together – whether to support young children, teens and young adults, or aging parents and relatives. We provide services and programs to help people and their families.

Family Conversations – We're at a crossroads. As we move into the 21st century, we may live half of our adult lives after retirement. Yet our current model of aging provides few opportunities for older people to continue to grow and actively participate in our society. For many of us our families are split by geography, philosophies, emotions or cultural values.

How then can we find ways to support, reconnect and nurture our families and friends. We provide services, education and training to people looking to reach across generations and nurture their families as well as professionals who work with families.

A family conference specifically for older adults and their families. Similar to a FGDM meeting, and yet designed to address the specific needs and concerns of people as they grow older and confront age-related decisions for themselves and their families.

Family Group Decision Making – In today’s world many people find themselves overwhelmed and under-supported. Sometimes they lack the resources, understanding or the ability to keep family members safe. Our process and programs can help family members find support and create plans to help them help themselves. The FGDM process of facilitated meetings that strengthen partnerships and collaboration among immediate and extended family members, close and caring friends, and service providers work. It’s up to the family to decide who will attend. Trained neutral facilitators speak with everyone involved and then bring families together in a safe environment to create a plan specifically designed to meet the needs of family members.

Age-ing To Sage-ing™ - We offer a vision of growing older that demonstrates how our elder years can be the best, richest, the most meaningful time of our life. Our vision helps people reclaim the traditional role of elder which has largely been lost in the youth culture in which we live. Older persons are often seen as obsolete, tolerated, ridiculed members of society. Too often persons in the older years buy into those images.

We offer workshops and training that supports families, individuals and organizations trying to create this vision of aging to today’s youth-obsessed culture. Age-ing To Sage-ing is an extraordinary, holistic program that demonstrates how aging can be the best, richest, and most meaningful process of your life, and you can begin at any age