INQUIRING SYSTEMS, INC.

Board of Directors

Chairman & Treasurer:

S. Loren Cole, Ph.D., is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inquiring Systems, Inc. (ISI). Founded in 1978, ISI provides ethical and sustainable ecosystem management services primarily to nonprofit organizations, community-based projects, value-driven for profit entities and selected government agencies and supported projects throughout the world. (see Summary Resume in Management Section)

Secretary:

Constance Grauds, R.Ph., is Director of Allied Health, Minneapolis Community and Technical College; President of the Association of Natural Medicine Pharmacists; Adjunct Faculty, University of Minnesota, Center for Spirituality and Healing; and Grauds is also Director of The Center for Spirited Medicine, and Director of nonprofit efforts for The Spirited Medicine Alliance dedicated to preserving the rainforest's medicinal plants and indigenous healing practices. Having completed fourteen years of shamanic apprenticeship with don Antonio Montero Pisco in the jungles of the Amazon, she has been appointed to carry on the teachings and healings of his ancient Cocama shamanic lineage. Grauds teaches and lectures internationally on natural and spirited medicines, and offers spirited medicine healing workshops in Peru and the United States.

Board Member: John Stephens, M.B.A., Business Mgt. Consultant, Glen Ellen, CA (picture not available at this time)

Board Member: Vacant-to be filled

Board Member: Vacant-to be filled

Past Chairman Emeritus: C. West Churchman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, California (deceased)

Past Chairman Emeritus: Arnold M. Schultz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Conservation & Resource Studies Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Board of Directors—Membership Policy

ISI has been focused in our operations on a large, diverse set of organizational clients, ecosystem issues and concerns and on the implementation and sustainability of specific projects. During the first 25 years of our operations, ISI had a board of 9 to 15 members. However, over the years it became clear that the administration of ISI was not complicated and did not require the energy efforts and involvement of that many of our board members. Also, a number of board members were more concerned with, interested in and committed to specific projects that reflected their own experiences and capabilities. To address this issue, ISI decided to reduce the size of the board to a minimum of three and a maximum of five members and to transfer authority and responsibility for operational and management aspects of the organization to Advisory Boards who would oversee and be responsible for the projects that were part of ISI and for the client services that we would provide to other organizations. The Board of Directors of ISI remains responsible for all policies of the organization and for oversight on all activities and projects connected with ISI. In keeping with this policy, each project and/or each area of service delivery is held accountable to a Board of Advisors for that endeavor and for reporting back to the Board of Directors for their approval of all actions taken on behalf of ISI and to ensure that ISI activities are in conformance with our charitable purposes and with applicable laws and regulations.

Board of Advisors

The company retains supporters, beneficiaries and experienced professionals as Advisory Board members to oversee the operation of each project that is an integral part of or managed by ISI. The project/client advisory board members are selected to provide advice and to assist the ISI Board of Directors in identifying, reviewing and evaluating the services required to meet the needs of the true-clients for their respective projects. The advisory board will also assist the board in determining how to maintain high quality services at a low cost, how to ensure that ethical standards are an integral aspect of the company operations, and how to meet the needs of our clients consistent with achieving their specific missions and service objectives.

Economic Viability and Client/Project Financial Sustainability

For the first 20 years of ISI’s existence, we charged each client direct fees, including overhead and a modest 6% development fee for services rendered. The actual charges were based on either a direct hourly fee, an all inclusive fee for specific services (i.e., nonprofit incorporation or organizational assessment) and/or a predetermined not-to-exceed fee to perform a specific, measurable set of services. Because the vast majority of our clients and a majority of our projects were themselves not fully funded, we encountered an ethical as well as a practical dilemma regarding how to achieve the agreed to objectives, complete the required tasks and obtain the outcomes expected from the delivery of our services within the resources available and required. To address and resolve this situation, ISI began a process wherein most of the business that we conducted was contracted in such a manner as to allow our consultants and staff to be engaged directly by the client or to be compensated directly without having to have the overhead and other costs added into the direct costs required to deliver our services. That is, rather than employ or enter into independent contractor agreements with our consultants, we would have the client/project hire these individuals directly thereby eliminated the overhead costs normally associated with providing our services. In this manner, we could provide at least twice the amount of services to the client/project without diminishing the quality and level of expertise needed to achieve the desired and approved tasks and objectives. Using this approach, ISI, unlike any other nonprofit organization that we are aware of has chosen to reduce its overall revenue stream while correspondingly providing at least twice and often four or more times the amount of services for the same amount of money. Consequently, you will not see revenues in any one year that accurately and fully represent the amount of efforts, activities or achievements that ISI really provides and from which we have been truly responsible.

Administration

Principal management of the business is under the direction and guidance of the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. S. Loren Cole. Dr. Cole is an Ecosystemologist specializing in ethical and sustainable ecosystem management. For over thirty-five years, he has also provided ethical business consulting services for the start-up, development, recovery and management of both nonprofit and for profit business enterprises. As a key aspect of his systemic approach to management, he has served as President, CEO, COO, Controller, Business Manager and Director for over 37 organizations and corporations. He has personally created, developed and operated many types of businesses and he has provided technical assistance and training to over twenty-six thousand board members and senior managers of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

ISI also provides fiscal sponsorship and fiscal agent services to nonprofit organizations.
 

MANAGEMENT TEAM SUMMARY RESUMES 

S. LOREN COLE, Ph.D.

Dr. Cole is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inquiring Systems, Inc. (ISI) a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation.  Founded in 1978, ISI provides ethical and sustainable ecosystem management services primarily to nonprofit organizations, community-based projects, value-driven for profit entities and selected government agencies and supported projects throughout the world.  Dr. Cole serves on the Board of Directors and Advisors for 12 companies.

Dr. Cole’s educational background is both unique and extensive, he has four university degrees including being the only person ever awarded a Ph.D. in Ecosystemology from the University of California at Berkeley.  He is a specialist in the understanding, management and appreciation of whole ecosystems, is also a specialist in translating good intentions into practical actions and has a strong commitment to ensuring that ethical values and principles are the hallmark of his endeavors and those of his clients.  Dr. Cole is an implementer and has successfully demonstrated his comprehensive systemic capabilities across a broad range of natural, social, economic and environmental issues as follows:

• In clarifying and resolving complex problems and situations in a systemic manner,
• In effectively managing ecosystems by making complex energy flows and relationships less confusing and more understandable,
• In enhancing the ownership interests in the problem-solving process to improve long-term sustainability of any decisions that are made,
• In translating and implementing meaningful insights, ideas and perceptions of others into well thought through ethical, comprehensive, compatible, worthwhile and sustainable solutions.
• In establishing resiliency in all of the systems in which he works so that when problems or disease does occur, which it always will, then recovery becomes possible and health will be restored to that system.  This is the essence of sustainability in ecosystems. 

Dr. Cole is one of the many people who helped to establish the environmental activist movement in America.  He became interested in environmental issues while serving as a Leading Petty Officer and Sonarman in the U.S. Navy (1958-62) and was responsible for communication and tracking of the bathyscaphe Trieste, during its 35,800 ft. Marianas Trench deep dive (the world record) with Dr. Jacques Picard and Lt. Don Walsh. Since that introduction to the complexity of the ocean ecosystem, over 50 years ago, combined with many life-changing events that he experienced in Asia, he committed his life to the “Improvement of the Human Condition”, which is the charitable purpose of ISI.  He a founder, leader and contributor to many of the most important social issues of our time including, but not limited to, the following areas of social change and improvement: (1) respect for the rights of and our responsibilities to all living things, (2) land and energy conservation, (3) population and environmental issues, (4) civil rights and social justice including the rights of women, the disabled, seniors, immigrants, minorities (especially Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans), and also (5) in the areas of education, organic farming, relief of hunger, refugee issues, low-income employment and training, international development and resolving issues pertaining to all disadvantaged people and developing communities. 

Dr. Cole’s skills and capabilities are extensive, comprehensive and he has worked directly and effectively at every level of resolution in ecosystems of many kinds, however defined.   Amongst his many significant accomplishments include the following:

• Founder & principal developer of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Program: The Conservation and Resource Studies major at U.C. Berkeley.   Designed, developed and taught the first courses in Environmental Education, Environmental Planning & Management, History of the Environmental Movement, Ecosystemology, Ecosystem Design and Management, Water Management in California, Urban Garden Ecosystems and many problem-focused seminars and workshops on current environmental issues.  This comprehensive and systemic interdisciplinary program involved over 500 faculty members from 63 separate departments on the UC Berkeley campus as well as over 350 community-based organizations, businesses, government agencies, international organizations and NGO’s, as well as with other citizens from throughout the world.
• Co-founded and participated in, with other faculty, the design and establishment of the California Environmental Education teaching credential requirement for K-12 schools.
• Coordinator of the Ad Hoc Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program at U.C. Berkeley.
• Co-founder of the first urban recycling program in America.
• One of the founding members and developers of the Berkeley, CA Ecology Center
• One of the founding members of the First Earth Day and Co-coordinator of the first Earth Day activities on the U.C. Berkeley campus in 1970.
• Founder & CEO of Inquiring Systems, Inc., a nonprofit corporation founded in 1978 to improve the human condition through ethical and sustainable ecosystem management services provided primarily to nonprofit organizations.  ISI has provided services to over 3,600 clients, all of whom are “word of mouth” referrals.
• Co-founder and CEO of a for-profit deep ultraviolet energy company.
• Designed and built a universally designed, active and passive solar home in Sonoma, CA.
• Founded and managed a retail business providing assistive technology products to enhance the quality of life for people with physical and mental challenges.
• Past Member of the Board of Directors for 36 nonprofit and 8 for profit corporations.
• As a contract employee or consultant with 32 companies he held senior level positions that included CEO, CFO, COO and Business Manager.
• Provided technical and ethically directed business management assistance services to over 3600 clients in the USA and 23 foreign countries.
• Founded and/or assisted in the development of 268 ethically directed income producing entities or income producing services in support of nonprofit missions and goals
• Organized, created the material for and conducted workshop and seminar training in areas such as “Escaping the Grant Syndrome”, “Getting Down to Business” and other topics in the areas of ethical business management skills and capabilities required to improve the operation of and/or to enhance the economic viability and sustainability of nonprofit organizations.  He provided these services to over 26,000 senior executives & board members of nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and in Canada.
• Acquired in excess of $145 million in grants, investments, contributions, loans and bond financing capital for ISI projects, fiscally sponsored project and client.  In addition, Dr. Cole has helped to obtain in excess of $230 million in private and public contracts for ISI projects and clients.

Dr. Cole has won numerous awards and commendations, has been a keynote speaker, principle conference speaker, panelist and an invited guest on hundreds of national and international radio, television and internet sites and has published articles and papers related to his areas of expertise. 

Inquiring Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box 2037, Sonoma, CA 95476,

707-939-3900, Fax: 707-939-3903

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information: www.inquiringsystems.org.

CONNIE GRAUDS, R.PH.

·         Project author:  Amazonian Warrior Woman Breast Cancer Project