Interview Topic: Why it is critical to recognise and nurture the changing nature of leadership. 

Speaker: Dr Michael Kendrick (USA)

Dr. Michael Kendrick's career spans over 45 years as an educator, consultant, and advocate, and has left an indelible mark on international leadership, quality, advocacy, and community living.

 Michael is an independent international consultant in human services and community work with a focus on work in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as well as occasionally in other countries, e.g. Nicaragua, Honduras, Ireland, and Belgium.

His interests, involvements and writings have included leadership, service quality, the creation of safeguards for vulnerable persons, social integration, change, innovation, values, advocacy, the role of individual persons and small groups in creating advances, evaluation, alternatives to bureaucracy, personalised approaches to supporting people, and reform in the human service field amongst others.

He has most consistently worked in the disability, mental health and aged care fields but has also occasionally worked in areas such as drug abuse, child protection and community education.

In this work he has occupied a variety of roles including being the Assistant Commissioner for Program Development with the Massachusetts Government, the Director for the Institute for Leadership and Community Development and the Director of the Safeguards Project. He is very active as a public speaker and trainer as well as evaluator, consultant, and advisor to advocates, governments, agencies and community groups.

His masters and doctoral works were in social work and sociology. He regularly teaches at various universities both here and abroad as time allows. He also writes quite extensively and his publications are available upon request. He resides in Massachusetts.