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At Development & Training, Inc. we are dedicated to


Advancing your great ideas and making them WORK!


Development & Training, Inc. helps private companies, institutions, and public agencies envision bold concepts, absorb new information, manage change, and strategically move concepts to action.

We cross divides and challenging landscapes to: 

  • Transform your ideas into reality
  • Build a strong, cohesive team
  • Ensure that you stand out with superior service to the audiences you care most about, whether they are customers, clients, influencers, policy makers, funders, or grantees.

Betty Emarita, President and Founder of Development and Training, Inc.

Betty specializes in strategic change and ideation. She and her associates help companies surface their best thinking and operationalize it. Certified in Human Systems Dynamics and active in the Polarity Management international learning community, Betty works across sectors and disciplines as a catalyst for synergy.

Her eclectic background includes concept development and policy making, education and curricula design, evaluations, assessments, and training. She frequently is invited to work with high-functioning teams on state, regional, national, and international projects where results must be achieved within specific time frames.

Betty co-developed and wrote a curriculum and award-winning employee training manual for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics; and a Greater Twin Cities United Way funded curricula guide for home visitation to Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers made available nationally by United Way of America and the National League of Cities. She lead an initiative and wrote a nationally cited report on best practices among Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers in five cultural communities; developed, with support from the Ford Foundation, a tool for aligning the internal operations of philanthropic institutions to increase effectiveness in reducing social and economic disparities; and co-authored a paper, “Importance of Community Collaboration to Support Sustainable Agriculture” presented at the Salzburg Seminar in Austria.

Betty has served on the boards of the Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation, the Rural Advancement Foundation, and Team Ghana, an organization that has developed a sewing cooperative and provides micro-loans in rural Ghana. She is a member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers and the Start Early Funders Collaborative of Minnesota. She is also an international advisory board member of Rich Learning International and an external adviser to the Blue Cross Blue Shield if Minnesota Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care body of work.

 

At Development & Training, Inc. our work focuses on


Concept and Policy Development

Example: For Organization Research Services, provided strategic planning and evaluative assistance to a cross sector collaborative in 10 regions of Washington state as they collect local data and develop their own plans to implement aspects of the Washington State Early Learning Plan

Strategic Planning

Example: As consultant to the Annie E. Casey Making Connections initiative, a 10-year investment designed to improve the lives and prospects of children and families in health and economic opportunities, provided strategic planning and technical assistance to grantees in the 10 states involved in the initiative.


Training & Curriculum Design

Example: Designed and delivered a training curriculum for Children’s Hospital new employee’s orientation for its 11 hospitals and clinics. Curriculum focused upon building internal relationships, across tiers, within a highly diverse staff. Linked curriculum with the hospital’s strategic plan, working with a cross functional, internal design team. Trained internal trainers and co-delivered curriculum to more than 360 employees annually.

Evaluation & Assessment

Example: As part of the evaluation team for the Minnesota Dream Fund Initiative, worked with a consortium of 7 foundations and 13 nonprofit organizations in a 3-year project to reduce educational disparities in the Minnesota public schools .


Economic Development

Example: For the Greater Twin Cities United Way, convened, facilitated, and supported a cross sector group of financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based institutions in developing a plan to increase the use of mainstream financial services among the unbanked and underbanked in Minneapolis.

Clients & Comments



  • Betty enlivens deep knowledge and experience that enriches all her work. Whether guiding a cross-sector collaborative of organizational leaders or a group of parents in a community setting, Betty encourages participants to tap into both what the facts convey and what their hearts already know. Betty’s work embodies her core values of optimism, connectedness, justice, and joy.
    Richard Chase, PhD
    Wilder Research Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
  • Betty brings fresh thinking to our work and practical applications that helps city leaders implement best practices and develop innovative partnerships. She has brought a new lens to our Early Learning Nation Initiative, showing the cities that are involved how to recognize and build upon the knowledge systems that are embedded in families and communities.
    Tonja Rucker, PhD Director
    Early Childhood Success National League of Cities
  • Betty Emarita brings a range of expertise and depth of experience to her engagements with clients. This was extremely helpful to our work with community partners. She helped us better frame the questions we sought, provided a thoughtful and efficient process, and deepened the engagement for all partners involved. She delivered more than we had expected and is fantastic to work with.
    Andriana Abariotes, Executive Director
    Twin Cities LISC
  • Betty Emarita has been a great asset for our state. Her research, publications, consultancies and facilitations have moved the progress tremendously on early care and education. Her publications, “Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care Best Practices” and "Home Visitation Curricula Guide for Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers" have become "required reading" for those of us in the field.
    Ellis Bullock
    Retired Former President, Grotto Foundation
  • The only way I can describe how Ms. Emarita thinks is "quantum". Her ability to solidly connect ideas, people and resources from radically different perspectives under a "Big Picture" is a marvel to watch. This type of thinking has not only enriched my business, but has also enriched me. Thank you, Ms. Emarita!
    Joella Mosley
    President, New Green Industries
  • Betty Emarita is a multidimensional thinker who brings a fresh perspective that hasn’t yet been uncovered, and that resonates with everyone.  She knows how to bring a playful component that makes hard stuff easy.
    Yvonne Cheek
    President, Millennium Group
  • I really appreciate Betty Emarita’s combination of coaching and her “I’ve got your back” attitude.  She takes the time to really understand the dynamics of what I’m dealing with.  She is a bridge, making sure different audiences grasp the issues at a deeper level. That makes cooperation possible. 
    Nieeta Presley
    Executive Director, Aura St Anthony Community Development Corporation

Do you have any questions or comments for Betty?



    Development & Training, Inc.