About Common Ground
Where Impossible Becomes Inevitable
We are the partners that mission-driven leaders call when the stakes are highest, the timeline is shortest, and failure is not an option.
Everything Has Changed
Over the past year, we've been quietly integrating artificial intelligence into our proven methodologies—not as a replacement for the deep strategic thinking and relationship-building that define our work, but as an accelerator. The results have been extraordinary.
Complex analyses that once required extensive time and resources now happen at unprecedented speed, freeing us to invest more deeply in what matters most: understanding your unique context, facilitating meaningful conversations, and co-creating solutions that fit your organization's culture and values.
The Impossible Moment
There's often a moment when clients bring us something that feels impossible. "Why do you think we would know how to do that?" we ask. "We don't," they say, "but we trust you, and we know you'll work your *ss off for us.” That trust is built through decades of white-glove service and proven results, and remains at the heart of all we do. AI makes that promise scalable, and we're deeply excited about what this means for our work together.
the Air
What We
Stand For
We don't just consult—we partner. These six values guide every decision, every project, and every relationship we build. They define how we show up, how we work, and the kind of change we're here to make.
Human First
Technology should amplify human connection—not replace it. Every tool, every strategy, every outcome starts with relationships.
Mission Aligned
We only work with organizations making the world more just, equitable, and sustainable. If your mission inspires us, we're in.
Radically Practical
Big ideas don't matter if they don't work. We build strategies that actually deliver in the real world.
Always Learning
We stay endlessly curious—listening, experimenting, and evolving with the world around us. Whether it's understanding how AI reshapes our work, exploring new collaboration tools, or translating emerging trends into actionable strategy, we're committed to continuous, real-time learning.
Change Connectors
Transformation happens when people and ideas move together. We bridge sectors, cultures, and experiences to turn connection into progress. Big ideas don't change the world alone—they thrive when people join one another and move forward together.
These values also guide how we use AI. Read our AI Compact — our published commitment to ethical, equity-first AI integration.
Land Acknowledgment & Indigenous Lineage of Our Practice
Land acknowledgments honor the Indigenous peoples whose lands we live and work on. For Common Ground, this practice is more than a statement of place. It's a recognition of the Indigenous knowledge systems that continue to inform our work. Many of the concepts and tools we use today, servant leadership, consensus building, community mapping, storytelling, and long-term sustainability, have deep roots in Indigenous traditions. Acknowledging that lineage is part of how we stay grounded in respect, reciprocity, and authentic relationships.
Meet Some of Our Team
The people behind the impact. We have decades of experience in strategic consulting, international development, facilitation and training, event production, and responsible AI implementation. We're a diverse group of practitioners, storytellers, and strategists who believe real change happens when expertise meets empathy—and when innovation serves people, not the other way around.
Craig A. Bowman
Founder & Principal
Craig brings more than three decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, organizational development, and consulting. He has served as executive director of three U.S.-based NGOs, including a membership association representing 165 youth-serving organizations, and has taught graduate courses in training design and facilitation through American University's International Training and Education Program. Throughout his career, Craig has worked across sectors and cultures to help organizations navigate complexity, strengthen capacity, and align stakeholders around a shared vision for impact. His facilitation style is inclusive, empathetic, and purpose-driven—creating space for honest dialogue while pushing teams to make hard choices, clarify priorities, and move forward with confidence and unity.
Sawsan Selim
Senior Consultant
Sawsan brings a rich blend of expertise in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL); multimedia strategy; education; business; and law. She combines analytical precision with creative communication, helping organizations use data and storytelling to strengthen credibility, trust, and impact. Over her career, Sawsan has mobilized and optimized millions in funding for governments, NGOs, businesses, and educational institutions, applying her skills across sectors such as judicial reform, civil society, human rights, conservation, conflict transformation, minority entrepreneurship, and immigration—with a strong focus on youth development. She holds a Master's in International and Comparative Politics and dual Bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Journalism.
Rana Studio
We often partner with Rana Studio to bring powerful visual storytelling to our strategy and leadership work. We've collaborated across multiple countries, producing compelling videos, photography, and digital media that amplify the voices and impact of the organizations we serve.
Chadwick Cipiti Studios
We partner with Chadwick Cipiti Studios to bring design, technology, and storytelling together in both live and virtual spaces. We've collaborated on web development, digital campaigns, and event production—building platforms and experiences that connect people, drive engagement, and help clients transform ideas into action.
Milestones That Made Us
From scrappy beginnings to global impact, these are the moments that shaped
Common Ground—and the future we're building with our partners.
The Beginning
Born from a simple belief: mission-driven leaders deserve tools as ambitious as their goals. Common Ground Consulting started as a boutique firm built on relationships, trust, and measurable impact. We quickly became known for our innovative approaches to Organizational Development, Strategic Planning, and team-building.
Going Global
We took on our first international clients in emerging markets. Built bridges between grassroots insight and global expertise. Launched innovative interventions like Street Speaking™ and Lifestories™, blending storytelling and activism to amplify local voices.
Digital First
Among the earliest consultancies to fuse digital strategy with community organizing. Co-designed and delivered one of the first social media–driven advocacy campaigns. Introduced our S.T.A.R.T.™ planning model, Rapid S.T.A.R.T.™ assessment model, and our Consulting Academy™, helping organizations sharpen strategy and build internal capacity.
Impact at Scale
By now, we'd partnered with 350+ organizations across 35 countries. More than 90% came back to us—a testament to deep relationships and lasting results. We designed and launched our national-level L.E.A.D.™ Program in our fifth country. In response to COVID, we pioneered a host of online engagement tools, including our Online Advocacy Course, our 360° Performance System, and strategies that kept leaders and communities connected, despite the crisis.
Human + AI
Launched our Digital Transformation services, proving that technology should amplify connection—not replace it. Became one of the first firms to bring Responsible AI to the nonprofit sector, shaping how mission-driven organizations approach innovation. Continued to integrate Culinary Diplomacy as a creative, human-centered practice in our global engagements. Updated all of our Case Studies to include details explaining how each engagement could be reimagined, using powerful AI tools responsibly.
The Future We're Building
By 2030, we're shaping a global network of social profit leaders equipped with the tools, trust, and innovation needed to solve humanity's toughest challenges. Our vision: mission-driven organizations everywhere using responsible AI, bold leadership models, and human-first strategies to achieve lasting equity, sustainability, and impact at scale.
Ready to Turn Impossible into Inevitable?
Whether you're launching a new initiative or scaling your existing mission, let's explore how our decades of experience can accelerate your impact.