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Dannemiller's Obituary
Kathleen Douglas Dannemiller
Kathleen Douglas (Kathie)
Dannemiller, remembered by many as a generous friend, a gifted teacher and one of the most respected consultants of her era, passed away peacefully December 26, from complications related to emergency surgery. Kathie, who co-founded the locally based internationally-known consulting firm Dannemiller Tyson Associates, devoted her self to bringing about progressive change in the local community, in business, government, and not for profit organizations, and in the lives of thousands of people she encountered across the globe. Her passionate, engaging and direct style affected many people profoundly both by what she said and did, and how she listened to them, helping them discover new ways to move forward.
Kathie was born in Detroit April 27, 1929. She attended the University of Michigan, receiving both her BA and MA, and lived in Ann Arbor ever since. Prior to founding the consulting firm in the early 1980's, she served as assistant to the vice-president for Student Affairs at the University of Michigan. She was a lifelong activist and leader in the community, including being the founding mother of the Ark coffeehouse, organizing and managing campaigns for several officeholders and initiatives, and serving two terms on the Ann Arbor School Board, one of them as its president. Being an Organization Development consultant was more than a career for Kathie, it was a useful and meaningful way to live and express her beliefs and values about social justice, empowerment, and effective interaction among people with varying backgrounds and agendas. In addition to benefiting over a hundred client organizations through her consulting, she also made significant contributions to the theory and practice of OD. Building on her work with U-M social researcher Ronald
Lippitt, Kathie was co-inventor of a new approach to working with large complex organizations, now known as Whole-Scale Change. This methodology has been used world-wide by other consultants and hundreds of organizations. Also with
Lippitt, she led courses for hundreds of consultants at the National Training Laboratories
(NTL), and an internship program in Ann Arbor during the 1980's that trained over 100 consultants and trainers in this region.
At the time of her death Kathie was leading a Large Systems Practicum with one of her former partners, Roland Loup. She was also the author or co-author of several books on different aspects of OD practice. Kathie is survived by her four children, and five granddaughters, her brother and sister, and her extended family. Kathie will be loved and missed by friends, colleagues, clients and students, many of whom say she had a profound impact on their lives, by helping them discover more about who they were, developing the courage to follow difficult paths, or learn more deeply about managing and leading. One consultant who subsequently served as vice-president for three Fortune 100 companies said, “She was the most important teacher I ever had. It changed my entire career path.” Many others expressed sentiments similar to one sent by a consultant who moved out of state several years ago, “It is hard for me to think of letting her go.” No matter how long it has been since I've seen her she has been a part of me and who I am today.
Click here to read the tribute to Kathie
Dannemiller, which appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of the Organization Development Journal.
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