Authority, Leadership, & Followership: Seeing & Being Seen
A virtual group relations conference whose primary task is to learn about authority, leadership and followership in a temporary educational institution which is being recorded and will be published.
Taking place: April 1-4, 2027
Conference Director: Jeffrey D. Roth, MD, FAKRI
Associate Director: Jaime Romo, EdD
Assistant Director for Administration: Abigail Johnson, PhD
Sponsored By:
Group Relations International
Midwest Group Relations Center (MGRC)
Questions? Contact us at: seeingandbeingseengrc@gmail.com
Structure and Method
PLENARY EVENTS (PCO, IEPO, IEPR, PCR) — consists of all conference members with staff consultants who assist the group with the primary tasks of entering and joining the conference (PCO) and the institutional event (IEPO), and reviewing the institutional event (IEPR) and the conference as a whole (PCR).
SMALL STUDY GROUP (SG) — consists of ten members with a consultant who assists the group with the primary task of studying its own behavior in the here-and-now and its relationship to authority.
LARGE STUDY GROUP (LG) — consists of all conference members with a team of consultants that assists the group with the primary task of studying its own behavior in the here-and-now and its relationship to authority under conditions in which face to face interaction is difficult or impossible.
INSTITUTIONAL EVENT (IE) — members form their own groups to interact with other member groups and with the staff group. The primary task of the IE is to study authority and leadership and the overt and covert processes that develop as these groups evolve and interact in the here-and-now.
ROLE REVIEW GROUP (RRG) — consists of five members with a consultant; provides opportunities for members to reflect on their experiences and roles in the different conference events.
Please note: The conference is designed to provide an integrated experience. Learning occurs not only during individual conference events but also from their sequence and relationship to one another; therefore, membership entails a commitment to attend all events.
Schedule
Registration
Membership:
Enrollment will be limited to 40 members; early registration is advised. Members applying after enrollment reaches 40 will be put on a waiting list. The registration deadline is March 1.
To apply, please register at https://www.grouprelationsconference.com
Reference Letter:
Experiential learning can sometimes be stressful. Individuals who are experiencing significant personal difficulty or who have an authority relationship with a member of the conference staff are encouraged not to attend the conference. In addition to completing the Conference Registration Form, each applicant is required to provide a letter of reference from an experienced group relations practitioner who can vouch for their ability to participate in an intensive learning experience that will be recorded and published. The applicant is responsible for seeing that this letter is submitted before March 1. Letters should be sent via e-mail to: seeingandbeingseengrc@gmail.com
Letter of Admission:
Will be issued after the registration form, reference letter and payment are received.
Payment of Fees:
The registration fee for the conference is $600.00, payable via PayPal to: seeingandbeingseengrc@gmail.com
Withdrawals and Cancellations:
Withdrawals after March 1 will not be refunded unless someone on the wait list fills the position. Registered members consent to having their e-mail communications and participation in the conference events recorded and published. Members who withdraw during the conference consent to having their e-mail and participation in the conference events up to the time of withdrawal recorded and published.
Honorarium:
Members who submit a vignette of approximately 500 words for publication about an experience of the conference will receive an honorarium of $200.00.
Staff Bios
Jeffrey D. Roth, MD, FAKRI
Director of twenty group relations conferences in Chicago, China and cyberspace; Founding Member and Past President, CCSGO; Fellow, AKRI
Conference Director
Jaime Romo, EdD
Rev. Dr. Jaime Romo is a Minister for Healing and Healthy Environments at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, CA. Dr. Romo integrates a background in teacher education, hospice chaplaincy and Trauma Informed Care to the many roles he takes up. He is a certified A.K.Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems consultant who has directed Group Relations conferences and events.
Associate Director
Assistant Director of AdministrationAbigail Johnson, PhD
Dr. Abigail Johnson is an Organizational Development Consultant specializing in organizational change. She works across industries including education, government, healthcare, engineering, and technology. She has served on staff of 10+ conferences and is a member of the New York Center for Group Relations and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Consulting Staff
Patrick Jean-Pierre, PsyD
Dr. Patrick Jean-Pierre, known as Dr. JP, is the dedicated Principal of Paige Elementary Community School within the Schenectady City School District. With 25 years of comprehensive experience across public, charter, and university settings, Dr. JP is an educator, counselor, and leader passionate about fostering systemic change in schools. Dr. JP previously served as District Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Assistant Director for Diversity Recruitment in Schenectady City School District, and held key leadership roles at the University at Albany and NYU, where he directed the NYS Technical Assistance Center on Disproportionality. Former leadership consultant at the Wharton School of Executive Education; Small group instructor at University of Pennsylvania; Consultant, A.K. Rice Institute (AKRI) for the Study of Social Systems; Member: New York Center, AKRI. He also has taught Diversity, Equity, and Systems Leadership at various universities. Dr. Jean-Pierre holds a Doctorate in Organizational Psychology from Rutgers University, complemented by master's degrees in Educational Leadership, Industrial Organizational Psychology, and Human Resource Management.
Sarah Rosenbaum, PhD
I am a clinical psychologist in private practice, providing individual, couples, and group psychotherapy, organizational consulting and executive coaching. I have served on dozens of group relations conference staffs and have held every possible role. I am a Fellow and past president of the A.K. Rice Institute, and long-time member of the New York Center. I am also a co-creator in Group Relations International, where I serve as senior training faculty. I teach "Foundations in Group Relations Theory” for an international audience.
Tyrome Smith, MA
Tyrome E. Smith is an experienced consultant and director specializing in Group Relations in the Tavistock tradition. His recent leadership includes serving as Director for the Washington-Baltimore Center (WBC) Annual Conferences (2023, 2025) and consulting for prominent experiential events such as CCSGO's Authority, Leadership & Role (2025), Group Relations International's Networks of Desire (2022), and OPUS's Finding Courage in the Face of Change (2021). A Fellow of the A.K. Rice Institute (AKRI), Tyrome previously served as AKRI Vice President (2018–2021) and actively consults on organizational dynamics, systemic racism, and leadership authority.
Sarah Wynick, MB, BS, MRCPsych
Friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, our customer service manager ensures every interaction is a positive one. They keep communication clear, timely, and human.
Administrative Staff
Rebecca Abell, PsyD
Dr. Rebecca Abell (she/her) works as a clinical psychologist and Director of the Psychology Externship in outpatient behavioral health at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She specializes in facilitating and training in group psychotherapy. She is a Certified Consultant with the A.K Rice Institute, Membership Committee Chair at the Washington Baltimore Center, member of the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems and the New York Center, and Group Relations International Co-Creator. She has participated in 25 conferences in various staff and member roles.
Manshreya Grover, MLA
Manshreya Grover is an organisational consultant based in Delhi and a current student of systems psychodynamics at the Tavistock and Portman. She has taken up member and staff roles in 12 group relations conferences across the US, UK, India, and China. She was the Yvonne Agazarian Research Scholar in 2019 and is a Group Relations International Co-Creator, and is a member of International Society For the psychoanalytic Study of organizations and the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems.