Rick Fowler
Kahler Consulting Group
Member, Events Committee and Strategic Financial Committee

“My ASTD experiences have been wonderful. It's such an open, friendly group of people who are willing to share their insight and lend a helping hand. It's a joy to be part of a team that really makes things happen – and smoothly. I feel honored to have the chance to contribute, and I sincerely hope that I can make a difference.”

Simply put, Rick Fowler is a dynamite addition to the ASTD volunteer community.

However, there is nothing simple about Rick’s contribution to ASTD. He is a member of two committees, and is therefore constantly involved with various programs and projects. Rick was a significant contributor to the Harold Stolovich presentation in June; he helped the committee with the event planning and was responsible for making sure the handouts and learning materials were gathered, printed, and distributed. “We had a great time putting together a terrific event, and it seemed to go off without a hitch, thanks to Lisa Edwards and Susan Parsons and a whole army of fantastic volunteers,” Rick explains. His most important responsibility may have been to ensure that Dr. Stolovich made it to the airport in time to catch his flight – they took the back roads to get there during rush hour and made it without a hitch!

Rick is also an active member of the Internal Audit Committee. While some people may have been overwhelmed by the idea of conducting the preliminary Internal Audit, Rick saw it as a marvelous development opportunity. His ability to analyze intricate details coupled with a terrific view of the big picture added tremendous value to the Audit. Plus his energy, zest, and ambition were a welcome addition to the complex project.

Rick joined the chapter in March 2005. He quickly volunteered for the Events Committee; in fact, he joined the committee just before his membership officially began. He continued to offer his skills to the Finance Committee. Rick had two reasons for wanting to volunteer with ASTD. First, he was interested in networking with people in the Training & Development and Organizational Development fields for that is the direction he is guiding his consulting business. Rick also is a life long learner; his eyes constantly sparkle with intelligence and curiosity. Rick wanted to immerse himself in ASTD programs to learn more about training and development concepts and methods. “Once I started volunteering at ASTD, I realized what a great organization it is, how smoothly the local organization runs, and how great the people are to work with,” he says. “I knew I wanted to be exposed to this excellence and contribute however I could to make a positive difference, and learn as much as possible just by being around terrific, dedicated people.”

Rick Fowler is an advisor and coach in human performance improvement. He helps businesses bring their brands to life through people. Rick guides leaders to focus on their best customers and to build a culture that creates great customer experiences. His clients build strong customer relationships and enjoy increased customer loyalty as a result. He has been a leader of and contributor to organizational change and process improvement for 10 years. He is growing Kahler Consulting Group through alliances to bring the best human performance improvement capabilities to his clients. Before co-founding Kahler Consulting Group, he worked as a software engineer (he wrote the software for possibly the first cellular phone with a color display, showcased at a consumer electronics show in 1997!), and was a consultant on large technology projects.

Astonishingly, Rick finds time to volunteer with other organizations. He has volunteered at the National Speakers Association (Oregon Chapter) many times, and has spent extensive time working with a local networking organization as a chapter leader and helps to put on chapter leadership training and conferences. He also volunteered at the 2004 Western Winter Workshop in Portland, an educational conference for 500+ professional speakers and consultants. 

It is obvious that Rick is extremely passionate about helping others develop, and encouraging others (as well as himself) to keep an open mind and a willingness to be vulnerable. Rick’s favorite quote by Joe Sabah summarizes these thoughts: "We don't know who discovered water, but we're pretty sure it wasn't the fish." Rick is a classical guitarist and an avid ultimate frisbee player - played in national championship tournaments for about seven years. In August, Rick is marrying Bobbi Kahler, a professional speaker and his business partner.

You can contact Rick at www.kahlerconsulting.com, or rick@kahlerconsulting.com.

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