MEET DR. SCHWEITZER
Turning Division Into Impact
Many organizations begin with strong values and clear intentions. Over time, however, they experience something else:
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Internal conflict.
Mission drift.
Burnout.
Escalating rhetoric.
Fragmented leadership.
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Meetings become reactive. Decisions become politicized. Teams lose trust. Well-intended reforms generate new tensions rather than durable progress.
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These patterns are rarely caused by a lack of commitment. They are driven by unexamined dynamics—identity, fear, urgency, unclear incentives, and structures that reward escalation rather than alignment.
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Don Schweitzer works with leaders and institutions facing these pressures. He helps them move beyond surface conflict and address the psychological and structural forces shaping behavior inside their systems.
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The result is not cosmetic reform.
It is disciplined realignment.
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When organizations clarify incentives, regulate escalation, and align decision-making with mission, trust strengthens, performance improves, and change becomes sustainable.
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Division can be redirected into clarity.
Conflict can be transformed into structure.
Values can be translated into systems that hold.
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Psychology & Structure
Don’s approach blends psychological insight with structural reform.
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From his clinical background, he understands how fear, shame, identity, and urgency drive behavior. From his research and macro practice training, he understands how systems either amplify those dynamics or interrupt them.
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Integrity-Based Advocacy applies both lenses.
It examines:
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How emotional escalation spreads within groups
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How moral certainty narrows thinking
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How dehumanization weakens coalition-building
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How leadership incentives shape behavior
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How disciplined processes create durable change
This is not abstract theory.
It is applied, measurable work designed to produce outcomes that last.
EXPERIENCED LEADER
Dr. Don Schweitzer holds a PhD in Social Work & Social Research from Portland State University, an MSW from Boise State University, and a BSW from Idaho State University. He is a licensed social worker and serves as Associate Professor and Director of the Bachelor of Social Work program at Pacific University.
For more than 25 years, his work has spanned direct community practice, program development, higher education, and system-level reform. He has worked with homeless and disconnected youth, founded local service initiatives, and led collaborative efforts in rehabilitation and family support.
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His doctoral training in research and evaluation informs every engagement. Don approaches reform with disciplined assessment, measurable goals, and structured feedback loops. He does not rely on slogans or best-practice templates. He relies on analysis, alignment, and sustained implementation.
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Across roles, his focus remains consistent: helping leaders build systems that reflect their values and produce durable, measurable results.
What Drives His Work
Don’s work is driven by a persistent question:
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Why do well-intended systems so often produce fragmentation instead of stability?
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His research has examined youth disconnection, service system failure, and the unintended consequences of policy responses that escalate rather than resolve underlying issues.
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He has seen how reforms built on urgency alone often overlook human complexity — identity, trauma, incentives, and group dynamics — and unintentionally deepen division.
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That is why his work emphasizes participatory and applied research. Durable change requires disciplined listening, structured feedback, and solutions grounded in lived experience rather than ideological certainty.
For Don, reform is not about moral positioning.
It is about designing systems that actually work.
Who I Work With
Don works with:
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Nonprofits and public agencies experiencing mission drift, internal conflict, or organizational burnout
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Academic and social work departments seeking to strengthen pedagogy, evaluation, and institutional integrity
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Advocacy groups and coalitions seeking coherence, discipline, and durable strategy
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Leaders ready to move beyond moral performance and build systems that withstand pressure
Don works best with teams willing to examine both culture and structure. That includes clarifying incentives, leadership patterns, communication norms, and decision-making processes that may be unintentionally reinforcing division.
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The goal is alignment that strengthens trust, improves performance, and produces measurable results.
How I Approach the Work
Don’s orientation is grounded, disciplined, and relational.
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He integrates:
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Trauma-informed frameworks — because group dynamics are shaped by fear, identity, and past harm
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Mindfulness and regulation practices — because escalation undermines clarity
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Integrity and accountability — without shortcuts or inflated claims
He believes organizations do not change through pressure alone. They change when leadership is willing to examine assumptions, align behavior with values, and build structures that support disciplined decision-making.
This work requires patience, clarity, and courage. It asks leaders to look beneath surface conflict and address the dynamics that sustain it.
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Featured Essay
"You Can’t Build a Just Society Using Dehumanizing Tools"​
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Most people want a society that is fairer and more humane. But can a just end be achieved through corrosive means? This essay examines the psychological and ethical disciplines required for long-term repair. It is an invitation to take integrity seriously, not only in our goals, but also in how we pursue them.
PAST TESTIMONIALS
"I've grown professionally in the last year & a half with his guidance, support, and commitment to the development of our MSW program. His ability to foster collegial and student learning and growth is exemplary and much needed in the development of a new program within the professional and academic realms of social work."
Pacific University Faculty
"Dr. Schweitzer is a well-rounded and humble professional. He has used his abilities to
best serve his colleagues, students, department, college, and the university and broader
community as a whole."
Pacific University
"His presentation was a key component of our conference,
which provided many conference, participants fresh insights into the challenges and
opportunities of their own youth programming."
Conference Organizer
Let's Do More
General FAQs
Is this politically aligned consulting?
No. This work is not partisan or ideological. It focuses on behavioral dynamics, leadership incentives, structural alignment, and measurable outcomes. The goal is effectiveness and integrity — not political positioning.
How do I know if my organization is a good fit?
This work is best suited for leadership teams experiencing fragmentation, mission drift, internal conflict, or burnout and who are willing to examine both culture and structure. Organizations looking for messaging support or quick optics shifts are not a good fit.
What does the engagement process look like?
Engagements typically begin with structured assessment and leadership interviews, followed by framework development and implementation planning. Every process is tailored, but always includes measurable goals and feedback loops.
How disruptive is this process?
The goal is not disruption for its own sake. The goal is clarity and alignment. That may require honest examination of incentives and patterns, but the work is paced deliberately and collaboratively.
What kind of time commitment is required?
Most engagements span several months and involve leadership participation. Sustainable change requires consistency, not one-time intervention.
What happens after I apply?
Applications are reviewed personally. If there appears to be alignment, the next step is a structured consultation call to determine scope and readiness.