Rochelle Fairfield
With an MA in Integral Theory, Rochelle works as an Integral Coach ™, focusing on gender in leadership. Having completed her undergrad while working as a laborer in the logging industry, Rochelle was drawn by her sense of adventure to a career in commercial fishing. In both careers, she was one of few, if not the only woman in her workplace, where she worked her way from deck-hand to skipper of the boat. On the management side of the fishery - whose assets were the range of $200 million dollars - she served as Director, and eventually as President of the Pacific Prawn Fisherman’s Association, which was responsible for co-managing the fishery with the Canadian Government. A naturally curious person, Rochelle felt it was not right that many important issues that would ensure the increasing health of the prawn fishery were being neglected because of how her colleagues engaged conflict and power; conflict between factions within the prawn fishery, with other fisheries, and also the government, first nations, and recreational user groups. While at the helm of the Association, she made it her unofficial role to evolve the status quo of conflict engagement between all these user groups, many of whom had not been on speaking terms for years, (except to make death-threats at times). Her success is evidenced increase in voluntary funding from the low 80’s% to over 99%, and by the fact that by the end of her time there, these groups were on speaking terms and could finally meet in the same room and actually begin to work on the issues at hand, rather than on trying to diminish or destroy one another.
After leaving the fishery to become a mother and following her curiosity into the academic and applied sides of Integral Theory, she recently was offered a contract to work with women in social service organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who minister to the ‘untouchables’ there. Having gone from all-male, big financial stakes resource industry to all-female shoe-string budget care industry, Rochelle continues to shape her understanding and skill in the use of power and influence with particular focus on gender and the transaction of power in official and unofficial social spaces. Rochelle was an auditor for the 2010 Integral Theory Conference Best Papers selection committee.