Organizational Development | Ranodda DeChambeau, PhD

Why the hummingbird?
My mother loved hummingbirds and always had a feeder full of bright red liquid ready for them. She enjoyed each one as they came to feed and considered them friends. She passed several years ago but in times of frustration, I have had a hummingbird visit me. Sometimes it came to remind me to quit complaining and remember all that I have to be grateful for. Other times it brings a moment of quiet comfort. Like all mothers, her love helped shape me so this picture is in recognition of this special woman in my life.

About Ranodda
I have had a lot of varied experiences in my career. I have worked in fast food, retail, pathology labs, as a teachers aid, taught vocational school, and spent years in the tour and cruise industry. I have worked for a city government, a water utility and I am now in the energy industry.

I have taught in travel and business at the vocational level and I am now working in certificate programs, bachelor and masters level program, and have developed many college courses. I have also had the special opportunity to teach in Mexico and Vietnam, and I have had many international students. I learn something new with each class and with each student, so I am a lucky girl.

Research Interest
My area of research is organizational paradox. My interest is to understand how we react when we are faced with opposing ideas that are both good, but taking action on one is at the detriment of the other. For example national parks seek to both be accessible to the public, but to also protect and preserve. These positive goals have a paradoxical relationship. This tension is felt by organizations and individuals in the organization. This topic is found in the Thriving in Contradiction section of this site.

For more about me, see my City University of Seattle Faculty Profile

Currently, I teach in the following programs