In Memoriam - Rita Herzog
Rita Herzog (June 26,1931 - January 15, 2025)
Rita organized for and worked with Marshall since she met him in 1985. As a CNVC certified trainer and an IIT trainer, she offered NVC training in Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Israel, many parts of Europe, and in the U.S. and Canada. She coordinated the early activities of the Center, sent out regular mailings of happenings in the network called Network News and served on the CNVC (Center for Nonviolent Communication) Board for nine years.
Rita helped write the original documents for the certification preparation and assessment process and served as the certification coordinator since its beginning, retiring in December of 2014. She volunteered for the new certification coordination council (CCC) with Michael Dillo, Sylvia Haskvitz and Alison Simari, which offered support and guidance to assessors and trainer candidates. Together we explored how to live and teach the values of self-awareness, self responsibility, community, and social change, all of which encompass the spirituality which is at the heart of Nonviolent Communication. Rita was an esteemed member of the CALF team for several years before her retirement.
Rita co-authored the children's book The Mayor of Jackal Heights, which demonstrates the power of NVC empathy. Rita's experiences taught her that once we fully receive the healing power of empathy for ourselves, we cannot stop the natural flow of compassion to others, creating the loving connections we all yearn for.