My life mission is to lead, inspire, and champion communities of civility and connection around the world so that all may prosper and thrive.
The critical matters that face our nation and the world require individual, collective, and systemic changes as we reimagine and co-create a sustainable future for all. Together, we must courageously address the urgent need to foster civil, inclusive, healthy work and learning environments so that all may flourish and achieve their full potential.
Displaying genuine civility is more than polite words—it’s a heartfelt commitment to honor and respect others. It means showing up fully, listening deeply, and engaging openly in honest dialogue—united by a shared intention to build common ground.
Ultimately, acting with civility is a choice—a decision made every day with each encounter and interaction by showing respect for the dignity, perspectives, and well-being of others. It is not enough to be ‘merely civil’—in other words, to sit silently and politely by, or failing to act when action is warranted. True civility means choosing to engage respectfully when contrary opinions or opposing views are expressed, speaking up and supporting others, acting with an intent to promote understanding and meaningful connections. Civility helps to create work and learning environments where all members are valued and can be productive and helps foster a milieu where respect and connection thrive.
This site provides a useful venue for civility ‘matters’ such as practical resources, scientific research, and innovative ideas to foster civility in workplaces, learning environments, and communities. Civility ‘matters’ because treating one another with respect is essential for effective communication, community building, fostering trust and psychological safety, and building high-performing teams. Without civility, we miss opportunities to really listen and understand others’ points of view. Civility is not equivalent to censorship; rather, it brings decorum to discourse and respect to disagreement.
Dr. Cynthia Clark
Dr. Clark is an award-winning tenured professor, professor emeritus at Boise State University, and the Founder of Civility Matters™. She is a licensed registered nurse with more than 40 years of experience in health care practice and academic settings. As a nurse/therapist, she specialized in adolescent and family behavioral health, substance abuse recovery, and suicide and violence prevention. For 20 years, she taught a variety of nursing courses, achieving the academic rank of tenured full professor. She is a leading expert in fostering civility and healthy work environments around the globe. Her groundbreaking work on fostering civility has brought national and international attention to the controversial issues of incivility in academic and work environments. Her theory-driven interventions, empirical measurements, theoretical models, and reflective assessments provide “best practices” to prevent, measure, and address uncivil behavior and to create healthy workplaces. Her keynote addresses, workshops, and seminars are highly acclaimed, custom designed, relevant, interactive, and thoroughly engaging.
About the great blue heron image
This noble and majestic bird is a powerful symbol of patience, presence, self-reliance, and quiet strength. Standing motionless by the water’s edge, it teaches us the value of stillness and intentional action—reminding us that not all problems require immediate response, and that wisdom often comes through observation and reflection. That is how Dr. Clark views pursuing civility— balancing thought, emotion, action and response. There are those among us who have the grace and nobility to speak the truth, the self-determination to transform and revolutionize the human condition, and the ability to use innate wisdom to create and sustain cultures of civility and respect. The great blue heron reminds us that strength is not always loud. Sometimes, it’s found in deliberate presence, measured response, and a steadfast commitment to our core values.