---
title: "Ted Rau - Center for Nonviolent Communication"
description: ""
url: "https://www.cnvc.org/about/staff/ted-rau"
date: "2026-09-18T06:26:13+00:00"
language: "en-US"
---

![Portrait of Ted Rau](https://www.cnvc.org/images/portraits/board/Ted-Rau.jpg)

#  Ted Rau

Interim Executive Director

 **Languages:** English, German

 **Current Country:** Germany

 **Country of Origin:** Germany

Born and raised in Germany, I earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics in Tübingen and worked in academia before moving to the United States. My five children are between ages 10 and 19. I am transgender (FTM) and identify as queer and transitioned in 2017. Social justice, longing for more equality, and our future affected by climate change are on my mind a lot.

I care deeply about Nonviolent Communication, awareness of NVC in the world, and regenerative, non-coercive social systems in general. I've been studying NVC since 2010 in a weekly study group that focused on core NVC concepts & practice, as well as the writings of Miki Kashtan. In my teaching, needs consciousness is always embedded within governance-focused classes and facilitation.

I live in a cohousing community with 70 neighbors in Massachusetts (United States) that practices NVC and restorative practices. In 2016, I co-founded [Sociocracy For All](https://www.sociocracyforall.org/), a global multi-lingual, multi-sector membership nonprofit organization based in the U.S. Its governance is distributed, with approximately 25 people in paid roles (mostly part-time) and 200 volunteer members in decision-making groups. Currently, I serve as the Executive Director.

I published two books on governance, "[Many Voices One Song. Sharing Power with Sociocracy](https://www.sociocracyforall.org/many-voices-one-song/)" (2018) and "[Who Decides Who Decides. How to start a group so everyone can have a voice](https://www.sociocracyforall.org/who-decides-who-decides/)" (2021). Both books explicitly draw from NVC in its interface of inner transformation, communication, and decision-making. In my client work, my experience lies in different sectors like nonprofits, activism, business, communities, and schools. I support organizations in implementing distributed governance and decision making with accountability and feedback. I've worked in and with international for-purpose organizations that are structurally similar to CNVC.

 [ LinkedIn Profile ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-rau-bb75a513b/ "View LinkedIn profile, new window will open leaving CVNC")

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