Dean Hanniball

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Dean’s path of creating direct experiences and business simulations for more than twenty-three years has provided him with the background to deeply understand the needs surrounding leadership and organizational development. Dean creates meaningful and engaging business simulations that match the complexity of organizations and their leaders. Part of his success comes from the “serious, yet playful” way that many of these simulations engage participants in their quest for understanding.

Adventure and challenge has always been part of Dean’s life. He started rock climbing at age fourteen; was scaling walls in Yosemite Valley at eighteen; and professionally guiding clients, among them business leaders and executives, by the age of twenty-two. He has numerous first ascents in the Canadian Rockies, the Tetons and on the sheer sandstone walls of southern Utah. After studying art and design at the University of Utah for five years, he was drawn into the world of outdoor retailing in 1975. As owner of Timberline Sports, he supported Salt Lake’s outdoor community through backpacking, climbing, kayaking and cross country skiing. His work as a guide and business owner in outdoor retailing led to his involvement with programming at Utah State University, where he was Coordinator of Outdoor Events and Technical Specialist for USU’s Management Institute.

Dean is able to design and distill the core concepts of a simulation into a compelling situational learning experience. His work has been used to bring hands-on meaning to business concepts and methodologies including the Toyota Production System, High Reliability Organizations and a variety of facets of leadership development. Whether the learning takes place in a ballroom or a slot canyon, Dean’s sense of adventure is always part of the game in a simulation.

Dean and his wife, Ann, currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have one daughter. Dean enjoys fly fishing and canyoneering in his spare time.