Dr. Rev PM Crowley Hillstrom, Founder

Dr. Rev Hillstrom is one of this country’s foremost Indigenous scholars leading systemic change for excellence and equity. Through the pillars of The CLEAR Model (Culture, Learning, Equitable, Achievement and Responsive) and the I.M.P.A.C.T. model (Individuals Making Positive Accelerated Change Together) he guides systems in generating the equity consciousness needed for conceptual, behavioral, and structural transformation.  

Rev’s undergraduate studies in Music and American Indian Studies at Augsburg University gave rise to his Masters’ studies at Bethel University in Ethnomusicology and eventually lead to a Doctorate in Teaching and Learning from the University of Minnesota. As a systems change innovator, Hillstrom’s approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) connects his own Indigenous worldview, artistic talents, and intuitive insight with the intrinsic values of participants. This approach creates a rich professional learning experience in Culturally Validating Pedagogy (CVP) and Culturally Validating Leadership (CVL), addressing the varied learning styles, perspectives, and assets of stakeholders of all races, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. This equips the participants to be lifelong learners and leaders. From start-ups to large organizations and institutions (both non-profit and for profit), Hillstrom shares his gifts. He challenges each stakeholder, and administrators to grow in their understanding of who they are and what their relationship is with the world around them.

Dr. Hillstrom is the founder of Intercultural Innovations Inc. (I3), home of the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model, The CLEAR Model, and The CLEAR Solutions Framework, and serves Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP) as the Senior Director of Research.  He also promotes excellence and equity by serving with regional and national organizations including the National Urban Alliance (NUA). Dr. Hillstrom’s work includes nationally published articles, presentations at several national conferences, multiple copyrighted system tools and the publication of his book Educational Settings Impact on Minnesota American Indian Academic Proficiency.
Contact Rev at dr.rev@impacti3.com

Vetting Statement

The powerful and transformative tools utilized in The CLEAR Solutions Framework and penned by the hand of Dr. Rev PM Crowley Hillstrom, are copyrighted to Intercultural Innovations Inc. (I3) and are foundational to systems change work.

The aggregate of these tools provides functional representations of the scholarly, academic, and professional body of work offered through Dr. Hillstrom.

Inspiration for the various tools and models is rooted within a dedicated understanding of Indigenous epistemology and ontology.

In addition to the Indigenous foundation of Dr. Hillstrom and his academic dedication to his work, several academics, scholars and change agents have and continue to profoundly influence the formation and growth of The CLEAR Solutions Framework and its associated system tools.

These scholars and transformational leaders include, but are not limited to:  Paulo Freire, Dr. Cater G. Woodson, Carlos Mariani Rosa, Dr. David Bohm, Dr. Rose Chu, Derrick Bell, James Baldwin, Robert Seth Price, Johnny Smith, Dr. Henry Giroux, Dr. Geneva Gay, Dr. Gloria Lansing-Billings, Leiataua Dr. Jon Peterson, Dr. Eric Buffalohead, Dr. Eric Cooper and Dr. Yevette Jackson.

Affirmation and validation for the effectiveness of  The CLEAR Solutions Framework and associated tools is evidenced through numerous institutions and practitioners. This includes literally thousands of individual practitioners who have been trained in the tools and apply them to their daily practices in Culturally Validating Pedagogy (CVP) and Culturally Validating Leadership (CVL).

In addition to the thousands of practitioners currently using the I3 system tools in their daily practice, several highly respected institutions, organizations, and districts have contributed to the vetting process of I3’s system tools and thus recognize the credibility of Dr. Hillstrom’s work. Some of these include the Minnesota Department of Education, the University of Minnesota, National Urban Alliance (NUA), and the Minnesota Educational Equity Partnership (MnEEP) along with multiple districts throughout the country.