Matthew Rich-Tolsma is a Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication, living in The Netherlands. He is a South African and Dutch organisational consultant, coach, and mediator. He was certified in 2012. He has served as an International Intensive Training (IIT) trainer for the centre and is a member of the English Speaking European Assessment Team (ESEAT). He is also involved in mentoring certification candidates and leading conversations about decolonising Nonviolent Communication in sub-Saharan Africa.

He has an interest in working with themes around complex conflicts, race and ethnicity, and gender-based violence, particularly in the EMEA region. His work is trauma informed and focuses on taking a critical, elicitive, and highly embodied approach. Matthew started his career in critical education and development in South Africa, China, and India; he originally worked in democratic education and later trained as a Montessori teacher. (Term expires November 2026)