Education Faculty

ALAN BRISKIN received his Bachelor’s from Goddard College and his Master’s and Doctorate from the Wright Institute. He is co-founder of the Collective Wisdom Initiative is a leading voice in the field of organizational learning and development. Alan’s work as an organizational consultant and researcher came to further fruition in his co-authored book, The Power of Collective Wisdom, which won the 2010 Nautilus Award in the category of Business and Leadership. Another co-authored publication, Daily Miracles: Stories and Practices of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care, was chosen as the 2007 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing.

DAVID SIBBET received his bachelors from Occidental College and his masters from Northwestern university. He Is a distinguished process consultant recognized by the Organizational Development Network Award and is the Chairman of Grove Consultants International. David pioneered visual facilitation and is the author and co author of a series of books on visual facilitation and consultation.

ELEANOR CRISWELL received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from the University of Kentucky and her Doctorate from the University of Florida. She has been a professor of psychology at Sonoma State University since 1969 and has formerly been its Chairperson. She is the editor of the journal, Somatics, and the Director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training. As a counseling psychologist, she maintains a private practice in psychotherapy and somatics and is the author of Somatic Yoga and Somatics and Biofeedback.

GEORGE POR received his Bachelor’s from Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, and his Master’s from Université Paris Vincennes (Paris VIII). George is a researcher in collective intelligence, the founder of Community Intelligence, and the online community, Enlivening Edge: News from Next-Stage Organizations. George offers strategic learning to visionary leaders in business, government, and civil society, and facilitates vertical development in people and organizations. His past academic posts include the London School of Economics, UC Berkeley, and the Université de Paris, and his consulting clients have included Climate and Development Knowledge Network, European Commission, European Investment Bank, Ford Motor Co., Global Leadership Academy, Greenpeace, Intel, International center for Organizational Design, Shell, Siemens, Unilever, UN Development Programme, World Business Academy, and the World Wildlife Foundation.

JEAN HOUSTON (Chancellor) is a visionary researcher who has authored nearly 30 books and worked intensively in over 40 cultures, lectured in over 100 countries, and worked with major organizations such as UNICEF and NASA. Dr. Houston has served on the faculties of Columbia University, Hunter College, Marymount College, The New School for Social Research, and the University of California. She holds doctoral degrees in both psychology and religion. Since 2002, Dr. Houston has been working with the United Nations Development program, training leaders in developing cultures throughout the world.

KATHIA CASTRO-LASZLO received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from the Tecnologico de Monterrey, and her Doctorate from Saybrook University. Kathia is the Chief Creative Officer of Magenta Wisdom and the Founding Partner of the Journey Network. As a consultant, she is the facilitator and designer of innovative learning systems within corporations, educational institutions, and international communities. She is widely published on the topics of cultural healing, integral sustainability, evolutionary learning communities and leadership.

MEGGAN HARTMAN received her Bachelor’s from Warren Wilson College, her Master’s from Sophia University, and her Doctorate from Meridian University. In her work as a Pediatric Behavioral Sleep Specialist she specializes in helping mothers with postpartum adjustment issues navigate the complexities of motherhood. As a certified Purpose Guide, Meggan coaches individuals to realize and bring to fruition the depth of their life purpose. Her research interests include understanding cultures’ impact on the mothering identity.

MICKI MCCARTNEY received her Master’s from Royal Roads University and her Doctorate from Meridian University. A key theme running though Micki’s extensive background in higher education leadership is her experience developing resources for students from indigenous cultures. At Vancouver Island University, Micki developed the Indigenous Initiative for the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, the Indigenous Leadership Program, and she oversaw a partnership program involving the university’s Office of Aboriginal Education. Micki’s teaching experience includes such courses as Indigenous Education and Career Exploration and Aboriginal Ecotourism. Micki’s research interests include the survival and revitalization of indigenous cultures as well as bringing transformative learning methodologies to traditionally marginalized learners.

NICO ROENPAGEL received his Doctorate in Arts Education from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia where he was also a member of its faculty for five years. In his work with the Forum for Meditation & Neuroscience, he established experimental connections between mindfulness and classical music, culminating in collaborations with two orchestras. His research interests include the integration of contemplative methods in higher education, mindfulness and embodiment-based approaches to emerging visions of new leadership, and the interplay of visual art and meditation. This last is addressed in his co-authored book, The Mindful Eye: Contemplative Pedagogies in the Visual Arts.

STUART SIGMAN received his Bachelor’s from Hunter College, and his Master’s and Doctorate from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Stuart’s background in higher education leadership includes his serving as founding dean of the School of Communication at Emerson College, dean of System-Wide Programs in Business and Management at Argosy University, and provost at Sofia University where he was also a member of the faculty. Other of his faculty experience includes his teaching at American Jewish University, Naropa University, Union Institute and University, and the State University of NY (SUNY Albany and Buffalo). Stuart is widely published on topics in communication studies including ethnographic methods, social communication approaches, and diversity in communication.

ALEXANDER SCHIEFFER received his Doctorate from the University of St. Gallen. He founded CELL: Center of Excellence for Leadership and Learning, a consultancy specializing in innovative design, leadership and transformation. He co-founded TRANS4M, a new Center for Integral Development with a focus on transformational education and innovative research. He is widely published in both academic and literary works. He has co-authored the books, Transformation Management: Towards the Integral Enterprise, Integral Research and Innovation, Integral Economics, and Integral Dynamics.

DUANE ELGIN received his MBA from the Wharton Business School, has an MA in economic history from the University of Pennsylvania and is an honorary PhD for work in “ecological and spiritual transformation” from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Duane is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and social visionary. In 2006, he received the International Peace Award of Japan (the Goi award) in recognition of his contribution to a global “vision, consciousness, and lifestyle” that fosters a “more sustainable and spiritual culture.” His books include: The Living Universe: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going?; Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity’s Future, Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich, and Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness. With Joseph Campbell and other scholars he co-authored the book Changing Images of Man.

ELIZABETH DEBOLD received her Bachelor’s from Mt. Holyoke College and her Master’s and Doctorate from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She is a founding member of the Harvard Project on Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development. She has served as the Academic Director of The Graduate Institute and Senior Editor of EnlightenNext. She is a leading authority on gender development and author of the bestselling, Mother Daughter Revolution: From Good Girls to Great Women.

GISELA WENDLING received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from Sonoma State University and her Doctorate from Fielding Graduate University. She was the Coordinator of Sonoma State’s Organizational Development Master’s program and was an Assistant Professor at Sonoma State University in the Psychology department. Her interests include organizational development, ritual, and Indigenous cultures.

JONATHAN REAMS received his Doctorate in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. He teaches and does research on leadership development, coaching and counseling. He serves as Editor-in Chief of Integral Review: A Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Journal for New Thought, Praxis and Research. He is also a co-founder of the Center for Transformative Leadership. His publications include: What’s Integral about Leadership?, Integral Leadership: Generating Space for Emergence through Quality of Presence, Leading the Future, Making Leadership Development Developmental and Integral Leadership: Opening Space by Leading through the Heart. He is also co-editor of Integral Education: New Directions for Higher Learning.

LILI GOODMAN FREITAS received her Bachelor’s from Wesleyan College, her Masters from Case Western Reserve University, and her Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Formerly Department Chair of the Department of Liberal Arts at JFK University, and having served for many years as core faculty in the Consciousness, Health, and Healing program at Santa Monica University, Lili’s research interests include soul-centered leadership and the uses of creative ritual to celebrate rites-of-passage through the life cycle.

MELISSA SCHWARTZ received her Master’s from Beacon College and her Doctorate from Rosebridge Graduate School (now Argosy University). Dually licensed as both a clinical psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist, Melissa maintains a private practice as a consulting psychologist. She serves as a peer reviewer for the California Psychological Association’s Office of Professional Development Provider Approval Committee and for the APA journal, Psychology of Women Quarterly. She also serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Her interests include the psychology of women, adult development, and qualitative research.

MONICA SHARMA trained as a physician and epidemiologist, worked for the United Nations for more than thirty years. Currently, she engages worldwide as an international expert and practitioner on leadership development for sustainable and equitable change.

RAMA MANI received her Bachelor’s from Bryn Mawr College, her Master’s from Johns Hopkins University, and her Doctorate from the University of Cambridge. She is the Convenor of the Enacting Global Transformation Collaborative Initiative at the University of Oxford, the co-founder of Rising Women Rising World, a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Visionary Leadership by the Visioneers International Network. She has headed local and international organizations addressing conflict and injustice, and has acted as strategic advisor to foundations dealing with peace building, democracy and governance. She is the author of the book, Beyond Retribution: Seeking Justice in the Shadows of War and co-editor of the book, The Responsibility to Protect: Cultural Perspectives in the Global South.

THOMAS STEININGER received his Doctorate at the University of Vienna with a special emphasis on consciousness and social evolution utilizing the work of Martin Heidegger and Ken Wilber. The founder of the German magazine, Evolve, Thomas also hosts the weekly web-broadcast, Radio Evolve, and pioneered the development of the Emerge Dialogue process, a collective process for creative engagement.