Bahman A.K. Shirazi is former director of graduate studies at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). He has been actively affiliated with that organisation since 1983.
His doctoral dissertation, "Self in Integral Psychology" was the first of its kind in the field of integral psychology. His work draws from the approach of Haridas Chaudhuri, focusing on an integrative approach to psychology, with the goal of developing insights into the nature of human psychospiritual development and integral self-realization.
Dr. Shirazi has taught at several San Francisco Bay Area universities: California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), Sofia University (formerly Institute of Transpersonal Psychology), and previously at John F. Kennedy University (JFKU), and Dominican University of California.
He served as Associate Producer for the documentary film, Integral Consciousness (Director, Mark Kitchell; Producer, Alan Baiss ©2008.) and as a panel member of OHI's first Winter Webinar, Facing North, in 2016. His publications include many articles in peer-reviewed journals, some of which are listed here.
Don Hall has had the good fortune to participate in the international Transition Towns Movement in a variety of capacities over the past decade. Initially serving for two years as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Transition Colorado, he went on to found and direct Transition Sarasota from 2010 to 2016. A certified Transition Trainer and experienced facilitator, Don was named Co-Director of Transition US in 2017. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University and currently lives in Sarasota, Florida.
Evan T. Pritchard, a descendant of the Mi’kmaq people, has taught Native American studies at Pace University, Vassar College, and Marist College and is the director of the Center for Algonquin Culture. Steeped in bird lore by his Mi’kmaq great aunt Helen Perley, he is the author of several books, including Native New Yorkers and No Word for Time. A regular on radio shows such as NPR’s Fresh Air and on the History Channel, he lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.
Judy Grahn is internationally known as a poet, writer, and cultural theorist.
Her writings helped fuel, globally, second wave feminist, gay, and lesbian activism, as well as women’s and queer spirituality. She has received two American Book Awards, two Lambda literature awards, a Foremothers of Women’s Spirituality Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Triangle Publishers, who also established the Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award in 1996. In 2014 she was Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade.
Grahn has published thirteen books with several more in process; publications include two book length poems, several poetry collections, The Judy Grahn Reader from Aunt Lute Press, an ecotopian novel, and five non-fiction books. Among them are Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds; Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World; and her memoir, A Simple Revolution: the Making of an Activist Poet. A collection of nine-part poems, Hanging On Our Own Bones, is her latest, from Red Hen Press.
She lives in California with her wife.
Writer, Reporter, Editor
I am a writer and editor in all genres, with a particular passion for music and the arts. My work includes a diverse range of editorial projects for individuals and institutions plus freelance articles for print and online publications. Beyond the art of language, I'm studying the non-verbal, non-linear practice of sound healing with tibetan bowls. After a course of study at the Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing School with Diane Mandle in California, I am currently working towards my certification in the field. I offer sessions for personal sound healing work and public presentations with Tibetan Singing Bowls.
Currently living in San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico with my son, Kevin.
Trailblazer in human development
Rob Hopkins is the founder of the Transition movement, now active in over 50 countries. He is the author of 5 books, including The Transition Handbook, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, and most recently, From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want. He is in great demand as a public speaker and is director of a pioneering social enterprise craft brewery. He was once one of The Observer’s “50 New Radicals.”
Shae Clark graduated from Sofia University (formerly the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology) in 2017 with a PhD in Psychology and is a passionate educator with enthusiasm for contributing to higher education and empowering students with knowledge. Dr. Clark’s qualitative dissertation uncovered the lived transformational experiences of practiced mindful eaters. Her teaching philosophy encompasses areas of consciousness beyond the usual limits of ego and personality.
Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. She is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess and the ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, and its sequel City of Refuge.
Her most recent non-fiction book is The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups, on group dynamics, power, conflict and communications.
Starhawk founded Earth Activist Training, teaching permaculture design grounded in spirituality and with a focus on activism. She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, the tools of ritual, and the skills of activism.