Bios

	Aaron Stern is the Founder and Director of the Academy, serves as President of the Board, and is a member of the Core Faculty. He designed the core curriculum, which is at the heart of all Academy programs, and directs its Faculty. He is a composer, performer, educator and former Dean of the American Conservatory of Music. He consults with educational, arts, spiritual and social-change organizations and communities, worldwide.
	Marianne Murray is a member of the Academy's core facilitation team, and works with program design. She has a Ph.D. in transformative learning, an MA in transpersonal psychology, and is a certified Holotropic Breathwork practitioner, systemic constellations facilitator, and body worker. She works with groups and individuals in the US, UK and Belgium.
	Thomas Jaggers is the Academy's Managing Director. He has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology. An experienced teacher, editor and translator, he is also a member of the Academy's facilitation team.
	Patrick Anderson is the Manager of Ventana Advisory Services, which implements the Academy’s mission in partnership with social change networks and organizations. Patrick brings with him a passion for civic participation, a field in which he has gained extensive experience through his work in the government, education and non-profit sectors. Patrick holds a UNESCO MA in Peace, Development and Conflict Resolution, and is currently completing a PhD in Sustainability Studies.
	Marjie Kamine returned to Santa Fe and joined the Academy staff after 6 1/2 years as Director of Development for the College of Arts & Letters at Northern Arizona University. Prior to that she was Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at College of Santa Fe, and Administrative and Development Director for Wings of America. Marjie's career includes: Public Relations Director at the Omega Institute; Project Manager in Electronic Publishing at Rodale Press; and Program Director for Grass-Roots TV. Marjie has a B.A. in Education/French from Washington University in St. Louis and has done graduate work in Outdoor Education and Education for at-risk youth. A visual artist herself, Marjie loves the intersection of transformative education, the arts and environmental sustainability that are hallmarks of the Academy's programs.
	David Gordon is an artist, Director of Academy Center Development, and a member of the Board of Directors. David was part of the circle that supported the early development of the Academy. As owner of DGTileworks, his clients range from architects, designers, museums and a variety of public institutions, including the New York City Subway System, Coney Island Aquarium and Hyatt Hotels. David is overseeing the construction of the new Academy Center and led the development of the Academy’s Sedona classroom site.
	Patty Nagle is the Academy's Programs Manager. She comes to the Academy with extensive experience in the areas of event production, management and operations within the non-profit sector. Her passion is being in the natural world with her two dogs and staying fit. She received her B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation – Exercise Science from the Pennsylvania State University.
	Patty Lee is leading the Educator Renewal program at the Academy. She holds a doctorate in Special Education and Educational Leadership from the University of Kansas. She has served as a teacher for over 40 years in public schools, higher education, and most recently at the Santa Fe Community College. Throughout her career as an educator, she has researched and offered professional development in what it means to be a reflective educator. Her passion is to bring educators together, facilitate reflective dialogue, and reignite the love of learning as it relates to teaching.
	Chrissie Orr was born in Scotland, a descendant of the Picts, (the painted ones) She is an artist, animateur and activist who focuses on developing “an aesthetic around community and site with issues relevant to both.” Orr has created innovative community based art projects in diverse areas of the world and is recognized internationally for her innovative work. She presently is working on the El Otro Lado Project in collaboration with the Academy and the Santa Fe Art Institute.
	Molly Sturges is a composer, performer and facilitator. She is artistic co-director and co-founder of Lifesongs and the artist collective Littleglobe and specializes in interdisciplinary creative collaborations with a wide range of communities that foster community engagement and social transformation. In 2011 she joined the faculty at the Academy. She is also Professor of Practice in Art and Ecology at the University of New Mexico. She is currently at work on COAL: A Musical Fable a national arts and climate change project. MORE
	Acushla Bastible is a multidisciplinary theatre artist–performer, stage director, writer, and educator. She is the artistic co-director of Lifesongs, an artistic associate with the Santa Fe Opera, and an artistic affiliate with Littleglobe. She is currently developing a musical about coal with composer Molly Sturges. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. MORE
	Isoke Femi is co-founder and director of the Todos Institute. She co-authored No Boundaries, a manual for intercultural alliance building, and developed Leading With Soul, a curriculum for cultural leadership. For over 25 years Isoke has worked with hundreds of groups throughout the United States, supporting them to appreciate and engage difference. In her work Isoke integrates singing in the African American congregational tradition.
	Donald VanHowten has been in the field of bodywork and personal development for 38 years and is an associate instructor at the Ayurvedic Institute In New Mexico as well as author of Ayurveda & Life Impressions Bodywork. Van teaches that we all have holding patterns that are habitual, so that they leave a historical imprint on the membranes of the body. These membranes store our actions, experiences, emotions, and beliefs. They in turn represent our impressions of life in a "hard copy" of flesh.
	James Bampfield is a member of the core facilitation team and leads the Leading By Being training in Europe. He is the co-director of the Europe-based consulting partnership, Quinx. He works in the fields of organizational consultancy, change agency, and personal growth. A graduate of Cambridge University and the University of Surrey, he has an MS in Change Agent Skills and Strategies.
	Anja Hueber is co-founder of the Europe-based consultancy, Quinx, and she is active in a range of innovative training and consulting projects. Anja co-facilitates Leading by Being in Europe, and her heart and passion lie in the field of personal and spiritual growth. A graduate of the Institute of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, Anja completed post-graduate studies in transpersonal psychology, also in the Netherlands.
	David L. Witt, curator, works on exhibition development, collections management, research, publication, and public presentations relating to the life and legacy of artist/naturalist/writer Ernest Thompson Seton. His career has included appointment as art curator at the Harwood Foundation of the University of New Mexico, founding the New Mexico Art History Conference, and publishing three award winning art history books. He holds degrees in Political Science and Liberal Studies/Leadership, and is a lifelong naturalist.
	Matthew Fox is the Academy’s Visiting Scholar (Read Article: Matthew Fox Joins the Academy). He holds a doctorate degree in the History and Theology of Spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris. Matthew is best known for his renewal of the ancient tradition of feminine-centered Creation Spirituality. In 1996 he founded the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California. He is currently lecturing, teaching and writing and is President of the non-profit that he created in 1984, Friends of Creation Spirituality. He is the author of twenty-eight books on philosophy, religion, and spirituality, His most recent book, The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human has led him into an increased engagement with issues impacting the education of children. www.matthewfox.org
	Reta Lawler is a member of the Academy’s adjunct faculty and was part of the circle that supported the early development of the Academy. Her Coming Full Circle training, exploring a contemplative approach to death and dying, is part of the Academy’s core curriculum. Reta is fully ordained in the Zen Buddhist lineage. She is also a transpersonal therapist and incorporates her study and practice of Peruvian Shamanism in her teaching and healing work across the US.
	Mark Nicolson is part of the team of the Ventana Group. He has been a leadership consultant and coach for 13 years and was formerly a partner in Alexander, the UK firm which pioneered coaching in organizations. He is on the faculty of the Kennedy School Executive Education program at Harvard, of Stanford Continuing Studies and of Esalen Institute. He holds an MA from Oxford and an MBA from Stanford.
	Daniela Di Piero is a co-facilitator of Leading by Being® for Young Adults. She has a Masters in Teaching from Brown University and is working on her Ph.D. in Psychology. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Movimiento, a youth-driven nonprofit for social change, leadership, and meaningful work.
	Anna Sanchez is the Academy’s Marketing and Communications Project Manager. She brings 20 years of office experience to the Academy. An avid student of life, her love of learning was ignited in the 1990s when she began studying esoteric teachings, in particular those of Master DK. She learned about integrating body, mind and spirit when she worked at Kripalu Center in the Berkshires of Western MA.
	Tina Olson works in Finance and Administration. Tina holds degrees in Art, Music and Industrial Design. Her background and experience are in graphic art, book and product design, production, and project management. She is a mother of two young men, an avid telemark skier and a Certified Bikram’s Yoga teacher. She is active in Yoga in the Schools and shares her love of learning with students of all ages.
	Marita Prandoni works as the Academy’s program assistant. She has a Bachelor’s degree in German and is fluent in German, Spanish, French and Italian. She has worked for several nonprofits, including the Santa Fe Institute, SITE Santa Fe, Bioneers and Earth Care, for whom she edited the 2011 Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide. In her spare time, Marita works as a language tutor, editor and freelance writer for EcoHearth.com.
	Vivi Rogers is the Academy’s finance consultant and a member of the Board of Directors. She is a CPA and earned her B.S. from Indiana University. She worked for eleven years in public accounting and for the past several years she has been directing the finance and administrative functions at two educational non-profit organizations.
	Livia Drapkin Vanaver is a Faculty Member with the Academy, working on projects in Rosendale, New York, and in Sedona, Arizona, in the development of our in-depth teacher/artist exploration, "Teaching from the Art-Part of Ourselves". She is co-Artistic Director of The Vanaver Caravan Dancers and Music Company and has toured the world offering concerts and workshops in world and contemporary dance with live music. Ms. Vanaver and her “Caravan” create festivals with students of all ages in public and private schools settings, celebrating the rich traditions of the world. She has worked for Lincoln Center Aesthetic Education Institute and is on the faculty of Columbia University Graduate Theater Department.
	Eleanor Boehler has been staff, friend and advisor for the Academy since its inception. Eleanor was part of the circle that supported the early development of the Academy. She is involved with staff development, research and developing practical applications of Academy philosophy within her own home community of Galena, Illinois. Eleanor holds an MS in Educational Psychology from the University of Chicago and is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at the University of Limerick.
	Ann Stahl is Treasurer and serves as Chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors. Ann was part of the circle that supported the early development of the Academy. Formerly head of advisory services at the Rudolph Steiner Foundation’s New York office, she is now retired and avidly pursuing her interests in family, gardening and travel. She continues to consult with Waldorf organizations, and serves on a number of boards in the field of education and change.
	Carol Cole is a Board member and adjunct faculty of the Academy. Carol was part of the circle that supported the early development of the Academy. She is the founder of Sophia Project that serves homeless and very low-income children and parents in Oakland, CA. She is also the director of Children’s Programs at Raphael House in San Francisco, a family homeless shelter. Carol has worked in educational communities around the world including Waldorf schools and Camphill communities.
	Mary Ellen Petrisko is currently a Vice President at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in Philadelphia, PA. She has worked in higher education as a teacher of philosophy in the Netherlands and in the US and in administrative positions at the University of Maryland University College and Tai Sophia Institute. She has also held the position of Deputy Secretary of Higher Education for the State of Maryland. Mary Ellen is a graduate of the Academy's Leading by Being® program.