Institute Advisors

Professor of Art, Imagination and Spirituality, and past Chair. Department of Psychosociology. University of Quebec at Rimouski. A member of the International Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Danielle is the author of numerous articles and has presented internationally on the intersections of art, spirituality and knowledge.

Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Virginia State University. Formerly Senior Research Fellow, Schaefer Center for Public Policy, and Senior Fellow, Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics.

Program Director of the Leadership in Mathematics Education program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Co-Director of Online Teaching and Learning.

Assistant Professor, Learning Innovation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Community based researcher, eLearning expert, and AIDS activist living with HIV since 1986 and a nonfiction author. 

Daniel is a performance artist, educator, writer and thought leader. His body of original work includes plays, performance pieces, recorded music, concerts, music theatre events, essays, and long-form improvisations.  Jones is a 2020 TED fellow, a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, and a Doris Duke Artist Award recipient.

Chief People Officer, Randstad Sourceright, a Netherlands-based human resources services organization.  Cynthia has been a transformational leader in global organizations for over thirty years, building high-performing cross cultural teams, and is a long-time board member of the Pathway School,  serving students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, serious emotional disturbances and other neurological impairments.

Jordan is an Appalachian culture scholar, and a facilitator & educator focused on building resilient rural communities. Her work has included documenting the erasure of Black and women Appalachian musicians, supporting first generation Appalachian college students, and evaluating educational programs with the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering. Jordan teaches in the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech, and in the Appalachian Studies program at Appalachian State University, and has been honored for her teaching, scholarship, writing and social justice advocacy. Jordan holds PhD in Cultural and Political Theory from Virginia Tech, and MA in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University.

Diane is an experienced leader in strategy, operations and finance for mission-driven organizations. She began her career in higher education and led financial, operational and implementation groups. As Chief Operating Officer at 4Earth, Diane was responsible for strategy development and the day-to-day operations in achieving 4Earth’s goal of saving the planet through engagement, education and communication. Prior to joining 4Earth, Diane led her own successful small business, and she is a long-time supporter and volunteer with Cooking Matters and Dress for Success. Diane holds B.S. degrees in Finance and Marketing from New York University and a M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Distinguished Fellow at the Association of American Colleges & Universities. Elizabeth is a widely recognized educator, scholar and professor of philosophy, public speaker, administrator, consultant, thinker, and change-maker. She is the author of The Evil of Banality: On the Life and Death Importance of Thinking (2017); Transforming Knowledge (1990, 2005), with Si Kahn, The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy (2005) and co-editor of Thought Work: Thinking, Action, and the Fate of the World (2019.)

Founding co-director of STRONGHOLD, offering consultation and facilitation rooted in anti-oppression analysis and framed by restorative and transformative justice philosophy and practice, and a founding member of the Transformative Prison workgroup.

CEO and Founder of green manufacturing and design-build firm, Mākhers Studio. Wanona’s work combines urban design, landscape architecture, civic revitalization and community engagement. She has participated in both the CityLab-Aspen Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies National Innovation Program. She was featured in Inc Magazine’s top 100 Female Entrepreneurs 2020, CBS Small Business Spotlight, Forbes Magazine and as a Next City Vanguard Top 40 Under 40 Vanguard, and is a 2020 Summit Senior Fellow. MA, Auburn University College of Architecture, Design, & Construction.

CEO and Founder, Elicit Consulting. She is also an Activator at SHEEO, supporting women and non-binary entrepreneurs working to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals; an advisor to Earth First Capital,  and an instructor of leadership and communication.  Nalini earned her BA in Neuroscience & Behavior from Barnard College, Columbia University and her MBA in Strategy, Leadership & Ethics, and Brand Marketing from The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.

Senior Communications and Engagement Planner with King County Metro. Principal at Making Waves Coaching and Consulting. A long-time social change leader, Gunner is a former Director of Grants and Scholarships for the Pride Foundation, was a founding member and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and has written extensively on issues of LGBTQ and racial equality. He received a BA in Liberal Arts from Goddard College.

Founding Partner, ChangeMakers Partners Inc. and Co-Founder, Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment. Former Provost, Saybrook University, and former Vice Provost for Research, Fielding Graduate University. PhD, Psychology. Emory University. M.S. Psychology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette.

Nessie is a disability rights leader and advocate currently serving as Vice Chair for The North Carolina Empowerment Network; a member and former vice chair of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) and editor of The Binnicle, an information and lifestyle newsletter for people with disabilities. She holds a BA In Individualized Studies, with a Disabilities Studies concentration, from Goddard College.