Faculty Bios

Core Faculty Part-Time Faculty Visiting Faculty

Core Faculty

Rev. Dorsey Blake A.B., Sociology, Brown University; M.A., Pacific School of Religion and the Center for Urban-Black Studies; M.Div., Pacific School of Religion; D,Min., United Theological Seminary. Pastor, Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, San Francisco, CA. Director, Center for Urban Black Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, 1977- 95. Adjunct Faculty, California Institute of Integral Studies, 1996. Co-director, United Campus Ministry, Ohio State University, 1980 - 87. First full-time black male professor at the University of Alabama, 1972-77. Extensive field ministry experience and work with Interfaith groups on justice and peace issues. Personal student of the great black theologian and mystic, Howard Thurman.

Charles Burack B.A. Psychology, University of Michigan; M.A. Human Development, University of Minnesota; M.A. English, Northwestern University; Ph.D., English, University of California, Berkeley. Specializes in interdisciplinary studies in literature, mythology, mysticism, and psychology. Has taught at UC Berkeley, St. Mary's college, John F. Kennedy University, and Lerhaus Judaica. Founder of Center for Sacred Arts, which offers spiritual/career counseling, writing, coaching, and experiential workshops on creative writing, meditation, and spirituality of work. On Tikkun magazine's editorial board and published author of stories and essays on modern spirituality.

Marlene M. DeNardo B.A. California State Teaching Credential, College of Notre Dame; M.A., Holy Names College; Advanced graduate study, Universidade Catolica, Recife, Brazil, Centro de Formacao Intercultural, Petropolis, Brazil. Faculty and administration, Institute of Culture and Creation spirituality, Holy Names College, Oakland, CA 1986-98 Fifteen years of work in Latin America, Africa and Japan. Designed adult education courses in spirituality, justice, women's studies and ecology.

Matthew Fox M.A. Aquinas Institute of Theology; Ph.D., Institute Catholique de Paris; Post Doctoral Studies, University of Munster. Over twenty years of teaching and lecturing experience. Extensive academic administration experience. Author of over 20 major best selling books which have been translated into Dutch, German, Korean, Swedish, Portugese, and French including: The Reinvention of Work and Original Blessing. Contributes numerous articles on Creation Centered Spirituality to American and European Journals and mentors students at the University which he has founded in Oakland, California. Ordained Episcopal priest.

Ana Perez-Chisti B.A., Mills College; M.A. Holy Names College; Ph.D., California Institute of Integral Studies. Sufi Movement International lineage holder and interfaith minister. Writer, lecturer and practicing psychologist. Trained dancer, yogini, and martial artist holding the degree of black belt in Karate. Director of and Inter-religious school for scriptural studies in world religions for 20 years. Has held directorial posts in government Food Dispersal Programs, and Prison Library Projects. Extensive travel around the US and Europe teaching seminars in Sufism, Christian Mysticism and Buddhism. Adjunct faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Clare Ronzani B.A. College of Notre Dame; M.A. Graduate Theological Union. Co-director/Faculty, Institute for Spirituality and Worship, Graduate Theological Union, Jesuit School of Theology, 1984-97. Associate Director, San Francisco Network Ministries, San Francisco, CA 1980-83. Areas of teaching experience include: Integration of spirituality with psychology, the arts and non-violent social change, Jungian personality theory, liberation spirituality, women's studies and ritual. Coordinator, "The Bible and the Streets" Tenderloin Reflection and Education Center, San Francisco, 1983-93. International travel and workshop facilitation. and published articles.

Part-Time Faculty

Carl Anthony B. of Architecture, Columbia University, New York. Founder and Director of the Urban Habitat Program which encourages and supports multicultural urban environmental leadership for sustainable communities in the Bay Area. Past President of Earth Island Institute, 1991 - 97; Chair and Principal Administrative Officer of the East Bay Conservation and Reinvestment Commission, 1993 - 95; he has been a faculty member and serves on the Advisory Committee at UC Berkeley; in 1996 he was appointed a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Harvard University. An environmentalist and architect, Carl interweaves the traditions of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Muir.

Anita Barrows B.A., San Francisco State University; M.A., Boston University; M.A., University of California, Berkeley; Ph.D., The Wright Institute. Licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in the treatment and evaluation of children with neuro-developmental disabilities and sexual abuse. Adjunct professor at the Wright Institute, Berkeley. Author of articles on Ecopsychological Approaches to Child Development and the Asperger's Syndrome. Co-translator of Rilke's Book of Hours (German to English). Active in the development of inter-disciplinary studies of psychology and ecology.

Peter Brokenleg Liberal Arts course work, Augastana College; A.A., Northwest Institute/University of Minnesota; B.S. Bastry University. Traditionally educated Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) Native American. Traditional dancer and singer. Extensive counseling and teaching experience with Native American social service and educational organizations. Extensive healthcare experience 1984-1996. Fluent speaker of the Lakota language.

Rev. Daniel Buford Adult Education Credential, Communication & Arts and Crafts, State of California. Three years of graduate study in African American History and Linguistics, Xavier University, Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities Graduate Program, Cincinnati, Ohio. Ordained Minister, Temple Bible College / Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Certificate of License to Preach, Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. Over twenty years experience as a minister. Over fifteen years experience as a teacher. Professional exhibiting artist, show titles include: Seizing the Power of Creative Experience;" one-man show, sculpture, drawings and paintings. Art and multi-cultural studies instructor, San Bruno County Jail, California, and Milpitas School District Adult Education, 1990-95. Executive Director, Northern California Chapter of Clergy and Laity Concerned Ecumenical Peace Institute, Berkeley, CA 1986-90.

C.Y. Kaleo Ching B.F.A., University of Hawaii; M.A., University of New Mexico. Lithography Printer Certificate, Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, NM; German Language proficiency Diploma, Defense language Institute, Monterey, CA 1969. Professional exhibiting artist with work showing at major sites in the country such as the LBJ Space Center in Houston, TX; Tamarind Inst. in New Mexico and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. Has held the position of Artist in Residence at the San Francisco County Jail. Teacher of mask-making and guest artist in several Bay area school and colleges, integrating T'ai Chi and Meditation into the Art programs.

Adriana Diaz B.A., California State elementary Teaching Credential, Calif. State Univ. Hayward; M.A., Holy Names College. Studied Psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland 1972-73. Lecturer, writer and workshop facilitator at colleges and rehabilitation centers on art, healing, and personal development. Professional exhibiting artist with works being shown in California, New Zealand, and New Mexico at prominent schools and galleries. Contributes to many magazines and sits on the advisory boards of many socially involved organizations. Author of the book, Freeing the Creative Spirit.

Lawrence L. Edwards A.B. Occidental College, Chemistry; Ph.D. Harvard University, Chemical Physics; Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University. Director of Earth Literacy Academic Program at Genesis Farm Earth Literacy Center. Teacher in the department of Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Worked with the National Science Foundation in several research and management positions for nearly 20 years. Taught chemistry at American University in Beirut, Lebanon and at California State University at Northridge. Author of many scientific articles as well as a contributor to Arab Resources: Transformation of a Society.

Clarissa Pinkola Estés Ph.D., Union Institute. A senior Jungian analyst who has practiced and taught for twenty years. She is the former executive director of the C.G. Jung Center in Denver, and has a doctorate in multicultural studies and clinical psychology. She is the award-winning author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, and is an artist-in-residence in Colorado.

Dale Ellis B.A. Pomona College; M.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Ph.D., North Carolina State University. Areas of specialization: ecopsychology, clinical child psychology, geriatric psychology, developmental disabilities, mood disorders. Licensed psychologist. Twenty years of experience in clinical psychology. Director of the Center for EcoPsychology which runs wilderness retreats.

Mary Ford-Grabowsky B.A., Regis College; M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary; Postdoctoral Studies, Friedrich Wilhelm Universitat, Bonn, Germany. Over 13 years of college and graduate level teaching and administrative experience. Author of numerous articles and books including: Prayers for All People and Sacred Poems and Prayers of Love. Conducts scholarly research in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

Mara Freeman M.A. Degrees in English Literature, Education and Psychology. Has studied Celtic mythology and spirituality for over 30 years and is one of the foremost speakers and storytellers of Celtic Sacred traditions. Her writings have been published internationally. She has produced an acclaimed audio series of Celtic storytelling and produced multi-image dramas on sacred traditions and ecology. Member of the British Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, she is in the process of publishing a book of Celtic wisdom stories.

Susan Gablik Art critic, artist and teacher. Well-known for her passionate and sometimes controversial writings on contemporary art. She has lectured and written on the philosophy of art, cultural criticism and cultural politics, teaching at top universities and colleges throughout the United States. Her publications include Has Modernism Failed?, The Reenchantment of Art, and Conversations Before the End of Time.

Jacqueline B. Hairston B.A., Howard University; M.A. Colombia University. Former head of the music department at Merritt College, Oakland, CA. Internationally known composer and arranger of Gospel, jazz and Broadway show tunes. Received a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for her work with youth.

Gina Rose Halpern B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design; Graduate study, Art, Cranbrook Academy of Art; M.A., Holy Names College. Over ten years of experience creating and implementing programs for art and healing at health care facilities and educational institutions. Art Faculty, Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, MA 1983-94. Author and illustrator of bilingual children's book entitled, Where is Tibet? Illustrator of The Meaning of Life from a Buddhist Perspective written by H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama of Tibet. Recipient of numerous awards including: Earth Watch Artist fellowship for work in Nepal and a Culpepper Fdn. Grant.

Jennifer Hereth Faculty, College of Dupage and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chatauqua, 1992-95. Recipient of the Kellogg Fdn. Grant for International Studies, 1996-97. Public Art Prize, City of Naperville.

José Hobday M.A., American Literature and Theology, Notre Dame; MS equivalent in Architecture and Limited Space Engineering, UCLA. Franciscan Sister of Seneca Iroquois descent, one of the country's most popular speakers on prayer and spirituality. Her enthusiasm for the presence of God in the ordinary is extraordinary. For thirty years she has lectured nationally and internationally in the Native American Spirituality, prayer, ecumenical studies, simplicity of life, creation spirituality, women's issues, peace and justice.

Arthur Holder Ph.D., Duke University. Professor of Christian Spirituality and Dean of Academic Affairs at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA. An Episcoal priest, his translation of Bede's commentary On The Tabernacle, was published by Liverpool University Press in 1994.

Shanja Kirstann B.A., Geneseo State College of New York, M.S.W. Syracuse University; Certified Yoga Teacher - Yasodhara Ashram, British Columbia; Certified Massage Training, Alvarado Hospital, San Diego, CA. Over twenty years experience teaching in the San Francisco Bay area Universities, including SF Art Institute and the Institute in Culture & Creation Spirituality at Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. Post-graduate training with Jean Houston, Angeles Arrien, Marian Woodman at the CG Jung Inst. In Switzerland and with Gay Hendricks in Transpersonal Bodymind Integration.

Alexandra Kovats B.A., Seattle University; M.A., Mundelein College; Ph.D., The Union Institute. A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Seattle, WA, she has private practice in Spiritual Direction, is a Retreat Facilitator and part-time instructor in Theology and Spirituality at the Inst. Of Theological Studies in Seattle, WA.

Genevieve Lim B.A., M.A., San Francisco State University. Recipient of many awards for her creative written collaboration in theatre performance since 1986, including the John D. Rockefeller Fdn. Award 1997 and the Distinguished Award for Culture, San Francisco Culture Fdn., 1996. Twenty years as a poet, instructor, lecturer and artist in residence. Experience as a copy editor, scriptwriter, project investigator and freelance reporter.

Joanna Macy B.A., Wellesley College, Inst. De Sciences Politiques, University of Bordeaux; Ph.D.,Syracuse University. Internationally renowned as a teacher of world religions, an ecologist, and for her work in movements for peace and justice. Author of Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age and Dharma and Development and Rilke's Book of Hours.

Michael Mansfield B.A., St. Louis University; M.Div., Graduate Theological Union; Post Graduate Diploma, Theatre Arts Education Schools, London; Doctor of Min. candidate, University of Creation Spirituality. Eighteen years of experience with youth as an educator, liturgical ritual director and dance teacher. Served as chaplain for eight years. Has led the Learning Through Education and the Arts Program (LEAP) in the Bay Area. Six years of teaching experience as a faculty member at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Two years as a faculty member and campus minister at Holy Names College, Oakland. Facilitates programs with inner city youth bringing ritual and interfaith awareness into liturgical expression.

Jill Martin B.A., California State University, Fullerton; M.A., Holy Names College. Extensive media production experience. Extensive experience working with diverse communities and organizations. She has produced and directed ten major techno rituals (for 400 or more people) over the past two years.

Ana Matt B.A., Psychology, California State University. On-site study in Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam & Christianity, in view of doctoral work. Undergraduate and graduate teaching experience at Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Holy Names College, Oakland.

Betty McAfee B.A., Wilson College, Elementary Teaching Credential, California State University, Hayward; M.A., Holy Names College. Adjunct faculty, Starr King School for the Ministry, Graduate Theological union, Berkeley. Twenty years experience as an elementary school teacher. Professional, exhibiting photographer and film-maker, titles include: "Waking Up: One Woman's Lifestory" multi-media presentation, 1994 - present and "What's the Cost of Your Blouse?" Video production and recipient of the 1992 National Educational Media Bronze Apple Award.

Judith McKinnon Certified Massage Therapist, Gamma School of Massage, 1977. Five years of study at the Tibetan Buddhist Center Nyingma Inst., 1973-78. Fifteen years of on-going study of yoga theology, SYDA Fdn. Yoga Training, SYDA Ashram, South Fallsberg, New York, 1973-98. Fifteen years on-going study on Somatic Therapy with Stanley Kelleman, D.C., Center for Energetic Studies, California, 1975 - 90. Study of meditation and ayurveda in Ganeshpuri, India, 1987. Personal study of bioenergetic therapy with Earl Kramer, M.D., California 1971-81. World renowned educator in the field of bodywork, massage and somatics.

Carolyn Myss Ph.D. Carolyn is a pioneer and international lecturer in the fields of energy medicine and human consciousness. She has worked as a medical intuitive; one who "sees" illness in a patient's body by intuitive means. She is the author of Anatomy of the Spirit, and Why People Don't Heal and How They Can.

Rolf Osterberg J.D., University of Stockholm. An executive and senior management consultant, author and lecturer, he has worked developing innovative management philosophy and practices. Former CEO of Scandanavia's largest film company, Svensk Filmindustri. Former president of the Swedish Newspapers Association. He has served on the Board of 20 companies in the filed of mass media, manufacturing, real estate, and hotels. Author and co-author of several books, including: Search for Meaning in the Work Place, and Corporate Resistance.

Russill Paul D'Silvia College of Technology and Engineering, Madras, India. Five years of intensive study of philosophy, spirituality, mysticism, monasticism, comparative religion, Sanskrit and Indian Classical music at the Benedictine Monastery and Christian Ashram of the highly regarded monk Dom. Bede Griffiths. Deep knowledge of Indian culture, music, and religion. Extensive international workshop and teaching experience. On-going practitioner of Shabda Yoga (the yoga of sound and music).

Margaret Paloma Pavel Ph.D., Organizational & Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology. Founder and co-director of Earth House, a center for environmental justice and sustainability in Oakland, CA. She works internationally on projects of sustainability and leadership development. She is a consultant to organizations, groups and individuals and co-author of Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty. Her work is informed by her passion as an artist and her love of the wild.

Robert Rice B.F.A., M.A. Kent State University; M.A., University of Louisville. Independent study of modern dance at the University of Minnesota and with numerous New York choreographers. Independent study of dance therapy and 30 years of college level experience. Teaches workshops on dance and Creation Spirituality internationally.

Beverly Rubik B.S. Illinois Institute of Technology; Ph.D., University of California. Has a life-long interest in healing the rift between science and spirituality. Sounding Director, Center for Frontier Sciences (at Temple University, Philadelphia) focusing on new paradigm science - including consciousness studies and alternative medicine. Author of over 50 papers and books, including Life at the Edge of Science. Member of the Program Advisory Council at the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine. Research Director, Homeopathic Research Foundation.

Jyotsna Sanzgiri Bachelor of Commerce and Economics, Bombay University; M.B.A. Tulane University; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Dean, Organizational programs, California School of Professional Psychology, Alameda 1993-present, Professor, Organizational Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology 1989-present, Academic Vice President and Professor of Business Administration, Armstrong University Berkeley, California, 1985-88. Author and co-author of over 15 scholarly articles published in academic journals.

Bruce Silverman B.A. Washington University, M.A., John F. Kennedy University. Afro-Cuban/Haitian, Brazilian drumming study with Marcus Gordon, 1986-87; North Indian Classical music/drumming, Ali Akbar Khan School of Music, Marin County, CA, 1984. Training/performer with Batucaje, Brazilian Folklore Ensemble. Co-founder and Director of the Performance Troupe, Sons & Daughters of Orpheus.

Jeremy Taylor B.A., M.A., S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo. Renowned author of many books including: The Living Labyrinth, Dreamwork, and Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill. Former director of the Marin Headstart program. Leading researcher and teacher in the field of dreams, Jungian psychology, mythology and spirituality. Faculty member at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA and Starr King School of Ministry, Graduate Theological Union.

Hal Tussig A.B., Antioch College; M.Div., Methodist Theological School; Ph.D., Union Graduate School. He has been a practicing theologian in the dual careers of pastor and professor for the past 20 years. He is currently pastor of the Chestnut Hill Methodist Church, in Philadelphia, PA. He is graduate faculty member at Chestnut Hill College and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. His numerous publications include: Reimagining Christian Origins; Many Tables: The Eucharist in the New Testament and Liturgy Today; Wisdom Feast: Sophia in Study and Celebration; and Sophia; The Future of Feminist Spirituality.

Luisah Teish Ph.D., Open International University, Institute of Human Sciences. Interfaith minister's license, the World Council of churches. Initiated elder in the Ifa/Orisha tradition of West Africa. Published writer on the subject of women's rites of passage, ritual and spirituality. Professional performer who invokes ancestral stories and scared expression in many venues including: theatres, schools, community centers, and churches.. Faculty member at the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, and John F. Kennedy University, Orinda, CA.

Visiting Faculty

David Abram B.A. Wesleyan University; Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook. Author of a major eco-philosophical book entitled, The Spell of the Sensuous: Perceptions and Language in a More-than-Human World which received the 1996 Lannan Literary Award. Recipient of scholarly fellowships from the Rockefeller and Watson Foundations. Has worked with indigenous healers and elders in Nepal, Indonesia, and the Americas. Named by Utne Reader as one of the 100 leading visionaries currently transforming the world.

Dr. Molefi Asanté Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles. Professor, Department of African American Studies, Temple University, PA and Executive Director, the Afrocentric Institute. A leading scholar, international speaker, and author of over 200 articles and 42 books, Dr. Asanté created the first Doctoral Degree program in African American Studies and is one of the ten most widely quoted African Americans.

Larry Dossey B.S. University of Texas; M.D., University of Texas Southern Medical School. Author of Healing Words; Recovering the Soul; Space, Time & Medicine; and Beyond Illness. Former chief of staff at Human medical City, Dallas, and former co-chair of the Panel on Mind/Body Interventions, Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, he is currently executive editor of Alternative Therapies.

Andrew Harvey The Youngest fellow ever elected to Oxford University. Celebrated poet and translator, and protégé of W.H. Auden and Iris Murdoch, he authored The Return of the Mother, Hidden Journey: A Spiritual Awakening, and Journey in Ladakh which won the Christmas Humphries Prize. His translations of the Sufi poet, Rumi, include the best-selling Way of Passion. He teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco.

Rupert Sheldrake Ph.D., University of Cambridge. Innovative scientist for our time. A former Research Fellow of the Royal Society and was Director of Studies in biochemistry and cell biology at Clare College, Cambridge University, England. He is the author of several books, including the recent Seven Experiments That Could Change the World.

Brian Swimme B.S. Santa Clara University, M.S., Ph.D., University of Oregon. Professor of Cosmology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco, 1994 - present. Professor, Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality, Holy Names College, 1983-89. Assistant Professor, University of Puget Sound, 1978-81. Co-author with Thomas Berry of the Universe Story, a fundamental text in the New Cosmology and author of three other books. Internationally renowned lecturer at major universities, conferences and academic societies.