Faculty

OVERVIEW OF WISR FACULTY. WISR has deliberately sought faculty members whose range of ethnic backgrounds, academic disciplines, work experiences, and community involvements allow them to act as resource people for WISR’s adult, community-involved students in ways that go beyond intellectual specialization and unite academic with professional and community concerns.

WISR faculty generally have very broad, interdisciplinary social science expertise beyond their particular areas of specialization, which enables them to work with our varied student population. They have many years of teaching experience, both in traditional academic settings and at WISR. Most have been teaching at WISR for 10 years or more. There is a very low rate of faculty turnover at WISR, and indeed, faculty are enthusiastically committed to working at WISR in personalized ways with the diverse and talented population of mature adults who enroll at WISR.

WISR faculty also have a rich background of involvement with community organizations, other educational institutions, and consulting practice. This practical experience further enriches their contributions to student learning, given the strong practical community concerns of most of our students. Indeed, this is the case with our two faculty are licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs).

Core Faculty

JOHN BILORUSKY. BA cum laude, General Studies and Physics, University of Colorado, 1967. MA, Sociology of Education, University of California at Berkeley, 1968. PhD, Higher Education, UC Berkeley, 1972. John is President of WISR, was a co-founder of WISR in 1975, and has served full-time on WISR’s faculty ever since. Before that, he taught social sciences at the University of California, Berkeley and community services at the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of many published articles and papers on higher education and social change, adult learning, and practical, community-based and participatory research methods. He has served as a consultant for community agencies in the area of participatory action-research. He has conducted evaluations of liberal arts colleges and educational innovations, performed public policy research, and helped others to create community-involved colleges. John is Chair of the Board of the Association of Private Postsecondary Education in California. John Bilorusky’s Wisrville blog: Promoting Justice and Curiosity in trying times. johnb@wisr.edu

TORRY DICKINSON. B.A. Sociology, Livingston College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1975. M.A. Sociology, SUNY-Binghamton, 1977. Graduate Certificate in Women and Public Policy, Rockefeller Institute for Public Affairs, SUNY-Albany, 1983. Ph.D. SUNY-Binghamton, Sociology 1983. Torry has recently rejoined WISR’s core faculty after having spent about 10 years as a WISR core faculty member in the 1980s and 90s. Torry is a tenured Professor of Women’s Studies at Kansas State University, and also teaches in such other programs there as Non-violence studies. She has authored, co-authored, and edited a number of books including: Transformations: Feminist Pathways to Global Change; Democracy Works;Community and the World; Fast Forward: Work, Gender and Protest in a Changing World; and CommonWealth. In the past, she has taught or done research at a number of universities in California–in addition to WISR, at the University of California at Berkeley (School of Education, National Center for Research on Vocational Education), the University of California at Santa Cruz (Sociology, cross-listed with Women’s Studies), and San Jose State University in San Jose and at the former Salinas Campus (Sociology cross-listed with Women’s Studies). Torry has been a Revson Fellow in Women and Public Policy (1983)and an American Fellow (Susan B. Anthony Award) with the American Association of University Women (1980). Torry Dickinson Wisrville blog: Learning for Social Change. dickins@ksu.edu

MARILYN JACKSON. BA, Augustana College, 1981, Religion. M.A., Holy Names College, Institute in Creation Spirituality and Culture, 1989. PhD, WISR, Higher Education and Social Change, 2004. In her dissertation, Dr. Jackson contrasted popular spirituality movements in Western society to traditional religion, by relating Creation Spirituality to Lutheranism. Two of her recent articles were published: “The Life of the People: The Legacy of N.F.S. Grundtvig and Nonviolent Social Change Through Popular Education in Denmark” and “Education for Life at Danish Folk Schools and Highlander.” Marilyn continues to study and work on unlearning racism and building multicultural society through dialogue, education, cultural expression and community based celebrations. She is also interested in women’s and career development issues, as well as lifestyles, health and environment. She has organized education activities about indigenous people and has been extensive involved with Scandinavian music and other cultural activities, including translating Swedish songs. As part of her commitment to egalitarian values, she educates others about socialism and social democratic values. She is on the Board and staff of the Ecumenical Peace Institute, and organizes monthly forums at the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley. In addition to serving as a member of WISR’s core faculty, she is Executive Assistant to WISR’s President. Marilyn has a blog on wisrville: “Social Democracy and Folk School Think Tank.” marilynejackson@sbcglobal.net

VERA LABAT. BS in Nursing, San Francisco State University, 1964. Masters in Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, 1974. Vera has recently retired after a long career in the field of public health. For many years, she was in charge of immunization for the City of Berkeley, and prior to that, she was school health consultant for the Berkeley Unified School District. She taught community health at the University of California, San Francisco, and taught in the School of Medicine at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. She was the founding Executive Director of the Over 60 Health Clinic in Berkeley. Vera has served on WISR’s faculty for most of the past thirty years. labat7@aol.com

CYNTHIA LAWRENCE. BS in Education, Massachusetts State Teachers College at Boston, 1960. MA in Multicultural Education, Pepperdine College, 1977. PhD, Higher Education and Social Change, Western Institute for Social Research, 1987. Cynthia is a former schoolteacher, and is expert in the areas of multicultural education, alternative education, and the teaching and learning of language skills. She is a retired faculty member in Teacher Education at the University of California, San Diego. Over the years, she has developed materials and conducted training sessions to heighten teachers’ sensitivity to multicultural issues. She has conducted workshops on interracial issues for such groups as the Family Stress Center and the National Organization for Women (NOW). She was appointed in 1991 to the San Diego Human Relations Commission. Cynthia was the co-author, with John Bilorusky, of the recently published articles: “Multicultural, Community-Based Knowledge-Building” in Community and the World: Participating in Social Change, Torry D. Dickinson (ed.), Nova Science Publishers, 2003, and “Participatory Action-Research, Inclusiveness, and Empowering Community Action” in Democracy Works: Joining Theory and Action to Foster Global Change. in Torry D. Dickinson and Terrie A. Becerra (eds.), Paradigm Publishers, 2008. cynthiarose@mac.com

LARRY LOEBIG. BS, Summit University, Real Estate Management, 1998. MS, Summit University, Organizational Behavior, 1999. He is a graduate of Coach University and received the MCC designation from the International Coaching Federation. When he was the Business Manager of the Black Scholar Journal, he was introduced to the works of Jay Conrad Levinson and recently became Jay’s master trainer for the Western United States and is Director of the Academy for Guerrilla Marketing International. He is an advocate of learning in action and has applied his theory and learning in co-founding California.com Inc., and as an active Director of the Socially Responsible Internet Company. He is pursuing his PhD at WISR, and has developed an interest in alternative dispute resolution and earned certification with Mediator Training International with an emphasis on conflict in the workplace. He is developing a School of Coaching and Collaborative Communication as part of his action plan for earning his PhD. larryloebig@mac.com

RONALD MAH. BA in Psychology and Social Sciences, University of California at Berkeley, 1975. MA in Psychology, Western Institute for Social Research, 1991. Teacher’s Credential Program, University of California at Berkeley, 1976. Ronald has had a private practice since 1994 as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He is a credentialed elementary and secondary teacher, and former owner-director of a preschool and daycare center. He does consulting and training for human service organizations, teaching courses and workshops for many community agencies and educational institutions around the California and the United States. He is a visible and active writer of books and articles in the field. His areas of special concern include child development, parenting and child-rearing, multicultural education, and teacher education. He is serving a second term on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and has served on the Board of the California Kindergarten Association. Ronald is currently pursuing his PhD at WISR, writing on multiple topics on couple’s therapy, and for a potential twenty book series, possibly e-books. For more information about Ronald’s many professional endeavors, go to www.ronaldmah.com Ronald@RonaldMah.com

CAROLE J. MORTON. BA in American Studies/Women’s Studies, with honors, MA in Human Communication from S.F. State University, 1989, MA in Psychology, Western Institute for Social Research, 2001. Carole has been in private practice as a communications counselor since 1990 and as a Marriage and Family Therapist since 2001 specializing in an integrative approach to healing both the mind and the body. She’s extensively trained in mind-body medicine,
nutrition/micro-nutrition, breathwork, past-life regression and all traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. She has a full-time private practice in Walnut Creek
and is also a public speaker. Carole is active in the Association for Micronutrients in Mental Health, and helps people to avoid, reduce or eliminate the use of toxic psychopharmaceuticals. She works with adults who have been diagnosed with a critical or chronic illness, adults who are dealing with depression, anxiety, dependency, childhood abuse issues and more. In addition to her private practice, she writes, blogs, speaks, leads groups and workshops on a variety of life and health topics. carolejmorton@integrativepsychotherapist.net

DAVID YAMADA. BA, Valparaiso University, Indiana, MA, Empire State College, JD, New York University, PhD, WISR, 2010. David Yamada recently joined WISR’s core faculty on a part-time basis, after having completed his PhD here. David is also tenuredProfessor of Law at Suffolk University in Boston. He is concerned with the role of intellectual activism in contributing to social change. He is currently Chair of the Board of Americans for Democratic Action. As part of his years’ of involvement in addressing the growing problem of workplace bullying, he recently founded the New Workplace Institute–a multidisciplinary, non-profit research and education center devoted to the creation of healthy, productive, and socially responsible workplaces. [from its website:] “The New Workplace Institute will serve as a vehicle for engaging in research and public education on important issues related to work and employment.” David has written numerous published articles on labor law and social policy and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences. More detailed information about David, and has academic and professional accomplishments can be found on the Suffolk University website. David has two blogs: one on workplace bullying, Minding the Workplace and one, with Chris Wagner, on “Second Thoughts: The Blog of the John Ohliger Institute for Social Inquiry.” The latter blog gets its inspiration from the late John Ohliger who “was a public intellectual, adult educator, community activist, and lifelong learner who blended an insatiable curiosity, a stubborn independence, a keen mind and good heart, and a passion for creating a better world. To many of us, he was also a friend, partner, mentor, collaborator, gadfly, and inspiration.” david_yamada@yahoo.com

Adjunct Faculty

KOSTAS BAGAKIS. BA in Communications and Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, 1963. MA in Philosophy, San Francisco State University, 1971. PhD, History of Consciousness, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1981. Kostas has been a Lecturer in Philosophy at San Francisco State since 1983. He is interested in continental European philosophy, logic and dialectics, and educational theory, especially the ideas of Paolo Freire. Kostas is a long-time adjunct faculty member at WISR.bagman@sfsu.edu

MARCIA CAMPOS. Marcia Campos was born in Santiago de Chile and was an active participant in the School of Psychology of the University of Chile in the students’ movement that supported the government of President Salvador Allende. She was a political exile in Mexico after the coup. Marcia was a tenured Professor-Researcher in the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico. She holds a Masters Degree in Sociology from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) and pursued Ph.D. studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). She has been in California since 1986, where she continues her lifelong work as a human rights activist. She was elected president of the Alameda Council on Developmental Disabilities. She co-produced, with WISR PhD student, Uwe Blesching, the film Viva Chile M , a film about the life, poetry and politics of the late Fernando Alegria, internationally famous Chilean poet and for many years an active member of WISR’s Board of Trustees. MCampos@lafamiliacounseling.org

WOODY CARTER. Dr. Carter holds a PhD from the Graduate Theologial Union in Berkeley, and he heared Master’s Degree from the City University of New York and an undergraduate degree from Howard University, in Washington, D.C. Woody is the Executive Director of the Bay Area Black United Fund, Inc. (BABUF), a position he has held since 1997. The organization serves five San Francisco Bay Area counties. Since 1997, BABUF has distributed well over $1,000,000 in funding and allocations to over 60 agencies providing a wide and diverse array of direct services to address African American community self-help projects. In 2001, BABUF assumed the role of convener and resource “broker” for what is now referred to as the Bay Area African American Health Initiative (BAAAHI) which is a public/private partnership between three Bay Area public health departments, Kaiser Permanente, the YMCA of the East Bay, over a dozen non-profit organizations, a network of complimentary healers and community leaders working, together, to address the health crisis facing Bay Area African American communities. In this role BABUF has convened three Bay Area African American Health Summits in 2003, 2005 and 2007—attracting a combined attendance of well over 10,000 participants. The Fund also has launched what is fast becoming a movement to recruit, train, and support 4,650 Critical Mass Health Conductors through 2009. Harriet Tubman is the patron saint of this initiative and her life informs this work. Prior to accepting his position at BABUF, Dr. Carter was an Associate Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco; served as Director of Foundation Support for the American Red Cross Bay Area, and Grants Manager for the National American Red Cross’s Special Disaster Relief Fund set-up after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

BRIAN GERRARD. M.A. Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia. PhD Counseling Psychology, University of Toronto. PhD Sociology, University of New South Wales, Sydney. Brian is tenured, Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology Department, University of San Francisco. He holds teaching awards from two universities. He has extensive experience teaching a wide variety of Master’s and Doctoral level courses in counselor education. Brian developed USF’s masters MFT program and for 14 years served as MFT Coordinator. His orientation emphasizes an integration of family systems and problem-solving approaches. He is an experienced administrator and has been Chair of the Counseling Psychology Department twice. Currently, he is also Executive Director of the University of San Francisco Center for Child and Family Development. The Center has for 25 years managed the largest longest-running School-Based Family Counseling program of its type in the USA. Its Mission Possible Program has served more than 10,000 children and families in over 100 Bay area schools. Brian is Chair of the Institute for School-Based Family Counseling. The Institute sponsors the International Journal for School-Based Family Counseling and the Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling. He is also Symposium Director for the Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling which is an international association with members in 22 countries and which meets at Brasenose College, Oxford University in even years and other international sites in alternate years. gerrardb@earthlink.net

JENNIFER FREUNDLICH GUEDIRI. Jennifer has a Masters of Arts in International Administration with a specialization in International Human Services from The School for International Training in Vermont, and a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Social Anthropology from Long Island University’s Global College. She is an artist, acculturation trainer and mother, with a broad international understanding and twenty years of experience in developing, facilitating and implementing cross-cultural communication programs. She is currently writing and illustrating a series of children’s books which emphasize connection with and the resourcefulness of nature. The stories encourage inner confidence and well being through the discovery of imagination. Jennifer’s interest in culture and behavior began as a child growing up amongst two special needs siblings, and living and traveling throughout the European Community with her family. As an undergraduate, she spent many months in Southeast Asia, living with a Sherpa family in Nepal, and conducting social anthropological research along the Thai-Burmese border. Some of her observations were transcribed into acculturation curriculum used to assimilate Cambodian refugees into American society. As a graduate student, she pursued comparison studies of indigenous groups in Bolivia and Peru. Jennifer has lived in India, Israel and North Africa.

RICHARD LAWRENCE. Richard graduated from Albion College in Michigan with a BA and secondary teaching certificate in English, German and social studies. He has a Master of Divinity Degree in social ethics from the University of Chicago and completed the post-graduate Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School. He is a retired Methodist clergyman whose ministry is committed to social justice. He organized and serves as co-chair of the San Diego Affordable Housing Coalition. The Affordable Housing Coalition is an active member of ACCORD (A Community Coalition for Responsible Development). He is also currently an adjunct faculty member at the Springfield College San Diego Campus. Richard has contributed leadership to dozens of community organizations including several in San Diego: Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), the Center on Policy Initiatives, Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, and others including Chair of Negotiations for Operation Breadbasket (PUSH) – Chicago, the Englewood Action Committee – Chicago, Cummins Engine Foundation Minority Community Development Program – Chicago, Greater Lawrence (MA) Community Foundation, the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO – NYC), the Chicago and National Black United Funds. Richard was a founder and charter member of the Association of Black Foundation Executives, and he recently was named a Civic Ventures Purpose Prize Fellow. He was active in the civil rights movement and participated in the Selma to Montgomery March as well as marches for open housing with Dr. King in Chicago.

MICHAEL MCAVOY. Michael received a Master’s Degree in Medical Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland) in 1983. Prior to that, he was a student activist in the 1960’s civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements. After receiving his BA degree from St. John Fisher College (Rochester, NY) in Biology in 1970, Michael entered medical school at the Faculté de Médecine, Université de Bordeaux (France). Preferring to work on community health rather than individual change, he left in 1973 to create the San Francisco People’s Health Resource Center and People’s Medical School (1974-79) which provided access to medical care for the poor, along with a political-economic critique of the social causes of disease as well as education in self-care, holistic health and alternative medicine. Later, based at the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland and working with leaders of the African-American Hough neighborhood community, Michael helped develop a model community-based hypertension program, adolescent health clinic and radical health education program. In 1985 Michael joined the Core Faculty of the New College of California (San Francisco), and subsequently founded New College’s Center for Community Action, Research and Education, its North Bay Campus of Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community, and its Activism and Social Change Program. During his three decades at New College, he also served for awhile as Dean of the Humanities Program and co-Academic Vice President. Currently, Michael is also seeking ways to theorize and create a social movement which combines a spiritual change in consciousness, with healing ourselves and others, while also resisting injustice, in line with Martin Luther King’s vision for a universal “beloved community.”

DEBORAH PRUITT. BA in Anthropology, University of Maryland, 1985. MA in Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley, 1986. PhD in Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley, 1993. Deborah applies her anthropological perspective to helping community benefit organizations achieve extraordinary impact with greater success and personal fulfillment. To this end, she founded Group Alchemy™ Consulting in 1996. Through more than 20 years of cross-cultural research and consulting with hundreds of nonprofit, education, and community organizations she has developed a model of the distinct patterns of behavior that characterize highly successful groups that she calls the Group Alchemy Formula. This holistic model guides groups through the proven strategies that unify diverse talents and perspectives around a shared vision and develop a sustainable culture of success. This approach to group effectiveness is presented in her forthcoming book, Group Alchemy: The Six Essential Elements of Powerful Groups. Her website: www.groupalchemy.net In addition to consulting, facilitation and workshops in Group Alchemy, Deborah teaches courses in introductory anthropology and religion at the local community college. She has served on the faculty at WISR since 1998. Deborah’s research areas include organizational culture, social inequality, gender, tourism, social change, and social interaction. Her publications include articles on the cultural impact of tourism in Jamaica, women and family law in Jamaica, teaching introductory anthropology–relevance and accessibility, ethics and cultural pluralism. Deborah served on WISR’s core faculty for many years, and for the time being, has scaled back her involvement due to other pressing commitments, but will continue to do occasional work with students as a WISR adjunct faculty member.debpruitt@groupalchemy.net

ART WARMOTH Ph.D. in Psychology, Brandeis University, 1967 (N.I.M.H. Predoctoral Fellow, 1962-65); B.A., Reed College, 1959 (Major: Literature/Theater). Art has been involved in humanistic psychology since 1959, when he went to Brandeis University to pursue doctoral studies with Abraham H. Maslow. Over the years, he has used his nationally recognized expertise in humanistic psychology to address local and national economic issues, to health care reform, to politics, and ecology. He joined the Psychology faculty at Sonoma State University in 1969, and became full Professor in 1985, and he has continued to teach there, sometimes serving as Chair of the Department of Psychology. Early in his career at Sonoma State University, Dr. Warmoth co-founded the Humanistic Psychology Institute (now the Saybrook Graduate School), which emphasizes training and research in humanistic psychology that addresses human potential at all levels. In 2005, he received “The Community-Based Learning Founders Award,” which is given annually to a faculty member for career achievements and contributions in linking Sonoma State University with the local community through teaching, scholarship, and service. He has also been involved in community service, including serving on the boards of The Family Connection (a transition services agency for volunteers mentoring homeless families), the Latino Commission for Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services of Sonoma County, and the Latino Democratic Club. He has been a friend of WISR’s for many years, and his current interests in working with students at WISR cover many topics related to social change, among them: the Economic Literacy of Citizenship, Social Entrepreneurialism, The Postindustrial (Postmodern) Economy, Community Economic Survival Strategies, A Sustainable Economic Recovery, and inquires into The Epistemological Foundations of Community and Society. More information about Dr. Warmoth. http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/warmotha/awresume.html Artwarmoth@aol.com