Frank Peabody holds a 1956 degree in economics from Princeton University that led him to his business career in management consulting which he was passionate about and deeply involved in building as a firm. However, he considers his spiritual journey and painting since that career to be the most rewarding and authentic part of his life.
He served as Board member and Chair of The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living for over ten years and maintains an art gallery, Peabody Watercolors, in Charleston S.C. Apropos to our November meeting: “I have searched for over 20 years for a way to translate my passion for the transcendent world of spirituality into an activity that would directly and concretely contribute to the sustainability of humanity. A sustainability that will only come from a shift of consciousness that is now oriented around the illusion of separateness to a consciousness of unity. To me, the highest point of leverage for such a shift is the education system for K-12 youth because for this population the challenge is more one of nurturing what they were born with than a transformation away from the illusion of separateness they learn as members of our society.”
Steven C. Rockefeller is professor emeritus of religion at Middlebury College, where he also served as dean of the College. He received his master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is the author of John Dewey: Religious Faith and Democratic Humanism (Columbia, 1991) and the coeditor of two books of essays, The Christ and the Bodhisattva (SUNY, 1987) and Spirit and Nature: Why the Environment is a Religious Issue (Beacon, 1992). His essays appear in many books and journals.
Over the past 20 years, Professor Rockefeller has played a leading role in the drafting and promotion of the Earth Charter, which is a declaration of global interdependence and universal responsibility, and he is the author of Democratic Equality, Economic Inequality, and the Earth Charter (Earth Charter International, 2015). Active in the field of philanthropy, he served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) for 33 years and chaired the Fund’s board from 1998 to 2006
Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer. He taught two of the largest classes in Harvard University’s history, Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership. Today, Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations. The topics he lectures on include leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world.
Tal is a serial entrepreneur, and is the co-founder and chief learning officer of The Wholebeing Institute, Potentialife, Maytiv, and Happier.TV.
An avid sportsman, Tal won the U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships. Today, for exercise, he swims, dances, and practices Yoga. He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard
Bob Boisture | Board Member
Bob Boisture has been President of the Fetzer Institute (http://fetzer.org/) since 2013, and a Trustee of the Institute since 2011.Under his leadership, the Institute has adopted the new mission of “helping build the spiritual foundation of a loving world.” The Institute’s goal is to help catalyze and support a global movement for spiritually-grounded personal and social transformation. As part of its broader strategy, the Institute is working with a growing number of partners to catalyze and support a national movement to “heal the heart of American democracy.” Trained as a lawyer, Bob spent most of his career in Washington, working with a broad range of nonprofits and foundations.
Bob received his JD from Yale Law School in 1979. He also attended Princeton University (AB, 1974, Woodrow Wilson Scholar), and Oxford University (BA, 1976, Marshall Scholar).
Bob is married to the artist Mary Margaret Pipkin. They have three grown sons, two daughters-in- law, and two grandchildren. Bob and Mary Margaret spend as much time as they can on their farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Lisa Miller | Board Member
Lisa Miller, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University, Teachers College and is Founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. http://www.lisamillerphd.com/
Dr. Miller is a foremost scientist on spirituality across the lifespan, with her work published in top research journals including JAMA-Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Her innovative research has focused on quantifiable effects of spirituality in health, resilience and thriving, and an overall sacred and joyful life. Her clinical and consultation work focuses on spiritual awareness and spiritual growth, for individuals, families, groups and organizations
Dr. Miller is the author of “The Spiritual Child; The New Science of Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving.” Based upon her decade and a half of experience, she offers talks, workshops and consultations on spirituality in healthy development to parents and schools, adult wellness groups, and private and public organizations. She is the Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality and Co-Editor of the APA journal, Spirituality in Clinical Practice.
She has been elected as Fellow by the American Psychological Association, as well as for the Virginia Sexton Mentoring Award of graduate students. A graduate of Yale, she received her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania from Martin Seligman.