Board of Directors

LAURIE GALLIAN

Laurie Gallian served two terms on the Sonoma City Council and was elected Mayor of Sonoma twice. A dedicated and active citizen, she has served on the City of Sonoma Community Services and Environment Commission, the Ag Preservation and Open Space district, the North Bay Executive Board for Sonoma County, Cittaslow International and other local organizations. Laurie was the finance manager for Sonoma Charter School and served as the Chair of the Democratic Party in Sonoma County for two years. She has been an active member of Praxis Peace Institute for many years and has served in an advisory capacity for most of that time. Laurie is also president of Soroptimists International of Sonoma Valley.

GEORGIA KELLY

Georgia Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of Praxis Peace Institute. She has produced and directed several multi-day conferences in Europe and the U.S., and has continued to create educational programs for Praxis. In addition to leading seminar/tours abroad (Italy, Cuba, Croatia), she developed a week-long seminar and tour at the Mondragón Cooperatives in Spain, which has become a signature program at Praxis. As a dedicated advocate for cooperatives, she compiled The Mondragón Report, an account of how the Praxis/Mondragón seminar has impacted the cooperative movement in the U.S. Georgia is also an active citizen and has chaired several issue-based political organizations and educational forums. She serverd as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention (1992 for Jerry Brown). Georgia also holds a certificate in Conflict Resolution from Sonoma State University and teaches conflict resolution workshops and mediation. In 2013, she edited and co-authored Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism, a critique of libertarian ideas and laissez-faire capitalism, written from the perspective of three academics and three activists. Her previous career was as a musician: harpist, composer, and recording artist. Website: www.georgiakelly.com

PATRICIA ROYMAN

Patricia Royman is a public relations and marketing professional and is a board member of the Global Cooperation Project. Her clients have included the Venice Biennale (Italy), the Presidio National Park (SF), Starnet, the University of Wahsington School of Law, and many others. She has been an advisor and active member of Praxis Peace Institute for many years and was on the Praxis advisory board prior to becoming a board member.

Advisory Board

Angeles Arrien

Angeles Arrien 1940 – 2014, was a cultural anthropologist who was involved with Praxis Peace Institute from before it launched in 2001. We mourn her passing and remain inspired by her life and work.

Kimberly Blattner

Kimberly Blattner serves on the City of Sonoma’s Community Services and Environment Commission and is a board member of the Sonoma Valley Fund. She is one of the founding members of Impact 100, an organization of women committed to making a significant impact in our community. She has served on several other boards, including Presidio Hill School, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, League of Women Voters of Sonoma County, the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, La Luz Center, and the SFMOMA Docent Council. She taught English at Sonoma Valley High School from 1976 to 1990 and was chair of the English Department from 1988-1990. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University and an M.A. from UC Davis.

Riane Eisler, J.D.

Riane Eisler, J.D. is best-known for her international best-seller, “The Chalice and the Blade.” She is President of the Center for Partnership Studies, has taught at the University of California in LA, and is a fellow at the World Academy of Art and Science. Riane Eisler has also done pioneering work in human rights and serves on many boards and advisory councils. She has written several other seminal books, including “The Parntership Way,” which integrates personal, social, and political relationships in a partnership model. Her latest book, “Nurturing Our Humanity,” provides evidence for the possible human we can be and become.

Sam Keen, Ph.D.

Sam Keen, Ph.D., Educated at Harvard and Princeton Universities, Sam has been a professor of philosophy and religion, a contributing editor of Psychology Today, and author and co-producer of the award-winning PBS documentary, “Faces of the Enemy.” His books include the best-selling “Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man” and “Faces of the Enemy,” updated in 2004.

David Korten, Ph.D.

David Korten, Ph.D., is the author of When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. He is co-founder the Positive Futures Network, which publishes Yes! Magazine. Korten holds M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has taught at Harvard University. He also served as a project specialist in Southeast Asia with the Ford Foundation and served as a regional adviser to USAID.