2009 SONOMA CONFERENCE - PRESENTERS

Speakers are being invited now. Early confirmations include the following:

U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has served in the U.S. Congress since 1996. He has run for president twice and used his campaigns to highlight critical issues facing our country. In 1977, Kucinich first attained elected office as the youngest Mayor of Cleveland (21 years old). His term resulted in a successful fight to save the city's municipally-owned electric system from privatization. In 1988, the Cleveland City Council honored Dennis for "having the courage and foresight to refuse to sell the city's municipal electric system." Kucinich has introduced legislation to authorize a cabinet level Department of Peace (HR 3760) that would address domestic and international issues. He has been an unwavering advocate for workers' rights and, since the financial meltdown, has become a key spokesperson in Congress for establishing responsible financial policies.

U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA, Sonoma County District) is in her 9th term as a representative of California's 6th District. Her journey from welfare mom to business owner, Mayor of Petaluma, and now Congresswoman has informed her progressive policies and provided one of the strongest backbones in the Congress. Woolsey is Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus and is Chairwoman of the Committee on Education and Labor's Workforce Protections Subcommittee. She is a tireless advocate for peace, education, science, and responsible financial policies. In the most recent energy bill, Woolsey was instrumental in securing over $2 billion in renewable energy research, development, and commercial application. The energy bill included the "Woolsey Green Building Amendment, modeled after a project in her district, which promotes the use of renewal energy in public buildings.

Riane Eisler is an eminent social scientist, attorney, and cultural historian. As an author, she is most known for her bestseller, The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future, now in 23 foreign translations. Her newest book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics --- hailed by Desmond Tutu as "A template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking," by Gloria Steinem as "revolutionary," and by Jane Goodall as "A call for action" --- proposes a new approach to economics that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the work of caring for people and planet. Eisler has been on the faculty of UCLA and currently teaches in the Transformative Learning Project at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.

James Galbraith is a professor of economics and government at the University of Texas (Austin) and is Chair of Economists for Peace and Security, a global professional network. He is the author of six books, including Created Unequal: The Crisis in American Pay; Balancing Acts: Technology, Finance and the American Future, and his latest, The Predator State. Galbraith graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, received a Ph.D. in economics from Yale, and was a Marshall Scholar at King's College, Cambridge. He served on the staff of the U.S. Congress as Executive Director of the Joint Econmic Committee, was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution, and is currently a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sam Keen is a noted author, philosopher and expert on propaganda and the roles myths play in our psyches and societies. He holds Ph.D's in philosophy and theology from Harvard and has authored several bestselling books, including Fire in the Belly, Faces of the Enemy, which was also a PSB documentary, and Hymns to an Unknown God. His work on myth was the subject of a 60-minute special with Bill Moyers, Your Mythic Journey with Sam Keen. In addition to being an expert on cultural myths, Keen was a contributing editor at Psychology Today magazine for 20 years.

David Korten has over 35 years of experience in preeminent business, academic, and international development institutions as well as in contemporary citizen action organizations. Trained in economics, organization theory, and business strategy, he holds M.B.A. and Ph. D degrees from Stanford University Graduate Schools of Business, has taught at Harvard, and served as a regional advisor for USAID. His work in third world countries opened his eyes to the consequences of economic globalization. In his new book, Agenda for a New Economy, Korten outlines alternatives for sustainable and respectful living on planet Earth. He is also the author of When Corporations Rule the World and The Post Corporate World: Life after Capitalism. He is also co-founder of the Positive Futures Network and Yes! Magazine.

Mikel Lezamiz (Mondrag�n Cooperatives) is the educational director of the Mondrag�n Cooperatives Corporation, the world's largest consortium of worker-owned businesses located in the Basque Country of Northern Spain. He helped organize Praxis Peace Institute's 5-day seminar at the MCC headquarters in the fall of 2008. Lezamiz is one of the most knowledgeable sources on the history and current operations of Mondrag�n's 120 worker-owned businesses.

Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, medical ethics, philanthropy and business. His PBS special, Money and Culture, produced by Bill Moyers, discusses the role of money in our society and its power to shape our culture and souls. His books include Money and the Meaning of Life, The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders, and The Heart of Philosophy, and several others.

Vandana Shiva was born in India and is a physicist, environmental activist and author. She is one of the leaders of the International Forum on Globalization and is the founder of the Navdanya Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (www.navdanya.org) She is the author of many books, including Water Wars: Pollution, Profits, and Privatization, Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge, Monocultures of the Mind, and The Violence of the Green Revolution. She addressed the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle (1999) as well as the World Economic Forum in Melbourne, Australia (2000). In 1993, Shiva was the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award.

Judy Wicks is the co-founder of the nationwide Business for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and a founder of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN). She is also president of White Dog Community Enterprises, a non-profit dedicated to building a local food system and living economy in the Philadelphia region. Wicks has won numerous awards, including the James Beard Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year Award (2005) and the Philadelphia Sustainability Life Time Achievement Award (2007). She has appeared on Nightline, MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, CNN, and many other TV and radio shows.

Artists

Osprey Orielle Lake, Artist-in-Residence at the 2009 conference.

Nigel Armstrong, 19-year old, award winning violinist

More Information and Artist bios coming soon. Please check these pages frequently for updates and additions.

Conference 2009 Menu:
• Program Areas
• Presenters
• Workshops
• Registration
• Location
• Hotel Information
• Excursions