In the 1960's, as a founding member of the now legendary Rock Band, Jefferson Airplane, I was a participant in the cultural, social, and political changes of that period. As a practicing Organizational Psychologist, and an advocate for employee ownership and participation, I have spent my life effecting organizational change. At present we are working to change the philanthropic model from charity to investment and use the force of the marketplace to effect social, economic, and political change in developing countries around the world.
I recently participated in a benefit concert in Astoria, Oregon at the delta of the great Columbia River. This was a gathering of those, who helped change the world and end a misguided costly war. The combination of the majestic and powerful river, the green lush countryside, and the evocative music and poetic lyrics "...we are but a moment's sunshine, fading on the grass ... when the wind that left us here returns for us at last..." such are the moments and events that echo down the years and make history live.
I am an advocate and activist for social and economic justice. Social justice cannot exist without economic justice for if one cannot feed their family, all else is futile. As a behaviorist I believe that charity, although necessary in emergencies, is only a short-term strategy and, in general it is a bad solution to poverty. My personal belief is that given the opportunity for productive work and a fair and just work environment, most people will prefer honest work to charity.
I want to see the eradication of abject poverty and hunger through the pursuit of enlightened self-interest and in the just application of commerce as a motive force in human development. As the Catholic Pope Leo XXIII's 1893 encyclical Rarem novarum that endorsed social justice and a democratic workplace said, "... without economic justice, there can be no social justice." I would see every man and woman on this planet free from coercion, fear and hunger, enabled to self-actualization and encouraged to test the limits of their social and intellectual development.
My life work has been shaped by my experiences as have we all. I have lived a varied and colorful life. I spent five years as a US Marine, then I worked in the US Congress, I spent seven years as a professional musician, after schooling and professional training, I studied with the eminent behaviorist Dr. Thomas F. Gilbert, learning Organizational Psychology ... my career for the last twenty five years has been as a catalyst for change ... organizations such as: Honda America Manufacturing, Frito-Lay, Mallory Battery Company, Sylvan Learning Systems, and lately US AID and The Grameen Foundation.
I am an author and lecturer in the field and have taught Instructional Design at the University Level. Presently, I am responsible for organizational design and development and the provision of professional services to suppor our company's mission of economic and social development.
