John Azevedo - John is an activist, writer, artist, former owner of “Ojai Creates!” art and imagination store, and Global Village School’s “Landlord Extraordinaire.”
Michele Blumberg
Sally Carless - Founding Director and “Chief Visionary Officer” of Global Village School, Sally has more than twenty-five years’ experience in alternative education including administration, teaching, curriculum development, American Indian Education, outdoor education, and program development. In addition to her Masters Degree in Education and California Teaching Credential, Sally has a B.A. in Wilderness Recreation. She also completed a year’s graduate study in Depth Psychology and studies dream tending at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Passionately committed to a vision of a more just and peaceful world, Sally believes that education is a key component of progressive social change. She has given presentations on peace education, learning styles, homeschooling, and “educating for a better world” at various locations in the U.S. as well as in Thailand, India, and Australia. Also a musician and writer, Sally’s articles have been published on Commondreams.org and in Paths of Learning and Hopedance. She is also a regular contributor to The Ojai Post.
Kayla Rae Carpenter – Kayla is a young Hupa, Yurok and Karuk woman attending Stanford University, majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Native American Studies. A 2005 Brower Youth Award recipient and Mellon Mays Fellow, Kayla grew up on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in Northern California. Her family holds World Renewal ceremonial responsibilities for the village of TakimiL-ding – “the-acorn-stirring-place.” She is the oldest granddaughter of the spiritual headman of the village – Merv George, and daughter of spiritual head-woman Melodie George-Moore and Chance Carpenter III. The oldest of eleven full, half and step siblings, her interests include basket-weaving, traditional singing, language revitalization, and efforts for indigenous religious freedom alongside environmental and social justice.
Suza Francina - Suza Francina was born in 1949, in The Hague, Holland, and is of Dutch-Indonesian heritage. She has lived for over fifty years in Ojai, California, a valley widely considered one of the most beautiful and sacred places on Earth. Over the years Suza has worn many hats. She is a mother, a pre school teacher, a home health care provider, a former city council member and mayor of Ojai, an animal advocate, a spokesperson for green, sustainable lifestyles, a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher and a writer. Suza began teaching yoga in 1972. She is a pioneer in the field of teaching yoga to people at midlife and older. Her first book Yoga for People Over 50, was published in 1977. She is the author of The New Yoga for People Over 50 (Health Communications, Inc., 1997); Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause (HCI, 2003); and The New Yoga for Healthy Aging (HCI 2007). Her books are published in several languages including German, Russian and Portuguese. She is a contributing author to twelve books and writes for print and web publications locally, nationally and internationally. She is currently completing a spiritual memoir: Autobiography of a Yogini. For more information visit http://www.suzafrancina.com/
Rev. Ann Gelsheimer, M.A., M.Ed., D.T.S., B.Sc. - Ann is a licensed interfaith minister with graduate training in clinical and counselling psychology, theology and spirituality, and is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. Ann has studied, practiced, and taught within Tibetan Buddhism for many years and was elected President of the Board at Gaden Choling Mahayana Buddhist Centre in Toronto in 2008. She works as a counsellor, professor and assessment clinic coordinator at Seneca College in Toronto and teaches classes in body-mind-spirit healing and wellness for people with cancer at Wellspring/Sunnybrook Hospital. Over the years, Ann has developed several programs and services for students with learning and physical disabilities, written curriculum, and taught many high school and college courses including introductory and organizational psychology, wellness and sexuality, creativity and spirituality, contemporary issues, career exploration, and study skills. Her article, The Bystander Effect: Thomas Merton and Social Psychology, was published in The Merton Seasonal in June 2008, and she is currently co-authoring an article on neuroscience and spirituality for a book on neuroscience and indigenous perspectives to be published in 2009.
Heather MacGumerait – Heather MacGumerait is a personal assistant and editor, a massage therapist, a cat lover, a vegetarian cook, a hiker and a board-game player living in the Ojai Valley in southern California. She contributes to several blogs and edits writing for other bloggers. Her four felines run her life, demanding open doors and windows and trapping her on the couch by means of weighing down her lap. Current favorite recipes include raw chocolate coconut cookies, Walnut-Cheese burgers, potato gouda quiche and Rustic Italian Soup with kidney beans, sage and kale. She took her first backpacking trip in over 10 years recently, hiking into the Sespe with her father, an avid backpacker. She loves to play Robo Rally, Catan and Scrabble with her friends. Heather has watched Global Village School grow from it’s early days and is pleased to be a part of it’s newest endeavor, the Global Village Voice.
Tanya MacGumerait – Tanya graduated with a degree in Political Science and History from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where she was involved in the political science, history, and sociology honor societies. At around age four Tanya could be found on the couch reading Webster’s Dictionary as often as playing outside with the neighborhood kids. Ms. MacGumerait has developed a wide variety of interests as the result of experience and study. During her high school years Tanya gave presentations on gay/lesbian/bisexual rights and highlighted the experiences of multicultural youth. An enthusiastic researcher of different types of culture, spirituality, and political systems, Ms. MacGumerait has also professionally pursued her interest in technology while serving as the Director of IT for a distance-learning school. Tanya delights in the opportunity to create, teach and learn from material that inspires inquiry, encourages communication, and fosters cooperation – things that support the development of thoughtful, compassionate and aware human beings. Tanya has worn a variety of hats during her time at Global Village including Administrator, Technical Advisor, Outreach Coordinator, Curriculum Writer, and teacher.
Brook Montagna – Brook Montagna, Life Coach, specializes in coaching individuals and groups to deepen their experience in life, to live boldly, and to manifest personal and professional success. Brook’s coaching is grounded in mindfulness and helps clients develop focus, awareness, acceptance, peace and joy. It is Brook’s passion and joy to help her clients create powerful and lasting change for a better life. She is committed to helping others live life from a place of inner truth with mindful confidence and skillful actions for greater success.
Michael Preston
Wendelin Wagner
Peggie Williamson, MSW - Peggie is a well known trainer in negotiation skills and has helped major corporations and non-profit organizations learn how to reach win-win outcomes with their customers and staff. Passionate about creating a world that works for everyone, Peggie founded Wishworks, a non-profit that provides teachers in gang-ridden, low income schools with materials and supplies. She also founded God Bless the WorldTM, a company that produces inspirational products. Peggie published Sales Negotiation Skills, writes for several newspapers and journals and was a contributing author to Kitchen Table Stories. She and her husband have a wonderful bi-racial family with four grown sons and two grand-daughters.
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This post was written by Sally Carless on November 5, 2008
