My life in social activism
Since 1975 when I left the United States, I have always worked as a social and economic development activist. I now live in rural Ukraine, about 140 km south of Kyiv. Combining a PhD in agricultural science with an MBA in management, I managed projects in Central America, Africa, Central and South Asia and the ex-Soviet Union. Since 1975, my work has been in agricultural and rural development. With more than 40 years project experience in over 60 countries, I served as a program manager for a wide range of clients (World Bank, IFC, SENTER (Netherlands), EU, USAID, UNDP, FAO, DFID, and others).
During the past 20 years, I used consultation in teams that I managed. The purpose of consultation is to show that the views of several individuals are assuredly preferable to one man, even as the power of a number of men is of course greater than the power of one man. (see ‘ Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance).
My passion is to correlate Bahá’í social principles (see www.bahai.org for information about the Baha’i Faith) with current realities in the world and to work for a sustainable future in a united world. I am a member of Al Gore’s “Climate Reality Leaders Group,” now with more than 30,000 working to mitigate climate change and work towards transformational change and a sustainable future.
As a social activist, I have small farm and run a residential vacation school with my wife, called the “Land of Virtues”, for groups of children, youth, and adults striving to build a culture based on universal spiritual principles. I am a member of the Bahai’i-inspired ebbf (see ebbf.org) which is a business organization exploring how to contribute to a more prosperous, just and sustainable civilization, through daily work and discourse.
I am a faculty member at the Wilmette Institute, an educational institution that draws upon the principles of the Bahá’í Faith to inspire sustained social change for the common good. Courses are designed to explore individual and collective transformation by empowering students to advance a more just and peaceful society.
