Work I Support

I loved being invited to support digital engagement and strategy for this historic education think tank focused on improvement in education, the future of learning, and the transformation of the Carnegie Unit. Ironically, Carnegie had devised the Carnegie Unit (how many hours a student needs to graduate from high school), but that was before cars were on the street. I am proud to support their ecosystem development and critical communication for the future learning needs of our youth. Learn more about their work here.

Having consulted on their theory of change and communication strategy, I am now on the board of this tireless volunteer organization led by the most tireless of them all, Norm Gaume, a retired water planner. Water is a critical issue in New Mexico, and the state and its citizens have had their heads in the sand too long. Soon enough, that may be all we have to have our heads in! Of course, we will still have water, but the trends are not promising for the usage we’ve become accustomed to. It is time to find ways we can reduce and share more equitably. Learn more at mrgwateradvocates.org.

One of my first and longest-lasting philanthropic relationships was with the extraordinary spiritual journalism of Krista Tippett. I was thrilled to watch her show grow, to support the research needed to change their name, to be involved with deep and fruitful convenings, and to help support their evolution. What a journey. Their ongoing work to explore the yearnings of our world through unique and profound voices and Krista’s singular approach make this podcast the most meaningful media you can listen to today. Don’t miss the Nick Cave episode. www.onbeing.org

I should write a book. There isn’t much like it in the world, a foundation focused on love and spirituality. But it was more intense and challenging than you would imagine. I supported extraordinary work through many different funding models and encountered so many amazing people, many mentioned here and good friends to this day. I did everything from program funding to comms strategy, convenings to research, and with intelligent and deeply loving colleagues. More than any of the work, though, remembering the incredible support they offered me and my family when my husband was dying, comforts and inspires me to this day. www.fetzer.org.

Like many other NPR fans, I’ve sat in my driveway countless times to hear the end of a StoryCorps conversation. Connecting StoryCorps interviews to the Fetzer Institute’s initiatives on love and democracy was beautiful. It helped us learn from everyday folk who discover what’s truly important in our relationships with family, friends, and strangers. I’m proud that I helped the Fetzer Institute be one of the first funders of StoryCorps’ groundbreaking depolarization work: One Small Step.

Truly, it is an “I was there at the beginning” story. Founder Soren Gordhamer called me when he was living in Dixon, NM, with a crazy idea to bring the contemplative world together with the tech world and ask, “How can we be more consciously connected?” He had me at hello, and it was one of the Fetzer Institute’s longest-running sponsorships. Beginning with a few hundred people at the Computer History Museum in Palo Alto, the gathering has grown to over 3,000 and features the conversations essential to our ever-immersive tech reality and its impact on our humanity. Join me this April in San Francisco to hear from leaders in AI and other tech as they wrestle with the exponential growth and implications of technology today. www.wisdom2summit.com/

FMS offers enormous thought leadership and deep knowledge of the leaders in mindfulness that, when connected, help cities, organizations, and individuals transform to foster individual wellness, healthy relationships, and a more caring society. I am offering strategic advice and approaches so they can grow and scale their ideas.

When I walked onto this incredible property south of Santa Fe, I knew it was part of my story of coming home. Master Mingtong Gu is an extraordinary spiritual teacher, and his vision for The Chi Center to be a home for wisdom and healing by inviting many spiritual paths, inner-work modalities, and other groups to use the property is a profound one grounded in love. I have recently supported their retreat sales and community events and invite you to explore the beauty of the property. www.chicenter.com.

A great support for me after I made the decision to leave organizational life and create my own consultancy. MEA focuses on midlife transitions and made me feel much better about the messy middle I found myself in. Founded by a former hotelier and wisdom keeper, Chip Conley, MEA now has a home in Santa Fe, and I’m honored to be a part of their alumni network, imagining their local work in a new community. Check them out here.

I began my career at KNME-TV (now known as New Mexico PBS) in Albuquerque at the ripe age of 18; I soon met my husband (he worked there too) and fell in love with him and the significance of public media. I stayed there till my early 30s, working in programming and outreach, then moved on to Georgia Public Broadcasting. Those are my home stations I love and support to this day, but I am forever indebted to the overall PBS system and all the people in it for what I learned and how it shaped my life. Stream NM’s art and culture show, ¡Colores! here.