As a Systems/Organizational Psychologist, my interests and background span broadly with particular focus on systems thinking, group and organizational dynamics, ecopsychology, the use and misuse of psychometrics, Indigenous knowledge systems, bioregionalism, dialogue and other facilitation methodologies.  Integrating these interests, I’ve largely invested my advocacy and professional work towards addressing sustainability, with emphasis on the human dimensions.  I also serve as an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University.  Whether in the classroom or working with organizations, fostering collaborative group learning and decision-making is at the heart of my work.

My formal training includes a Ph.D. in Systems Science: Psychology and an M.S. in Organizational Psychology.  My informal training involved growing up in the context of a loving family, strong community, and the profound wisdom of the broader living landscape in the bioregion of the Pacific Northwest.

Why “Seed Pattern”?

“Seed Pattern” is both descriptive and serves as a call to action.  Seeds embody the wisdom of the past and are the hope for the future.  They contain the potential to grow into a mature life-form able to generate more seeds for further self-propagation.  Similarly, my work aims to support establishment of new patterns of thought and behavior that are self-sustaining.  Self-sustaining in that they take on a life of their own after a period of initial seeding and nurturing for roots to take hold.

Further, a core aspiration in my work is to help organizations, individuals and communities move beyond the mechanistic mindset rooted in 18th and 19th century science into a more holistic, living systems worldview consistent with 21st century science.  Drawing inspiration from nature is an extraordinarily fruitful path for insight and seeing new opportunities for how to live and work in this world.   So, “Seed Pattern” is a nature inspired metaphor inviting us to model ourselves after nature’s patterns.