Caring Economy Team Members

RIANE EISLER is a social scientist, attorney, and author whose work on cultural transformation has inspired both scholars and social activists. Her research has impacted many fields, including history, economics, psychology, sociology, and education. She has been a leader in the movement for peace, sustainability, and economic equity, and her pioneering work in human rights has expanded the focus of international organizations to include the rights of women and children. She is president of the Center for Partnership Studies, dedicated to research and education and co-founder of the Caring Economy Campaign, and, with Nobel Peace laureate Betty Williams, of the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV).

Dr. Eisler is internationally known for her bestseller The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future, now in 25 foreign editions, including most European languages and Chinese, Russian, Korean, Hebrew, Japanese, Urdu, and Arabic. Her newest book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics – hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking,” Peter Senge as “desperately needed,” Gloria Steinem as “revolutionary,” and Jane Goodall as “a call for action” – proposes a new economics that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the work of caring for people and nature.

Dr. Eisler keynotes conferences and speaks at universities worldwide, and consults to business and government on applications of the partnership model introduced in her work. She has spoken at the United Nations  General Assembly, and other venues have included Germany at the invitation of Prof. Rita Suessmuth, President of the Bundestag (the German Parliament) and Daniel Goeudevert (Chair of Volkswagen International); Colombia, invited by the Mayor of Bogota; and the Czech Republic, invited by Vaclav Havel (President of the Czech Republic).

She is a member of the Club of Rome, a Councilor of the World Future Council, a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and World Business Academy,and a commissioner of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality, along with the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders.

Other books drawing from her multidisciplinary research include the award-winning The Power of Partnership and Tomorrow’s Children, as well as Sacred Pleasure, a daring reexamination of sexuality and spirituality, and Women, Men, and the Global Quality of Life, documenting the key role of women’s status in a nation’s general quality of life. Her earlier books, drawing from her legal experience, include Dissolution and The Equal Rights Handbook, widely used in the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Riane Eisler was born in Vienna, fled from the Nazis with her parents to Cuba, and later emigrated to the United States. She obtained degrees in sociology and law from the University of California, taught pioneering classes on women and the law at UCLA, and now teaches in the graduate Transformative Leadership Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Eisler has written over 300 articles in publications ranging from Behavioral Science, Futures, Political Psychology, The Christian Science Monitor, Challenge, and The UNESCO Courier to Brain and Mind, the Human Rights Quarterly, The International Journal of Women's Studies, and the World Encyclopedia of Peace.

Dr. Eisler is the only woman among 20 great thinkers including Hegel, Adam Smith, Marx, and Toynbee selected for inclusion in Macrohistory and Macrohistorians in recognition of the lasting importance of her work as a cultural historian and evolutionary theorist. She has received many honors, including honorary Ph.D. degrees, the Alice Paul ERA Education Award, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 2009 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award, and is included in the award-winning book Great Peacemakers as one of 20 leaders for world peace, along with Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King.

Dr. Eisler can be contacted at center@partnershipway.org.

Kimberly Otis, CPS Senior Advisor and Director of the Caring Economcy Campaign:  Kim has played a key role in CPS since 2008, working on organizational, program, and fund development, as well as strategic planning. She has held leadership positions with private foundations, non-profits, associations, and women's organizations for over twenty-five years.  From 2007 to 2009, Otis was a part-time Executive Director of the National Council of Women's Organizations, a coalition representing 230 member organizations. Other past clients include MADRE, PhilanTech, Feminist Majority Founadtion, Women Moving Millions, National Black Women's Health Imperative, and the Communications Consortium Media Center.  Kim has held other leadership positions including four years as President & CEO of Women & Philanthropy, a membership and advocacy organization of grantmakers.  She is past Executuve Director of the Rauch Foundation, a family foundation based in Long Island, New York.  For nearly ten years, Kim was the founding Executive Director of The Sister Fund, formerly The Hunt Alternatives Fund, a private family foundation devoted to the empowerment of women and girls.  Kim also held positions in fundraising, research, and management with several progressive social change organizations, including Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the Center for War, Peace, and the News Media at New York University, and the Public Agenda Foundation.

During the challenging aftermath of September 11, 2001, Otis was Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (now Philanthropy New York), and Co-Chaired the Affinity Group Network of the Council on Foundations.  She is a past Board member of the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY, and of the Women's Funding Network, which also bestowed her with the “Changing the Face of Philanthropy” award in 2001. She has published chapters in two books, Women, Philanthropy, and Social Change, (Tufts University Press, 2005), and The Transformative Power of Women's Philanthropy, (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2006).  She has authored numerous reports, articles, and Op-Eds, and has made many public presentations at conferences, universities, the National Press Club, and on Capitol Hill. Kim holds a Master's degree in International and Public Affairs from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with honors and distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Kim also was awarded a certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from the Graduate School of Business Administration at Harvard University, as well as other certificates from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of the University of Geneva, Switzerland.  Kim attended the United Nations' IV World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995, where she organized several workshops.  She has traveled widely in Europe, Brazil and India, and enjoys the many cultural benefits of living in Washington, DC. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for True Child and on the Advisory Board for Gender Action. Email: kotisdc@gmail.com

Sara Saltee, Director of the Caring Economy Leadership Program: Sara has been supporting the Center for Partnership Studies’ Caring Economics training programs since early 2009, when she joined the team that developed the initial pilot project. As the training program has evolved, Sara has taken a lead role in program development as a curriculum designer, program administrator, and facilitator. Sara brings a range of professional and academic experience to her work with the Caring Economy Leadership Training Program. With 15 years’ experience in adult education, five years as an organization development consultant, and broad expertise in the fields of communication, adult learning, and creativity, Sara specializes in the articulation and display of complex concepts, and design and facilitation of high-engagement learning experiences for adult learners.

 After earning a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Swarthmore College, Sara pursued interdisciplinary graduate studies in Communication at the University of California, San Diego focused on the intersections of gender, culture and power, with special emphasis on feminist film theory, feminist legal theory, and feminist epistemology and methodology. In 2007, Sara started her own business, Updraft Services, to help consultants, coaches, speakers, and other professionals create dynamic information products and training programs that effectively communicate their wisdom and expertise to target audiences. She is also an artist, a creativity coach, and (last but never least) a Mother.

Dr. Susan G. Carter, Associate-Director of the Caring Economy Leadership Program: Dr. Carter regularly co-teaches the “The Power of Partnership” with Riane Eisler, an online course they designed and developed together for the Transformative Leadership Master’s and Transformative Studies Ph.D. Programs Partnership Studies focus at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco, CA. (She has also been instrumental in designing and developing a number of the courses, including “Partnership In Action”  offered in the Partnership Studies focus in this Transformative Leadership Program.)   Believing that learning is most effective when coupled with relevant direct application to daily lives and contemporary issues, Susan has developed courses with action, experiential, and community engagement components.  Her courses are structured to expand the dynamic possibilities of academic studies and collaborative community activism/social change work.  This is also her approach as a speaker inspiring and empowering her audiences.Susan currently serves as interim chair and teaches in the Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) program at Marylhurst University (Portland, OR), and is a full professor (adjunct) at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).  She has been associated with Marylhurst University's MAIS program for more than six years, and recently introduced partnership coursework there.  For over a decade she has taught at CIIS in the School of Undergraduate Studies, as well as the Transformative Leadership M.A. program, the Transformative Studies Ph.D. program, and the Women’s Spirituality M.A. and Ph.D. graduate programs. 

As a feminist scholar and an avid advocate of volunteerism and community-based learning, Susan is actively involved in the non-profit sector, and has served on a number of boards that promote education and empowerment of underserved populations, cross-cultural understanding, and the arts.  She has formed and directed a 501[c][3] foundation, and consults with California Bay Area and Pacific Northwest educational institutions to help promote community service.  In addition, she presents nationally and internationally on diverse educational, partnership, cultural and spiritual topics.  Susan’s interdisciplinary work is further informed by looking to ancient cultures for ideas that may help shape our future.  Her academic and personal interests come together with the study of women’s spirituality and prehistoric symbolism and art as an expression of ancient spiritual traditions.  Over the last decade she has studied the prehistoric origins of the Japanese sun goddess, linking this goddess’ influence on the current political discussion of women’s right of ascendancy to the Chrysanthemum throne.  Additionally, she has been researching her ancestral roots (and probable Sami indigenous lineage): women’s roles in contemporary Sweden, women’s possible roles in Scandinavian prehistory, Scandinavian mythology, and is also researching the ancient rock carvings of Sweden.

Susan Carter holds an M.A. in Women’s Spirituality and a Ph.D. in Humanities/Philosophy of Religion from The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco, CA. Dr. Carter has been a designer and developers of the Caring EconomyLeadership Program since November 2010. She co-teaches, with Riane Eisler, the “The Power of Partnership,” an online course they designed and developed together for the Transformative Leadership Master’s and Transformative Studies Ph.D. Programs Partnership Studies focus at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, CA. Susan is an associate professor (adjunct) at CIIS and Marylhurst University (Portland, OR). For over a decade she has taught at CIIS in the School of Undergraduate Studies, as well as the Transformative Leadership M.A. program, the Transformative Studies Ph.D. program, and the Women’s Spirituality M.A. and Ph.D. graduate programs. At Marylhurst University, she teaches in the Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies program (Spiritual Traditions and Ethics). Susan has served on a number of boards that promote education and empowerment of underserved populations, cross-cultural understanding, and the arts. She consults with California Bay Area and Pacific Northwest educational institutions to promote community service. She presents nationally and internationally on diverse educational, partnership, cultural and spiritual topics, and holds an M.A. in Women’s Spirituality and a Ph.D. in Humanities/Philosophy of Religion from The California Institute of Integral Studies. Email: susangailcarter@yahoo.com

Shireen Mitchell, CPS Social Marketer/Blog Coordinator: Shireen is a digital media consultant and founder of the D.C.- based technology non-profit Digital Sistas, which focuses on using digital media and technology for women and diverse communities. She founded the first women of color web management firm in the early 90's, which managed PoliticallyBlack.com prior to its sale and incorporation into what is known today as Politico.com. She created a digital media game that helped youth learn technology and programming at local Techno Rodeos. She wrote “Gaining Daily Access to Science and Technology” in the book, 50 Ways to Improve Women's Lives. Shireen has been honored with several awards, including Top 25 Women in Tech to Watch, Top 100 DC Tech Titans, Social Citizen Award: Apps for Democracy DC, Rising Star: Woman of Color in Technology, Heroine in Technology, Community Technology Leader, and one of The Root 100, Black Enterprise Women to Follow and Women's Media Center nomination for Social Media Award. She is Vice-Chair of National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) and Chairs its Media and Technology Task Force. She works with nonprofits on their social media strategies and online campaigns and organizes local “Tech Events.”  Email: digitalsista@gmail.com

Ann Amberg M.C.S., CELP Program Adminstrator: As a cross-pollinator, Ann serves as a creative holistic thought leader, educational consultant and mentor, designer and witnessing artist. She has a background in online course development, facilitation, communications and program administration in the U.S. and U.K. Most recently Ann was the Director of Special Programs at The Heritage Institute, where she co-created and managed online educator professional development programs in global/local sustainability education including “The World We Want” for K-12 teachers. She designs workshops and facilitate courses that connect science, spirituality, art and leadership. Ann is a passionate advocate for environmental & social integrity—including looking to nature’s elegant economy to sustainably nurture people and planet. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies: Integral Ecology and a Master’s degree in Contemporary Spirituality. Ann is fortunate to be part of a vibrant and closely connected community on Whidbey Island, WA.  Email: annamberg.cps@gmail.com

Terrina Long, Technical Writer for the Center for Partnership Studies and the Caring Economy Campaign, and provides database and website management.  Terri is also a Program Analyst with the Data Dissemination Branch of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division. As primary account manager and lead web developer and designer of USA Trade Online, she is responsible for the documentation, marketing, and day-to-day management of the service. She previously spent 13 years with STAT-USA, an office within the Department of Commerce's Economics Statistics Agency. During the last seven years of her STAT-USA tenure, she served as the Senior Marketing Associate of the Education and Outreach Team. Ms. Long has also served as a Business Analyst for the Bureau of Industry and Security and Customer Service Representative for the Economic Development Agency, both within the Department of Commerce.  Email:  terrina.long@gmail.com