ALEJANDRA LIORA ADLER

Born 1946, NYC, USA

Education:

Herbert Holt Institute for Existential Psychoanalysis, Post-graduate studies. 1968-9.

1982: Co-founder of Huehuecoyotl, Ecovillage and Living Arts Center in Morelos, Mexico.

1996-present: Workshops in Women's Leadership, Consensus Decision Making, Facilitation, Conflict Resolution, Building Authentic Community, Global Solutions to Planetary Change, Holistic Health and Nutrition and others in more than 15 countries.

Publications:

Co-author of Critical Incidents in Institutional Child Care by Jerome Beker, et al. NY, 1970.

Articles in Communities Magazine, Permaculture Magazine, Builders without Borders, 2004, Renaissance Magazine, Ecovillage Living, Positive News and many others.

Work History:

2004-present: Co-founder and president of Gaia University. International outreach, development, operations, teaching, advising, management.

1996 to 2003: Co-founder and coordinator: Caravana Arcoiris por la Paz, a mobile ecovillage and training center traveling through Central and South America.

2002-3: Lead organizer of Bioregional gathering, "Call of the Condor", Qosco, Peru, bringing together alternative movements and 800 people from 19 countries.

1994-8: Founder and Director; " Milenio" Nutrition Center. Tepoztlan, Mexico.

1992-4: Reading Coordinator and Primary School Librarian, Columbus School, Medellin, Colombia.

1989-92: Psychologist and Social Worker, Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch and South County Mental Health Clinic, Delray Beach, Florida

1987-9: Co-founder and Director; "La Casa del Tepozteco" a social service project to create employment and promote local handcrafts. Tepoztlan, Mexico

1983-7: Co-creator of the Women's Sewing Cooperative, "Hecho Aqui", Amatlan, Mexico. Helped 150 village women to become economically self-sufficient.

1974-82: Investigation of Ecovillages, Alternative Communities, Sustainability movement in Israel, Europe, Mexico and the U.S. Photographic documentation. Mother.

1968-74: Psychologist, Social Worker and Researcher at various institutions for children with behavioral and learning problems.

1966-68: Fellow in Clinical Child Care Counseling. Judge Baker Guidance Center, Boston, Mass.

ANDREW (ANDY) JOHN LANGFORD

Born 1949, Totnes, England.

Qualifications:

Master of Science: Organisation Analysis and Development, University of Bath, 1977

Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies, Bristol Polytechnic, 1976

Diploma of Applied Permaculture Design, Permaculture Institute of Australia, 1993

Member, Institute of Management Services, Manchester, 1975

Additional practitioner trainings:

Re-evaluation Counseling, Meeting and Event Facilitation, Spiral Dynamics, Planning for Real, Permaculture Teacher Training, Future Search.

Awards:

Permaculture Community Service Award, Permaculture Institute of Australia, 1993 - for outstanding services to the international permaculture community.

Trustee roles and achievements:

GEN-Europe (Global Ecovillage Network): Council member 2004 to present - with brief to engender economic self-reliance within the movement and release organisation from dependency on funding sources.

LETSystem,Oxford (Local Exhange/Trading System): Council member 1992 to 1996 - general participant in leadership team developing local LETSystem network.

Permaculture Association of Britain: Chair of Trustees 1990 to 1993 and Trustee 1986 to 1990. Leadership role establishing policy for non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Totnes Housing Group: Chair of Trustees 1986 to 1989. Initiator, organiser, financial manager of self-build, community group converting redundant school buildings into low cost residential accomodation.

Publications:

Designing Productive Meetings and Events - 1997, publisher S. Oxon District Council

Action Learning Manual- 1996, publisher Permaculture Academy of Britain

Make up your mind - self-help study skills 1975, publisher Clark's Ltd Training Department.

Work roles (present day first):

Joint Founder and Joint President of Gaia University, October 2004 to date:

Founder and CEO of The Permaculture Academy of Britain, May 1993 to date: an independent enterprise engaged in a 12 year experimental learning framework exploring the validity of action learning for learners of permaculture design seeking tutorial support and accreditation. Over 160 graduates in 5 countries and 7 Regional Offices opened. Organisation designer, CEO and International Reference Person.

Brazier Park School of Integrative Research: April 2000 to January 2005 Ecovillage resident responsible for land-use matters on 15 hectare farm and woodland, joint operator of living and learning centre, activist in organisation transformation process, integrative research developer.

Founder and Partner of Designed Visions, September 1990 to May 2000: an independent permaculture design consultancy working for private clients, local and regional government.

Notable outputs:

• Springfield Community Gardens, Bradford. A 3 hectare site within a decayed 3000 household social housing project of the 1960's - commended as 'best practice' in UK Government's national sustianable development strategy 1995. Sponsors; Bradford Metropolitan Council, Bradford City Challenge.
• Blackdown Hills Sustainable Development Initiative, Devon. A feasibility study over 100 square kilometres of economically depressed rural, upland country. Query was: how could sustainable development reverse the downward spiral in the area. An action learning enquiry which focussed on both practical and conceptual strategies - commended as 'best practice' in UK Government's 1996 publication 'Our Common Inheritance'. Sponsors; Devon County Council, European Union.
• Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council - training of teams of local facilitators drawn mostly from local business people capable of designing and faciltating action search gatherings of local people seeking to participate in Agenda 21 activities.
• Developing Permaculture and Agenda 21 capacity in Basque Country, Balerieac Islands and Catelelonia (Spain).

CEO, Permaculture Association of Britain, October 1985 to May 1990: National non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the development of permaculture design and teaching capacity both within the country and internationally.

Notable outputs:

• Convening and teaching first UK permaculture design courses.
• Training and activation of first British cohort of permaculture designers and teachers;
• Liasion with previously unknown UK pioneers of forest gardening, foggae farming, soil reconditioning and acid uplands reclamation with the effect of establishing a UK based case study base for permaculture.

Founder and Partner, Conker Shoe Company, September 1977 to May 1986: innovative, local scale, shoe manufacturing workshop using new, appropriate technology based construction and making techniques. First deep, conscious opportunity to engage with pioneering, action learning based, visionary project in contradiction to mainstream ecomomy. Intergation of all aspects of business and manufacture.

Work Study Officer, Clarks Ltd (Shoemakers), September 1970 to September 1975

Work Study practitioner, with special skills in pre-determined motion/time systems, advancing to teach Work Study in corporate training department.