People
Advisors
Meet our growing group of Advisors who, due to their own extended and conscious practice as Transformative Action Learners, do a great job in the complex process of mentoring Associates. Each Advisor maintains their authenticity through commitment to life-long learning with Gaia University and through constructive engagement with World Change.
Director of Advisory Services
Valerie Seitz grew up in Vienna, the cultural capital of Austria, and developed a passionate interest in the artistic, social and ecological aspects of public life at an early age. This lead to her decision to study architecture, first in Vienna and later in Innsbruck. In the nineties, she traveled to the Netherlands, then the mecca for experimental architecture, to complete her studies. In 2001, she graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from the Delft University of Technology.
Upon graduation from Delft, Valerie directly became a part of the Delft Interfaculty Research Center, ‘The Green City’, and began to do research about green living environments and ecovillages. She also played a significant role in...
Ethan is a permaculture designer, teacher, and researcher based in the Hudson River Valley in New York, USA. He has studied and practiced regenerative design across the world, from the wild apple forests of Kazakhstan to the tropical ecosystems of Thailand. Currently, Ethan builds resilience for local and global communities through the design firms AppleSeed Permaculture and Terra Genesis International, and innovates in the field of higher education as co-founder of Gaia University regional center in development, Gaia Northeast. Ethan also helps to organize the Northeastern Permaculture Network and serves on the boards of Permaculture Across Borders, the Apios Institute and the Mindful Living Initiative.
Prior to his enrollment in...
Jennifer Dauksha-English works as an instructor, facilitator, designer and consultant in regenerative and healthy lifestyles, participatory community and business design, applied permaculture and yoga. Jennifer holds an N.D., M.S. in Natural Health, a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Environmental Studies, a Diploma in Wildlife Management, and has 15 years experience leading projects and non-profits in the alternative health and environmental sectors.
Jennifer became involved with Gaia University in 2004 and enrolled in 2006 with the very first batch of associates. Her program year focused on engaged participatory design, regional organizing and designing a homestead and community energy decent plan. During her year, Jennifer founded the...
Elke’s life vision is to support the creation of thriving, resilient and diverse regenerative communities. She initiated her action learning towards this goal by participating in the nine month RDNA Cultural Mentoring Program at the Regenerative Design Institute in California. There she practiced tools and techniques for facilitating (learning) communities, like designing gathering spaces, collaborating effectively, mentoring others, creating work and life flows and much more. She investigated alternative ways of leadership and developed an understanding of the magic that connection brings to our lives. After graduating from RDNA and Gaia University, Elke returned to her home-base in Northern Germany where she is now...
Dave’s deep connection with nature has been generously and skillfully expressed throughout his learning and teaching journey.
In his early adulthood, Dave explored the mysteries of the natural world through small group wanderings and field studies focused on plants and people. Through these experiences he understood nature as teacher, and also developed an appreciation for the ways his mentors brought people together for these transformative learning (and unlearning) experiences.
After many years practicing ethnobotany and developing his homesteading skills independently, Dave decided to expand his awareness for land tending and teaching nature-connection through a focused apprenticeship with master gardener, Orin Martin,...
Karen Stupski is a sustainability educator, grant writer, and communitarian. She currently serves as an advisor for Gaia University and Goddard College, and works as development director of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, a watershed organization and land trust.
Karen lives at Heathcote Community, an intentional community dedicated to sustainable living, where she practices permaculture and cooperative processes such as consensus decision making, Zegg forum, and nonviolent communication. She coordinates the education program at Heathcote, which includes permaculture workshops and internships. For Karen, living in community is a way of creating social change. She sees intentional communities/ecovillages as powerful sites of learning...
Nala Walla (MSc) is a lifelong student of the embodied arts and ecology. She studied dance and environmental sciences at Dartmouth College and the University of Washington, and somatic movement therapy at Moving On Center, and the Center for Kinesthetic Education. Seeking a more hands-on education in ecology and the arts, Nala spent two years voyaging around Alaska and BC on a small sailboat, and then founded the BCollective – a permaculture homestead and arts collective on Marrowstone Island, WA.
In 2010, Nala completed a master’s in Integrative Arts and Ecology at Gaia University, a learning pathway which began twelve years prior during graduate work at the UW. In contribution to the further develpment of the emerging...
Saskia is a permaculture designer, teacher, and practitioner in Anchorage, Alaska. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and has varied work experience in the field. She was an intern on an organic farm in upstate New York, a children’s gardening program coordinator for the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, Texas, a volunteer grant-writer for the Wildlife and Environmental Society in Malawi, and co-creator of the Sundog Café in Rio Dulce, Guatemala.
Her work with Gaia University focused on creating right livelihood with her husband, Matt Oster. Saskia used permaculture principles to design and implement a business plan that would help...
Having traveled the world in search of wisdom, Javiera Carrion found it at home where she started: the seeds of sustainability were contained in the common sense of her own, Chilean people. Javiera studied agricultural engineering and, following her nose, entered the workforce as a grape grower and wine maker. She then began to explore agroecology, biodynamic farming and organic agriculture. Inspired, she returned to her roots and mobilized her family to begin the process of transitioning their farm to organic.
During her student days, Javiera discovered permaculture, and after a long search for the right place and time, attended a permaculture design course in New Zealand in 2006. Having resonated deeply with...
Educated as a social worker, mentor and coach Katharina combines her skills as a permaculture designer with a broad variety of training in an array of therapy methods to support the associates in envisioning and implementing their life-designs and learning pathways. “I love to observe people growing into their full potential”.
Katharina lives in Lebensgarten, an ecovillage in the northern part of Germany, founded in 1985. She completed her studies in Social Work at the University of Applied Science in 1982. This formal study was followed by a training in Gestalt Therapy and a training in Body Therapy, which is based on gestalt therapy, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method of Somatic...
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