Joanna Brown Holyoke Community College Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA email

What is an underlying question that gives form to your work or interest in this field?

What does it mean to relate to the wholeness of this situation?

What is your personal experience of collective wisdom in groups?

The informal colleagial networks of which I have been a part (private meditation gatherings, Mohonk retreats, etc.) have been instrumental to my learning and have been remarkable experiences.

What is it about the work in this field that excites you and connects you to your own deepest self?

At present, my work is not directly related to consulting or formal OD work. I am simply seeking to be a change agent within the college where I serve as an administrator (director of alumni relations and annual fund). Since the early 1980s, I have felt myself to be a part of a growing network of persons working toward "transformation of consciousness," especially within organizations.

My approach is an eclectic blend of theory, including the thoughts of various OD writers/practitioners, 5 Element Chinese Medicine, and intuition.

Please provide a brief storyline or snapshot of what brought you to this work.

I worked at Interface Foundation, a holistic education center that was located in Newton, Mass., from 1981-1984. There, I had the opportunity to study with many teachers of emerging disciplines in the fields of holistic health and spiritual development. I founded the Interface Business Association in 1983, one of the first groups in the Boston area to involve business and organizational managers in discussions related to spirituality and ethics in business, social responsibility, etc. I also served on the steering committee of a group known as OTN (the Organizational Transformation Network) in Boston, founded by Jim Ritscher.

In 1985-86, I was a colleague of Sheryl Erickson at Innovation Associates, and since then I have had the honor of participating in several gatherings which Sheryl and others have convened.

The present focus of my intention is addressing issues of institutional and systemic racism. I do this through my volunteer position as Chair of the Affirmative Action Committee at the community college where I am an administrator, and by serving on the steering committee of NIOT (Not in Our Town), an anti-racism citizen coalition in Amherst, Mass.