Past Dialogues—2003

Since The Presidio Dialogues began in late 2000, conversation starters have graciously donated their time and knowledge for which The Presidio Dialogues is very grateful. The names of these people are in bold below.

November 25, 2003 (San Francisco): Course Correction: Reclaiming Democracy from Our Corporations

How did corporations get more power than people? What threat does this disproportionate distribution of power have on a democracy? How can we transform the structure of our laws and our mindsets to rectify this? Conversation Starters: Rose Braz, Director, Critical Resistance; Ted Nace, author of Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy; David Batstone, author of Saving the Corporate Soul; professor of social ethics, University of San Francisco.

November 19, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Love - Is it a Sound Business Strategy?

Love: it may be a many-splendored thing, but is it a sound business strategy? What's love got to do with work and doing business? Conversation Starters: Tim Sanders, Chief Solutions Officer, Yahoo! and author of Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends; Pele Rouge and FireHawk, carriers of an ancient body of Earth Wisdom Teachings. These teachings are the ground from which they do their work in the world. Together with Tim, Pele Rouge and FireHawk will light a brush fire of love to awaken our dialogue

October 28, 2003 (San Francisco): Talking About Racism in America

Are we yet the land of equal opportunity as some like to think or has racism and all the other "isms" simply gone underground until the next flare up? How can we shift to a mindset that honestly values diversity, especially in our workplaces? Conversation Starters: Urusa Fahim, adjunct faculty, Center for Clinical Psychology, Pakistan and intercultural communication specialist; Theresa Isaacs, Director, Corporate Diversity, Charles Schwab; Phyllis Jackson , Vice President for Diversity, Charles Schwab; Michael Lee, diversity consultant and author of several books on marketing to multicultural customers.

October 22, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Called To Leadership in Contemporary Organizations - A Spiritual Reflection

Why has the pivotal role of business leadership been divorced from the spiritual? What are contributions business leaders can take just pride in? How does the spiritual journey unfold in the life of a business leader? Conversation Starters: Prasad Kaipa, Ph.D , co-founder of a community that focuses on practical ways to bring spirituality into work and life; Hina Pendle, Ph.D., organizational consultant; active in the SF Bay Area consulting fractal of the Chaordic Commons; Andr? L. Delbecq, Ph.D., McCarthy University Professor at Santa Clara University; director of the Institute for Spirituality of Organizational Leadership.

September 23, 2003 (San Francisco): Knowledge, Learning and Wisdom at Work

How do we distinguish between what we know, the information we have, and true wisdom? Is mere information sufficient for us to make conscious choices? Conversation Starters: Verna Allee, Owner, Verna Allee Associates and author, The Future of Knowledge and The Knowledge Evolution; Dinesh Chandra, CEO, Eternet, Inc.; contributing author, Learning Organizations and Community Building.

September 17, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Cross Cultural Collaboration - The Wisdom of High Performance Teams

What environmental factors make and break a high performance team? What business strategies and systems help to produce efficient teamwork? What soft skills (e.g. leadership, communication, culture, conflict resolution) create healthy rapport among team members? Conversation Starters: Krista Henley, coach and trainer, Inside-Out Communications ; Phil Dixon, former CEO of Colliers International; executive coach and management consultant.

September 11, 2003 (San Francisco, Special Event at USF): Working Together For Conscious Business

Co-Sponsored by: New Dimensions Broadcasting Network, The Association of Spirit at Work San Francisco Chapter, Peacebuilding Through Business -- an affiliate of Pathways to Peace, Thought Leaders Gatherings / Heartland Institute

How can we maximize the effectiveness of the whole movement in creating more heart and spirit in our workplaces? How can we overcome our go-it-alone ways of working separately and join together in harmonious synergy, working toward the same vision? Local representatives of organizations with similar purposes will help us begin this conversation. Conversation Starters: Karen Buckley, board member, Spirit in Business World Institute; Craig Neal, Co-Founder, Heartland Institute, Inc./ Thought Leaders Gatherings; Kate Powers, Executive Director, The Association of Spirit at Work , San Francisco Chapter; John Renesch, Co-Founder, The Presidio Dialogues; Michael Toms, Co-Founder, New Dimensions Radio and co-author, True Work; David Wick, Founder, Peacebuilding Through Business; Ruby Yeh, Founder, Wisdom Business Network /IONS

August 26, 2003 (San Francisco): Working with Passion

Why do so many people work without any real passion? Why do we endure work that doesn't make our heart sing? How can people find true joy in what they do for almost half their waking hours?  Conversation Starters: Mary Berry, Human Resources Department, Wells Fargo Bank; Bob Dunham, founder, Enterprise Design and Program Leader, Action in Management; Tama Olver, VP and Chief Information Officer, Applera Corp.

August 20, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Building the Green and Fair Global Economy - One Community at a Time

How do we move beyond the cult of powerlessness that tends to focus on the flaws of the existing system, and instead focus our considerable energies on building alternative institutions and an alternative system? Given that there are many existing green enterprises, how do we help unite them to construct an alternative economy based on life values instead of money values? Conversation Starter Kevin Danahar, veteran human rights activist and co-founder of Global Exchange, discusses long- term responses to terrorism and grassroots ways to respond to global economic forces.

July 22, 2003 (San Francisco): Peacebuilding through Business

Co-sponsored by United Religions Initiative and Pathways to Peace

Does the business community have any role in creating and supporting a more peaceful world? If so, what might it be? Does capitalism contribute to the conflicts around the world? What impact does globalization have (if any) on the armed conflicts going on in the world and the spread of terrorism?   Conversation Starters: David Wick, co-founder, Peacebuilding Through Business and Vice President, Pathways To Peace; Avon Mattison, co-founder, Pathways to Peace; Rick Murray, CEO, Marina Capital, Inc. and Director, Resource Development, United Religions Initiative (URI); Sally Mahe', Director, Organizational Development, URI.

July 16, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Humane and Sustainable Economies

What changes in the "rules of the game" do we need for more responsible business practices and more equitable, caring, and sustainable economic policies? As we move further into the postindustrial economy, and high quality human capital becomes even more crucial, how can we redefine productive work in more appropriate ways?  Conversation Starters: Riane Eisler, cultural historian, author, The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future and President, Center for Partnership Studies; Daniel Robin, founder, Integrated Investments International, a private equity investment, market research and ?venture catalyst? network.

June 19, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Being in the World: Adventures in Service

What is your Work? What will be your response to the world transformation we are going through? What is the biggest obstacle to doing the service that you are called to do in the world?   Conversation Starters: Michael Ray, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, author, Creativity and Business and the upcoming Two Questions, and Fehrunnisa Moore, personal performance coach and founder, Say YES! To Life, individual and group coaching, co-host of The Presidio Dialogues Santa Cruz.

May 27, 2003 (San Francisco): Women and Leadership: A New Way of Being

What progress is being made by women in organizational leadership? What qualities do women bring to the art and practice of leadership?   Conversation Starters: Debbe Kennedy, Founder, Leadership Solutions Companies; Maureen Simon, life design coach and facilitator of numerous workshops, including "Living Leadership"; Pat Barrett, Creator, National Women's Calendar, and Founder, Women's Radio; Joline Godfrey, CEO of Independent Means and author, No More Frogs to Kiss and the forthcoming Raising Financially Fit Kids.

May 21, 2003 (Santa Cruz): On the Brink of Peace: The Pivotal Role of Business and What You Can Do Now

Peace is possible! What can business do to further advance the world toward it? Conversation Starters: David Wick, co-founder, Pathways To Peace, and Peacebuilding Through Business; Marilyn King, two-time Pentathlon Olympian and founder of Olympian Thinking

May 14, 2003 (San Francisco, Special Event at USF): The Power of Forgiveness

What evidence is there that forgiveness actually benefits the bottom line in business, reconciles societies without co-opting, and is a better economic alternative that sustained conflict? How does one defend the values of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation in a climate of competition and fear?   Conversation Starters: Fred Luskin, Director, Stanford Forgiveness Project, the largest research project to date on the training and measurement of a forgiveness intervention, author, Forgive for Good; Lynne Twist, President, Turning Tide Coalition, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Institute of Noetic Sciences , member of the Board of Trustees, John E. Fetzer Institute , and member of the board of the Global Security Institute; and Jerry Jampolsky, MD, author, Forgiveness - The Greatest Healer of All,co- founder of 150 Centers for Attitudinal Healing around the world with Diane Cirincione; and Dean Ornish, MD, first doctor to demonstrate that heart disease could be reversed; author, Love&Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health.

April 22, 2003 (San Francisco): Marketing Conscious Business

How do conscious business practices show up in the way a company markets itself? With marketing having such a tradition of manipulating media and the marketplace, how do conscious enterprises succeed in reaching their potential customers without compromising their core values? Conversation Starters: Francesca Sterling, co-founder, Sterling Rana Group, LLC, former Director, Public Relations, The Men's Wearhouse; Gaynor Chun, VP Marketing, Tech TV and founder, Kindred Strategies; Rick Crandall, author, Marketing Your Services: For People Who Hate to Sell; Carol Holding, founder, Holding Associates, branding and new product positioning specialists.

April 16, 2003 (Santa Cruz): Spiritual Activism at Work

What good is spirituality if you?re not integrating it into your work life? How do you take a stance for bringing your spiritual values into the workplace? Conversation Starters: John Renesch, business futurist, co-founder of The Presidio Dialogues, author, Getting To the Better Future, editor, New Traditions in Business; and Rob Rabbin, life long mystic and catalyst for clarity whose mission is to gather the world's mystics into a radical force for social reform; author, Igniting the Soul at Work: A Mandate for Mystics

March 25, 2003 (San Francisco): The Impact of the Media on the Rest of Us

Co-sponsored by Our Media Voice and the Association for the Transformative Media Arts

How do conscious business practices show up in the way a company markets itself? With marketing having such a tradition of manipulating media and the marketplace, how do conscious enterprises succeed in reaching their potential customers without compromising their core values? Conversation Starters: Kimberly Weichel, co-founder of Our Media Voice: Campaign for Accountability, a national coalition for media reform; produced radio and television shows with globally transforming themes;Lisa Craze has more than 20 years experience in media, primarily radio news; currently an anchor for a popular Seattle all-news radio station; Annemarie Charlesworth , Project Director, The Kids TV Project, President, Board of Directors, Action Coalition for Media Education and McCrae Parker, Senior Associate for Children Now's program - Children and the Media.

February 25, 2003 (San Francisco): The Challenges of Doing Business with Spirit in Large Organizations

How do executives in sizable companies find ways to balance spiritual and productivity issues, political and personal priorities? Conversation Starters: Mark Inkster, Director, Core Technology and International for Yahoo; Robert Gould, Director of Organizational Development for Charles Schwab&Co. Headquarters; Brent Hunter, Project Manager, Secure Access Engineering, Wells Fargo, and Susan Jamison, a Senior Manager with Sun Microsystems.

January 28, 2003 (San Francisco): An Intergenerational Overview of Work, Consciousness and the Corporate System

Co-sponsored by Radical Spirit and the Full Circle Fund

Conversation Starters: Haley Mitchell, Program Director, Full Circle Fund and Radical Spirit; Jacqueline Sa, former AT&T executive, former partner, Tea Garden Springs Spa, and consultant to holistic businesses.