Past Dialogues—2004

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.

December 8, 2004 (invitation only): A Dialogue on Dialogue

As a long-time supported of the Presidio Dialogues you are invited to join us for a special conversation and time of reflection. What have we learned in the last four years about convening dialogues in a public setting? Conversation Starters: David Berenson, MD, theorist of fundamental change; Amber Hanlin, TPD's Dialogue Anthropologist

November 23, 2004: Putting Enlightenment to Work: The Challenges and Opportunities of Bridging Wisdom with Practice

It's one thing to know about consciousness and have a personal discipline of prayer and meditation, but its another to put those values into practice. This conversation will inquire into both the challenges and opportunities of putting these inner values to use in our worldly lives and our work. Conversation Starters: Rob Rabbin, originator of a workshop of engaged spirituality entitled "If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When?"; Tina Rasmussen, founder, Enteleky Associates Consulting; Tim Tosta, land use/environmental lawyer, partner, Steefel, Levitt & Weiss

October 26, 2004: What's Love Got to Do With It?

Does love have a place in a business environment? Is there any place for heart in the bottom-line orientation of industrial commerce these days? Some say love, compassion and caring are vital ingredients to having sane, humane and sustainable businesses. Conversation Starters: Dean Ornish, Founder, Preventive Medicine Research Institute and author, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease; Raz Ingrasci, President, The Hoffman Institute.

October 13, 2004 (Special Event at USF): Exploring Collective Wisdom: How True Dialogue Leads to Wiser Group Choices

Why do so many smart people make stupid decisions when they are working with other smart people? Why is the wisdom of the collective so often less than the wisdom of all the individuals in the group? What conditions make groups wiser instead of dumber?   Conversation Starters: Lauren Artress, Grace Cathedral's Canon for Special Ministry and founder, Veriditas: The Worldwide Labyrinth Project; Alan Briskin, author, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace and senior editor, Collective Wisdom Initiative; Juanita Brown, founder, World Cafe and Fellow, World Business Academy; Tom Hurley, writer, poet, former managing director, Chaordic Alliance and former program director, Institute of Noetic Sciences.

August 25, 2004: Nature as Teacher: Lessons for Sustainable Business

Why do we humans ignore Nature in the way we organize things? Why have we insisted on doing things so "unnaturally"? Is it because we are still of the mindset that we must dominate Nature, as if this is really possible?   Conversation Starters: Walter Link, Chair, Global Academy and Sustainability Co-chair, Presidio World College; Hunter Lovins, Co-author, Natural Capitalism and faculty member, Presidio World College; Kate Powers, Founder, Powers Consulting; Jay Harman, CEO, PAX Scientific, Inc.

July 27, 2004: Ending Rankism: Creating a Dignitarian Culture

While perhaps some of us have felt the sting of racism, and others the insult of sexism, each of us at some point in our life has felt like a "nobody." This evening's inquiry will examine how we can create a "dignitarian" culture that transcends all the "isms" - what author Bob Fuller calls "rankism." Conversation Starter: Bob Fuller, author, Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank.

June 22, 2004: Starting and Growing Sustainable, Green and Social Venture

What does it take to start a business that is aligned with the long-term interest of human life? What can people in business do to make their companies more compatible with society and Nature?   Conversation Starters: Paul Dolan, President, Fetzer Vineyards and author, True To Our Roots; Willem Maas, founder, Means to Grow, Inc. and former Vice President of Fair Isaac Corporation; Will Rosenzweig, lecturer and Executive Director, Socially Responsible Business Leadership Initiative, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and former CEO, The Republic of Tea.

May 25, 2004: The Maturing of Humanity

Have we human beings reached our ultimate destiny or are we still in our adolescence as a species? If the latter, what is next in our evolution toward a higher consciousness? How will this new consciousness change the way we live and work?   Conversation Starters: Walter Truett Anderson, author, The Next Enlightenment and Evolution Isn't What It Used to Be; David Berenson, MD, theorist of fundamental change; Maureen O'Hara, President, Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center.

May 4, 2004: Humanizing Work

Co-sponsored by The Strozzi Institute

How have we created workplaces more suitable for machines than for realized human beings? Can we reclaim life- affirming work for ourselves and stop treating each other as machines?  Conversation Starters: Richard Strozzi-Heckler, President, The Strozzi Institute, author, In Search of the Warrior Spirit and editor, Being Human at Work; Bob Dunham, founder, Enterprise Performance and contributing author, Being Human at Work; Joanne Brem, leadership coach and founder, JCB & Associates.

April 7, 2004 (Special Event at USF): Conscious Business in MBA Schools: Myth or Reality?

Are mainstream business schools adapting courses that incorporate principles of consciousness and/or non-religious spirituality? Are those faculty members and schools pioneering these programs part of a larger trend or merely isolated pockets of individual initiative? Conversation Straters: Andre' Delbecq, Thomas J. and Kathleen L. McCarthy University Professor and Former Dean, Leavey Business School, Santa Clara University; Michael Ray, Professor Emeritus, School of Business, Stanford University; Bill Sonnenschein, Communications Group Faculty, Haas Business School, University of California; Michael Whitty, Professor of Management and Labor Relations, College of Business Administration, University of Detroit Mercy; Gary G. Williams, Dean of the USF School of Business and Management.

March 23, 2004: A Return to Freedom: Reconnecting with the Spiritual Roots of the United States

What has happened to the original "American Dream" envisioned by this country's founders? How did this dream - with its origins in spirit and freedom - get replaced by consumptive materialism? Conversation Starters: Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson , co-authors of Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out and co-founders, The Center for Visionary Leadership. Jacob Needleman, philosopher; author, The American Soul; Note: Videotapes of this program are available for $20 from Bruce Baumrucker at bbaumrucker@astound.net or 1971 Emerald Street, Concord, CA 94518.

February 24, 2004: Conscious Law: Possibility or Oxymoron?

An open dialogue about the legal system and ways it can be transformed to serve justice, function healthily, and be a powerful force for transformation. Conversation Starters: J. Kim Wright, JD, Chairman and founder of The Renaissance Lawyer Society; Stewart Levine, JD, author, The Book of Agreement; Neil Olson, JD, lawyers' coach and former partner in a mid-sized civil litigation maritime law firm.

January 27, 2004: Women in Leadership, 2004

Are women making headway in claiming parity in positions of formal leadership? How do women maintain their femininity while being powerful forces for change in the business world? Conversation Starters: Rayona Sharpnack, Founder and President, The Institute for Women's Leadership; Maureen Simon, Business and life design consultant and facilitator of workshops, including "Living Leadership"; Chris Yelton, Executive Director, The International Museum of Women.