Luminary: Lawrence Ellis
Lawrence Ellis is a complexity-science organizational consultant and a spiritual activist. He studied the application of Satyagraha (Gandhian militant non-violence) to individual and large-scale change while on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University, in an interdisciplinary master’s degree weaving several fields including Asian religions & ethics, the change-practices of theoretical physicist David Bohm, liberation politics, linguistics and psychology.
A former director with Interaction Associates, one of the world’s oldest consulting firms specializing in managing change, for nearly 20 years Lawrence has worked with community-based, corporate, non-profit and public service organizations using complexity-science and conventional approaches – from leading the redesign of divisions of progressive multibillion dollar corporations, and designing & facilitating a conference at Princeton University on complexity-science approaches to combating HIV/AIDS globally, to numerous engagements resolving conflict between highly polarized individuals and groups. He is credited with playing a pivotal role in the turn-around of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship through a conflict transformation process, after a prolonged period of internal conflict shook it to its core in 2002. He specializes in the areas of organization redesign, leadership coaching & development, high performance teams, conflict transformation, and other complementary areas of focus. He also serves as an event facilitator and workshop trainer.
Lawrence is also a spiritual teacher & activist — bringing spiritual and activist perspectives & practices to a range of social-change & environmental movements. For years he practiced in the communities around Thich Nhat Hanh and the Order of Interbeing. He played a key leadership role in bringing a “Day of Mindfulness” retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh to a major urban area (Oakland’s Lake Merritt) for the first time ever in 1999. He also co-founded the Mindfulness, Diversity & Social Change Sangha.
He is the Founder & President of Paths to Change, a nearly 15-year old consulting & training company; and the Executive Director of the recently formed nonprofit, Paths to Change Institute.
Lawrence Ellis teleseminar on "Embodied Leadership for the Great Turning"
