: About Me

My career as social entrepreneur began with the creation of social change agencies for women in the late 1970's. She was counselor and then director of the Women's Resource Center for women offenders, and was co-founder of the Women's Survival Center, which launched innovative programs for women that were featured on the Today Show and Charles Kuralt's On the Road. Today it is the Centre for Women in Tampa, FL.

In the '80s, I co-founded Behavioral Medicine Consultants, Inc., which offered holistic treatment to people who were being legally addicted to prescription drugs like Valium.

In the '90s, I was a partner in a private psychological practice and also founded the community building organization, the Institute for Ethics & Meaning, which launched the Community Spirit of Caring Movement in Tampa, Florida, based on the principles of caring, connection and community.

My dream of Earth Charter Community Summits satellite linked across the country was recognized at the International Launch of the Earth Charter at The Hague Peace Palace in June 2000 as the major grassroots effort in the United States. The 2008 Summits will be held in 50 US and 8 international cities to address climate change and its effects in their areas. Collaborators in include United Nations-Habitat, ICLEI-US, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Citizens Network for Sustainable Development.

In 2005 I founded Earth Charter U.S. with the mission to engage people to integrate the EC's sustainability principles into policy initiatives, community actions, and personal behavior changes. One initiative is Earth Scouts, a scouting program for boys and girls from 3 to 13 years of age, with a slogan developed by the youth, "Changing the World One Fun Badge At A Time".

I am a NGO delegate to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, Advisor to Earth Charter International based in Costa Rica and on the Earth Action Network International Board of Directors.

I am author of Relational Globalization, a chapter in an Anthology on Women & Globalization being published by Cambridge Press in 2008 and also of A Community Spirit of Caring Begins with You, published by IUniverse in 2000. For fun, I am a licensed Coast Guard Captain, sailing instructor and host for sunset dinners and moonrises aboard my 34-foot Tartan sailboat.

• Helium Charter Member