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Board of Directors
 Filmmaker, Founder of Touch the Future Nevada City, California  Prompted
by the attempted rape and murder of a female colleague in 1981, Michael
embarked on The Betrayal of Intimacy, an independent research
and public awareness project to prevent sexual violence. The sociopath,
rapist, and abusive male are most often themselves victims of early
childhood abuse, humiliation, and neglect. It is this betrayal of
intimacy that creates a foundation for violence. If the absence of
nurturing is a major contributor to juvenal and adult patterns of
violence, then feeling safe, physical affection and play in early childhood
will help prevent violence. In 1987 Michael founded Touch the Future,
a nonprofit learning design center, upon this simple observation.
As documentary filmmaker Michael has traveled extensively researching sensitive issues: domestic violence and rape, the impact of media on learning, cultural and human development, the nature of intelligence, holistic learning models, the changing family, prenatal learning, creativity and peak performance. For two decades Michael has gathered and published interviews with more than fifty researchers, scientists, authors and performance specialists, including extensive works with renowned physicist David Bohm, J. Krishnamurti, Ashley Montagu and Joseph Chilton Pearce. Working closely with Pearce and performance specialists, Michael developed a revolutionary parenting and coaching model that applies the psychology of optimum experience, what athletes call The Zone, to parenting and to education. A new book, Magical Parent - Magical Child, the Optimum Learning Relationship, offers this model of peak performance and optimum learning to parents, preschool, Head Start, and child care providers, public educators and amateur athletic coaches. Michael has presented these and related works at national and international conferences in the United States, Eastern Europe, The Netherlands, in India and the United Kingdom. |
 Founder and President of the Star Foundation President of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health  Since
the early 1970's Barbara Findeisen, M.F.T., has been a practicing
psychotherapist. Concern and compassion for her clients' pain lead
to understanding of patterns that began in the womb, during birth, and in infancy.
Pre- and perinatal traumas create imprints which color later development
on all levels: psychological, social, and physical. Barbara has pioneered
therapeutic methods of uncovering and healing these primitive imprints.
She brings to her work the latest research and powerful personal
experiences regarding the mind/body connection that is often ignored
in traditional psychology. She is Founder and President of the Star
Foundation and current President of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal
Psychology and Health. As one of the leading therapists in the area
of pre- and perinatal psychology, Barbara recently produced Journey
to be Born, a documentary video that explores pre-and perinatal
psychology, based on her groundbreaking research and clinical work. |
 Psychologist, Author, The Mind of Your Newborn Baby Editor, Birthpsychology.com Nevada City, California  Since
the first report of his research on the reliability of birth memory
with mother and child pairs in 1980, Dr. Chamberlain has received
wide attention in the media, including over 150 appearances on radio
and television in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe
and Japan. He is seen in ten educational videos including TV specials
in Japan and Korea. He has addressed audiences in Canada, Austria,
Poland, Spain, France, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
England, Ireland, Brazil and Venezuela. David is a psychologist,
psychotherapist, and teacher at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute,
Santa Barbara, California. With over forty-five publications, Dr.
Chamberlain is a major contributor to the emerging field of prenatal
and perinatal psychology. His popular book, The Mind of Your Newborn
Baby (3rd edition, 1998), has been translated into eight languages.
He is Founding Editor of the website birthpsychology.com, which regularly
attracts 4500 visitors a day from over 50 countries. |
Advisors
 Author, Educator Faber, Virginia  Joseph
Chilton Pearce is the author of many books, including Crack in The
Cosmic Egg, national best seller Magical Child, Evolution's
End, and most recently The Biology of Transcendence. For over twenty-five years Joe has lectured internationally
on human development and the changing needs of children.He was a faculty member on child development at the Jung Institute in Switzerland. He spoke on the new paradigm of human development at the seventh annual Transpersonal Psychology conference in India. Oxford University invited Joe to present the impact current obstetrical practices are having on the development of child intelligence. The Canadian Government sponsored a workshop with Native Americans on the prevention of violence and substance abuse. Sony Corporation sponsored a seventeen day lecture series on the future of education in Japan. He addressed Hawaii's crime prevention commission on the current causes of crime and violence. The State of Louisiana sponsored an address on the crisis facing the American family. Three different departments at Harvard University, the University of California and Stanford University have each sponsored educational conferences featuring his work. The Governor of California invited Joe to address two special legislative planning sessions on the challenges facing children and families. Last year at Columbia University he addressed special conference on education in the 21st century. Pearce recently completed The Biology of Transcendence, a new book on the biological foundation for spiritual development. |
 Midwife, Childbirth Activist, Author & Early Childhood Educator Sacramento, California
|
Rahima
Baldwin Dancy is internationally known as midwife, childbirth
activist and early childhood educator. As one of the leading interpreters
of the principles of Waldorf early childhood education, her book
You Are Your Child's First Teacher is currently being
translated for publication in Mexico, Japan, Korea and Thailand.
The annual Magical Years conference on parenting that she organizes
is now in its 19th year. She is also the founder and president of
Informed Homebirth/Informed Birth & Parenting and author of
Special Delivery and Pregnant Feelings. She worked
as a primary midwife and co-director of The Birth Center in Michigan
for nine years before recently moving to Fair Oaks, California.
Together with her husband she has raised four children
who are now 21-31 years old. While currently involved in home care
for elders in her family, she is completing a masters degree in
Gerontology at California State University Sacramento. Developmental Neuropsychologist & Cross-Cultural Psychologist Lansing, New York  James
W. Prescott, Ph.D., is a developmental neuropsychologist and cross-cultural
psychologist. He served as a research psychologist in the Psychopharmacology
Research Program of the National Institutes of Mental Health through
the Dept of Psychiatry, George Washington University, Washington DC
in 1962-1963. He joined the Office of Naval Research, Washington,
DC, as Assistant Head, Physiological Psychology Branch from 1963 to
1966.
From there he joined the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda,
MD where he created the Developmental Behavioral Biology Program of
the newly created NICHD and served as its Health Scientist Administrator
from 1963 to 1980.
During this period, Dr. Prescott initiated and established a number
of basic brain research programs which documented that the early life
experiences of mother-infant separation induced a variety of developmental
brain abnormalities (brain cell structure, neuroelectrical and neurochemical
abnormalities). These developmental brain abnormalities, consequent
to failed bonding in the mother-infant relationship, mediated the
classical emotional depressive-social-sexual and violent behavioral
disorders that were commonly known as the maternal-social deprivation
syndrome. The violent behaviors included self-mutilation, pathological
violence of juvenile and adult animals against other animals, and
the violence and neglect of offspring of motherless reared monkey
mothers--known today as child abuse and neglect.
Prescott has concluded that the failure of bonding in the mother-infant
relationship, including insufficient breastfeeding, induces developmental
brain abnormalities in the infant/child that result in later depression
and violence of suicidal and homicidal behaviors that are of epidemic
proportions in America and can account for the prevalence of the massive
psychiatric medication of the children and youth of America.
Dr. Prescott has given testimony on these issues before the Senate
of Canada, the United States Congress (House and Senate) and many
other legislative and scientific policy bodies concerning these issues,
and has noted the failure of these bodies to implement the national
health policies and programs needed for the true prevention
of the pandemics of depression, drug abuse and the violence of suicides
and homicides that characterize America's youth and culture. Supporting
scientific and public policy data for these conclusions can be found
at this website and at http://www.violence.de |
 Author, Educator, Play Specialist Hemet, California  O.
Fred Donaldson, Ph.D., is a play specialist internationally recognized
for his pioneering use of play as an alternative to competition, abuse,
and aggression. For over thirty years Dr. Donaldson has played with
children and animals, and trained adults in the significance and use
of play. Fred currently is a play consultant to numerous educational
and health institutions in the United States, the Philippines, South
Africa, and Sweden. He has written the Pulitzer nominated book, Playing
By Heart , and authored over 35 articles and book chapters on
play and aikido. |
 Cellular Biologist, Author, Educator Santa Cruz, CA  In
1971 Bruce received his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Following postdoctoral research at the University of Texas, Dr. Lipton
joined the Department of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin's
School of Medicine. Lipton's research on muscular dystrophy employed
cloned human muscle cells to reveal the molecular mechanisms controlling
cell behavior. His breakthrough studies on the cell membrane revealed
that the "skin" of the cell was an organic homologue
of a computer chip (1985). His research revealed that the biology
of the cell was controlled by the environment, observations that contrasted
with established dogma that life is controlled by genes. As a Research
Fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine Lipton substantiated
his hypothesis in two major scientific publications that defined molecular
pathways connecting the mind and body. Bruce left formal academia in 1992 and has since become an internationally recognized authority in bridging science and spirit. He has been a guest speaker on numerous radio and television programs, and a sought after keynote presenter for national organizations. |
 Nonprofit Organizational Specialist Encinitas, California 
Marjorie Fox has been the President and CEO of the Human Development
Foundation (HDF) since it was founded in 1997. HDF is a community-based
nonprofit organization that provides educational opportunities and
resources to children from low-income families. Its primary initiative
is the OPEN GATE Program, in partnership with the San Diego Unified
School District. OPEN GATE provides resources and advocacy for highly
gifted, low-income, elementary school children.Previously, Ms. Fox served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the relationship between organizational development, fundraising, coalition building and media strategy. For example, in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Ms. Fox coordinated media, funding and Congressional lobbying campaigns for a coalition of human rights organizations led by the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS). She coordinated concerts at the Lincoln Memorial and on the steps of the Capital in Washington, D.C., and the Tiananmen Square student leaders', Chi Ling and Li Lu, first U.S. Media tours. During the UNCED preparatory committee meetings at the United Nations, she served on the International Forum Media Task Force, a coalition of over one thousand international environmental organizations. The Task Force coordinated intergovernmental and nongovernmental organization (NGO) during the development of the U.N. Earth Charter, creating a successful process for large-scale coalition building. In addition, Ms. Fox initiated the project and developed funding for the first database and directory of over 10,000 NGOs affiliated with the UN for the Earth Summit. Prior to her work with national and international organizations, Ms. Fox hosted a television talk show on the FOX network affiliate in San Diego, CA. The program focused on local and national businesses and nonprofit organizations. At that time, she served on the boards and advisory committees for several local organizations. Recently, Ms. Fox has served on the Steering Committee for the San Diego Mentoring Coalition, the Head Master's Advisory Council for the Bishop's School, and the North County Collaborative Emergency Homeless Shelter Taskforce. Ms. Fox founded ARDON, A Resource Development & Organizational Network. Its primary initiative is LinkAge, a resource clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations. Ms. Fox lives in Encinitas and has been a resident of San Diego County since early childhood. She has two adult children who also reside in San Diego. |
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Peter Reynolds was president of BRIO Corp., a position he held since the company’s inception in 1977 until August 2002. BRIO Corp., a subsidiary of BRIO AB, markets and distributes BRIO toys in the United States. BRIO
Toy is the largest wooden-toy manufacturer in the world. Under Reynolds' direction, BRIO Corp flourished. The company’s success is due in part to Reynolds’s emphasis on the importance of play in children’s lives and, consequently, the need for good toys. Specialty toy retailers and other manufacturers have since embraced this philosophy and in 2001, the American Specialty Toy Retailers
Association (ASTRA) recognized Reynolds as the first recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Considered the good toy champion, Reynolds is a frequently sought after speaker on the topics of good toys, play and development, and toy industry trends. Reynolds is a current member and past board member of the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association, advisory board member of the Child Abuse Prevention Fund and member of the newly created Early Childhood Council of Milwaukee County.
Internationally acclaimed author, photojournalist, visionary and activist, Suzanne Arms has been the acknowledged leader of the natural birthing movement and midwifery advocate in the United States for over 25 years. Her second book "Immaculate Deception": A New Look at Women and Childbirth stirred a national social change movement and became a New York Times "Best Book of the Year" in 1975, when her daughter Molly was four years old. Suzanne has been a guest on all three national network talk shows, was interviewed by Barbara Walters, and chosen to debate a leading spokesperson for the American College of Ob/Gyn. She has given dozens of keynote speeches on three continents, including the 25th annual March of Dimes conference, whose theme was perinatal issues. Creator, producer, writer and director of the documentary series Birthing the Future™. Her passion and lifetime work is to transform the way we think about, and care for, mothers and babies, and create positive, cost-effective models for our nation's prospective parents. 
Trained in general and internal medicine, psychiatry and clinical research, Stuart Brown first recognized the importance of play by discovering its absence in the life story of the Texas Tower mass murderer, Charles Whitman. Later research on murderers and felony drunken drivers, and his many years of clinical practice affirmed the importance and need for healthy play throughout the human life cycle. Close systematic looks at the lives of highly creative individuals and their lastingly productive environments showed play to be a constant participant with them in their success. His more recent years of independent scholarship, and explorations of human and animal play have produced a body of popular and scientific literature, as well as the BBC series, "The Soul of the Universe" and a National Geographic article and TV special on animal play. He was the initiator responsible for bringing the works of the scholar-mythologist Joseph Campbell into the mass arena by organizing film, video and books for productions such as "The Hero's Journey" and "Transformations of Myth Through Time. Recently completed is the Promise of Play a three part PBS series and emerging distant learning project. 
Peggy O'Mara has gained international celebrity as publisher, editor, and owner of Mothering Magazine since 1980. A dynamic speaker, she has lectured and conducted workshops in conjunction with organizations such as the Omega Institute, Esalen, and La Leche International. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including Sonya Live (CNN) and The Susan Powter Show, and has been featured in national publications including USA Today, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Mother Earth News, and The Utne Reader. Her contribution and dedication to creating loving, responsible, environments for families is immeasurable. She is the mother of four children.
Robbie Davis-Floyd PhD is a cultural anthropologist specializing in the anthropology of reproduction, medical anthropology, ritual and gender studies, and the anthropology of science and technology. A Research Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, she lectures internationally on gender and human cultural evolution, on myth and ritual, on paradigms of American health care, and on childbirth in the technocracy. She is author of Birth as an American Rite of Passage (1992), for which she interviewed over 100 women about their pregnancy and childbirth experiences; in subsequent publications. In 1993 she completed the updating and expansion of Brigitte Jordan's classic Birth in Four Cultures. in 1996 Davis-Floyd conceived and
co-edited a special edition of the Medical Anthropology Quarterly on that topic, later expanding it into a
co-edited book, Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (1997), which contains ethnographies on birth in 16 cultures. Her own contribution to that volume explores midwives' use of intuition as a source of authoritative
knowledge in home birth. Her interest in intuition led her to
co-edit an interdisciplinary investigation of Intuition: The Inside Story (1997). Intrigued by the rapidly expanding role of the new reproductive technologies, she conceived and
co-edited a collection of anthropological analyses of the technological reconstruction of the reproductive experience, entitled Cyborg Babies: From Techno-Sex to Techno-Tots (1998), which was chosen by the Village Voice as one of the Top 25 books of 1998.