WHO WE ARE
We are a collaborative group of researchers, scholars, practitioners with expertise in holistic human development, education technology, culture transformation, leadership and many areas of expertise that when brought together, have created ways to help optimize human potential. This foundational shift allows for culture change and evolution. For each person. For every organization. All communities.
Our approach: To engage heart and mind, use research-based approaches to our professional education, certifications and accredited professional credentials. All our of our ed tools combine this holistic approach for personal growth and well-being, and that organization. Sustainable results in systems change and culture shift, creating happier people who engage more collaboratively, openly, creatively to elevate the lived values of your organization.
Laura M. Burgis, Ph.D.
Dr. Laura Burgis is president & CEO of the Human Values Center. Prior to the team formation in 2018, she devoted 25 years to the field of higher education: at Arizona State University within senior administrative leadership roles and on the faculty. More recently, Dr. Burgis served as Executive Vice President of Claremont Lincoln University.
Laura has a passion for higher education innovation and community development – the human(e) approaches to leadership and community evolution. Her current research focuses on leadership development to promote culture transformation on campuses; and how exponential technologies like AI, robotics and remote learning platforms can be applied to the interpersonal landscape development and collective growth of organizations.
Currently Dr. Burgis serves on the Charter for Compassion International Board of Trustees, Cities for Peace board of directors and consults with numerous university and college boards.
FACULTY FELLOWS
Dr. Debbie Ling is an expert on compassionate healthcare and serves on faculty of the Social Work Department at Monash University, Australia. She is an experienced social worker, educator and group facilitator with over 25 years experience. Ling sits on the Australian Compassion Council, Charter for Compassion Australia and the Australia21 Mindful Futures Network Advisory Group.
Dr. Immanual Joseph, Ph.D., CPC is a former cancer drug discovery scientist, who chose to become an evangelist of human compassion in workplaces following a period taking care of people in end-of-life situations.
Immanual has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, and is a certified professional coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.
Terri Givens is the CEO and Founder of the Center for Higher Education. She is a political scientist, former provost at Menlo College and vice provost at the University of Texas at Austin.
Renee Levi, Ph.D. is an organization systems consultant with thirty years of experience working with executives in the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors. Dr. Levi’s funded research projects have focused on inquiry into the influence of place, space and environment on Collective Transformation, an understanding of how where people meet affects how the group functions to achieve desired results. Dr. Levi has served as a trustee for Saybrook University and advisory board of Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Christine G. Zeppos has served 25 years in university administration and is an expert in the areas of Transformational Leadership & Change Management, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, and Accreditation & Law of Higher Education. As Dean of Brandman University, Chapman System’s School of Education, she led the development of the now highly regarded doctoral program focusing on transformational leadership and change which produces ethical and trusted leaders who are able to transform their organizations through collaboration, inclusion, creativity, innovation, strategic thinking and positive influence.
Renee Ronika Bhatti-Klug [bah-HOT-tee Kloog] is an innovative educational leader and researcher committed to the topics of developing Cultural Intelligence, building academically rigorous curricula, and fostering inclusive environments. She has been educating students and training leaders from over 70 nations for twenty years. Renee holds a leadership position at Arizona State University, spearheading culture intelligence initiatives for students and faculty development.
Dr. Stephanie J. Fujii is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Scottsdale Community College (SCC), a comprehensive community college serving approximately 10,000 students in the greater Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area. She has spent nearly 30 years in higher education working in public, private, community college, and research I university settings. Her experience encompasses Academic and Student Affairs as well as Career/Technical Education having served as a faculty member, counselor, and an administrator.
Scott Winter is a globally renowned facilitator and founder of Brain-Friendly Dynamics. With vast experience in government, not for profit environments and NGO’s delivering leadership development projects, Scott integrates proven research-based methods of coaching, group learning and team facilitation.
His facilitation processes challenge and stimulate leadership improvement, personal and team development, or change within a system or process to maximise the effectiveness of individuals, teams and organisations.
Laura I Rendón is Professor Emerita at the University of Texas-San Antonio. She is also affiliated with SpeakOut as a featured speaker at higher education institutions and conferences throughout the nation. Her presentations focus on topics such as student success, Latinx STEM students, deep learning experiences, self-care and healing.
Rendón’s passion is ensuring that the nation’s educational system fosters success for all students, especially those who are low income and first generation. Rendón developed “validation theory,” an asset-based student success framework that has been employed to frame research studies and programmatic activities in two- and four-year colleges and universities.
Dr. Victor Manalo is a retired university professor, former councilman, and consultant. From 2002-2015, he was Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Los Angeles, and, for over eleven years, he served as a member of the Artesia City Council. He continues to serve his community as a Planning Commissioner, a Board Member for a local nonprofit, and as a local government consultant, advising his clients on pedestrian safety issues and on children and families in the foster care system. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Southern California and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach.
Renée Smith is the Founder and CEO of A Human Workplace, she champions a more loving, human workplace where everyone is welcome to bring their true selves to work. She leads a team of more than 20 Human Workplace practitioners who host virtual and in-person Gatherings of A Human Workplace and provide coaching, consulting, and learning services. Through her work, Renee provides organizations ways to rediscover their human values and practice what it is to be human at work. Renée also conducts primary research, writes, and speaks on Making Work More Human, to accelerate the movement for more loving, human workplaces globally.
Eduardo Lozano specializes in leadership development, managerial competencies, and team integration processes, as well as cultural change initiatives in organizations, applying experiential training, workshop facilitation and personal and team coaching, according to the customer’s specific needs. In Latin America, he and his organization provide consulting for the corporate business community and educational institutions.