GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

The Global Leadership Council consists of principle-oriented, successful and committed community leaders, visionaries, business leaders, and social change activists who have demonstrated a powerful commitment to the betterment of society. Our purpose is to enroll endorsements and services for the Challenge Day programs from a wide-ranging group of high level, recognizable individuals with diverse backgrounds of wealth, work, and wisdom to assist in raising visibility and credibility for the Challenge Day organization.

Patch Adams

Patch Adams is both a medical doctor and a clown...but he is also a social activist who has devoted 30 years to changing America's healthcare system, a system which he describes as expensive and elitist.

The Gesundheit Institute in West Virginia is the non-profit foundation that Patch created to make real the building of a dream. There, amongst beautiful mountains, hardwood forests and waterfalls, Gesundheit advocates are constructing a holistic rural hospital and healthcare community based on the vision of what healthcare should be like. That means patient care where laughter, joy and creativity will be an integral part of the healing process. Healthcare will be provided without cost and doctors will carry no malpractice insurance. Doctors and patients will relate to each other on the basis of mutual trust, and patients will receive plenty of time from their doctors. Allopathic doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine will work side by side.

Patch made the journey from suicidal despair in his youth to making the decision to devote his life to the study of what makes people happy. He travels to other countries as he clowns for sick children or teaches courses in "The Joy of Living". He leads workshops, teaches, speaks, there's little he doesn't do to make a difference.

Brenda Blasingame

Brenda Blasingame is currently the Executive Director of First 5 Contra Costa Children and Families Commission. During her 20-year professional career, Ms. Blasingame has worked for social change organizations on a broad range of issues related to children, youth and families, including issues of diversity, improved services systems, family support, domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, homelessness and housing.

As a top African-American leader in Contra Costa County, Ms. Blasingame is highly committed to issues of diversity, equity and community capacity building, and has earned a reputation as a champion of these issues in her professional career and personal life.

Ms. Blasingame has a Masters in Psychology and has served on numerous boards, committees, and commissions in her community. Nationally, she has facilitated workshops and been a guest speaker on issues of social change.

Ms. Blasingame works to create opportunities for positive change to occur in organizations, groups, individuals and communities. As the parent of two bi-racial children she sees her professional work as doing her part to make the world a better place not only for her children - but for all children.

The seed for change is planted in a moment. The Challenge Day Program offers our youth the opportunity to experience the feeling of unconditioned acceptance. Challenge Day is an opportunity to see life through different eyes, to listen with not only your ears but with your heart and to feel safe while doing so. A moment can begin the process of change and Challenge Day can offer that moment.

Richard Carlson

Richard Carlson, In Memoriam (1961-2006)

Kris Carlson

Kris Carlson was married to Richard Carlson, the author/co-author of several "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" series of books, and mother of two teenage girls. Her commitment to family and service is renowned. She has served on the Challenge Day Board of Directors and is active in her daughters' schools and her community.

Aeeshah Ababio Clottey

Aeeshah Ababio Clottey and her partner, Kokomon Clottey, are authors of Beyond Fear: Twelve Spiritual Keys to Racial Healing and co-founders of the Attitudinal Healing Connection (AHC). AHC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the amelioration of race relations and the eradication of fear and violence in America. AHC works with children in West Oakland schools, (California) and provides a safe space for them to explore art as therapy, respite, and empowerment. Kokomon and Aeeshah also offer an authentic ethnic cultural experience grounded in West African tradition fused with modern psychological technologies through workshops in California and Nevada.

Kokomon Clottey

Kokomon Clottey was born to the Ga-Adagbe tribe in Accra, the capital of Ghana in West Africa. The Ga society is rich with ancient codes of conduct, deep spiritual beliefs, and awesome rituals of power.

Kokomon is an interpreter of this Indigenous African tribe's wisdom and rituals. Kokomon is a storyteller, record producer, author, and teacher. He has produced two compact disks - Love is the Answer and Mystic Vision. He also co-produced The Journey. Together with his wife Aeeshah, he is the co-author of Beyond Fear: Twelve Spiritual Keys to Racial Healing (Tiburon, CA: HJ Kramer, 1998.)

He contributed to Imagine What America Could be in the Twenty-First Century: Visions of a Better Future from Leading American Thinkers (Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2000) and is the author of Mindful Drumming: Ancient Wisdom for Unleashing the Human Spirit and Building Community (2004).

Kokomon is a visiting professor at the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland California and the co-founder of the Attitudinal Healing Connection Inc., in Oakland, California. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Attitudinal Healing Connection in Oakland, California. He also co-founded an Attitudinal Healing Center in Ghana, West Africa.

Shannon Durig

Shannon Durig has been starring on Broadway for the past two and a half years with rave reviews as Tracy Turnblad in the hit musical Hairspray. She just recently celebrated her 1,000th performance in the role. Not a bad first lead role for a New York transplant who had big dreams as a tiny tot in Kansas of first starring on Broadway, then film and television.

Born and raised in Overland Park, KS Shannon began dance classes at the tender age of three. Before age 10 she was chosen to be a part of a dance troupe that toured all over the world. By age 12 she was so skilled at her craft that she was earning extra money by teaching dance classes and private dance lessons. Shannon furthered her dance training during high school when she made the trek across country to NY to study with award-winning instructors during summer and spring breaks. All the while honing her acting skills in such regional productions as They’re Playing Our Song, Peter Pan and Grease.

Through all the years of hopes, dreams, training and performances one dark lingering cloud remained a constant in Shannon’s world, and that was a lifelong battle with her weight. Ridicule in school had her regularly coming home in tears. People close to her tried to discourage her from the entertainment path she had chosen, only to protect her, but as Shannon puts it, "I knew early on what I was destined to do and nothing was going to stop me.” That "heartbreak” only made her stronger. "It made me work harder than ever to prove myself,” she said. "Body image was and is such a huge factor in society, especially in the entertainment industry. I want young girls to value themselves and know that what’s on the inside matters more than what’s on the outside."

After high school, at age 19, Shannon packed her bags and moved to NY to attend AMDA (American Musical Dramatic Academy). She put herself through school by waiting tables in the evenings until the wee hours of the morning. A few short months after graduating, Shannon read about an open call for the first National Tour of Hairspray. She stood in line along with 1,100 other hopefuls that wrapped around four city blocks. The producers and casting agents were impressed so much that she was immediately hired as the understudy for Tracy Turnblad on Broadway. After two years and 200 shows as the understudy the call of a lifetime came when she was elevated from the understudy for Tracy and offered the starring role. New York is home for now and the Hairspray stage is where night after night the sound of applause and seeing the crowd on their feet is a constant reminder that dreams really do come true. "I am so very blessed,” Shannon says. "I am grateful every day that I get to do this for a living. This is a blast and I have only just begun. I still have a lot of things on my list.” For more info on Shannon visit ShannonDurig.com.

Debbie Ford

Debbie Ford, NY Times best-selling author, creator of the Shadow Process and founder of the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching, has committed her life to supporting others in leading fully integrated lives. For ten years, she has been lecturing and leading workshops around the country, bringing to life the processes and distinctions from her four life-changing books. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal transformation whose books have been translated into 22 languages and used as teaching tools in universities and other institutions of enlightenment worldwide. Debbie's mission is to empower people to become the conscious designers of their lives and to create the outer circumstances that most clearly reflect their heart's desire.

Greg Jamison

Greg Jamison, President and CEO of the San Jose Sharks serves as manager of San Jose Sports and Entertainment Enterprises' (SJSEE) ownership group. Providing essential direction, leadership and strength to the San Jose Sharks hockey team, HP Pavilion at San Jose Management, L. P. and Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, Jamison oversees all aspects of the day-to-day business operations of the organization, serves on SJSEE's ownership board and handles all major company decisions.

Initially hired in 1993 for his proven leadership and ability to mesh the unique needs of all franchise supporters - including fans, businesses and corporate partners - with the talents of the club's front office personnel, Jamison's leadership role extends to working closely with Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson on a variety of organizational and hockey department issues, including major player and personnel decisions and issues relating to overall company objectives and philosophy.

Since Jamison's arrival, the Sharks have also implemented numerous creative programs to benefit the Bay Area community. First and foremost was the creation of The Sharks Foundation - established to meet the educational, social and cultural needs of the local community by offering unique resources and financial support to those in need. Other community-related programs, such as the innovative G.O.A.L.S. (Granting Youth Opportunities to Advance, Learn and Succeed) program, clearly place the Sharks at the forefront of community relations and strengthen the team's policy of being a "good neighbor" to Bay Area residents.

Van Jones

Van Jones,while working with the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco, grew outraged by the numerous instances of police misconduct and intimidation in inner city communities. With $50,000 seed money he raised in 1994, Van founded Bay Area Police Watch, one of the first organizations in the country dedicated to providing counseling and legal services for victims of illegal police harassment and brutality. Since its establishment, Police Watch has evolved into the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a non-profit aimed to ensure all citizens feel empowered in their interactions with the justice system and that police officers operate with the law. The Center is also dedicated to prison reform for youth and adults with a branch now open in New York City.

Dr. Jim Kooler

As the Administrator for the California Friday Night Live Partnership, Dr. Jim Kooler provides leadership and support to 54 county Friday Night Live programs. From his office at the Tulare County Office of Education, with support from the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and the Office of Traffic Safety, he leads the implementation of Friday Night Live, Club Live, Friday Night Live Kids, Friday Night Live Mentoring and the California Youth Council.

He is a strong ally to young people and has worked in the prevention field for 20 years. He has been long time supporter of Challenge Day. He previously was the Director of the Governor's Mentoring Partnership and Deputy Director for the Prevention Services Division at the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

Dan Millman

Dan Millman, a former world-champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor. His twelve books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, The Life You Were Born to Live, No Ordinary Moments, The Laws of Spirit and The Journeys of Socrates, have inspired millions of readers in 29 languages. The feature film, "Peaceful Warrior," starring Nick Nolte, is based upon Dan's first book, an autobiographical novel.

Dan's keynotes and seminars have influenced leaders in the fields of health, psychology, education, business, sports, and the arts. Married for 30 years, he has three grown daughters and two grandsons.

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette, internationally known singer, songwriter, actress, director and entertainer released the album So Called Chaos, filled with songs written as a result of her training and experience in the Shadow Process with Debbie Ford and the Institute of Integrative Coaching. She has appeared in films and TV, toured the world, and won Grammys for her singing and writing skills. Click on Alanis' photo to see her video testimonial!

Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D.

Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D. is a pioneer in the wellness movement and the cofounder and CEO of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. For two decades, Omega has hosted in-depth presentations by leaders in the fields of health, culture, spirit, and the arts. Each year more than 15,000 people attend workshops at Omega's 80-acre campus in New York's Hudson River Valley, two hours from New York City.

Dr. Rechtschaffen's book Timeshifting grew out of the workshops he leads on the creative use of time. Unlike time-management courses which teach people how to work efficiently at an ever-accelerating pace, Rechtschaffen's basic premise is that it is crucial to learn how to "timeshift," to move smoothly from fast to medium to slow and back again. Each speed has its proper place, he believes, but the rhythms of industrialized societies, including the United States, encourage us to live in "fast forward" virtually all the time. He asserts that we pay a heavy price for doing so.

Ocean Robbins

Ocean Robbins is founder and co-president of YES! - “Helping Outstanding Young Leaders Build a Better World”, which he founded in 1990, at age 16. YES! has spoken in person with 625,000 students in school assemblies, held 84 week-long camps for young activists and leaders from 55 nations, and helped to inspire the formation of more than 400 non-profit clubs and organizations working for positive change.

Ocean is author of Choices For Our Future: A Generation Rising For Life On Earth and has served as a board member for Friends of the Earth, Creating Our Future, the Tide Turning Coalition, EarthSave International and OmniCenter. In 2002, he was selected by Utne Reader as one of 30 “Young Visionaries” under age 30, and by Audubon and Time as among the heroes of the new millennium. He and his beloved wife, Michele, are the parents of River and Bodhi, identical twin boys born in 2001.

"Challenge Day is a creative, profound and pivotal organization that is tackling some of our society's most crucial problems more effectively than any other program in this field. After working with young people in thousands of schools and 25 countries, I am so heartened to have discovered Challenge Day. The program is real, it works every time, and it changes - even saves - lives.

Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg

Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg is founder and director of educational services for the Center for Nonviolent Communicationsm, an international, non-profit organization.

In 1961 Dr. Rosenberg received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Wisconsin and in 1966 was awarded diplomate status in clinical psychology from the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology.

Nonviolent Communicationsm training evolved from Dr. Rosenberg's quest to find a way of rapidly disseminating much needed peacemaking skills. The Center for Nonviolent Communicationsm emerged out of work he was doing with civil rights activists in the early 1960s. During this period he provided mediation and communication skills training to communities working to peacefully desegregate schools and other public institutions.

Since the inception of the Center, the response to Nonviolent Communication training has been extremely positive. It is seen as a powerful tool for peacefully resolving differences at personal, professional, and political levels. Dr. Rosenberg provides Nonviolent Communication training in Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Malaysia, India, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria, France, and Canada, as well as in the United States. He works with such groups as educators, managers, mental health and health care providers, lawyers, military officers, prisoners, police and prison officials, clergy, government officials, and individual families. He is also active in war-torn areas and economically disadvantaged countries, offering Nonviolent Communication training to promote reconciliation and peaceful resolution of differences. Israel, Palestine, Ireland, Russia, Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Serbia, and Croatia are examples of countries where Nonviolent Communication is being utilized by teams of peace activists.

Worldwide reactions have been inspiring. Evaluations indicate that this training vastly strengthens the ability to connect compassionately with oneself and others, as well as to resolve differences peacefully. Reports also indicate that the benefit of the training is not only stable over time, but actually increases.

Dr. Rosenberg has been able to teach individuals to give the training in their own community, work, educational, and political environments, and in their own languages, with the same positive effects.

Arnold Shapiro

Arnold Shapiro is a documentary and reality show television producer who has earned 16 Emmys, an Academy Award and more than 100 other honors and awards during his 30-plus year career. Among his most notable productions are the Oscar and Emmy Award-winning documentary, “Scared Straight!”, the CBS series, “Rescue 911”, which saved the lives of 350 of its viewers; “Scared Silent: Exposing & Ending Child Abuse”, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, which aired simultaneously on CBS, NBC, PBS, followed by ABC; “The Teen Files”, hosted by Leeza Gibbons, 7 Emmy Award-winning specials dealing with teenage issues - the last special, “Surviving High School”, featured Challenge Day; and “Big Brother“, an annual summertime reality series on CBS. Arnold has been president of his own Los Angeles-based production company since 1982.

As a documentary filmmaker who has profiled many programs to help young people stop or prevent law-breaking, substance abuse, and anti-social behavior, I am happy to say that the Challenge Day Programs are among the most impressive and effective I've seen. I think every middle, junior, and high school should require Challenge Day for all students - and their parents. In terms of enlightening and changing young people's thinking and behavior, it just doesn't get much better than Challenge Day.

Lynne Twist

Lynne Twist is global activist, fundraiser, speaker, author, teacher, mentor and counselor, has devoted her life to service in support of global sustainability and security, human rights, economic integrity and spiritual authenticity. Lynn has raised millions of dollars, and trained other fundraisers to be more effective in their work, for organizations that serve the best instincts of all of us - to end world hunger, empower women, nurture children and youth, and preserve the natural heritage of our planet.

Ms. Twist, an original staff member of The Hunger Project in 1977, served as a leader of that international initiative for 20 years, including responsibility for raising the money necessary to support it and its programs. In that capacity, Lynne traveled the world, developing a keen understanding of the relationship of people to money, the psychology of scarcity and the psychology of sufficiency. Lynne Twist shares compelling stories and insights from those experiences in The Soul of Money: Transforming your Relationship with Money and Life, published by W.W. Norton in September 2003. Those ideas are the foundation of her inspiring symposium, Fundraising from the Heart, a professional development program for those in the field of philanthropy.

Peter Yarrow

Peter Yarrow is an international celebrity and musician that has been an advocate for civil rights, the environment, and human rights. He has used his power on this earth to make a positive change for many people - in many countries. Peter is aware of the work of Challenge Day and has supported it on several levels. He is respected and admired by many groups - particularly the baby boomer generation.

"Peter, Paul and Mary are folk singers." So stated the liner notes to the group's self-titled 1962 debut album. Today, this declaration seems redundant, because the term "folk music" has come to be virtually interchangeable with the group name, but when the words were written, they were meant less as a stylistic distinction than as a mission statement.

By the time Peter, Paul and Mary arrived on the scene, for the majority of America, folk was viewed merely as a side-bar to pop music which employed acoustic instruments. At this critical historic juncture, with the nation still recovering from the McCarthy era, the Civil Rights Movement taking shape, the Cold War heating up and a nascent spirit of activism in the air, Peter Yarrow, Noel (a.k.a. Paul) Stookey and Mary Travers came together to juxtapose these cross currents and thus to reclaim folk's potency as a social, cultural and political force. But few at the time could have realized how fervently and pervasively the group's message of humanity, hope and activism would be embraced.

"We do a song," says Yarrow, "if it moves us, if the songcraft is wonderful, if it says something important, if it amuses us and if we all feel good singing it."

Message songs are particularly problematic to write and perform because they can be overly directive, one-sided and preachy, but PP&M have managed to consistently avoid this pitfall. "The songs we choose invite the participation of the listener, who is central to finding a way of creating the life of the song at that listening," Yarrow explains. "It's the difference between poetry and didactic writing. One tells you, 'This is it,' and the other says, 'Let's find this together.' Anthemic songs are frequently so on the nose that there's no emotional thrust or dramatic tension. That's why 'Don't Laugh at Me' is so powerful, because you literally become engaged in the drama; you are part of both the perpetrator and the victim in this tale of disrespect and cruelty."

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