Big Sur Powerdown

I have been deeply involved in world affairs for the past 40 years, as a U.S. diplomat, an economic development and business strategy consultant, publisher and professor of international business management.

My current focus is writing a book entitled "The Global Rise of Social Entrepreneurs", designed to inspire and support individuals around the world to take actions to address such fundamental global challenges as extreme poverty, human rights and social justice abuses and environmental challenges. My view is that social entrepreneurs, (see the excellent definition provided by WiserEarth), are likely to develop new and more effective approaches to these issues than the approaches taken by local governments and multilateral organizations. My goal is to encourage the millions of people around the world who are concerned about these issues, but say to themselves "what can I do, I am so small and the challenges are so big" to realize that they most definitely can make a difference.

In addition, I am in the midst of creating a "Quest for Global Healing" gathering in Hawaii in 2009 that will focus on the actions we need to take to more wisely steward the earth. We plan to listen to the voices of earth based wisdom keepers from around the Pacific, and invite youth and social entrepreneurs, along with other individuals from around the world, to work together to take effective actions that speak to them. In 2004 and 2006, the first two "Quest for Global Healing" gatherings took place in Bali, where three Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Desmond Tutu and 1,000 other individuals from over 40 countries, gathered to address these issues.

I look forward to networking with others around the world who share my concerns and would like to collaborate.