Parker J. Palmer: Founder of the Center for Courage & Renewal

One of the most inspirational visionaries in the world, Parker J. Palmer, Ph.D., is an activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the award-winning, bestselling author of nine books, including Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, and The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life. 

Parker is the Founder and Senior Partner for the Center for Courage & Renewal. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as eleven honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. In 2010, Palmer was given the William Rainey Harper Award, whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. In 2011, Parker was named an Utne Reader Visionary, one of "25 people who are changing your world." He was recognized as one of 30 "most influential senior leaders" by the Leadership Project in 1998.

Parker has shared his insights in many high visibility forums, including the PBS program Bill Moyers Journal. Parker is a member of the Religious Society of Friends.

Parker's web site:  CourageRenewal.org

Frontier Beyond Fear music copyrighted by Grammy award winner Larry Seyer, www.larryseyer.com, included in this podcast with his permission.