Common Ground Faculty
Labris Willendorf
Ben Leeds Carson
David Shaw
David Shaw is a Continuing Lecturer at Kresge College, Coordinator of the Program in Community & Agroecology (PICA), and Coordinator of the UCSC Right Livelihood College (known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'). His courses focus on ecological sustainability, collaborative learning, social justice, and economic prosperity. David has been teaching at UC Santa Cruz since 2004, and in 2012 co-founded the Kresge College Common Ground Center, offering a suite of programs for social justice, economic resilience, and ecological sustainability. He is the Program Coordinator for the Program in Community & Agroecology and coordinates Environmental Studies internships in coordination with the UCSC college gardens and Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems.
David is a Permaculture designer and educator with his company, Santa Cruz Permaculture, and the Regenerative Design Institute. David is also an active member of the global World Cafe Stewardship Council, a group dedicated to hosting inter-generational dialogue on questions that matter. David holds a MS in Integrative Eco Social Design from Gaia University, and continues his community based action-research on the theory and practice of social justice and sustainability. In order to meet the challenges of today, he is creating an urban farm and inter-generational learning center that fosters hands-on farm and wilderness skills, cultural competence, entrepreneurial spirit, conversational leadership, and collective action. He lives happily and humbly on a 2-acre homestead in Santa Cruz.
- Kresge College, Lecturer (2008-Present)
- Kresge College Common Ground Center - Co-Director (2012-Present)
- Right Livelihood College - Program Coordinator (2013-Present)
- World Cafe Community Foundation - Stewardship Council Member (2015-Present)
- Program In Community & Agroecology - Program Coordinator (2015-Present)
- Santa Cruz Permaculture - Principle (2016-Present)
- M.S. Integrative Ecosocial Design, Gaia University (2008)
- Certificate in Ecological Horticulture, UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (2005)
- B.A. Community Studies and Social Ecology, With Honors, UC Santa Cruz (2004)
UCSC Campus Profile | Linked In
Christine King
Christine is a Mediator, Facilitator, and Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). She teaches NVC skills and processes worldwide supporting the creation of a culture of empathy. Christine has taught at Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, NVC Santa Cruz, SC Women's Jail, San Quentin State Prison, Santa Cruz Adult School, and privately. For the past three years, she has piloted Restorative Justice Programs for local elementary schools supporting them to become self-managing communities. Christine also has a private practice coaching individuals, couples, and families in communication skills. Along with NVC Trainer Jean Morrison, MA, she co-authors books, games, and a facilitation manual for NVC trainers.
Juan Poblete
Juan Poblete, Professor of Latin/o American Literature and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz. Author of Literatura chilena del siglo XIX: entre públicos lectores y figuras autoriales (Santiago: Cuarto Propio, 2003), editor of Critical Latin American and Latino Studies (University of Minessota Press, 2003), and co-editor of Andres Bello (with Beatriz Gonzalez-Stephan, IILI, 2009), Redrawing The Nation: National Identities in Latin/o American Comics (with Héctor Fernández-L' Hoeste, Palgrave, 2009), and Desdén al infortunio: Sujeto, comunicación y público en la narrativa de Pedro Lemebel (with Fernando Blanco, Santiago: Cuarto Propio, 2010). Currently at work on three book projects: one on labor and affect in Latin American cinema, and two on forms of mediation between culture and market in Chile and the USA respectively. He is also co-editing two volumes: one (with Juana Suarez) on Humor in Latin American Cinema, and another (with Héctor Fernández L’Hoeste and Robert McKee-Irwin) on Sports and Nationalism in Latin America.
