James O'Dea

James O’Dea teaches international courses in peacebuilding and social healing and is bestselling author of Cultivating Peace and Creative Stress He is a member of the extended faculty of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and was, until recently, its President. The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a non-profit membership organization, founded in 1973 by astronaut Edgar Mitchell, that explores the frontiers of consciousness and global paradigm change.

James also spent 10 years as the Director of the Washington Office of Amnesty International, where he testified before Congress, met with U.S. Presidents.

Subsequently, he spent five years as Executive Director of the Seva Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to international health and development." Prior to that James lived and worked in Turkey and Lebanon and witnessed civil conflict, war and massacre, which influenced him deeply.

James founded and co-led with Dr. Judith Thompson an international series of "Compassion and Social Healing" dialogues funded by the Fetzer Institute. The dialogues, spanning a seven-year period, brought together leaders and activists in a variety of fields related to human rights, peace, and social reconciliation initiatives. James and Judith are currently involved in a major initiative to expand the theory and practice of social healing funded by the Kalliopeia Foundation.

Since 2008, James has been a member of the Evolutionary Leaders, a group convened by Deepak Chopra and Diane Williams to unify efforts in support of evolutionary changes in political, economic, ecological, scientific and health and healing arenas. He is also a member of the Global Systems Initiatives, an organization bringing a whole-systems approach to complex global issues, founded by Louise Diamond. He regularly participates in the Language of Spirit Dialogues, which are convened by the SEED Graduate Institute for Native Americans, Physicists, and thought leaders.

He lectures all over the world and has essays published in numerous magazines and books, including currently "The Mystery of 2012" (Sounds True); "Consciousness and Healing: An Integral Approach to Mind-Body Medicine" (Elsevier); and "Earthrise: The Dawning of a New Civilization in the 21st Century" (Goi). His new book, "Creative Stress: A Path for Evolving Souls Living Through Personal and Planetary Upheaval," was released March 2010.

Visit his website at www.jamesodea.com.