The Contributors

Meet the Authors

Editors

Sushant Shrestha

Sushant Shrestha

Editor · Chapter 1

Roots and Wings: Belonging and Thriving in a Multicultural Landscape

Sushant Shrestha is an entrepreneur, investor, and scholar working at the intersection of systems transformation, social finance, and human development. A graduate of the Social Finance Programme at Saïd Business School, Oxford University, he is Founder and Managing Partner at Humanitas Smart Planet Systems and a Founding Partner at the Open Future Fund. His work spans venture capital, cultural research, and education — including collaboration with the Dena'ina Athabascan community in Alaska and adjunct faculty work in leadership and sustainable change at National University, California. He is passionate about scaling transformative frameworks to meet the complexity of our time.

→ sushantshrestha.com

Abigail Lynam

Abigail Lynam

Editor · Chapter 2

Embodying Wholeness: Embracing Beyondness

Abigail Lynam is faculty for Fielding University's PhD program in Human and Organizational Development and for Pacific Integral's Generating Transformative Change leadership development program in Seattle and Ethiopia. Her scholarship and practice integrates the interior dimensions of human knowledge and experience — culture, worldviews, adult developmental psychology, and wisdom traditions — with adult learning, leadership development, and social and ecological change work. Abigail is a skilled facilitator, developmental scorer, debriefer, and coach, teacher of awareness, shadow, and embodiment practices, and facilitator of the Work that Reconnects.

→ pacificintegral.com

Contributors

Vernice Solimar

Vernice Solimar, PhD

Contributor · Chapter 3

Embracing Paradoxes: Oneness and Differentiation

Vernice Solimar was founder and chair of the Consciousness and Transformative Studies M.A. program, and former chair of Consciousness and Transformative Studies at John F. Kennedy University. With Dr. Monica Sharma, former Director of Leadership Training for Developing Countries at the UN, Vernice co-founded and directed the Leadership for Personal and Social Transformation certificate at JFKU. She is a founding member of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute and has taught courses and workshops on the Evolution of Consciousness and Culture in the USA, South America, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and Uganda, among others.

Susanne Cook-Greuter

Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter

Contributor · Chapter 4

The Common Ground of Our Shared Humanity

Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter is the creator of the MAP instrument and its assessment methodology. Known worldwide for her seminal work in adult development theory, she is a keynote speaker at conferences internationally and has charted new territory in defining mature adult development. An independent scholar and Integral elder, her work continues to shape how researchers and practitioners understand ego development and human consciousness.

→ verticaldevelopment.com

Karen Evanoff

Karen Evanoff

Contributor · Chapter 5

Navigating Cultural Identities

Karen Evanoff is Dena'ina Athabascan from Nondalton, Alaska. She holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology and currently works for Lake Clark National Park as the Cultural Anthropologist. The majority of her work involves collaborating with Alaskan Native people on projects and programs relating to cultural preservation and revitalization. Karen's work looks outside conventional systems to ensure indigenous voice, perspective, and input into decisions that directly affect Native communities. She is currently exploring an integral and holistic approach to research methodology.

Greg Thomas

Greg Thomas

Contributor · Chapter 6

Cultural Intelligence and the Jazz of Human Wholeness

Greg Thomas is a multifaceted cultural strategist, writer, and leader whose career fuses jazz inspiration with organizational innovation. As CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project and co-director of the Omni-American Future Project, he guides major firms and institutions to harness jazz's improvisational ethos for leadership and team excellence. With over 25 years as a journalist and editor — including roles as founding Editor-in-Chief of Harlem World magazine and jazz columnist for major media — he explores race, culture, and identity through a pan-American lens.

→ jazzleadershipproject.com

Akasha Pete Saunders

Akasha Pete Saunders

Contributor · Chapter 7

Embracing Wholeness by Leading From Diversity Within

Akasha Pete Saunders is a seasoned pilgrim, educator, and developmental coach specializing in diversity, inclusion, and equity. With a focus on spiritual development and human consciousness, he empowers individuals and organizations through constructive, transformative approaches. Known for his expertise in working with diverse men, Akasha designs transformative workshops — including the Braveheart Men's Retreats — to cultivate awareness, inclusive masculinities, and leadership skills.

→ cultivatingleadership.com

Gayle Karen Young

Gayle Karen Young

Contributing Author

Gayle Karen Young is a culture-builder and a catalyst for human and organizational development. She comes from a rich organizational consulting background with both corporate and nonprofit clients. She was in process of becoming a monk when she became an executive instead, taking on the role of Chief Culture and Talent Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia and its sister free-knowledge projects) until early 2015, when she decided to return to private practice as a rogue provocateur. Born in the Philippines to Chinese parents and raised in the United States, she has a multicultural perspective, an adventurous spirit, and a deep commitment to expanding human freedom.

→ gaylekarenyoung.com