Commonway

LIFE OBJECTIVE

“My life purpose is to serve as a catalyst for inclusive social, cultural and spiritual transformation. Spirituality for me is an unrelenting commitment to honor the Divine within each of us. I cannot do that if I am at war with others, or at war with myself. I am committed to ending the war. I am committed to creating a world that works for all.”

PERSONAL DATA

• Date of Birth: 24 March 1951
• Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA/ USA
• Citizenship: USA
• Gender: Male

ACADEMIC PROFILE

• Adjunct faculty member, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. Department of Philosophy/Conflict Resolution.
• Lecturer, University of Creation Spirituality, Oakland, California. Conducted seminars on activism and spiritual discipline.
• Lecturer, University of California at Berkeley. Conducted interdisciplinary lectures on compassion, spirituality and social justice.
• Lecturer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Conducted interdisciplinary lectures on compassion, spirituality and social justice.
• Lecturer, California Institute of Integral Studies. Conducted inclusivity seminars.
• Lecturer, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Bainbridge Island, WA. Conducted inclusivity seminars.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Clark University, Worchester, MA. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, 1974
• Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA Juris Doctor, 1977
• Licensed to practice law in North Carolina (inactive) and before the federal bar.

EXPERIENCE

• Founder and current President of Commonway Institute, an organization dedicated to create a world that works for all, by training 21st Century leaders in business, government and community organizations. Commonway conducts operations that build inclusivity, understanding and connection between diverse groups of people.
• Founder of the “Common Society Movement” societal transformation process.
• Creator of the “Commons Café” dialogic process, used throughout the United States to bring together actual or potential adversaries in meaningful dialog on fundamental issues.
• Creator of the “Culture Shapers” process of fostering in-depth inclusivity within organizations.
• Founder of the emerging field of “Dēmos-Dynamics” – understanding how human populations interact and change.
• Senior Advisor to Sarvodaya (Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya), a Sri Lankan non-governmental organization.
o In 2002 helped Sarvodaya to catalyze an historic ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers.
o Provided organization, focus and early activities for Sarvodaya’s Peace Secretariat and related peace activities.
o Organized and provided content training for Sarvodaya’s first ever “Conflict Resolution Training for Muslim Leaders” (2003).

LEADERSHIP

• Facilitated workshops around the world, including the International Conflict Resolution Conference (Russia); Institute for Sustainable Development; Association for Humanistic Psychology; Green Festivals (San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Washington, DC).
• In 1998, selected by President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic to serve as one of 40 international delegates to Forum 2000.
• Returned to Prague the following year to serve as workshop facilitator for the student portion of Forum 2000.
• Keynote presenter at “The Century of Auschwitz”, a conference on genocide held in Krakow, Poland (1999).
• Keynote presenter at “Authentic Leadership Conference” presented by the Shambhala Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2003).
• Keynote presenter at “Engaging the Other International Conference”, Kalamazoo, MI. (2006, 2007).
• Keynote presenter at “Green Business Conference”, San Francisco (2006).
• Keynote presenter at “National Wellness Conference” (2007).
• Keynote presenter at “International Coaching Federation Conference” in Melbourne, Australia (2007).
• Keynote presenter at “Sustainable Bellingham Business Conference”, Bellingham, WA. (2008).
• Keynote presenter at “Religion, Conflict and Peace” International Conference (2009).
• Keynote presenter and workshop leader at numerous national and regional conferences for “Institute of Noetic Sciences”.
• Conducted workshops, seminars and trainings in: Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Uganda and numerous sites within the United States.

WRITINGS & PUBLICATIONS

• Abdullah, Sharif. The Power of One: Authentic Leadership in Turbulent Times. New Society Publishers, 1995.
• Abdullah, Sharif. Creating a World That Works for All. Berrett-Kohler Publishers, 1999. Winner of the 1999 “Book of the Year” award from the Independent Book Publishers Association (Current Affairs).
• Abdullah, Sharif. Common Society Movement Catalyst-Leader Training (Three part series) Commonway, 2002
• Abdullah, Sharif. “The Soul of a Terrorist: Reflections on Our War with “The Other”, Chapter Seven in The Psychology of Terrorism (Volume I of four volumes). Greenwood Press, 2002.
• Abdullah, Sharif. “Finding Our Way in the Land of the Blind – Essays on Terrorism and Steps for Living in a Violence-Free World”. Commonway, 2003.
• Published numerous articles on the subjects of values, personal and cultural transformation, and empowerment.
• Featured in and contributed to numerous books and publications, including:
o The Rise of Intelligent Organization
o A House Divided
o A Cultural Diversity Workbook
o Bridging the Racial Divide
o A Time for Choices – Deep Dialogues for Deep Democracy

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

. 2009 "Champion of Peace, Reconciliation and Forgiveness Award". New Thought Center for Spiritual Living.
• 2009 “Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award”. World Arts Foundation.
• 2008 “Sarvodaya Vishvamitra (Universal Friend) Award”. Sarvodaya Shramadana organization.
• 2007 “Hero of Humanity Award”. The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Award for Uplifting Human Values.
• 2006 “Humanitarian Service Award”. The Unity and Diversity Council.
• 1999 “Book of the Year Award”. The Independent Book Publishers Award in the field of current events, for “Creating a World That Works for All”.
• 1988 “Public-Private Partnership Award”. For “Project Catalyst” (Charlotte, NC) from HUD in the Reagan Administration.
• 1980 "Community Empowerment Award”. For “Cherry Community Organization” (Charlotte, NC) from President Jimmy Carter.