Terri O’Fallon, PhD is an Integral scholar whose research spans 40 years, including eleven research studies conducted in various colleges, public schools, and private research venues. Her most recent theory, and the culmination of a lifetime of work, is the STAGES model of human development. From this model a new theory is evolving around the interpenetration of states and stages. STAGES integrates several developmental models and is informed by Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory and Terri’s own research, to form a robust and predictive map that is being used by numerous scholars, practitioners, and leaders throughout the world.

Terri’s theory and research interests are founded in a passionate practice of auspicious curiosity, learning, and marinating in life. Teaching has been a theme throughout Terri’s life. Beginning as a preschool and first-grade teacher, she has taught every grade, including special education and the gifted. She has held the role of elementary school principal and public school-district superintendent and taught in seven colleges and universities, with over fifty years experience in teaching from pre-kindergarten through post-doctorate studies.

Her interest in life span development naturally arose from her experience in the field of education. She has a PhD in Integral Studies with a concentration in Learning and Change in Human Systems, and masters degrees in Spiritual Direction and Special Education. These embodied experiences inform her primary theory, research, and teaching theme: growing up is waking up throughout the lifespan.

Ordinariness has been the trajectory of Terri’s life. She is the eldest of seven siblings, parent of two adult children, and grandparent of two granddaughters. Steeped in philosophy, research, teaching, and a myriad of spiritual practices, her path continues to bring her solidly home to the practical living, breathing appreciation of the simple things in life.

We wake up every morning. We grow up, quite naturally. We live through joys and sorrows, and face our family, friends, and neighbors every day. We grow old and watch our life approach its end as we apprehend the birth of our grandchildren. With the gifts of so many experiences, the highs and lows of being, what seems to always remain, is what we were advised to value from birth: listening, gratitude, compassion, love, forgiveness, generosity, light-heartedness—lifelong lessons that never seem to end.

John Gruber, MS is an evolutionary biologist and science educator with thirty years of experience working closely with young people and educators in diverse settings. Deeply interested in evolution, human development, and teaching, John has blended his work in secondary school science education with field and research experiences, innovative models of teaching and learning, and approaches to living our lives as a spiritual practice. He holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and a Masters Degree in Medicinal Chemistry.

John leads a Distinguished Visiting Scientist program that immerses secondary school students each year in a collaborative seminar organized around a focal science topic, ranging from gravitational waves and black holes to the neuroscience underlying theory of mind or the chemistry of petroleum and microplastics in the marine environment. In his school setting, John teaches courses in physics, botany, and advanced biodiversity studies. A lifelong fascination with the diversity of life on Earth has led John to a long term study of speciation and the DNA fingerprints that help us to recognize unique genetic entities in specific ecosystems. John’s lab has engaged in over ten years of molecular phylogenetics research to find and describe unrecognized species from the mountains of the American southwest.

In the community, John works to support medical students as volunteer teachers in underserved urban high schools through a program designed to encourage students to explore dimensions of community health and consider careers in medical and public health fields. He has explored lab, research and field experiences for homeschooling families to incorporate in their offerings to young people, and works with secondary school students and their parents in areas of personal growth and understanding.

John is a dharma holder and a senior priest in the White Plum lineage of the Soto School of Zen Buddhism. He teaches meditation practice and gratitude practice to young people in conjunction with his science work, and has led a series of workshops on the Six Perfections as a framework for living a life of meaning and purpose grounded in core expressions of generosity and wisdom.