Keynote Speakers
Dr. Alex Pattakos
Ph.D., Principal, The Innovation Group
"No Person Left Behind: Leading with and to Meaning"
Find out why the search for meaning is a "megatrend" of the 21st century! Dr. Alex Pattakos, author of the much acclaimed book Prisoners of Our Thoughts, demonstrates how being "prisoners of our thoughts" adversely impacts our roles and responsibilities as teachers, students, staff and parents in spite of our best intentions. We don't have to be prisoners of our thoughts. Instead, we can tap into the deeper meaning of our work and connect meaningfully with others. By leading with and to meaning, we can realize our full potential as catalysts for continuous learning. We can develop and build better schools.
Alex Pattakos, Ph.D., affectionately nicknamed "Dr. Meaning," is a pioneer in transformational thinking. He is a principal of The Innovation Group, and the founder of the Center for Meaning, both based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Alex is passionate about helping people realize their highest potential and find deeper, authentic meaning in their work and everyday lives. He is the author of the much acclaimed book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts.
Alex describes himself as a "pracademic," - someone who seeks to bridge the worlds of the practitioner and academic by linking practice and theory. He is a former therapist and mental health administrator, as well as a full-time professor and graduate program head.
Alex worked closely with several Presidential administrations on education and allied human service policy matters, and served as an adviser to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He was also one of the initial faculty evaluators for the Innovations in American Government Awards Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and served as a faculty member at The Brookings Institution.
Alex is a past president of Renaissance Business Associates (RBA), an international nonprofit association of people committed to elevating the human spirit in the workplace. Among his publications, he is a contributing author to the book, Managing in Organizations That Learn. The World Future Society credits him as the inventor of the concept of the "Electronic Visiting Professor" for his pioneering work in on-line, distance learning.
