Our Advisory Team
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Grant MacLean, B.A., B.A. (Hons), M.A., A.M.;
Advisory Council
Grant MacLean is an author with a recently published book: ‘From Lion’s Jaws’. He also has co-authored/-translated the best-selling Denma edition of Sun Tzu's ‘Art of War’.
Grant received a Master's degree in Psychology and Social Relations (Harvard U.). Following that, he was director and councillor at a trauma centre in South Africa for many years.
Grant has served for two years in the Infantry of the South African Defense Force. He later acted as Sgt Major for the security service organisation ‘Kasung’ from 1984 to 1990 and served for many years volunteering as a team leader and personal guard.
John Harding, B.A., Chief Officer Chicago Fire Dept.
Advisory Council
In 1978 John joined the Chicago Fire Department and remains an active member. He has been a Chief Officer since 1994. John holds a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University. He has been an active member of the Dorje Kasung organization for over thirty years, and a mindfulness practitioner since attending Naropa Institute in 1974.
Crane Wood Stookey
Advisory Council
Crane is a Tall Ship deck officer and leadership coach. His work has earned him the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his contribution to Canadian Society.
Crane holds a Masters degree from Harvard University, and is the author of the executive leadership book Keep Your People in the Boat – Workforce Engagement Lessons from the Sea.
As a Tall Ship officer, He lived and breathed the struggles of command and performance under pressure; leading crews of sailors in the life-threatening conditions of long voyages on sailing ships at sea. Crane has also studied and taught meditation and mindfulness practices for 30 years. Crane has provided executive mental-performance coaching and leadership support services to senior executives ranging from a multi-national financial services company, to the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, to Canada’s largest independent travel agency. He has presented keynotes on generous leadership to national industry conferences in Canada, the US and Europe. Crane is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and instructor in Executive and Professional Development at St. Mary’s University.
David Whitehorn, PhD, MSN
Advisory Council
David Whitehorn is Assistant Professor in the Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Atlantic Contemplative Centre. He has been practicing and studying mindfulness and related meditation methods and concepts for more than forty years and has led numerous workshops on the topic. He has been particularly interested in ways that mindfulness and related contemplative practices can enhance well-being. He leads a research team that is studying mindfulness as a support for mental health. Dr. Whitehorn was the 2012 recipient of the Dr. Michael Smith Award from the Schizophrenia Society of Canada and the 2015 R. Wayne Putman Award from the Dalhousie University Office of Continuing Professional Development. David has also been active in the Kasung security organisation for over 30 years, responsible for the wellbeing and welfare of service personnel.
Joseph Litven, PhD
Advisory Council
Dr. Joseph Litven is a psychologist, trainer, and coach, working in the treatment of addiction. Joe received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University in 1973, and has taught at Stanford, Brandeis, Acadia, St. Mary’s and Dalhousie Universities. Since 1973 he has been a practicing psychologist and organizational consultant, specializing in mindfulness based executive coaching and strategic interventions in the health care system. Joe has also helped to develop and lead a 4-week curriculum for addictions services clients and staff, based on the view and practice of mindfulness. A lifetime practitioner of mindfulness, he has led meditation programs throughout the world. He has also been a radio DJ and currently is enjoying his family and bicycling in the countryside of Nova Scotia.
Mark Allen
Advisory Council
Mark Allen is an expert in the field of mindfulness-based practices. He has taught mindfulness to organizational leaders, police officers, corrections officers, emergency medical technicians, physicians, nurses, mindfulness instructors, and others since 1979.
Working with the University of Chicago and the University of Las Vegas, Mark developed and delivered a five-part intensive mindfulness training program for a recent research study that was funded by a grant from the Templeton Foundation. Mark also worked recently with the City of Louisville Kentucky, its mayor, and thirty other civic leaders to explore and develop ways to uplift the level of compassionate engagement across the city. This work culminated in a week-long mindfulness summit for the city, which included a half-day program for the mayor, the chief of police, the director of corrections, and thirty other city leaders and a two-day intensive program for a group of sixty first-responders. Simultaneously Mark has been working on developing and delivering an innovative mindfulness-based training program for physicians, nurses, and others that improves communication around end-of-life care and critical care.
Mark is also an internationally recognized expert in the design and development of high-performing learning organizations. Over the last 25 years he has helped several dozen Fortune 500 companies, public sector organizations, and universities design and develop award-winning, performance-focused corporate universities, leadership academies and corporate-college partnerships. He has led projects for the CDC, FDNY, CARE, the Dept. of Defense, NASA, Sutter Health (including 26 hospitals), FDIC, IBM, ExxonMobil, Shell, Xerox, HSBC, Mars, Symantec, DuPont, Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kuwait Petroleum, Saudi Telecom, Saudi Electric, the University of Alaska, MTN (Africa and Asia), several Chinese companies, several universities, and many others. He has also conducted and published extensive research on learning organization practices. He is a close advisor to C-level executives on all aspects of performance-focused talent development. Mark has been quoted in Fortune Magazine, the Financial Times, and several other national and international publications and is a presenter at international conferences.