CO-DIRECTORS & CORE INSTRUCTION TEAM

Picture
James Stark and Christopher Kuntzsch co-founded the Ecology of Leadership program in 2006.  They were brought together during an overnight ceremony, and after a whole night of walking the land together in silence, visiting separate fires where students were out on solos on the land, they realized they actually had a great deal to talk about. Bringing together Christopher's background in conservation work and executive coaching and leadership development, and James' experience in community organizing and spiritual psychology, they formed an intergenerational team, and came together to dream and co-create the first Ecology of Leadership circle. 

​Christopher and James ran the program as a duo for 5 years, until Katia Sol came into the picture.  Katia originally joined the team when searching for a PhD case study that would highlight the connection between personal and collective transformation in this time of the Great Turning (read her dissertation here). After participating in the program and completing her research, Katia joined the facilitation team, and evolved into a co-instructor and then Co-Director of the program. Meanwhile, Katia and Christopher's relationship evolved as well!  The two married in 2015 and now live in Richmond, California with their three children Jalen, Mateo and Kolea. 
Participants in the Ecology of Leadership reflect that a unique synergy becomes possible through our team's balance of both the masculine and feminine and the inclusion of intergenerational wisdom and leadership.  For more about each of us individually:

JAMES STARK​

James Stark, M.A., F.E.S., is the co-director of the Regenerative Design Institute at Commonweal (RDI). He co-founded and currently co-directs the Ecology of Leadership and the Art of Vitality programs.

James has committed his life to exploring how we — ourselves, our communities, and our species — might move into harmony with who we are and the natural world. He considers the programs and the garden at RDI to be a nursery for growing visions of the new era, and providing skills and tools to bring those visions to life.  Read more about James...

KATIA SOL​

Katia Sol, Ph.D. is passionate about helping individuals cultivate the personal shifts that in turn enable them to transform their lives, their communities, and the world. Katia has spent the last 20 years facilitating educational, international development, and leadership programs in more than 30 countries and with several First Nations around the world. She is a Co-Director for the Ecology of Leadership, and the Principal and Founder of Sol Transformations, through which she offers private coaching, counseling and consulting, and offers retreats and customized workshops. Read more about Katia...

CHRISTOPHER KUNTZSCH

Christopher Kuntzsch is co-founder and co-director of Ecology of Leadership programs at the Regenerative Design Institute at Commonweal Garden. Christopher has devoted the majority of the last decade to providing guidance and leadership development pathways to individuals and organizations that wish to cultivate capacity to embody and effect the change they want to see in the world. Through personal coaching, consulting, and facilitation, he has helped hundreds of people to get in touch with their purpose, vision, and leadership potential through a synergy of generative inquiry, strategic planning, skill development, and engagement with the natural world. Read more about Christopher...

ALUMNI FACILITATION TEAM

In addition to our core instruction team, we have an alumni facilitation team that provides an additional layer of support to the village. These alums support a small group of 4-6 members of the village called a "pod" throughout the course of the program, including small-group coaching calls and support during and between the weekends. Our facilitation team members are highly skilled, many of them having been through the program 5-6 times themselves.  Their presence provides a strong basket of support for the village - together with the core instruction team, it means that there is a roughly 2:1 ratio of support for participants in the program.