Our People
Core Faculty Groups
Our Core Faculty Groups are responsible for all aspects of the development and operation of their respective program cohorts. They consist of senior faculty members who are made available for that task by a participating community. Each Core Faculty Group is chaired by a Program Director and serves as a local ‘College of Teachers’ responsible for the inner and outer integrity of the program. The Core Faculty Groups are also supported by a program administrator and designated school officials who help manage and maintain the quality and completeness of student records as well as student relationships.
Members of our faculty are frequently asked to serve as consultants or offer workshops and courses for other organizations. For more information, please visit our Consulting page.
Core Faculty at The Camphill School
A certified educator and Waldorf teacher, Sonja has been a curative teacher and a houseparent of a residential house for students with developmental disabilities at Camphill Special School. Sonja is currently the Program Director for the Curative Education Program and has been a member of the faculty since 1999. She is also a member of the Collegium and Board of Camphill Academy. She is responsible for developing curricula and mentoring practices to guide newcomers into the practical area of curative educational work. As a member of the Co-worker Development Office, her tasks also include admission and ongoing mentoring and support of co-workers.
Contact
sadams@camphill.edu
Over the course of the last 30 years, Carsten has lived and worked with children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities in Camphill communities in Scotland, England, and for the past two decades in the United States. In true Camphill style, he has tried his hand at almost everything. He has carried responsibilities as a houseparent, workshop leader, teacher, administrator, counselor and therapist. He continues to be a therapist at heart, where the listening ear is at the core.
Carsten holds a Bachelor of Arts in the Art of Eurythmy and teaches eurythmy in the Academy. He also holds a diploma in Eurythmy Therapy. Carsten maintains an active interest in group work and conflict resolution, in promoting self-advocacy, empowerment, human relationships, and abuse prevention for people with and without developmental disabilities. He has given workshops on these themes in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway.
Carsten currently lives at Camphill Special School where his overall responsibility and focus over the past five years has become more directed towards the medical and therapeutic field. He now serves the community as Director of Therapeutic Services and supports the medical team as the on-call EMT. He is also currently pursuing a nursing degree. Carsten is an adjunct faculty member of Antioch University New England’s Master’s program in healing education, offered in conjunction with Camphill Academy. A motto he lives by is that in life we find a true path of learning.
Contact
ccallesen@camphill.edu
Rüdiger has been working in Curative Education and teaching in professional training programs in Germany and the United States for over 40 years. A long-time student of anthroposophy, he serves on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. His contributions to adult education methods were recognized in the context of an international research project sponsored by the European Union. He has been a member of the core faculty of a joint ‘Training for Trainers’ program supporting Curative Education and Social Therapy in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty member of the M.S. Ed program in Waldorf Remedial Education at Antioch University N.H. Having taught many different aspects of anthroposophy and Curative Education, he currently is focused on action research and the development of artistic and experiential approaches to the spiritual scientific study of the human being.
Contact
rjanisch@camphill.edu
Eva Lennon joined Camphill Academy as the Curative Education Program Administrator in the Fall of 2021. She takes pride in providing the best administrative support to the faculty and students of the Academy. Previously, Eva had worked for Penn State University as the Program Assistant for the Montgomery County 4-H Program, helping create after school programs. Before moving to Pennsylvania, and most recently Downingtown, she had put her organizational skills to good use while working in conference sales and event management in Seattle and Washington D.C. Eva holds a degree in economics and tourism from Kodolanyi Janos College, Hungary where she is originally from.
Contact
elennon@camphill.edu
Gleice received her BA in Biology from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil. After she graduated she traveled for two years and a half years doing volunteer work countries like Angola, Mozambique and India. In the past eight years Gleice has been working at Camphill, being her first year in Sheiling School Ringwood, UK and the past seven years in The Camphill School – Beaver Run. Gleice has a diploma in curative education through the Camphill Academy as well as a Master in Healing Education through Antioch University of New England. Currently Gleice is a class teacher at Beaver run and has been very engaged in lecturing working with curative stories.
Contact gdasilva@camphill.edu
Elizabeth (Libby) (she/her) earned her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. She joined the Camphill movement in the summer of 2011, first at Camphill Village USA in Copake NY and then The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm in 2013. Libby completed the Camphill Academy program in Curative Education in 2016 and became a member of the Core Faculty the following year. She lived at Beaver Farm until 2019, and during that time was a homemaker, vocational instructor, and policy researcher for the Camphill Association of North America. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Practical Theology with the University of Aberdeen.
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
Gillian has been connected with the Camphill Movement since 1972. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Design and has diplomas in Eurythmy, Waldorf Eurythmy pedagogy, and Therapeutic Eurythmy. Gillian is an experienced teacher and eurythmy therapist with both typical children and children and adults with developmental disabilities and other illnesses.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Therapeutic Eurythmy Training in North America (TETNA) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Therapeutic Eurythmy in North America (ATHENA) for many years; she is also an adjunct faculty member of the Training Course in Anthroposophic Psychology. In addition, Gillian has taught eurythmy in many different settings both in the United States and Europe, including the Philosophy department of the University of Athens, Greece. Her responsibilities in the Camphill Academy include mentoring practicum students, and carrying the study of Knowledge of Higher Worlds, one of Rudolf Steiner’s fundamental books.
Contact
gschoemaker@camphill.edu
Else has lived and worked in Camphill since 1970. She began her training for curative education in Scotland and completed it in Camphill Special School (Beaver Run) in 1973. As well as raising a large family she has worked as a house parent, a teacher and a workshop leader. She has produced many puppet shows, plays and festival productions, both with children and adults. She did the Youth Guidance training in Soltane. Currently she is completing a course for art therapy, which she has begun to use both for children and adults in the community context.
Contact
ewolf@camphill.edu
Sarah came to the Camphill School, Beaver Run, in 2001. She completed the Academy program in 2005 and has lived and worked as a Homemaker with teenagers in the high school program. Besides the role of a Homemaker, she has also worked as a pre-vocational instructor until 2017, as a member of the Camphill School Board of Directors, a designated trustee of the Camphill Association of North America, and other roles in community life. While being a Homemaker, Sarah had the opportunity to mentor and support many Academy students during their studies through mentoring and hands-on Practicum Supervision with individual students in the household setting. Sarah holds a B.A. in Human Performance Management and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Immaculata University.
Contact:
sschreck@camphill.edu
Stephan has lived and worked at The Camphill School since 2011, where he was a prevocational instructor, homemaker, and class teacher working with teenagers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Outside of working at The Camphill School, Stephan has worked in community mental health treating children and adults with severe emotion dysregulation and various psychological disorders. Besides teaching at the Camphill Academy, he is currently a Neuropsychology Extern at NeuroAnalytics, LLC, conducting psychodiagnostics, forensic and neuropsychological assessments.
Besides holding a certificate in Anthroposophic Curative Education from the Camphill Academy, Stephan earned a BA in Psychology at Prescott College, and an MA in Clinical Psychology at Immaculata University. In addition, he is currently working towards a PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Immaculata University.
Contact:
shohlbaum@camphill.edu
Core Faculty at Camphill Communities California
Jennifer Akiyama is a Waldorf graduate who began her career at Camphill California in Development in 2018. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from Hawaii Pacific University in 1996. She brings her passion for both education and organization to her new position with the Camphill California Academy as the Program Administrator.
Contact
jakiyama@camphill.edu
Since 2006, John Baring has been a co-worker, team leader and Board member at Camphill Village USA. In January 2012, he became Administrator/CEO of Camphill Ghent, Inc. and lived, with his wife, in the community. He has also been a Board member of the Camphill Foundation and the Camphill Village Copake Foundation. He retired from active roles on December 31, 2013 and since then has supported Camphill Academy’s Social Therapy Programs in Camphill Communities California and Cascadia Society, Vancouver where he teaches Social Therapy, Projective Geometry and the Village Conferences.
Prior to joining Camphill, John had a 35 year career in capital markets working for Chemical Bank, Kidder Peabody and then Mercator Capital, where he was both a Founder and Managing Partner. He has taught various courses in capital markets at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Hong Kong University, New York University and the American University in Washington DC. He has a degree in Agriculture and is a Baronet of the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Social Science Section of the Anthroposophical Society.
Contact
jbaring@camphill.edu
Penelope Baring has been connected with the Camphill Movement since 1970, in the US, Europe and India. She has served on both national and regional councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science. She has been teaching in the Camphill training course since 1981 and was director of the Training Program for Social Therapy in Camphill Village, Copake until 2013. At present Penelope serves as core teacher as well as faculty advisor at Camphill Communities California.
Contact
pbaring@camphill.edu
Originally from Hungary, Szilvia came to America in 1997 to volunteer in a Camphill Community in order to explore Anthroposophy. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany, NY. Szilvia is a graduate of the School of Eurythmy in Spring Valley, NY where she received her Diploma in Artistic and Pedagogic Eurythmy. Szilvia joined Camphill California in 2012 to bring eurythmy to the community. Today Szilvia manages the weaving studio, teaches Eurythmy, various Human Being courses and in addition, serves as the Chair of the Core Faculty at Camphill California.
Contact
sbudai@camphill.edu
Jeanie Elliott has a BA in French, Art History and American Literature and is a trained Waldorf teacher. She has been a teacher at the high school and adult level in Switzerland and the Unites States for over forty years, latterly in Waldorf schools in California and at Camphill California. It was while living and teaching in Bern, Switzerland that she first encountered Anthroposophy, took it up as a serious study and recognized it as an integral part of her life. She has been involved in Camphill California’s Seminar for Social Therapy, now the Social Therapy Program of Camphill Academy, almost from its inception.
Contact
jelliott@camphill.edu
Ala is originally from Poland. She started her Camphill journey as a teenager in England and continued it in Camphill Special School at Beaver Run in USA. She has completed her training in Curative Education as well as Rhythmical Massage. She also has a BA in Human Development from Prescott College. Ala has lived in Camphill Communities California since 2011, where she is the executive co – director and her main focus is management of the day program and admissions of friends and coworkers.
Contact
ajacob@camphill.edu
Philipp received his BA in music therapy from the University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg, Germany. After his studies he worked as a music teacher and music therapist in Munich in a Waldorf School for special needs children and teenagers. Philipp had some years of Camphill experience and many years of working with the special needs population before he joined Camphill California in 2011.
Contact
pjacob@camphill.edu
Katherine holds a BA in Psychology and a M.Ed. in Counselor Education from Boston University as well as a teacher certification for Special Education from Pennsylvania. Apart from her professional academic background, she has also received the International Camphill Certificate in Curative Education. Katherine has been a coworker in Camphill since the 70’s. She has held varying responsibilities as a householder, workshop master (weaving), adult educator, and classroom teacher. Katherine has also helped bring Camphill to California, being one of its pioneer coworkers and founder. Katherine has served on the executive committee of the Camphill regional coworker development.
Contact
klyles@camphill.edu
Johannes Schlitz joined Camphill Communities California in 2013, and in 2015 he became a householder in the community. Since graduating with a Diploma in Anthroposophical Social Therapy in February 2018, Johannes has joined the core faculty group at Camphill Communities California and has taken on the role of course coordinator for the Care & Community and the Professional Practice Practicum and instructor for the Intro to Social Therapy course. In August of 2019, Johannes graduated f rom Prescott College in Arizona with a BA in Psychology and Human Development.
Contact
jschlitz@camphill.edu
Core Faculty at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills
Michael is a graduate of Wayne State University and the University of Michigan (MSW). He is lifelong student of anthroposophy and has been a practitioner of social therapy for over 30 years in Camphill. He studied anthroposophy at Emerson College and has multiple professional trainings. His work with the Colleagueship for the Renewal of the Village Impulse and his extensive experience with many aspects of administration keep him inspired. He has taught and co-taught Social Therapy in Kimberton Hills for over 15 years, and is the father of three adults.
Contact
mbabitch@camphill.edu
Eva has lived in various Camphill Villages in the UK since 2001, and came to Camphill Kimberton with her husband and child in 2016. She has completed the BA in Curative Education and Social Therapy at the University of Aberdeen in 2006, and developed her c ompetences in many areas of care, management, and administration, including HANDLE. Following her studies at the University of Macerata in Italy , her these in English Literature was published. She is a householder, therapist and is currently involved in ma ny aspects of life in Kimberton Hills.
Contact
ecerolini@camphill.edu
Diedra is a graduate of the University of Michigan (AB, MSW). She has lived and worked in Camphill Village Kimberton Hills for over 30 years, where she raised three children with her husband, Michael Babitch, shared life with many fascinating people, and served on the International Camphill Movement Group. Diedra is also an author, administrator and founding member of the Camphill Academy Board.
Contact
dheitzman@camphill.edu
Felicity was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England and grew up in Bristol in the southwest region of England. She joined Camphill in Yorkshire around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. She then moved on to a pioneering adult community forming in Monaghan, a border county of Ireland, just as the Irish peace process was establishing.
At the turn of the millennium, Felicity started Eurythmy training at the Glass House, Stourbridge West Midlands, and in September 2001 she continued training in Spring Valley, NY. After graduation, she came to Kimberton Hills, where she is currently a co-householder in Helios House. Invariably, as happens in Camphill communities, she was asked to take on things she didn’t initially know how to do and has learned a multitude of new skills, such as how to warp a loom (or twelve) and co-manage the Fiber Arts Studio and Craft Shop. She has since taken on the role of Village coordinator and Executive Director of Kimberton Hills. She is part of the North American Colleagueship for the Renewal of the Village Impulse and, amid everything else, occasionally finds time for Eurythmy.
Contact
fjeans@camphill.edu
Grace Ann has extensive background in anthroposophy, including training in Eurythmy and Curative Eurythmy. She graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, studied sculpture at Emerson College and is generally interested in everything. After completing the Waldorf Teacher Training, she taught in several Waldorf schools. She has been a coworker and therapist at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills continuously since 1990.
Sherry is a lifelong student of anthroposophy and editor of the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar, in publication for nearly 40 years. She has written and edited many articles on biodynamic agriculture and anthroposophy, as well as being a prominent speaker on those subjects. She is a Camphill coworker, has raised four children in Camphill and has contributed to the community in many ways. She has leading positions in the Agriculture Section of the School for Spiritual Science and the Anthroposophical Society.
Contact
swildfeuer@camphill.edu
Core Faculty at Camphill Village USA
Marc completed training in Curative Education in Camphill Perceval, Switzerland, before moving to Camphill Village in Copake, NY. He has worked as a teacher, farmer, bookbinder, homemaker and a gardener. He is a mentor gardener for the North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program and has a particular interest in forming spaces of encounter between human and nature. In this context he has taught and served as a consultant in Vietnam. He has been on the Core Faculty of the Social Therapy Program in Copake since 2008 and is responsible for various courses on general Anthroposophy and art, the senses, phenomenology, the life phases, organizational development, drama and clay. He also serves as a member of the Collegium of the Camphill Academy.
Contact
mblachere@camphill.edu
Kimberly joined Plowshare Farm in 2001. She combines her background in education and administration with living and working in community. Prior to joining Plowshare Kimberly was a Waldorf class teacher. Currently she is the director of Plowshare Farm where she is also a householder and helps with guiding development. Kimberly teaches in and carries the administrative and curriculum coordination roles for the Social Therapy Program at Plowshare. She holds a BA in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from San Diego State University, a M.Ed. from Antioch, a Waldorf teaching certificate and has completed the Association for Healing Education training.
Contact
kdorn@camphill.edu
Phil studied at the Holos Institute in Auckland, New Zealand, where he received a certificate in Basic and Transpersonal Counseling in 1991. He completed his Waldorf teacher training at Taruna College in Hawke’s Bay, NZ, in 1993. An avid student of anthroposophy since 1991, Phil came to the US in 1995 and since then has lived more than 11 years in various Camphill communities, fulfilling a wide range of roles and responsibilities during this time. He spent ten years as a Waldorf class teacher at the Spring Hill School in Minneapolis, which he was instrumental in helping pioneer, and the Sacramento Waldorf School, where he graduated an 8th grade class in 2015. He moved to Camphill Village in Copake, New York, in 2015, where he currently resides with his wife, Jacquelyn, and their twin daughters, Anya and Sophia. Phil has a particular interest in group work and an ardent love of teaching. He is a house-leader, a member of the Core Faculty of the Social Therapy Program in Copake and serves on the Collegium of the Camphill Academy.
Contact
pdrake@camphill.edu
Melody has been the administrator to the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village, USA located in Copake, NY since 2012. She received her A.A.S. in business management in 2015 and she is continuing her education toward a B.A. in Psychology, mainly for her interest in all of the various aspects of the themes. Melody’s previous employment includes billing and data entry for a large equine medical center which served as a hospital for many of the NYS Thoroughbreds and prior to that she worked in development for the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School.
Contact
mkonderwich@camphill.edu
Nathan McLaughlin studied Marketing at York College of Pennsylvania and is currently the Deputy Executive Director at Camphill Hudson. He first discovered Camphill as a classroom aide at Camphill Special School, before moving with his family to Camphill Village Minnesota, he then worked in the Coworker Development Office based out of Camphill Hudson where he handled outreach and recruiting on behalf of the North American region.
Contact
nmclaughlin@camphill.edu
Joel Matthew Park is a Hermeticist based in Copake, New York. From 2011 – 19 he was a life – sharing coworker at Plowshare Farm (a Camphill affiliate), farming and candlemaking with people from a variety of countries, ages, and developmental backgrounds. During this time he earned a certification in Social Therapy from the School of Spiritual Science through the Camphill Academy. He is now, along with his wife Molly, householdin g in Ita Wegman , an elder care house in Camphill Village Copake. Joel has been a student of Anthroposophy since 2008 and a Christian Hermeticist since 2010. In 2015, he joined the Grail Knighthood, a group spiritual practice offered through the Sophia Foun dation. Through this he met Robert Powell, whose work he had been studying since 2009. Since then, Joel has been actively working with him to continue the karma research Robert began in 1977, and exemplified in works such as Hermetic Astrology, volumes I a nd II, and Elijah, Come Again. Joel has led two retreats on “Tarot and the Art of Hermetic Conversation” (in 2017 and 2019), and given talks on the karmic biography of Anfortas, the Three Essentials of Camphill, and the Ideal Social Organism. Most recently he led courses on Astrological Biography and an exploration of Dieter Brull’s Creating Social Sacraments . His first contribution was to the Journal for Star Wisdom 2018 , after which he became editor of the continuation of the journal, the Star Wisdom seri es. The first volume of this series was published in November 2018. A selection of his writings can be found on his website, TreeHouse.
Contact
jpark@camphill.edu
Onat has many years of experience in the field of human resource management, administration, governance and compliance management. Onat has been a Camphill coworker since 2000, and has served as director, administrator, coworker development officer, board member, as well as work/vocation leader and householder. Onat holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy, and a certificate in Curative E ducation. He is the executive director of Camphill Ghent, one of only two Camphill communities in the world devoted to providing care to elders. Aside from his administrative background, Onat is also involved in leading music in Camphill, teaching hand chi mes/bells and leading choirs. Onat has been a trustee of the Camphill Association of North America, having served in different capacity as secretary, vice president and president.
Contact
osanchez@camphill.edu
Irena worked as a pedagogue, teaching and organizing school cultural life, for 12 years prior to joining the Camphill movement in 1996. Since joining Camphill she has completed the three-year Social Therapy Program and has been a householder for 18 years. She also has been an Anthroposophical oil dispersion bath therapist for the last ten years. Three years ago, she began mentoring for the Orientation course and joined the Academy core faculty. Currently at Camphill Village USA, she is involved in organizing and teaching community festivals and mentoring the first year students of Social Therapy Program.
Contact
ibeusichem@camphill.edu
Takeshi has a BA in Liberal Arts from the Sophia University in Japan. He completed Waldorf Teachers Training at Rudolf Steiner College in 1996 and Camphill Curative Education and Social Therapy Training in 2001. He is involved with the vocational and education programs for young people with special needs at Triform Camphill Community.
Contact
tsuesada@camphill.edu
Core Faculty at Heartbeet Lifesharing
Photo and bio coming soon!
Core Faculty at Plowshare Farm
Donat has lived and worked in community with people of all abilities since 1972 when he began his training in Curative Education and Youth Guidance at Camphill Christoferus in Holland. He received his diploma in Heilpaedagogik und Sozialtherapie through Camphill Foerenbuel, Germany in 1976. He founded Camphill St. Martinhaus in Texel, Holland then moved to Camphill Triform in the US in 1981. In 1987 he founded Plowshare Farm in New Hampshire where he continues to carry a leadership role, hold a household, mentor and support new coworkers and help with guiding development. He raised his five children in community.
Contact
dbay@camphill.edu
Sam serves as program administrator for the Camphill Academy at Plowshare Farm. He has a background in nonprofit administration, fundraising, adult and youth leadership development, and community organizing. He joined the Plowshare Farm team in 2017 and took on administrative duties for the Academy at Plowshare Farm in Fall 2018.
Contact
sblair@camphill.edu
Kimberly joined Plowshare Farm in 2001. She combines her background in education and administration with living and working in community. Prior to joining Plowshare Kimberly was a Waldorf class teacher. Currently she is the director of Plowshare Farm where she is also a householder and helps with guiding development. Kimberly teaches in and carries the administrative and curriculum coordination roles for the Social Therapy Program at Plowshare. She holds a BA in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from San Diego State University, a M.Ed. from Antioch, a Waldorf teaching certificate and has completed the Association for Healing Education training.
Contact
kdorn@camphill.edu
Vreni is a long-term carrier of Camphill. She has been living, working and sharing primarily at Camphill Glencraig in Northern Ireland, a community mostly for children but also adults, for 50 years! All of her Glencraig years have been spent carrying a household and most were also spent teaching the school children and in the Camphill Seminar. Aside from her training in Anthroposophical Curative Education, she is also certified in Chirophonetics and anthroposophic psychology. Vreni offers mentorship, practicum and project supervision and support to Academy students as well as leading the form drawing which is embedded in the Human Being I class.
Contact
vglur@camphill.edu
Carol has been a student and teacher of Anthroposophy and Healing for over 40 years. She received her diploma in Eurythmy from the Spring Valley, NY School in 1978. She also received a diploma in Energy Healing in 1993 from the Barbara Brennan School of He aling and taught in the school until 2012. She lives in Wilton, NH.
Contact
crenwick@camphill.edu
Hugh has been a student of Anthroposophy since 1970. He has a B.A. in History from Stanford University and an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Toronto. He trained to be a Waldorf teacher in 1974 – 6, taught History at the High Mowing School in Wilton, NH from 1977 – 84 and was a class teacher at the Pine Hill Waldorf School until 2008. He taught in the Middle School at the Maine Coast Waldorf School from 2009 – 2012 after which he retired. He has also taught teacher training courses for the Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton and philosophy courses in its summer Renewal Program. He lives in Wilton, NH.
Contact
hrenwick@camphill.edu
Maria came to Camphill Christoforus in Holland in 1976. By that time she had already become a medical doctor and gone on to complete her training in anthroposophy-extended medicine. In 1982 she moved over to Camphill Glencraig where she has continued sharing her life and Camphill ethos while practicing as the community’s doctor. Over the years she has been the resident doctor at several other local Camphill communities and has been core faculty the Camphill Seminar in Northern Ireland. She now teaches around the world in Europe, the US and China.
Contact
mvandenberg@camphill.edu
Continuing Education Core Faculty
Penelope Baring has been connected with the Camphill Movement since 1970, in the US, Europe and India. She has served on both national and regional councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science. She has been teaching in the Camphill training course since 1981 and was director of the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village USA, NY until 2013. At present she is director of the emerging training in British Columbia and advisor to the faculty in Camphill Communities California.
Contact
pbaring@camphill.edu
Phil studied at the Holos Institute in Auckland, New Zealand, where he received a certificate in Basic and Transpersonal Counseling in 1991. He completed his Waldorf teacher training at Taruna College in Hawke’s Bay, NZ, in 1993. An avid student of anthroposophy since 1991, Phil came to the US in 1995 and since then has lived more than 11 years in various Camphill communities, fulfilling a wide range of roles and responsibilities during this time. He spent ten years as a Waldorf class teacher at the Spring Hill School in Minneapolis, which he was instrumental in helping pioneer, and the Sacramento Waldorf School, where he graduated an 8th grade class in 2015. He moved to Camphill Village in Copake, New York, in 2015, where he currently resides with his wife, Jacquelyn, and their twin daughters, Anya and Sophia. Phil has a particular interest in group work and an ardent love of teaching. He is a house-leader, a member of the Core Faculty of the Social Therapy Program in Copake and serves on the Collegium of the Camphill Academy.
Contact
pdrake@camphill.edu
Jan lives and works (mostly) at Camphill Special School’s Beaver Run campus, where he was a class teacher working with teenagers with developmental disabilities for about six years, before joining the Core Faculty of what is now the Camphill Academy’s Curative Education Program. Having been part of the long journey towards the formation of the Camphill Academy, Jan also now serves as its President. In addition, he carries responsibilities within the international network of professional education programs in anthroposophic curative education and social therapy under the umbrella of the International Curative Education and Social Therapy Council. This has given him the opportunity to work with colleagues all over the world and he has taught and consulted in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Central Asia.
Besides holding certificates in Waldorf education and anthroposophic curative education, Jan studied psychology, theology and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh, where he completed an MA (Hons) degree in Psychology. In addition, he holds an MA in Educational Leadership with Pennsylvania Instructional Certification in Special Education from Immaculata University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne.
Contact
jgoeschel@camphill.edu
Dana joined Camphill Academy in August 2014 with nearly 15 years of combined experience in education, research, and publishing; a strong background in contemplative practices; and an active interest in anthroposophy and social renewal. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she also taught English Composition and Creative Writing for several years. She is the author of Paradise, or the part that dies (2006), a semi-autobiographical novella, and Pendulums of Euphoria (2009), a collection of poetry. Dana is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT) and longtime student of body-mind practices and embodied approaches to knowledge.
Contact
djain@camphill.edu
Libby lives and works at the Transition Program at Beaver Farm as a householder. She earned her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011, completed the Camphill Academy program in Curative Education in 2016, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Practical Theology with the University of Aberdeen. Libby is a member of the Curative Education faculty and the Collegium for the Camphill Academy, and coordinates policy research for the Camphill Association of North America.
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
Main Office
The central administrative office carries administrative functions that go beyond the concerns of individual programs or are best shared between programs. It consists of the Executive Director, the Academic Affairs Coordinator, and the Registrar.
Odile Carroll (she/her) has been connected to the Camphill movement for over 15 years, first as a family member and then as a coworker at Heartbeet Lifesharing. Odile graduated from Vassar College in 2015 with a degree in Psychology, and since her time as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Heartbeet, she joined the board of Camphill California, received her M.S. in Community Development at UC Davis, and is slowly working toward a doctorate in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Contact
ocarroll@camphill.edu
Melody has been the administrator to the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village, USA located in Copake, NY since 2012. She received her A.A.S. in business management in 2015 and she is continuing her education toward a B.A. in Psychology, mainly for her interest in all of the various aspects of the themes. Melody’s previous employment includes billing and data entry for a large equine medical center which served as a hospital for many of the NYS Thoroughbreds and prior to that she worked in development for the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School.
Contact
mkonderwich@camphill.edu
Elizabeth (Libby) (she/her) earned her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. She joined the Camphill movement in the summer of 2011, first at Camphill Village USA in Copake NY and then The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm in 2013. Libby completed the Camphill Academy program in Curative Education in 2016 and became a member of the Core Faculty the following year. She lived at Beaver Farm until 2019, and during that time was a homemaker, vocational instructor, and policy researcher for the Camphill Association of North America. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Practical Theology with the University of Aberdeen.
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
Collegium
The Collegium is tasked to serve as ‘College of Teachers’ for the Academy as a whole, carrying programmatic oversight, safeguarding the spiritual integrity of the Academy and its activities in line with the Academy’s purposes, mission and vision, and providing a venue for the further development of its mission and vision through spiritual colleagueship, ongoing dialogue and practical collaboration among the various individuals and groups involved, including faculty and program development.
A certified educator and Waldorf teacher, Sonja has been a curative teacher and a houseparent of a residential house for students with developmental disabilities at Camphill Special School. Sonja is currently the Program Director for the Curative Education Program and has been a member of the faculty since 1999. She is also a member of the Collegium and Board of Camphill Academy. She is responsible for developing curricula and mentoring practices to guide newcomers into the practical area of curative educational work. As a member of the Co-worker Development Office, her tasks also include admission and ongoing mentoring and support of co-workers.
Contact
sadams@camphill.edu
Penelope Baring has been connected with the Camphill Movement since 1970, in the US, Europe and India. She has served on both national and regional councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science. She has been teaching in the Camphill training course since 1981 and was director of the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village USA, NY until 2013. At present she is director of the emerging training in British Columbia and advisor to the faculty in Camphill Communities California.
Contact
pbaring@camphill.edu
Szilvia is originally from Hungary. In 1997 she came to America as a volunteer in a Camphill Community to explore Anthroposophy. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany, NY. She is a graduate of the School of Eurythmy in Spring Valley, NY where she received her Diploma in Artistic and Pedagogic Eurythmy. She joined Camphill California in 2012 where, among other things, she works at the weaving studio and brings Eurythmy to the community. She teaches Movement Observation and Eurythmy in the Social Therapy Program at Camphill California.
Contact
sbudai@camphill.edu
Kimberly joined Plowshare Farm in 2001. She combines her background in education and administration with living and working in community. Prior to joining Plowshare Kimberly was a Waldorf class teacher. Currently she is the director of Plowshare Farm where she is also a householder and helps with guiding development. Kimberly teaches in and carries the administrative and curriculum coordination roles for the Social Therapy Program at Plowshare. She holds a BA in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from San Diego State University, a M.Ed. from Antioch, a Waldorf teaching certificate and has completed the Association for Healing Education training.
Contact
kdorn@camphill.edu
Phil studied at the Holos Institute in Auckland, New Zealand, where he received a certificate in Basic and Transpersonal Counseling in 1991. He completed his Waldorf teacher training at Taruna College in Hawke’s Bay, NZ, in 1993. An avid student of anthroposophy since 1991, Phil came to the US in 1995 and since then has lived more than 11 years in various Camphill communities, fulfilling a wide range of roles and responsibilities during this time. He spent ten years as a Waldorf class teacher at the Spring Hill School in Minneapolis, which he was instrumental in helping pioneer, and the Sacramento Waldorf School, where he graduated an 8th grade class in 2015. He moved to Camphill Village in Copake, New York, in 2015, where he currently resides with his wife, Jacquelyn, and their twin daughters, Anya and Sophia. Phil has a particular interest in group work and an ardent love of teaching. He is a house-leader, a member of the Core Faculty of the Social Therapy Program in Copake and serves on the Collegium of the Camphill Academy.
Contact
pdrake@camphill.edu
Jan lives and works (mostly) at Camphill Special School’s Beaver Run campus, where he was a class teacher working with teenagers with developmental disabilities for about six years, before joining the Core Faculty of what is now the Camphill Academy’s Curative Education Program. Having been part of the long journey towards the formation of the Camphill Academy, Jan also now serves as its President. In addition, he carries responsibilities within the international network of professional education programs in anthroposophic curative education and social therapy under the umbrella of the International Curative Education and Social Therapy Council. This has given him the opportunity to work with colleagues all over the world and he has taught and consulted in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Central Asia.
Besides holding certificates in Waldorf education and anthroposophic curative education, Jan studied psychology, theology and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh, where he completed an MA (Hons) degree in Psychology. In addition, he holds an MA in Educational Leadership with Pennsylvania Instructional Certification in Special Education from Immaculata University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne.
Contact
jgoeschel@camphill.edu
Diedra is a graduate of the University of Michigan (AB, MSW). She has lived and worked in Camphill Village Kimberton Hills for over 30 years, where she raised three children with her husband, Michael Babitch, shared life with many fascinating people, and served on the International Camphill Movement Group. Diedra is also an author, administrator and founding member of the Camphill Academy Board.
Contact
dheitzman@camphill.edu
Philipp received his BA in music therapy from the University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg, Germany. After his studies he worked as a music teacher and music therapist in Munich in a Waldorf School for special needs children and teenagers. Philipp had some years of Camphill experience and many years of working with the special needs population before he joined Camphill California in 2011.
Contact
pjacob@camphill.edu
Rüdiger has been working in Curative Education and teaching in professional training programs in Germany and the United States for over 40 years. A long-time student of anthroposophy, he serves on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. His contributions to adult education methods were recognized in the context of an international research project sponsored by the European Union. He has been a member of the core faculty of a joint ‘Training for Trainers’ program supporting Curative Education and Social Therapy in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty member of the M.S. Ed program in Waldorf Remedial Education at Antioch University N.H. Having taught many different aspects of anthroposophy and Curative Education, he currently is focused on action research and the development of artistic and experiential approaches to the spiritual scientific study of the human being.
Contact
rjanisch@camphill.edu
Gleice received her BA in Biology from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil. After she graduated she traveled for two years and a half years doing volunteer work countries like Angola, Mozambique and India. In the past eight years Gleice has been working at Camphill, being her first year in Sheiling School Ringwood, UK and the past seven years in The Camphill School – Beaver Run. Gleice has a diploma in curative education through the Camphill Academy as well as a Master in Healing Education through Antioch University of New England. Currently Gleice is a class teacher at Beaver run and has been very engaged in lecturing working with curative stories.
Contact gdasilva@camphill.edu
Becky has an undergraduate degree in fine arts, a special education state certification and over four decades of experience working with children, adolescents and adults both in anthroposophic and mainstream settings. She received her Master’s degree in mainstream Art Therapy and has a background in Deaf Education. Becky was a teacher for 25 years at Camphill Special School. She is a curative educator who has taught and mentored parents, therapists, special education teachers, Waldorf teachers and curative teachers nationally and internationally (North America, Latin America, Central Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia and China) and is a core faculty member of the Curative Education Program. Her particular interests are in the healing potential of the arts and in the expanded understanding of the Waldorf curriculum in order that all children can receive its benefits and all cultures can find a true expression through it.
Contact
brutherford@camphill.edu
Elizabeth (Libby) (she/her) earned her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. She joined the Camphill movement in the summer of 2011, first at Camphill Village USA in Copake NY and then The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm in 2013. Libby completed the Camphill Academy program in Curative Education in 2016 and became a member of the Core Faculty the following year. She lived at Beaver Farm until 2019, and during that time was a homemaker, vocational instructor, and policy researcher for the Camphill Association of North America. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Practical Theology with the University of Aberdeen.
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
Stephen was born in the north of England and later moved to the north of Ireland. After leaving school he studied at the College of Business Studies in Belfast and began a career in banking. However he soon realized this was not his calling and after a series of other jobs found his way to Glencraig Camphill community, just outside Belfast, and felt this was what he wanted to do.
35 years later he finds himself running a house with his wife, Sabine, in Triform Camphill Community, NY while assisting in the day program and supporting the administrative work. He also teaches extensively in the Camphill Academy at Camphill Village Copake, NY and is a member of the Camphill Academy Collegium.
Before this he lived in Camphill Village Copake and was both Co-Director and Director of the Social Therapy program along with other responsibilities. He received his training in Curative Education at Camphill Special Schools, PA where he was also a householder and class teacher. Along the way he has been a gardener, farmer and bookbinder and is the father of two beautiful daughters.
Contact
ssteen@camphill.edu
Irena worked as a pedagogue, teaching and organizing school cultural life, for 12 years prior to joining the Camphill movement in 1996. Since joining Camphill she has completed the three-year Social Therapy Program and has been a householder for 18 years. She also has been an Anthroposophical oil dispersion bath therapist for the last ten years. Three years ago, she began mentoring for the Orientation course and joined the Academy core faculty. Currently at Camphill Village USA, she is involved in organizing and teaching community festivals and mentoring the first year students of Social Therapy Program.
Contact
ibeusichem@camphill.edu
Board of Directors
Jan lives and works (mostly) at Camphill Special School’s Beaver Run campus, where he was a class teacher working with teenagers with developmental disabilities for about six years, before joining the Core Faculty of what is now the Camphill Academy’s Curative Education Program. Having been part of the long journey towards the formation of the Camphill Academy, Jan also now serves as its President. In addition, he carries responsibilities within the international network of professional education programs in anthroposophic curative education and social therapy under the umbrella of the International Curative Education and Social Therapy Council. This has given him the opportunity to work with colleagues all over the world and he has taught and consulted in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Central Asia.
Besides holding certificates in Waldorf education and anthroposophic curative education, Jan studied psychology, theology and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh, where he completed an MA (Hons) degree in Psychology. In addition, he holds an MA in Educational Leadership with Pennsylvania Instructional Certification in Special Education from Immaculata University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne.
Contact
jgoeschel@camphill.edu
Penelope Baring has been connected with the Camphill Movement since 1970, in the US, Europe and India. She has served on both national and regional councils of the Anthroposophical Society in America, as well as on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science. She has been teaching in the Camphill training course since 1981 and was director of the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village USA, NY until 2013. At present she is director of the emerging training in British Columbia and advisor to the faculty in Camphill Communities California.
Contact
pbaring@camphill.edu
Philipp received his BA in music therapy from the University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg, Germany. After his studies he worked as a music teacher and music therapist in Munich in a Waldorf School for special needs children and teenagers. Philipp had some years of Camphill experience and many years of working with the special needs population before he joined Camphill California in 2011.
Contact
pjacob@camphill.edu
A certified educator and Waldorf teacher, Sonja has been a curative teacher and a houseparent of a residential house for students with developmental disabilities at Camphill Special School. Sonja is currently the Program Director for the Curative Education Program and has been a member of the faculty since 1999. She is also a member of the Collegium and Board of Camphill Academy. She is responsible for developing curricula and mentoring practices to guide newcomers into the practical area of curative educational work. As a member of the Co-worker Development Office, her tasks also include admission and ongoing mentoring and support of co-workers.
Contact
sadams@camphill.edu
Before joining Camphill Foundation as executive director in 2010, Shelley served on the Camphill Foundation board for six years, continuing a family tradition begun in 1995, when Shelley’s husband, Donald Meltzer, joined the board, serving as board President from 2000-2005. A political philosopher by trade and a second degree black belt by training, with a BA and Ph.D. from Harvard University, Shelley has published a book on 18C political theory and numerous scholarly articles, as well as the 2009 New York Times Magazine article, “Saying Yes to Ryan.” Her family’s passionate connection to Camphill began with the birth of their third child, Declan, who was born with Down syndrome and who passed away in 1996. Shelley and Donald now live in Greenwich, CT with their two youngest children.
Phil studied at the Holos Institute in Auckland, New Zealand, where he received a certificate in Basic and Transpersonal Counseling in 1991. He completed his Waldorf teacher training at Taruna College in Hawke’s Bay, NZ, in 1993. An avid student of anthroposophy since 1991, Phil came to the US in 1995 and since then has lived more than 11 years in various Camphill communities, fulfilling a wide range of roles and responsibilities during this time. He spent ten years as a Waldorf class teacher at the Spring Hill School in Minneapolis, which he was instrumental in helping pioneer, and the Sacramento Waldorf School, where he graduated an 8th grade class in 2015. He moved to Camphill Village in Copake, New York, in 2015, where he currently resides with his wife, Jacquelyn, and their twin daughters, Anya and Sophia. Phil has a particular interest in group work and an ardent love of teaching. He is a house-leader, a member of the Core Faculty of the Social Therapy Program in Copake and serves on the Collegium of the Camphill Academy.
Contact
pdrake@camphill.edu
Diedra is a graduate of the University of Michigan (AB, MSW). She has lived and worked in Camphill Village Kimberton Hills for over 30 years, where she raised three children with her husband, Michael Babitch, shared life with many fascinating people, and served on the International Camphill Movement Group. Diedra is also an author, administrator and founding member of the Camphill Academy Board.
Contact
dheitzman@camphill.edu
Patrice is the Director of Publications and Development for the Research Institute for Waldorf Education (RIWE). She currently teaches teachers at several Waldorf teacher training institutes in North America as an adjunct faculty member. She was leader for Outreach and Development for the Association of Waldorf Schools (AWSNA) for nine years and taught for thirteen years prior to these positions as a class teacher and as a music teacher at the Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville, New York, where she lives with her husband. She was on the founding board of the Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, Maine, and is the proud parent of three Waldorf graduates. Patrice is a published poet, a gardener, and a quilter.
Loren’s passion is for inclusive, student-centered education. He has attempted to apply principles of student-directed curriculum, constructivist pedagogy and non-violent communication as a teacher and administrator. As a school and district leader Loren has focused on consensus decision making and maintaining the moral compass of the organization. Throughout his career in public education and higher education, Loren has attempted to infuse the principals of progressive education and social equity in the broader system. He has been involved for over a decade in alternative education and special education in the context of public schools.
After retiring from his career in public education Loren served as Director of Professional Preparation Programs and Chair of the Education Department. After two years, he became Dean of the college. After attempting to retire again in 2016 Loren walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
Loren is currently serving as an Associate Faculty member in the graduate programs in Education and Sustainability Education at Prescott College (part-time), the Co-Head for Academics at the Monteverde Friends School in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and an adjunct faculty member in teacher preparation at Brookdale College in NJ.
Loren’s academic background includes 5 degrees: B.A. in Classics from Temple University, M.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Temple University, M.Div. from the Reformed Episcopal Seminary, M.A. in Education from Rowan University, and Ed.D. from Seton Hall University.
Nathaniel Williams is from the Southeastern US. Between 1999 and 2004 he lived in Europe where he studied visual art at the neueKUNSTschule in Basel, Switzerland and worked in puppet theater. He returned to the USA and worked as an artist and educator. In 2008 he helped start an arts and education initiative in Columbia County, New York called Free Columbia. Besides the instruction and performances this entailed Free Columbia was also an innovation in form, foregoing fees and relying on fundraising to cover all expenses. During these years he participated in Think OutWord, a peer-led training in Social Threefolding. He began working toward a PhD in Political Theory at the University at Albany in 2015, a process that is nearing its end. This year he will be focusing on research into the relationship between aesthetic experience and democracy.
Research Council
The Research Council supports the development of research capacities within the Camphill Movement in North America through the Camphill Academy. It is chaired by our Research Fellow and includes academic researchers involved in fields relevant to the Camphill Movement.
Before joining Camphill Foundation as executive director in 2010, Shelley served on the Camphill Foundation board for six years, continuing a family tradition begun in 1995, when Shelley’s husband, Donald Meltzer, joined the board, serving as board President from 2000-2005. A political philosopher by trade and a second degree black belt by training, with a BA and Ph.D. from Harvard University, Shelley has published a book on 18C political theory and numerous scholarly articles, as well as the 2009 New York Times Magazine article, “Saying Yes to Ryan.” Her family’s passionate connection to Camphill began with the birth of their third child, Declan, who was born with Down syndrome and who passed away in 1996. Shelley and Donald now live in Greenwich, CT with their two youngest children.
Bio coming soon!
Jan lives and works (mostly) at Camphill Special School’s Beaver Run campus, where he was a class teacher working with teenagers with developmental disabilities for about six years, before joining the Core Faculty of what is now the Camphill Academy’s Curative Education Program. Having been part of the long journey towards the formation of the Camphill Academy, Jan also now serves as its President. In addition, he carries responsibilities within the international network of professional education programs in anthroposophic curative education and social therapy under the umbrella of the International Curative Education and Social Therapy Council. This has given him the opportunity to work with colleagues all over the world and he has taught and consulted in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Central Asia.
Besides holding certificates in Waldorf education and anthroposophic curative education, Jan studied psychology, theology and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh, where he completed an MA (Hons) degree in Psychology. In addition, he holds an MA in Educational Leadership with Pennsylvania Instructional Certification in Special Education from Immaculata University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne.
Contact
jgoeschel@camphill.edu
Robert McDermott is president emeritus of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and chair of the CIIS Philosophy and Religion Department. His books include The Essential Aurobindo (1973), The Essential Steiner (1984), The Bhagavad Gita and the West (2009), The New Essential Steiner (2009), American Philosophy and Rudolf Steiner (2012), and Steiner and Kindred Spirits (2015). He was chair of the board of Sunbridge College in NY and Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA, and served on the council of the Anthroposophical Society of America. For 15 years he chaired the board of the Sophia Project for Mothers and Children at Risk of Homelessness (Oakland and San Raphael).
Dan McKanan has been studying Camphill and other initiatives inspired by anthroposophy since 1999, when he began making regular visits to Camphill Village Minnesota. He is the author of five books, including Touching the World: Christian Communities Transforming Society (a comparative study of Catholic Worker and Camphill communities) and Eco-Alchemy: Anthroposophy and the History and Future of Environmentalism. He is currently working on a book-length study of generational transitions in the Camphill movement. Dan holds the Emerson chair at Harvard Divinity School, which was created to uphold and renew Harvard’s connection to the Unitarian Universalist tradition. He identifies spiritually as a committed Unitarian Universalist and a sympathetic outsider to anthroposophy.
Elizabeth (Libby) (she/her) earned her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011. She joined the Camphill movement in the summer of 2011, first at Camphill Village USA in Copake NY and then The Camphill School Transition Program at Beaver Farm in 2013. Libby completed the Camphill Academy program in Curative Education in 2016 and became a member of the Core Faculty the following year. She lived at Beaver Farm until 2019, and during that time was a homemaker, vocational instructor, and policy researcher for the Camphill Association of North America. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Practical Theology with the University of Aberdeen.
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
Contact
esanders@camphill.edu
