Crossroads & Classics: Navigating Transitions with Art & Literature

As associate dean for graduate programs at St. John’s Santa Fe campus, David’s been inspiring minds since joining the faculty in 2000, including a stint as assistant dean from 2008-2010.

With degrees from Pomona College, Claremont Graduate School, and UC Davis, David’s academic journey is impressive – but it’s his life experiences that truly enrich his teaching. Growing up amid the forests of rural Oregon, he later found himself lecturing on philosophy, religion, and literature across the globe, from the streets of India to classrooms in France and Germany.

His recent thought-provoking podcast for St. John’s College, “The Fool’s Paradise: To Where Does Travel Lead?”, perfectly captures his gift for connecting timeless wisdom to our modern search for meaning.

A beloved fixture in the St. John’s Summer Classics program, David’s sessions leave participants seeing their lives through fresh, more illuminating lenses.

Claudia has been opening minds and challenging assumptions at St. John’s College since 1994, bringing ancient wisdom into vibrant conversation with our modern lives. After earning her Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Minnesota and teaching at Cornell, she expanded her influence as Visiting Professor in both Philosophy and English at the Air Force Academy.

Her 2020 book, Strategic Humanism: Lessons on Leadership from the Ancient Greeks, cuts through millennia to reveal how classical wisdom remains surprisingly relevant to today’s leadership challenges. As a sought-after voice on numerous podcasts – including EconTalk, Combat & Classics, Classical Wisdom, and The Reeds – Claudia bridges scholarly depth with accessible insight.

Her recent thought-provoking St. John’s podcast, “Practicing for Death: Integrating Mind and Body, East and West,” exemplifies her gift for connecting seemingly disparate traditions into a coherent whole.

A beloved regular in the St. John’s Summer Classics program, Claudia creates learning experiences that participants describe as both intellectually rigorous and deeply personal – exactly the transformative combination we’ve crafted for this retreat.

As our Santa Fe Program Director & Facilitator Lead, Mary’s an experienced leader of mission-driven organizations and initiatives that benefit individuals and communities and strive to advance a more hopeful, caring, and connected world.

As a facilitator and strategic advisor, she’s coached teams and facilitated multi-year projects to transform communities, created and led training and dialogues across the country, and worked for 15+ years with research-practice bridging organizations including Challenge Success and the John W. Gardner Center, both Stanford University-affiliated research organizations.

Before joining MEA in 2024, Mary took a mid-career sabbatical to reflect on purpose, study Spanish, travel, and volunteer with whale shark research and conservation. She also serves as a Senior Advisor with Heartwise Learning, and works with both corporate and educational clients in strategic planning and values alignment. She’s thrilled to be based back in Santa Fe after a 22-year stint in the Bay Area!

Kari is a pioneer facilitator with expertise in the longevity industry and building communities online. She is a master host with a knack of creating deep connections both live and virtually, with nearly 30 years experience as a driven social entrepreneur in creative strategy, facilitating and training, and private consulting to bring out the best in thought leaders.

Kari has worked with hundreds of experts around the world and produced two global summits on the topics of innovation in aging and caregiving. Her online programs at MEA have served thousands of adults around the world.

Kari served as a weekly contributor to the Huffington Post and has appeared on local TV, Dateline NBC, PBS “This Emotional Life,” and contributed to the Amazon #1 bestselling anthology, “Embracing Your Authentic Self.” She is curious about everything and committed to lifelong learning.