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For Coretta Bliss, kindergarten was a hard year. Her parents—activists living on a Catholic Worker Farm—were viewed as outsiders by the local community. She ended up feeling unwelcome even in her classroom. As she explains, “I just sat at my desk and kept my mouth shut and was scared of the teacher.”
Russell Thornhill has spent decades of his life lifting up other people and their stories—through his ministry, through his teaching, through his scholarship, and through his platform as a key member of his community. But for a long time he resisted centering himself and his personal experiences.
A few years ago, Mary Ann Short called an HR representative to resolve an insurance issue. It was one of those phone calls that you put off, and then on the day you actually make the call, as the phone rings, you prepare yourself for a complex negotiation. To say she was not expecting a life-changing experience would be an understatement.
Mario Burton ’19 (GSLC, MA), Founder and CEO of The SEMANCO Team, has been selected as a 2023 Minorities Fellowship Programme representative by the United Nations Human Rights Office of High Commissioner. The comprehensive program offers training for human rights and minority rights defenders belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Burton is an experienced human resource director with a passion for creating and enhancing people-centered organizations. Burton is a student in the PhD in Leadership and Change program.
Andrea Hernandez Rodriguez ‘14 (GSLC, PhD) President of Growing Giving, has been on the ground providing care, supplies, and resources to wildfire survivors and others impacted on the Island of Maui. In addition to facilitating trauma-informed counseling through her organization, she joined the Maui Medic Healers Hui to create Kānaka Maoli-led spaces for healing. She has supported the development of the Maui Organizer Mālama Fund, resourcing local Maui community organizers and centering native Hawai’ian leadership. Hernandez Rodriguez specializes in trauma-informed, conflict transformation centering race; intergenerational giving that shares power with young people; and holding compassionate change for leaders in times
Kelly Meehan ‘22 (GSLC, PhD) assumed the role of Vice President of Children’s Services and Community Partnerships at People Incorporated. This Massachusetts-based human services agency is dedicated to providing support to children, adults, and families across the Southeastern region of the state. Learn more about Meehan’s work and read her dissertation Love and Learn: Creating Space for Authentic Caring in Family Child Care here.
Torin Finser, PhD, core faculty in Education at Antioch’s New England campus, spoke at a national conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in October about his book A Second Classroom. The book, translated into Portuguese by Livia Ribeiro, provides a thorough exploration of the parent–teacher relationship, offering practical advice to spark meaningful conversations, encourage self-reflection, and promote relational practices that foster a sense of community within and around schools. “What cannot adequately be described are the rush of sights and sounds in the largest city in Brazil, the 5th largest in the world, the warmth and hospitality of the people, enthusiasm
Stacey Guenther ’22 (GSLC, PhD) was awarded an International Humanistic Management Fellowship from the Humanistic Management Association. She presented at the N2 Conference – The Noosphere at 100: The Future of Human Collective Consciousness at UC Berkley on November 17-19. Her talk was titled “From Me to We: Accessing Collective Consciousness in Groups.” Guenther is a leadership coach, consultant, educator, and contemplative scholar. Learn more about her work here. Read more about Guenther and her dissertation From Me to We: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Group Beingness here.
Thomas Crawford ‘14 (GSLC, PhD) was named one of the “75 Hospital and Health System Chief Operating Officers to Know in 2023” by Becker’s Hospital Review. Crawford is System Chief Operating Officer and Associate Professor for the Medical University of South Carolina.
Since our founding 1852, Antioch University has remained on the forefront of social justice, inclusion, and equality – regardless of ethnicity, gender, creed, orientation, focus of study, or ability.
Antiochians actively reflect these shared values to inspire positive change in the world. Common Thread is where we document the stories that showcase our communities actions, so the change we work for can be shared widely.
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