Chiaki Uchiyama, in fulfilling the requirements for an EdD in Educational and Professional Practice, has written and published a dissertation titled Heart-Thinking Leadership: A Transformative Approach to Binary Hierarchies in Waldorf Schools.
Rooted in a diverse range of intellectual and spiritual traditions—including Damásio, Spinoza, Emerson, Hegelian dialectics, Manichaeism, African spirituality, and Indigenous feminism—Uchiyama’s research explores how heart-thinking leadership dismantles elitism, hierarchy, and binary structures in education and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work. Uchiyama’s study promotes a “third space” of inclusive, embodied leadership grounded in intuition, intellect, and relational awareness. Moving beyond rigid dichotomies such as mind/body and power/subjugation, her work advocates for shared power, deep listening, and interconnected decision-making that leads to meaningful and lasting transformation.
Born and raised in Yokohama, Japan, Uchiyama began her Waldorf teaching career in Portland, Oregon, where she taught Japanese for over two decades and served as Pedagogical Director. She currently leads a K–12 Waldorf School as its School Director and continues to influence the field through leadership, workshops, and presentations for major organizations such as AWSNA, WECAN, and NAIS.
Read and download Uchiyama’s dissertation, Heart-Thinking Leadership: A Transformative Approach to Binary Hierarchies in Waldorf Schools, here.
