About the Center
Our mission is to foster caring and compassionate communities by developing self-awareness, supporting collaboration, and encouraging community engagement.
We envision a world where individuals are deeply self-aware, and communities are rooted in compassion and collaboration.
We strive to create spaces where individuals can experience personal and professional growth, meaningful connections, and a deeper sense of belonging. Our efforts aim to inspire and empower individuals to contribute positively to their communities, leading to a more inclusive and empathetic world.
History & Theoretical Background
Transformative Phenomenology emerged from extensive applied phenomenological doctoral research supervised by David Allen Rehorick and Valerie Malhotra Bentz from 1996-2016 during the “Silver Age” of phenomenology at Fielding Graduate University.
Transformative Phenomenology is a somatic-hermeneutic-phenomenology that is put into action in the lifeworld. It is an application of phenomenology—the study of consciousness and phenomena—that can lead to personal, professional, organizational, and social transformations. It is also a form of applied socio-cultural research and practice that supports positive change.
It is founded on the essence-based phenomenology of Edmund Husserl, the social phenomenology of Alfred Schütz, the embodied phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the ontologic-existential phenomenology of Martin Heidegger, and the reflective interpretative hermeneutic methods of Hans-Georg Gadamer.
Transformative Phenomenologists seek positive change in the world of everyday life and exhibit qualities including the adoption of phenomenology as a way of being and embracing embodied consciousness, wonderment and authenticity.
Valerie Malhotra Bentz and Jeremy J. Shapiro developed Mindful Inquiry in Social Sciences in the late 1990’s. Mindful Inquiry is an approach to research that integrates mindfulness with various traditions of inquiry, such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical social science, and embodied awareness (including Buddhism). The idea is to encourage researchers to be reflective, self-aware, and conscious of their own biases and assumptions while conducting research. This method emphasizes the importance of being present and thoughtful throughout the research process, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
The Board of Stewards
The Center is overseen by a Board of Stewards. The members of the board voluntarily contribute their time and expertise to fulfilling the vision of the Center. At various times, the members take on specific responsibilities for particular projects and activities that suit their passions and their time available. The current members are:
Valerie Malhotra Bentz, PhD, MSSW
Valerie is a Professor at the School of Leadership Studies, Fielding Graduate University. Her current interests include phenomenology, somatics, social theory, consciousness development, mindful and contemplative research and Vedan-tic theories of knowledge. She is the originator of our workshops.
Whitney Strohmayr, PhD
Whitney earned a PhD in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University, where she is an Institute for Social Innovation Fellow. She serves as an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses. Whitney also serves at a certified domestic violence shelter as a community education advocate, facilitating presentations on domestic violence and human trafficking prevention.
Carol Estrada, PhD
Carol earned a PhD in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University. Professionally she is a private educational coach, consultant, and tutor to neurodiverse students and their families assisting them to reach their potential in school and in life. Carol has been involved with phenomenology for the past six years, learning, coaching, writing, and facilitating workshops and courses at several universities.
Bart Buecher, PhD
Barton Buechner is the Interim Director and a founding faculty member of the Military Psychology MA program at Adler University, and has served as a Board member of the Coordinated Management of Meaning Institute for Personal and Social Evolution. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and earned an MA in Organization Development & Assessment degree from Case Western Reserve University and a PhD from Fielding Graduate University.
Jim Marlatt, PhD
Jim is an Institute for Social Innovation Fellow at Fielding Graduate University. He is a phenomenologist, adjunct professor, researcher, executive coach, leadership development consultant, and geological engineer.
Honorary Stewards
pending