Douglas has spent decades leading inquiry-driven discussions for students of all ages, using literature, philosophy, and the humanities to spark deep, thoughtful conversations. His career spans a wide range of educational settings, from international schools to programs for incarcerated learners, always centering dialogue around life’s enduring questions. Drawing on his background in theater, education, and community dialogue, Douglas brings a rare blend of warmth, insight, and depth to every conversation he facilitates. Why Premise? "Life moves fast, and it’s easy to go from one thing to the next without stopping to really think. Premise creates space for busy adults to slow down, reflect, and have the kinds of conversations that challenge us, connect us, and make life richer. As an educator, I’ve seen firsthand the power of inquiry-driven dialogue, and I want to create more opportunities for people to engage in the kind of learning that expands perspectives and deepens understanding."

Mary founded Premise with the belief that all adults, no matter how busy, should have the chance to engage in meaningful conversations about life’s big questions. She believes grounding each discussion in a piece of art—whether literature, nonfiction, or film—creates a shared foundation for rich dialogue and diverse perspectives. For Mary, real connection doesn’t come through small talk but by exploring thoughtful questions that get to the heart of the human experience. She is passionate about making intellectual exploration accessible, fitting into even the busiest schedules. Through Premise, Mary offers adults the chance to step away from daily routines and engage in deep, structured conversations that prioritize curiosity and joy over competition. Listening and questioning are just as important as sharing ideas, creating a welcoming space for all voices. With two decades of experience leading conversation-style courses with Symposium Great Books Institute, Gather Learning, Portland Literary Arts Foundation, and in high school classrooms, Mary’s work has always centered on the power of conversation. She holds a BA in History from American University, and master’s degrees from Brown University, St. John’s College, and San Jose State University. Mary is also a two-time National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow. Her thinking is deeply inspired by philosopher Hannah Arendt, and she has presented at Bard College’s Conference on Arendt. Premise, which began in 2012 as an in-person program in San Francisco, is relaunching in Fall 2024 after a brief hiatus. With hundreds of past participants, Mary is excited to expand Premise nationwide and bring its conversations to more communities.

Casie is a product manager at Microsoft and a Master of Liberal Arts student at the University of Chicago Graham School. Her work and studies center on a shared passion: exploring the intersection of technology and the human experience. With a deep curiosity about how language shapes thinking, relationships, and culture, Casie is drawn to questions about how we influence — and are influenced by — the systems we create. Casie’s approach to learning was shaped by her undergraduate work at The Evergreen State College and her graduate studies at St. John’s College, where she developed a strong foundation in inquiry-driven, egalitarian, community-based education. She has a long history of following her curiosity across companies, schools, and cities, and has led inquiry-based discussions both with young people in educational settings and with colleagues in the tech world. Through Premise, Casie is excited to create space for real conversation — the kind that challenges assumptions, fosters connection, and expands how we see ourselves and the world. Why Premise? “Premise offers something rare: a space to step outside of daily noise and engage with the deeper questions that shape how we live and connect. It’s a chance to slow down, think together, and make meaning in a way that feels increasingly essential.”

Kristin Kalangis has over 20 years of experience as a researcher, teacher, mentor, and trainer in K–12, higher education, and government settings. Known to many as Ms. K, she has guided learners to become more curious, engaged, and thoughtful—about academic content, human perspectives, and life’s enduring questions. Kristin holds degrees in psychology, anthropology, and education, which together have shaped what she calls a “quilt” of professional and personal pursuits. Though she’s lived and traveled in many places—both physically and imaginatively—she calls Santa Fe, NM home. Her Greek family roots there go back to the 1930s, and she’s raised her own children in what has become an ever-expanding community “family.” Kristin discovered Premise while searching for ways to deepen connection and insight in her local community. She draws inspiration from Santa Fe’s striking landscape, layered histories, and wide-ranging perspectives. Her grounding and wonder come from reading, writing poetry (she’s currently working on her first chapbook), hiking in the northern New Mexico mountains, singing and songwriting, “wild” gardening, and spontaneous conversations with friends old and new. Fun fact: Kristin once read Rilke’s poem “You See, I Want a Lot” during a job interview—and it turned out to be a plus.

Blyth is a designer, builder, and connector who creates experiences that help people learn, grow, and feel a deeper sense of belonging. She has held leadership roles at several technology companies, always focused on using design thinking to enhance the human experience. At the same time, she has remained deeply involved in her community, serving as a mentor and tutor to young people through organizations such as SF CASA and 826 Valencia. Locally, she expresses her enthusiasm for education through her involvement with the Loma Public Education Fund and Loma Home & School Club. Blyth first joined Premise as a participant in 2013 and has been part of its evolution ever since. She has contributed to nearly every aspect of the organization’s growth, from advising to experience design, including the design of the Premise website. One of her guiding goals is to help people make sense of the world and their place in it. She believes that the Premise model of a short text, an enduring question, and a guided conversation offers an accessible and meaningful way to do just that, together. As Chapter Leader in Los Gatos, Blyth is excited to create thoughtful spaces for reflection, curiosity, and connection close to home—and help neighbors get to know one another in even deeper and more meaningful ways.

Mali Locke is a strategic philanthropy leader, trusted facilitator, and community weaver with more than 20 years of experience guiding funders, nonprofits, and social enterprises toward deeper alignment, greater impact, and more authentic relationships. Known for her transparent and values-driven approach, Mali creates spaces where diverse stakeholders can move from intention to action—together. As the inaugural Managing Director of the Inherent Foundation, she built the organization from the ground up, designing its theory of change, overseeing a mission-aligned investment strategy, and leading collaborative initiatives across education, mental health, workforce, and climate. She is also Principal of Harper Group, where she facilitates retreats, leadership workshops, and design sessions for funders and changemakers nationwide. Mali’s speaking and facilitation style is both grounded and generative—equal parts strategic clarity and human connection. Whether leading a cross-sector convening, guiding a board retreat, or moderating a panel, she is known for surfacing what matters, making complexity manageable, and holding space for reflection and movement. She currently serves on the board of Easterseals DC MD VA, where she chairs fundraising efforts and champions inclusive, community-led solutions. A fluent French speaker with roots in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and civic sectors, Mali bridges people and possibilities with authenticity, humility, and heart.

Elizabeth is a nonprofit leadership coach and advisor who has spent more than 20 years in senior management roles at mission-driven organizations working to solve complex social problems. Elizabeth specializes in developing and implementing growth strategies for nonprofit organizations and mission-driven startups. She helps leaders and their teams achieve greater clarity, alignment, and impact through strategic planning, fundraising, and organizational development. Her approach centers on unleashing creativity and innovative thinking while ensuring that mission-driven work translates into measurable outcomes. Why Premise? "In my work with nonprofit leaders, I've seen how transformative it can be when people step back from the demands of their mission to engage with deeper questions about purpose, leadership, and social change. Premise offers that rare opportunity to connect with others around the fundamental questions that drive our work and our lives. These conversations don't just satisfy intellectual curiosity—they help us become more thoughtful, more effective, and more connected leaders and human beings."

Karen is a lifelong educator and entrepreneur, consistently centering learning, equity and inclusion across a variety of contexts. She has scaled a number of organizations, developed several dynamic, diverse teams and designed, launched and facilitated significant improvement efforts in traditional public, public charter and independent schools. Karen founded Leveraging Leaders, a national consulting firm, to support the success and sustainability of leaders through customized coaching, capacity-building services and community. She ably creates space for critical reflection and constructive discourse, key contributors to individual, team and organizational evolution, leveraging her experiences as a school founder, teacher and leader developer and practitioner researcher. Recently completing her doctoral studies in educational leadership, Karen has been actively exploring how we build trusting relationships across differences, lean into, learn from and leverage tensions and get more comfortable with change. As Chapter Leader in New York City, Karen is eager to establish diverse and engaging learning communities that foster rich dialogue, authentic connections and meaningful explorations of big questions.

Peter Lynch has been teaching high school English, history, and journalism for 10 years. With a masters in liberal studies at Georgetown, a frequent participant in St. John's Great Books sessions, trained in the Harkness discussion method, and an avid conversationalist, he is no stranger to a discussion. Peter grew up in Washington D.C. and loves the city and all it has to offer. He believes that connecting with neighbors is one of the most important things we can do right now. He can also be found playing ice-hockey, catching live music, getting distracted by D.C. historic markers, and sifting through his favorite used book stores.

Travis is an experience designer and facilitator who has spent over five years curating conversations that communities didn’t know that they had needed. Since 2019, he has hosted more than 20 salons across the US, Latin America, and Europe, where participants have formed lasting friendships, discovered their next big move, and resolved longstanding questions. In 2024, The World Experience Organization recognized him as an Emerging Talent and the CEO of The House of Beautiful Business, in the same year, praised him for elevating the guest experience during their festival in Morocco. Travis first got a taste Premise’s magic as a participant in “Is Friendship Necessary?” That experience stayed with him long after the session ended and sparked numerous conversations with his friends. Through Premise, he sees it as a space to invite better conversations that go beyond our day-to-day existence. He believes that when we can unpack big questions through the lens of our experiences while also learning from others in the room, we walk away moved and with clarity that’s hard to find on one’s own.

Leslie King is an organizational and community change practitioner who has walked alongside institutions and grassroots communities for over 18 years. Her work supports the shift from conflict to collaboration, from intention to action, and from fragmentation to collective care. Principles of healing, equity, and transformation guide her work through deep listening, shared power, and authentic relationships. Through Leslie King Coaching and Consulting, Leslie partners with nonprofits, public agencies, schools, coalitions, and cultural organizations to co-create inclusive and participatory processes that foster accountability, belonging, and capacity for long-term change. Her interdisciplinary practice weaves together cultural memory work, climate resilience, education equity, and conflict transformation, always honoring the lived experiences and local wisdom of the communities she serves. A core thread in Leslie’s work is knowledge translation—bridging academic research and complex frameworks with community contexts, making them accessible, usable, and meaningful. She facilitates conversations that create space for addressing complex issues, supports leaders and teams navigating change, and designs professional development that moves beyond compliance to deepen understanding and drive action. Her approach is grounded in trust-building, participatory design, and whole systems thinking — an approach that attends to the interdependence of personal wellbeing, institutional change, and community agency. Across all her work, she cultivates learning cultures and strengthens what she calls communal wealth: the wisdom, connection, and collective capacity already present within communities. Leslie’s work is an invitation to people and institutions to engage in processes of reflection, repair, and reimagining. She firmly believes that lasting change is born in relationships, nurtured through co-creation, courageous imagination, and a profound respect for the stories held within both people and place.

Kathryn Shields is a curious and responsive academic leader interested in contributing to innovations and transformation in teaching and learning. She believes the infrastructure best equipped to support those systems stems from collaborative relationships and connections grounded in meaningful dialogue, intentional community, and effective storytelling. Trained as an art historian and currently living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Kathryn has worked at Guilford College since 2007. Immersion in Quaker education has completely reconfigured her approaches to teaching, learning, and leadership to focus on promoting the unique contributions of community members; valuing silence, thoughtful reflection, and communal discernment; and making collective decisions using consensus as a model. With 28 years of higher ed experience, Kathryn earned her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University and taught at the University of Texas at Arlington prior to coming to Guilford. Kathryn’s scholarly and pedagogical interests interweave masking, identity, collaboration, equitable social practice, critical engagement strategies, and learning by doing. Her publications include the introductory textbook Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, first published by Thames and Hudson in 2011. Recognized for its diverse coverage, Gateways offers accessible frameworks to examine artworks’ meaning while embracing complexity and depth. Co-authored with Debbie DeWitte and Ralph Larmann, the 5th edition of Gateways is in production. She also co-edited (with Sunny Spillane) Creative Collaboration in Art Practice, Research, and Pedagogy. Most of the contributors to Creative Collaboration are members of the arts organization SECAC and the book itself was inspired by collegiality, dynamic collaboration, friendly professional relationships, and serendipity. The topics of her presentations and articles include iconic representations in music video and screens; masking in photography; gender and representation; parafiction and self-portraiture; inclusive pedagogy; joy as a guiding influence; and ongoing mutual learning.

Sonia Steinway is a financial services executive, entrepreneur, angel investor, and recovering attorney. She currently works as the head of the Benefits experience product for Chase customers. Previously, she founded and served as CEO of a fintech startup. Sonia is the co‑founder and President of the Board of Village Up, a collaborative effort to boost diversity, inclusion, and access within San Diego’s innovation ecosystem. She also provides pro bono legal support for clients through Vecina and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Project. In her non‑work hours, Sonia loves to hike, dance, read voraciously, learn Latin and ancient Greek, solve cryptic crosswords, and torture her wife and teenage son with variants on the trolley problem. Her "mental screensaver" is thinking about the nature of identity -- how do we know that we're the same person we were yesterday? If you replace all of the planks on a ship, when does it become a new object? When do grains of sand become a pile? She is excited to facilitate Premise sessions to explore these questions and others with a diverse group of thoughtful and intellectually curious people.

Sophia began facilitating and educating in 2018. From practicing as a medical herbalist and wild food educator in the UK, she now serves California Bay Area organizations - from Google to San Rafael’s Next Generation Scholars - as a leadership performance coach and facilitator specialized in powerful conversations and healthy debate. She studies the therapeutic dimensions of dialogue through counselling skills, coaching practices, the performing arts and wisdom traditions. Outside of work, she can be found having yet more conversations with friends, tending her narrow strip of San José garden, talking with strangers on trains, or playing capoeira. Sophia holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Southampton, UK.

Christina joined Premise because she believes that deep change begins not with quick fixes, but with courageous conversation. In a culture that often rewards certainty and speed, Premise offers something rare: a space to pause, reflect, and grapple with questions that don’t have easy answers. For Christina, Premise reflects the values that have shaped her life’s work—equity, empathy, and the belief that everyone’s story matters. She sees it as a place where strangers become co-learners, where discomfort is welcomed as a sign of growth, and where new possibilities emerge not from consensus, but from connection. Christina founded Horner Consulting with the conviction that equity isn’t a checklist—it’s a way of being, leading, and learning. She believes meaningful change begins with honest conversation, and that when we redesign systems with purpose, we move closer to justice. Guided by the belief that equity is excellence—and that empathy must be at the center—Christina works alongside schools, nonprofits, and public agencies to center the lived experiences of those most impacted by systemic inequities, particularly Black and Brown communities. A lifelong educator, Christina creates spaces where people can reflect honestly, examine deeply, and act with integrity. Known for balancing urgency with compassion, her facilitation helps groups move from intention to sustainable impact. Christina brings over 30 years of experience as a teacher, school leader, policy advocate, and elected official. She currently serves on the Wellesley School Committee and sits on the board of the Progress Inevitable Foundation. Christina holds degrees from Boston College and Lesley University. She is a fellow with the National Equity Project and The Hunt Institute’s Early Learning Nation Policy Fellowship. In recognition of her leadership and service, Christina received the Black Excellence on the Hill award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Her work is deeply rooted in her own journey—as a mother, educator, and product of both racially integrated and segregated school systems.

Brian is a writer, software engineer, and passionate advocate of the humanities. He did his Ph.D. in theological ethics at the University of Notre Dame, where he wrote a dissertation on the medieval Franciscans, then spent ten years teaching theology and philosophy at Florida Southern College. Now he works on the APIs at Pinterest. Brian is convinced that the future of the humanities depends on building new spaces for communal reading and reflection beyond the walls of academia. As a chapter leader at Premise, he hopes to give people (including himself) opportunities to think deeply about questions of vital concern—without the background noise of grades or credentials.

Sam is a sustainable development advocate, researcher, and connector who brings curiosity, thoughtful analysis, and a deep commitment to community into every project. Originally from Philadelphia, he moved to Seattle to pursue a career in public service. His work has spanned continents from serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala teaching youth life skills and health topics, to co-authoring academic research on public safety and community trust during graduate school in New Jersey. Today, he works to connect Washington residents to one another through the internet, always integrating research-driven methods into his approach. Outside of work, Sam is active in his community by cleaning neighborhood streets with a local council, scanning tickets for a local soccer team, and exploring nearby trails with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Sam is new to Premise and is re-exploring the joys of session facilitation. As Chapter Leader in Seattle, he hopes to create welcoming spaces where people feel inspired to dig deeper into their own thinking, reflect meaningfully, and engage in conversations that find their natural flow. His aim is to spark curiosity and connection in ways that leave people thinking long after the conversation ends.

For more than three decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of community engagement, health policy, and cultural transformation—creating spaces where people can explore life’s big questions, connect deeply, and imagine new possibilities together. My career began in community-based organizations, helping families access reproductive, primary, preventive, and behavioral healthcare. Over time, I saw that the challenges people faced were rooted far upstream, in the systems and cultural values shaping our daily lives. That realization led me into policy work and, ultimately, to the ideas of Dr. Riane Eisler, whose partnership-domination social scale helped me see why our culture so often devalues care, connection, and collaboration—and how we can change that. Today, through my business CJ Connections and as producer and host of The Power of Partnership Podcast (42 episodes, nearly 15,000 listens), I bring people together across sectors and perspectives to explore how partnership-based approaches can replace domination-based systems. Premise’s blend of intellectual depth, pluralistic inquiry, and genuine warmth resonates deeply with my own values and experience. I believe the most transformative conversations happen when curiosity meets care, and when people feel both challenged and safe enough to explore complexity. As a Chapter Lead, I would bring my facilitation skills, passion for big questions, and commitment to creating inclusive, energizing spaces where participants leave feeling more connected—to themselves, to one another, and to our shared civic life.

Pat leads Premise sessions online for the Breaking Age community and in person in San Antonio, TX. Pat Whitty believes that conversation has the power to keep us growing—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—at every stage of life. He joined Premise to create spaces for connection, introspection, and generative dialogue, where people can reflect on who they are and who they’re becoming. Pat brings a lifetime of experience in guiding others through transition. He is the founder of Breaking Age, a community dedicated to helping people live more intentionally in the second half of life. As a former university dean, certified health coach, and leadership trainer, Pat has spent decades helping people navigate change with clarity and purpose. He partners with Premise to bring sessions to both the San Antonio community and the members of Breaking Age. Pat leads Premise sessions both in person and online, creating welcoming environments to explore big questions around identity, aging, purpose, and meaning. Pat’s work draws on his own journey, including overcoming obesity, coaching others toward health, and studying aging and transformation at the Modern Elder Academy. He holds a master’s degree in Organizational Development and previously owned the Dale Carnegie Training franchise for South Texas. His approach blends personal wisdom, professional insight, and a genuine belief in the power of dialogue.

Robin believes that meaning is constructed together in conversation. She is committed to creating space for reflective dialogue about life’s biggest questions, where listening, questioning, and shared discovery can lead to new ways of understanding ourselves and one another. Her reason for joining Premise is simple: she sees philosophy as a lived practice that helps us grow in community. She is the Marin Chapter Leader and a co-creator and instructional designer of the Premise for Teens program, which will launch in summer 2026. In both roles she is working to expand opportunities for young people and adults to engage in meaningful, facilitated dialogue that sparks curiosity, reflection, and connection. A founding faculty member at the Bay School, Robin has spent decades teaching humanities and philosophy and designing courses that invite students to wrestle with the messiness of the human condition. She finds joy in watching young people encounter familiar texts with fresh eyes, and she believes these conversations foster intellectual humility, resilience, and connection. Robin studied history at Haverford College (BA) and pursued graduate work in East Asian Studies at Princeton University (MA, PhD ABD). Her passion for philosophy was sparked early by Chinese thought and history, which revealed to her entirely different lenses through which to see the world. That insight continues to shape both her teaching and her own search for meaning. Before her teaching career, Robin trained in classical and Mandarin Chinese at Stanford’s Inter-University Program in Taipei. She then worked for Turner Broadcasting, where she helped establish the company’s media presence across Hong Kong and China in the early 1990s. At Bay, she has created and taught courses including American Studies, Existentialism, Religion in U.S. Politics, and Banned Books, always with the goal of engaging students in deep reflection. Outside of the classroom, Robin draws inspiration from Buddhist precepts of patience, openness, and compassion, which she sees as essential to genuine dialogue. Her philosopher socks, given to her by generations of students, remind her that deep thinking and playfulness can go hand in hand.