Jennifer Morgan – Senior Advisor
Jennifer Morgan works as an instructor, facilitator, designer and consultant in regenerative and healthy lifestyles, participatory community and business design, applied permaculture and yoga. Jennifer holds an N.D., M.S. in Natural Health, a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Environmental Studies, a Diploma in Wildlife Management, and has 15 years experience leading projects and non-profits in the alternative health and environmental sectors.
Jennifer became involved with Gaia University in 2004 and enrolled in 2006 with the very first batch of associates. Her program year focused on engaged participatory design, regional organizing and designing a homestead and community energy decent plan.
Jennifer currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Holistic Ecology (CHE); Executive Officer of Solar Springs, LLC, a permaculture farm; and Holistic Designs and Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm. Jennifer has served as a project manager for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, Gaia Radio, the Transformative Action Learning Certificate and other on-line offerings. She advises numerous associates and is director and lead instructor for Gaia Southeast. Jennifer also organizes courses and teaches permaculture design and financial permaculture
Jennifer’s recent interests have included martial arts, dance, social networking, graphic design, holacracy, archetypical personification, action management and business development. Jennifer and her partner Matthew English live in a naturally self-built off-grid lodge on a permaculture farm.
In 2012, Jennifer became Gaia University’s Director of Advisory Services and in 2025 she became CEO and President of Gaia U. Several years of experience as a highly effective Gaia U advisor inform her approach to this position, which involves supporting, supervising and training the international advisory team to provide superior quality service for all Gaia University associates.
“I heard about Gaia University in 2004 and I was immediately hooked. In 2006 I was initiated as an advisor and began to develop Gaia Southeast. My skills and experiences with fair share and earth, people, and self care, help me with my advising and conscious designing. This broad tool kit enables me to take an integrative approach to supporting associates.
“Totally inspired in my engagement with life and dedicated to a regenerative way of living, I am passionate about combining my holistic world-view and whole systems and whole person design approaches into my advising. My greatest inspirations are to live my values, manifest my passions, and to contribute to healing the self, society and the planet. I’m also committed to empowering others to connect with their own core values, passions and life purpose, and to help them access the appropriate resources, conscious action management steps, and the clear articulation of possible life designs – towards manifesting their highest potential.
“I love to support, collaborate, create, contribute and engage with people. Advising fulfills me on these many levels.”
James Edwards – Advisor
James M. Edwards is a leading educator and practitioner in Eco-Social Design and Systems Thinking, dedicated to helping schools, organizations, and individuals thrive by applying ecological principles—how nature works—to human systems. With over three decades of experience in education, business, and media, James has built a career on solving complex problems through innovative, sustainable strategies. His work centers on aligning social and environmental well-being with operational efficiency and profitability, ensuring that organizations not only succeed but also contribute to a healthier, more regenerative world.
Guided by the foundational question, “What would nature do?”, James collaborates with clients to design ethical, resilient solutions that stand the test of time. His expertise spans systems mapping, regenerative design, and sustainability-driven leadership, helping individuals and institutions make strategic, long-term decisions that benefit both people and the planet.
A bi-cultural and bilingual Spanish-American, James holds an M.Sc. in Eco-Social Design, a B.A. in Diplomacy and Political History and is a certified Permaculture Designer and Teacher. Most recently, he served as Executive Director at Drylands Agroecology Research, a pioneering organization in water-wise regenerative agriculture for arid and desertifying environments. With deep knowledge in ecological and social systems design, education, and facilitation, James brings a holistic, action-oriented approach to advancing sustainable solutions across diverse sectors.
Liam McDermott - Advisor
Liam McDermott works as a hands-on Healer, farm-to-table Caterer, and Facilitator/Designer/Educator in Applied Permaculture. Liam received his BA in Literature from Stanford University in 1997, followed by 1000 hour Massage Certification from Esalen Institute, and an A.O.S in Culinary Arts from California Culinary Academy in 2004. He received his Masters degree in Integrative Ecosocial Design with Gaia University in the summer of 2016. He is also currently working toward his Herbalist Certification from East West Planetary Herbology in Santa Cruz, CA. Liam specializes in systems design, nutrition, healing arts, herbalism, community organizing and facilitation. He serves as the Director of Massage Services for Tassajara Zen Monastery and teaches courses on Applied Permaculture at Esalen Institute for over 12 years. He is the Executive Director for his own catering company, and works both as the registrar and an advisor for Gaia University.
Nourishing and nurturing people and Gaia has been Liam’s life’s work for 20 years as a massage therapist/hands on healer, gardener/permaculture designer, teacher/advisor and farm to table chef. His nomadic lifestyle carries him between central CA in the summers where he facilitates workshops, directs the Tassajara massage crew, and caters, to tropical winters where he studies, plays and develops his personal practices including yoga, tai chi, meditation, gardening, surfing, and herbalism. Liam’s family is developing an acre in Baja California, Mexico where he functions as the Project Manager: installing a perennial polycultural food forest (while starting a mini-nursery), designing a 1 kWatt solar system that suits his family’s electrical needs, and managing gray-water and soil projects to support the drylands conditions. Playing in the garden or enjoying a surf session or a sunset at the beach is where you will usually find Liam during Baja’s tropical winters.
Laura Kaestele - Advisor
Laura is an inspirational, young eco-social designer, action learner, nature lover and life explorer with a deep care for planet and people. She works as a designer, facilitator, grower and project collaborator in integrative design, community development, ecological regeneration, applied permaculture and holistic living bringing more than six years of practical experience in the eco-social field. Growing up in Germany she moved to an eco-community as a teenager. This shift in life lead Laura to her passion and pathway of ecosocial regeneration and cultural transformation.
She completed a BSc in Integrative Ecosocial Design at Gaia University focused on gaining a wide perspective and hands-on skills in the ecological, social, economic, personal and worldview dimensions of regeneration and design in action. Laura is now undertaking an Open Topic Master with GaiaU to deepen her strategic interest and competence in regeneration, design and empowerment. The intention of this pathway is to increase the impact of projects, contribute to the field and build a right livelihood as a designer, project leader and trainer.
She integrates and applies knowledge, tools and best practices from the fields of permaculture, ecovillage living, systemic design thinking, participatory leadership, community building and project management in her work. The goal is to create natural and human systems based on collaboration, interconnection, creativity and abundance. Besides her role as a main advisor for GaiaU, she partly works in the educational field and serves as a facilitator and organizer in the European core team of NextGEN, the youth initiative of the Global Ecovillage Network, collaborates in teams for nature connection and cultural mentoring with Circlewise and contributes to the regenerative agriculture practiced at the community farm Lenzwald run by Puls der Erde e.V.
Living as an intentional nomad and travelling the world (so far Europe and SE Asia) she has learned, lived and worked at more than twentyfive eco-projects, communities and permaculture farms over the past four years. Laura contributes her enthusiasm, collaborative competence, clarity, design thinking, practical skills and knowledge to support projects and groups to thrive, evolve and have a greater positive impact.
“Realizing the freedom and responsibility to choose my own un/learning pathway I joined Gaia University in 2012. I love the supportive feedback culture, action learning methodology, community interaction and empowering mentoring relationships.
“Gaia U encourages me to reflect, design and take action to leverage the positive impact of my work and I absolutely thrive in the liberating structure and self-directed learning system. Thus I encourage anyone who experiences conventional education as meaningless, oppressive or limiting your creative potential to consider the possibility of hacking education and becoming engaged in the growing network of inspirational professionals following their calling! The radically transformative character of Gaia U blew my mind and deeply touched my heart – courageously taking this pathway was one of the best decision I have made.
“Driven by my passion I am committed to develop the inner and outer resources needed to be a conscious, responsible and pro-active change agent to co-create the present cultural transition towards regeneration. Besides, I enjoy to support, collaborate, create, learn and engage with people. Being in service as an advisor I feel fulfilled and excited to use my clarity, joy for learning, attention to design, team-spirit, emotional sensitivity and project experiences for the benefit of associates. My intention is to empower others to explore their interests, to align their life and work with a heart-vision, to embody their full potential and live as shining stars!”
Dr. Lee Klinger - External Reviewer
Lee Klinger, Ph.D., is an Independent Scientist and Consultant in Big Sur, CA currently working with the Department of Natural Resources of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, and with the Mutsun/Ohlone Costanoan leaders at Indian Canyon Nation. Since 2005 he has served as the director of Sudden Oak Life, a movement aimed at applying fire mimicry practices to address the problems of forest decline and severe wildfires in California.
Dr. Klinger has more than forty years of experience in forestry, plant and soil ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and Gaian science research, and has held scholarly appointments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Colorado, the University of Oxford, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Geological Society of London.
Much of Dr. Klinger’s academic focus has been in the science of Gaia. He has taught courses on Gaia theory at the University of Colorado and at Naropa University, and from 1996 to 2000 served as Vice-Chair of the Gaia Society, now the Earth Systems Science Special Interest Group of the Geological Society of London.
Upon its publication in 2024, his book “Forged by Fire: The Cultural Tending of Trees and Forests in Big Sur and Beyond” became the #1 New Release in Amazon’s Forests and Rainforest category.