Greg Thomas, CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, is a writer, intellectual, and entrepreneur. Among other models, he uses Integral metatheory and blues idiom philosophy to shed light on complex issues and to point a way forward and upward. As the co-founder of G&J Productions, Greg was instrumental in developing programs such as the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s flagship interview series, Harlem Speaks. He has written about culture, race, and democratic life and values in publications ranging from the Village Voice, Integral+Life, New Republic, Salon, UPTOWN, The Root, the Guardian Observer, and the New York Daily News as jazz columnist. Greg has lectured on American cultural history and jazz at Columbia, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Hamilton College and Harvard. See more about Greg at the site of the Jazz Leadership Project, as well as its blog, Tune In To Leadership. Jewel Kinch-Thomas, COO, Co-Creator and Facilitator of the Jazz Leadership Project, an innovative leadership and team development model for high-level performance. She has planned and facilitated live workshops for Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, NYPD, and Con Edison. Jewel is co-founder of G&J Productions, Inc, a consulting firm for project planning, management, and production. She recently produced Rev. Dr. James Forbes? Juneteenth celebration at Carnegie Hall. As an executive leader of several arts institutions, Jewel has over 20 years of experience in organizational operations, budget management, and program development. Jewel has participated in Columbia University’s Arts Leadership Institute, New York Foundation for the Arts Leadership Circles, and the Women & Power: Leadership for the 21st Century program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Guest Facilitator Amiel Handelsman is an executive coach, change consultant, and author. He has spent two decades developing leaders in large companies, foundations, start-ups, and the public sector. He combines the friendly warmth of his Michigan upbringing with the frankness and unflinching honesty of his New York City roots. Amiel is the author of Practice Greatness: Escape Small Thinking, Listen Like A Master, And Lead With Your Best and Leading When You’re Ticked Off And Other Tips For Mastering Complexity. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University. He is a Certified Integral Coach through New Ventures West. From 1999 to 2004 he served on the External Advisory Board of the Erb Institute for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan. Amiel lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two gregarious sons, a zippy electric car, and six solar panels.